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SHOWTIME Tragically Hip singer amped to play Mission EXCLUSIVE: Gord Downie talks to the Times
2010
1985
F RIDAY , S EPTEMBER 17, 2010
36 Pages
Page A24
YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS, SPORTS, WEATHER AND ENTERTAINMENT abbotsfordtimes.com
Back to the chop block for Dunach
Elementary school could close after all CHRISTINA TOTH CToth@abbotsfordtimes.com
T
“
. . . I witnessed two shots into the victim – the murderer ran away . . . the guy ran away. – Witness
”
– RAFE ARNOTT/TIMES
An Abbotsford police detective examines the scene of the city’s fourth homicide of 2010. A man was found shot to death around 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
Gunned down at dawn RAFE ARNOTT RArnott@abbotsfordtimes.com
No stranger to police, man shot dead in neighbourhood
A
calls around 6:30 a.m. involving nal lifestyle,” he said. Vinet conreports of shots fired and a car firmed police had made visits to crash. a Charles Court home twice in the It is the city’s fourth homicide past two weeks. of 2010. Refusing to elaborate Detectives canvassed the area on any gang or drug for witnesses Thursconnections in the First reported @ day morning and killing, Vinet would abbotsfordtimes.com Vinet said they had only say that the spoken with several victim was “very well known to people who claimed to have heard police,” and the Integrated Homi- the shots and called police. cide Investigation Team would be Neighbours on adjacent Contaking over immediately. rad Avenue described hearing “We do believe the victim in between three and five shots fired this case was involved in a crimi- in rapid succession.
bbotsford police found a 49-year-old man shot to death in the 3000-block of Charles Court Thursday morning. Describing the murder as a “targeted hit,” APD spokesperson Const. Casey Vinet said officers found the victim, an Abbotsford resident, in a gold Toyota Camry that had driven into a parked red Mustang. Officers were dispatched to the scene after receiving several 911
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“The dog went crazy,” said a woman who did not want her name used, adding she heard four or five shots “all in a row, very close together.” Another woman also described hearing rapid-fire shots. “Continuously,” she said. “No pause . . . very loud and scary. Bang, bang, bang.” A Charles Court witness claimed to have seen a gunman flee on foot. see SHOOTING, page A15
he Abbotsford School District will revisit its decision to close the rural Dunach Elementary School at its next board of education meeting on Oct. 4. At the March meeting, the school trustees elected to leave Dunach open until June 2011, despite a recommendation early this year by district staff to close the aging rural school due to limited attendance and expensive facility upgrades. In response to pleas from the active parent advisory council, which collected a petition of 128 names to keep the school operating, the school trustees voted 6-1 to defer the decision until the fall. The trustees also directed staff to develop a long-term strategic plan over the summer, and that looked at factors such as enrolment trends, facility status, choice schools and funding among other issues, said ASD spokesman Dave Stephen. The draft strategic plan will likely be tabled at the next school board meeting. The plan is linked to the Sept. 30 deadline for a facilities management report the district must submit to the Ministry of Education. At that point, the consultation process with the Dunach Elementary school community will begin again, with a final decision to be made by the board on Nov. 15. Dunach parents argue the school is well-attended and the area is seeing more residential growth. To save the school and its tight-knit community, they propose turning Dunach into a traditional elementary school, with kindergarten to Grade 8. ■ At the Sept. 13 school board meeting, staff reported the district has taken 23 more students into the new all-day kindergarten program than the 893 students that were expected and for which there is funding. The district can negotiate for more funding at the end of the month.
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