Inside
● ●
SALMON DAYS P. 4 EDITORIAL P. 6
● ●
WEDDING PAGES P. 8-9 REDISCOVER VANDERHOOF P. 11
E xpress OMINECA
Publications Mail Contract # 40007840
$1.30 Inc. GST Vol. 36 No. 27
Serving Vanderhoof ● Fort Fraser ● Fraser Lake & Area www.ominecaexpress.com
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
School starts! Sam Redding
Omineca Express School staff are busy getting ready for the return of students and are looking forward to welcoming them on Wednesday, September 4. This first day will run for only half a day, students will be dismissed three hours earlier than normal for their school. As summer vacations wrap up and children return to school Vanderhoof RCMP are reminding parents, students and drivers to be vigilant around school zones so everyone remains safe. The speed limit around most schools is 30 kilometers per hour, and the RCMP will be out ensuring that motorists respect the posted speed limits. “Every year in B.C., an average of 16,045 children
aged five to 18 are involved in crashes, resulting in 5,215 injuries and 34 deaths,” said Sergeant Jason Keays, Detachment Commander of Vanderhoof RCMP in an email. Classes back on means that children will be flooding the streets and, especially in a small town, they may not look twice when crossing the road. Drivers are advised to drive slow in areas where children are walking, everyone is excited with school back on so the RCMP would like motorists to remember to stay calm and cautious on the roads. Students who walk to school are advised to use sidewalks when possible and to cross where there are crossing guards available. For those children who ride a bike to and from school,
RCMP are reminding students to respect traffic lights and to make sure the bicycle is equipped with reflectors. Wearing headphones or earbuds to listen to music is dangerous when riding a bike on road ways. Sgt. Keays wants everyone to take responsibility for their own actions ensuring all are safe during the back to school season - “We will be reminding drivers that it’s their responsibility to be alert, slow down and watch for children, especially near schools and playgrounds, we can all play an active role by making smart decisions”. For children who ride a school bus, the RCMP want to remind the children to wait until the bus stops to approach the front door, to make sure the driver sees them before crossing in front
Sergeant Jason Keays wants to remind motorists to be extra cautious with classes back on and slow down in school zones. Kids walking to school should use crossing guards when possible. of the bus and to never cross behind a school bus. Motorists are reminded that when a school bus is stopped, they too must stop and it’s best to stay five
meters behind the bus. Passing a bus with the flashing lights is a major offence and will cost drivers a hefty fine and several demerit points off a driver’s license.
Legebokoff trial delayed Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier The trial of accused serial killer Cody Legebokoff has been postponed until Oct. 7 to face four charges of first-degree murder. Originally slated for trial to begin Sept. 9, Cody Alan Legebokoff, 23, will now appear in October in B.C Supreme Court in Prince George in front of a judge without jury. Legebokoff, originally from Fort St. James, is accused of the murders of four women: Loren Donn Leslie, Jill Stacey Stachenko, Cynthia Francis Maas and Natasha Lynn Montgomery. Legebokoff, was stopped by chance in November 2010 by a
passing RCMP member who was driving on Highway 27 toward Vanderhoof and saw Legebokoff pulling off of an unused logging road onto the highway at night. When pulled over, Legebokoff raised enough suspicion a conservation officer was contacted to search the area, looking for possible illegal hunting activity. During his search, however, the Cody Legebokoff conservation officer discovered the body of 15-year-old Loren Leslie, who was from Fraser Lake and attending high school in Vanderhoof at Nechako Valley Secondary School when she
disappeared. Her parents reported she had told her mother she was going for coffee with a friend and never returned. Legebokoff was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder. After further investigation, RCMP allege they have linked Legebokoff to three additional women’s deaths. Stachenko went missing in October 2009 and was found only days later in a gravel pit outside Prince George. Maas went missing in September 2010 and was found in L.C. Gunn Park in Prince George within a couple of weeks. Montgomery went missing at the same time as Maas, but her body has not been recovered. At the time of his arrest, Legebokoff was living in a house in Prince George with high school friends from Fort St. James.
To help celebrate
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAYS Here’s your chance to do something special for your valued customers! Please call ...250-567-9258 or Fax: 250-567-2070 to book your ad space or for more information Published Oct 23 & 25, 2013