Along the Fraser People making changes theme of ‘13. p6
For every ‘burb built, Maple Ridge pays. p3
THE NEWS
Sports Pitcher picked for national u-18 team. p19
www.mapleridgenews.com Friday, January 3, 2014 · Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · Delivery: 604-466-6397
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A stolen truck rammed through the front door of G&G Music on Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.
Thieves pick music store after Christmas Stolen truck rammed through front of G&G
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Cristina Evanow examines an item she found on the front lawn of her former home on 119th Avenue after a second fire there. See video @ mapleridgenews.com
by M o ni s ha M a r tin s staff reporter
Terry Gregson had plans for a Boxing Day blowout, a week-long sale with deals for budding musicians to virtuosos. Hours before the store was set to open, however, a couple of thieves had plans of their own. At 3:30 a.m. Dec. 26, a white pickup truck rammed through G&G Music’s front door, crashing through reinforced steel bars into guitars, mandolins, shelves of music books and toppling a tower of stage lights. It took minutes for the hoodie-clad men to make off with a load of guitars. On New Year’s Eve, Gregson was still trying to figure out how many were stolen. He estimates the theft and damage to be more than $50,000. “They know you are setting up for Boxing Day and have all the stuff out.”
See Music, p12
Suspicious fire at same house Suspect arrested, released; house to be demolished by Monisha M ar t ins staff reporter
Barry Brinkman/Special to THE NEWS
Neighbours called 911 around 10:45 p.m. on New Year’s Eve after seeing flames shooting through the home on 223rd Street.
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A historic house in downtown Maple Ridge vacated after a fire in November was completely destroyed in a second suspicious fire on New Year’s Eve. Neighbours called 911 around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday after seeing flames shooting through the boarded-up home on 223rd Street at 119th Avenue. By the time firefighters arrived, the 70-year-old house was completely engulfed. “Crews did an exterior attack
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ablaze. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. Cristina, Bill and their son Liam raced to the property from their new home and watched as flames destroyed what was left of it. “I just feel so bad. They’ve burned everything that wasn’t destroyed before - the other two bedrooms, the stairs, right through the middle of the house.” Since the previous arson, people have broken into the house. The Evanows found a window smashed and the front door open last week. “When the firefighters got here, the front door was open,” said Evanow, who was back at the property Thursday, clearing out the garage. See Fire, p12
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first, which means they knocked the fire down from the outside instead of going inside,” said fire chief Dane Spence. “The house was far enough away from the occupied apartment building next door that it wasn’t a direct threat.” At the height of the blaze, 27 firefighters from two halls were on scene. Electricity had been cut off since the previous fire on Nov. 13, when the Evanow family, who rented the home, escaped with just the clothes on their backs. Cristina Evanow was waiting for her husband Bill to return home from work so they could ring in the New Year when she got a call from her landlord telling her their former home was once again
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wishes everybody a very happy new year Bob Fitz-James Certified Arborist 604•786•1333