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Vol. 70, Issue 74
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Lúnasa Lights Up the Night
Considered the top Irish acoustic band in the world today, the quintet put on a hard-driving show at the Key City Theatre Saturday, April 16. Left to right: Kevin Crawford, Cillian Vallely, Colin Farrell, Patrick Doocey, Trevor Hutchison. Barry Coulter photo
41 years isn’t such a long time Longtime Townsman press operator calls it a career Townsman Staff
Stop the presses! After 41 years with the Cranbrook Daily Townsman, Gord Askew is calling it a career. Askew, who started working in the newspaper industry right out of high school, pulled his last issue of the Daily Townsman off the press on Friday before heading into retirement. When wrapping up high school, Askew gave serious thought to becoming an auto mechanic because of his interest in machinery. However, a job opened up in the press room of the Daily Townsman, which piqued his curiosity, so he applied. Next thing you know, 41 years flies by. “I’ve always been a big newspaper guy,” Askew said. “I always
grab a newspaper to read in the morning or when I’m on vacation. It’s an industry that’s given me my livelihood.” Hired as an apprentice, Askew has been a part of five different press installs over the years, and while the press technology hasn’t changed much, the prepress preparation— composing the newspaper before the use of computers and software—has been seen a massive evolution. But it isn’t just the production technology that changed, it was the print capability and quality, as the Daily Townsman moved from black and white to full colour in 1976, with four units allowing for 16 pages of colour.
See ASKEW, Page 3
Deadly fentanyl tide on the rise in region C arolyn Gr ant
Last week provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared a public health emergency over a significant increase in drug-related overdoses and deaths throughout B.C. The action will allow medical health officers throughout the province to collect more robust, real-time information on overdoses in order to identify immediately where risks are arising and take proactive action to warn and protect people who use drugs. Of particular concern to health officials is the rising use of fentanyl, which is being detected in more and more overdose deaths. While you may be tempted to think hard drugs are more of a big city problem, that is not necessarily so, says Kimberley RCMP Cpl. Chris Newel. “You see harder drugs and you think big city,”
www.straight.com
The rising use of fentanyl, which is being detected in more and more overdose deaths. is of particular concern to health officials. he said. “But we are seeing more than we’d like to. More so in Cranbrook than in Kimberley, but traffickers go back and forth between all the communities. Just because someone was arrested in Cranbrook doesn’t mean they weren’t operating in Kimberley, Wasa, Moyie. “Our huge concern that people are buying stuff, even marijuana that is perceived as a soft drug, and it is laced with fentanyl — a highly addictive, potentially fatal drug.”
According the National Institute of Drug Abuse, fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic similar to but more potent than morphine. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery. EK Addictions has been very active in trying to get information on opioid overdoses in the East Kootenay out to the public and to users since fentanyl began appearing in the area in 2014.
See FENTANYL, Page 4
SAR volunteers training in military aircraft Tre vor Cr awley
If you look up to the skies on Monday afternoon, it’s a bird, t’s a plane… It’s actually a plane—a CC-130 Hercules aircraft from the 435 Transport Reserve Squadron of the Canadian Forces that is participating in a training exercise in the region. The aircraft is in the area to gather mountain flying experience and the training exercise will include both Air and Ground Search and Rescue volunteers from Cranbrook and Kimberley. The exercise will simulate a small aircraft that has crashed, with military personnel and SAR volunteers completing the full range of activities that would take place from conducting an initial visual and electronic search—listening for emergency radio beacon signals—through to SAR techs parachuting to the crash site. “Civilian Air SAR volunteers from Cranbrook CASARA (Civil Air Search & Rescue Assn) in a 4-seat aircraft will also be participating and conducting an electronic and visual search for the simulated missing aircraft,” said Allister Pedersen, a training officer with the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association. “It is common for missing aircraft searches to involve trained civilian volunteers (pilots, navigators and spotters) who are familiar with the local area and can be on-scene quicker especially in areas such as the Kootenays which are quite distant from the nearest SAR bases. “Cranbrook Ground Search & Rescue will also be working with the Air SAR teams.” The training exercise was to run Monday and Tuesday, unless a real emergency requires a response from Air and Ground SAR.