Thursday August 7, 2014 (Vol. ol. 39 No. 63)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Ending the slide: The White Rock Tritons’ playoff run ended after just two games, but making the playoffs at all – after a five-year slump – is a big step for the junior baseball squad. i see page 17
Players Club fallout, as board members split over artistic director’s criminal record
Mooney stays on, others step down Alex Browne Staff Reporter
Ryan Mooney
The future of Ryan Mooney’s position as board member and artistic director of the White Rock Players Club will rest with club members, according to pastpresident Dave Baron. Contrary to a report last week from a longtime board member – who has since offered her own resignation – Mooney has not submitted a resigna-
tion after his record as a sex offender surfaced in media last week. “We had a meeting (of the Players Club board) Monday,” Baron said this week. “We have not asked for Ryan Mooney’s resignation. He continues in his elected position.” Asked about earlier statements made by a Players Club representative that Mooney had resigned from his volunteer positions, Baron said only that “he
was thinking about it.” “We talked about it. He has not resigned, and we have not asked for it.” Instead, two other members of the board – president Angie Koropatnisky and long-serving treasurer Gwenne Farrell – have resigned and at least one other is rumoured to have resigned. As well, vice-president and former club publicist Katherine Stadel, who last week would not comment on
reports that she’s resigning, told Peace Arch News she already had plans not to run again for the board. Mooney, 32, received a one-year conditional sentence in 2009 after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-yearold girl in an incident that took place in another community in 2006, where he was working as a choreographer on a high school production. i see page 4
John Mele remembered
Father of three drowns in Oroville Nick Greenizan Staff Reporter
Curtis Kreklau photo
Festive spirit White Rock Sea Festival came back – and back to its historic look – last weekend as crowds lined the torchlight parade route, took in the Sundog Semiahmoo SUP Classic stand up paddleboard event and cheered on newly crowned Miss White Rock Sonia Waiz and her retinue on the new city parade float. i see story on page 3
Boaz Joseph photo
Jennifer Lang photo
Friends and family members of wellknown South Surrey real-estate developer John Mele are in mourning after the 43-year-old died late last week while boating on Washington’s Osoyoos Lake. The Morgan Creek father of three is being remembered as someone whom everyone knew, and as a family man whom others turned to for help. Mele drowned Friday afternoon after he reportedly did a backJohn Mele flip off the side of a boat and into the lake. According to his older sister, Chris Reid, he resurfaced once briefly, then went back underwater. Mele’s three children – Matthew, 14; Ben, 10; and Olivia, 8 – were on the boat, along with Mele’s longtime friend Darren Mahaffey and his three children. Mele’s wife, Debbie, was on shore with Mahaffey’s wife, about 150 yards from the boat, Reid said. i see page 4
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