ALDERGROVE STAR Your Hometown Community Newspaper for over 55 Years
| Thursday, January 23, 2014
Aldergrove’s Just Wild About Harry!
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Page 11: Kodiak Ryan set to break records Dancing in the Ukrainian New Year
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Pressure on to preserve more forests here By DAN FERGUSON and KURT LANGMANN Aldergrove Star
JOHN MORROW PHOTO
Kyra Poulsen and Ken Heschuk of Abbotsford’s Yevshan Ukrainian Dancers perform Pryvit during the Malanka (Ukrainian New Year) event held Saturday at Sts. Joachim and Ann’s Church in Aldergrove. The event was hosted by the Ukrainian Club of Abbotsford Association.
People concerned about a a proposal to develop 19 acres of land into 61 residential lots in Aldergrove packed a public hearing at Langley Township council Monday night. About 100 people attended the hearing on the plan to build on the site near 28 Avenue and 276 Street. The property used to be a sewage treatment plant that was decommissioned in the late 1990s. Based on the comments of those who spoke, residents appear willing to consider development of the northern side of the land, but want the forested southern portion on the other side of Bertrand Creek preserved. Two Aldergrove residents, Angela Wonitowy and Jessica Horst, have collected 300 names on a petition that calls for a down-sizing of the development. Opponents who spoke at the hearing included Kirk Robertson from the Watchers Of Langley Forests (WOLF), the group that successfully campaigned to preserve another forested Langley property last year. “It’s not like we have a surplus of this kind of green space,” Robertson said. “It’s really important that urban forest be preserved for the future.” Robertson noted another property owner is trying to build housing on undeveloped land next to the former sewer plant. “We’re not just looking at one development,” Robertson said. A representative of that developer also spoke against the design of the housing project, saying the road layout would hamper access to their houses. Michael O’Neill of Master Plan Developments said the design would place an “extreme burden on potential development of the properties to the south.” Other speakers expressed concern about the fate of the remaining, unused, sewage lagoon, as well as with worries that the the project will jeopardize habitat, increase the risk of flooding due to run-off and bring more traffic congestion and pollution.
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Online threats get out of hand, cops step in By MONIQUE TAMMINGA Aldergrove Star
An argument between a Langley online gamer and a male living in Vancouver spilled over, with police being called out after a bomb and kidnapping threat were made on Tuesday night, Jan. 14. Around 11:30 p.m., Langley RCMP were called by Peel Regional
Police in Ontario about a call they received from a “spoof online phone” about a possible kidnapping threat of a boy in Aldergrove. “We aren’t sure how the call went to Ontario police, but they directed it to us and we located an address which turned out not to exist,” said Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Marks. However, police did manage to
locate the home where the gamer resided, two blocks away, she said. Langley officers spoke with the gamer’s mom and dad and the investigation determined that the Langley gamer had a dispute with a Vancouver gamer by the name of “Yolandas.” Both had been playing Call of Duty.
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“There was some pretend money involved and one was unhappy about it,” said Marks. The gamer going by “Yolandas” is then accused of calling in the threat to police using a non-traceable phone line. Police have since discovered this isn’t the first time “Yolandas” had done this.
Vancouver Police tracked down an address. However, the family had moved. Police continue to investigate and hope to speak with “Yolandas,” who may be facing public mischief charges. “This ties up resources that could have been used for real emergencies,” said Marks.
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