TUESDAY JANUARY 13, 2015
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Work of photographers on display at TOSH exhibit until end of January
Mayor pleads for public input as budget discussions loom
PARKSVILLE AWARDS
Glassies are gone Chamber downsizes its community awards night JOHN HARDING editor@pqbnews.com
The Glassies are no more after the Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce decided to streamline its yearly awards program. Gone are awards for citizen of the year, youth of the year and volunteer of the year. The chamber has downsized both the number of awards and the event — the newly-named Parksville and District Business Awards will be handed out at a regular monthly dinner meeting. “We advocate for business — that’s what our members pay us to do,” the chamber’s awards committee chair Bill McKinney said Thursday at the chamber’s regular monthly dinner meeting at The Bayside. “At one time, the chamber also did Canada Day. Things change, budgets change, focusses change. We wanted to zero in and focus on what we do best and that’s business — acknowledging our outstanding business leaders.” McKinney said the citizen and volunteer of the year awards could be taken over by the city and the Society of Organized Services. “It’s in their court,” said McKinney. “We have to watch our nickels and dimes just like any other association and this (The Glassies) was costing quit a bit of money.” City officials had no comment except to say any request that comes before council will be considered. McKinney, citizen of the year in 2005, said it’s been “very difficult the last three years to get nominations.” He also said the chamber has, through The Glassies, acknowledged a lot of the city’s people. “Are there still a lot of people to acknowledge? Yes. Is the onus on us to do that? It has been. Is it still? No. We want to focus on business. We are a business-support organization.” See FOUR AWARDS, page A4
CANDACE WU PHOTO
The Meadowood Store was broken into Thursday morning at approximately 3 a.m. when a black truck smashed in the front door.
RURAL AREA CRIME
Smash and grab effort fails CANDACE WU
news@pqbnews.com
A black pick-up truck busted through a wrought iron security gate smashing in the front door of the Meadowood Store at approximately 3 a.m. Thursday, according to store clerk Cathy Hutcheson. “The ATM (machine) was their tar-
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get,” Hutcheson told The NEWS just after the incident, pointing to the partially dismantled machine at the back of the store. She said video surveillance suggests two men wearing masks and dark clothing attempted to break into the ATM machine using a crow bar. Hutcheson said the safe inside the ATM appears to be untouched and the
thieves likely ran out of time before getting to it. Oceanside RCMP confirmed they were called to the Meadowood Store early Thursday morning. Despite a gaping hole the truck left where the front door used to be, Hutcheson said it doesn’t appear anything was stolen.
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See IN RETAIL, page A8
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