INSIDE: MP Ed Fast “shocked” opposition forces spring election Pg. 3 T U E S D A Y
March 29, 2011
18 N E W S ,
SPORTS,
Smugglers snag 5 years in a U.S. jail
WEATHER
PRO RIDING A BULL IN HAND
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Hadwin wins in Colombia
E N T E R T A I N M E N T abbotsfordtimes.com
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Jody York and Ed “Skeeter” Russell sentenced in States KIM BOLAN Vancouver Sun
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n Abbotsford man prosecutors described as “chairman of the board” of a multimillion dollar drug smuggling operation was handed a five-year sentence in a Seattle courtroom Friday morning. Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik told Jody York the smuggling ring was “a major drug organization that had a terrible impact on lower British Columbia and this part of the U.S. . . . Your kids and other people’s kids are the ones that suffer when a community is riddled with violence the way Vancouver, B.C. is.” However, he credited York, 36, for leaving the violent drug gang before others were arrested in 2008. He noted that York would have been serving a much-higher sentence if he had not struck a plea bargain and surrendered himself to U.S. authorities. York, who has been associated to both the see SMUGGLERS, page A4
– JEAN KONDA-WITTE/TIMES
They call it the toughest sport on earth for a reason. Bull rider Chad Eneas had his hand caught in the rope and was hung up for several seconds as the bull (Back on Trax Well Tex) swung him around at the Professional Bull Riders Canadian Cup Series Saturday night at the AESC. The cowboy was not injured. Australian rider Jared Farley won the event, earning $7,973 after riding a perfect 3-for-3. “I had great bulls and didn’t waste them,” he said. For more exciting photos from last weekend’s event, see our online gallery Wednesday at www.abbotsfordtimes.com.
A good man is hard to find . . . in class JANET STEFFENHAGEN & ROCHELLE BAKER PostMedia News
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he number of male teachers in schools across B.C. and Abbotsford has been declining for years with no change in sight, but those who have stuck with the profession are punching above their weight in leadership positions. Only three of every 10 teachers in B.C. are men, and their numbers are so low in the younger grades that some elementary schools are staffed entirely with women.
Men make up only 30 per cent of teachers, but half of principals
But at the same time, more than half of B.C.’s principals, vice-principals and directors of instruction are male, and 37 of the 60 school superintendents in the province — the chief executive officers — are men. Abbotsford District Teachers’ Association (ADTA) president Jeff Dunton said the gender balance of teachers locally reflects that seen at the provincial level.
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abbotsfordtimes.com “We’re running about 70 per cent female to male teachers,” said Dunton. “Plus, you are going to find more men at the higher grades, predominantly in high schools. “I was a Grade 8 teacher and was often the first male teacher my students had,” he said.
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One reason more women may be teachers in elementary schools is that the younger grades are more nurturing and student focused, while upper grades focus more on content and subject matter, Dunton suggested. Rick Guenther, an Abbotsford teacher and executive member of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), said the situation is worrisome.
Students need positive male and female role models in the school, he said. “When I started teaching some time ago, it was about 50-50 overall.” Guenther, who has been working as a teacher-on-call this term, suggested it may be because men find it easier to get well-paid jobs in other professions, and would rather avoid a career that is often the target of public criticism.
Bobcat Country Inc. Abbotsford,BC
31260 South Fraser Way Abbotsford, BC V2T6L5 Phone: (604) 850-7313 Toll Free: 1-800-563-7313 www.bobcatcountry.com
see TEACHERS, page A5