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Have you lost a trampoline? One of the recent windstorms left a Langley family with a new addition to their backyard – a full-sized trampoline. No owner nearby could be found.
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NEWS
Kitten swiped from carrier A woman shopping at Value Vlillage left three kittens in a carrier nearby, only to return and find one of them missing. Surveillance photos led Langley RCMP to a person of interest in the kittennapping caper.
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NEWS
It doesn’t give cash for kicks A teenager is being sought after someone kicked an automated teller machine so hard that it damaged the screen in Aldergrove on Nov. 30. The machine’s cameras did pick up good images of the suspect, which police have released, however.
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FINANCES
Langley family claims $50 million prize HEATHER COLPITTS hcolpitts@langleyadvance.com
The ticket was sold in Langley and the winners of the $50 million Lotto Max jackpot are local as well. Friedrich and Annand Mayrhofer and their son Eric Mayrhofer picked up their prize Tuesday. The $50 million pot was drawn for March 14, 2014. The family’s lawyer presented the winning ticket just five days before the March 2015 prize claim deadline. Why the delay? The family was wary of the notoriety that comes with such a big win. “We’re really private people, shy people” Frederich told the Langley Advance, “and we didn’t really know how to handle it.” He said they knew this would bring big changes to their lives. The family obtained advisors and signed over ownership of the ticket to a trust. Once BCLC validated the ticket as authentic, it initiated the prize claim verification process. The trust issue led to a lengthy review requiring the BCLC to consult with the InterProvincial Lottery Corporation (ILC), the national organization that oversees Lotto Max across Canada. In June 2015, BCLC, in conjunction with the ILC, concluded that only an individual or
BCLC
Annand and Frederich Mayrhofer along with their son, Eric Mayrhofer, picked up their $50 million Lotto Max winnings Dec. 16. group of individuals can claim a prize, not a trust. In November, the Mayrhofers submitted a prize claim as a group. BCLC was then able to conduct a thorough review of this prize claim, verify the three as the winners. The ticket was purchased at the Murrayville Shoppers Drug Mart. In its statement announcing the win, BCLC said the pur-
chase of a lottery ticket means the buyer agrees to all that follows from a win, including consent of their name and photo to be made public. Public interest in this prize has been unprecedented. BCLC received 739 inquiries about this prize. A group of Shoppers coworkers in Burnaby fought amongst themselves when some assumed their ticket buyer
was keeping the prize for himself. BCLC CEO Jim Lightbody said there was no connection between the winning ticket and a lawsuit filed by a Shoppers employee against a co-worker, claiming the co-worker had won the prize. The family did lose out on about $500,000 in interest due to the delay. The Mayrhofer’s three children still live in the Lower Mainland. Frederich Mayrhofer is a retired steel fabricator. Married for 42 years he and Annand have lived in the same house for more than three decades. There’s no plans to move. The house will be renovated and Annand wants new furniture. “We’re thankful we have a big win,” he said, adding it allows for a better future for his whole family. Frederich has been playing the lottery for about 30 years. “I’ve won small prizes,” he said. But this one is a game changer. “We checked the tickets on the internet,” Frederich said. This wasn’t the first win. There’s been modest prizes, a $1,000 here, $3,000 there. “It was completely unexpected,” he said. “I was looking forward to a normal life.”
ENVIRONMENT
Golf course lands eyed for development Forests and wetlands in an industrial zone could be developed.
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MATTHEW CLAXTON mclaxton@langleyadvance.com
Local environmentalists are trying to get out in front of an expected plan to develop some of the last wooded areas of the Gloucester Industrial Park in northeast Langley.
On Monday, Bob Puls of West Creek Awareness spoke to the Langley Township council about the future of about 100 acres of wooded and wetland area in the middle of the industrial zone. “It is still a wildlife corridor, but if they go ahead with their plans it’ll be
completely cut off,” Puls said. The area is environmentally important because it’s the headwaters of West Creek, which runs north through Glen Valley. Before industrial development, the area was mostly small hobby farms. continued on A39…
Matthew Claxton/Langley Advance
Bob Puls of West Creek Awareness wants the headwaters of the creek protected from industrial development.
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