INSIDE: Major label backing propels These Kids to new heights Pg. 28 F R I D A Y
February 25, 2011
milk advocate takes fight up a notch 3 Raw N E W S ,
SPORTS,
WEATHER
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E N T E R T A I N M E N T chilliwacktimes.com
Crime spree
Man facing charges after pot plants, alligator seized
BY TYLER OLSEN tolsen@chilliwacktimes.com
A Tyler Olsen/TIMES
(Above) Crews unloaded sand from a truck that fell into the ditch of Highway 1 just east of Annis Road on Wednesday. (Below) Several accidents were reported Wednesday morning, including a rolled vehicle just west of the Lickman Road interchange.
Record dip in temperature BY PAUL J. HENDERSON phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com
T
his week’s blast of winter led to a number of accidents around C h i l l i w a c k a n d s o m e re c o rd temperatures. The overnight snowfall that dropped 6.2 centimetres by Wednesday morning was accurately predicted by Environment Canada. But it wasn’t the snow that was the problem as much as it was the cold temperatures and icy road conditions. Several accidents were reported on Highway 1, including a vehicle rollover near the Lickman exit and a jack-
knifed transport truck that collided with a small car in the same area. A sanding truck also hit the ditch on Highway 1 near Annis Road later in the day. The temperature on Wednesday hit a maximum of -1.3 C for the day (10 C below normal), a record for Feb. 23, breaking the 1919 low maximum temperature of -1.1 C, according to Roger Pannet, volunteer weather observer for Environment Canada. Wednesday was also the coldest overall February day in 21 years since Feb. 17, 1990. The cold, clear weather was forecast to continue Thursday and Friday, with more seasonal temperatures and rain expected by Sunday.
Po p k u m m a n i s f a c i n g numerous charges after an alleged day-long crime spree that began with pot and a pet alligator. Mounties visited a Bernston Road home in Popkum at 5 a.m. on Feb. 11 to check on the well-being of a woman who had called 911. While “clearing the residence,” officers found and seized around 50 marijuana plants in the basement of home, while conservation EB IRST officers seized an First reported on alligator. chilliwacktimes.com The male occupant of the home wasn’t present when police arrived. Instead, at 5:45 a.m., Mounties say a person matching his description allegedly robbed the Tempo Gas Station in the 45000 block of Hocking Avenue in Chilliwack. The suspect made off with an undisclosed amount of money and fled. However, police don’t think he went far. At 11:52 a.m., the same man allegedly entered Valu Auto Sales on Young Road and asked to test drive a vehicle. But instead, he grabbed a set of keys and fled in a car. Just over an hour later, a woman approached her car in the parking lot of a nearby Safeway to find
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See CRIME, Page 18
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