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Emilie-Claire Barlow Page 13
Friday, March 25, 2011
Shake things up for prom Page 19
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Rescuers warn Grind hikers they could die James Weldon
jweldon@nsnews.com
AFTER three close calls in five days, rescuers have come to a sobering conclusion about North Vancouver’s closed Grouse Grind trail: At some point this season, someone is going to die.
The precipitously steep hiking route, which has been officially off-limits since November, is always treacherous in the winter, said Tim Jones, a spokesman for North Shore Rescue. But a thick coating of ice on the upper half is making it especially dangerous right now, and with as many 50 people an hour ignoring the seasonal closure — many of them in running shoes — it’s only a matter of time before there’s a tragedy. “We’re not going to prevent it,” said Jones. “We are very concerned there will be a death.” A North Vancouver teenager came close to becoming that first fatality on Saturday. The 16-year-old, climbing the Grind in runners, had reached the three-quarter mark when he lost his footing and tumbled off the trail. The teen fell 10 metres down the mountainside before crashing into a tree and coming to a halt. Unable to climb back up, he clung to the trunk until rescuers could get to him. The volunteers, equipped with crampons and ice axes, roped him up and See Runners page 3
Top of the pops
NEWS photo Mike Wakefield
JASMINE Merali, 10, a cub scout with the 15th Capilano, was the top popcorn seller for Scouts Canada in 2010 with more than $17,000 in sales. See story page 11.
Road-racing motorcyclists lose bikes Jane Seyd
jseyd@nsnews.com
TWO motorcycle riders who clocked speeds of 200 kilometres an hour while on a wild, dangerous race through the Lower Mainland have had their rides taken away for good. North Vancouver was the end of the line for the two road racers last October, after the two Port Coquitlam men sped along highways and major thoroughfares in Coquitlam, Burnaby, Vancouver and North Vancouver, running red lights and passing cars on the shoulder, across exit lanes and in the face of oncoming traffic.
Supreme Court judge rules duo must forfeit their pocket rockets
Tracked by a police helicopter, the motorcycle racers hurtled through school zones at more than 100 km/h and blew past other traffic like it was standing still. The joyride finally ended when the Port Mann Highway Patrol ordered the racers to pull over near the Dollarton exit in North Vancouver. But one of the racers decided to open the throttle again, doing a loop through North Vancouver and back on to the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing. The driver
eventually lost control of the bike and crashed in Burnaby. Both motorcycles were immediately impounded by police under the province’s excessive speed regulations. Now a B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled the bikes are gone for good, after granting a request to have the two Honda motorcycles seized under the Civil Forfeiture Act. On March 15, a judge granted the province’s application to take away the two road rockets — a 2005 black Honda owned by Sajjad Shamsi Kazem Abadi and a 2006 red Honda owned by Hamid Reza Beheshti — permanently. Following the road race last fall, both drivers were criminally charged with dangerous driving. See 5-year page 3
THE 2011 LEXUS RX 350: THE TOP OF THE CLASS IT INVENTED. 3.5 L 275 hp V6 engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, Dual Variable Timing with intelligence (VVT-i)
RX 2011 RX 350
LEASE FOR
488 498
$
MSRP
* MTH
DOWN PAYMENT $8,050* $7,850*
SECURITY DEPOSIT WAIVED
LEASE ORFINANCE FORUPTO48MONTHS
2.8 2.5
% ***
OR
CASH PURCHASE INCENTIVE CASH PURCHASE PRICE
49,000 49,100 $ 2,000 3,000 $ 47,000 46,100
†
$
‡
INCLUDES FREIGHT/PDI
¥The Lexus RX 350 was the number one selling Luxury SUV in Canada in 2010. †MSRP is $49,100 for a new Lexus 2011 RX 350 Sfx ‘A’. MSRP include freight and PDI ($1,950). License, insurance, registration (if applicable) and taxes are extra. ‡$3,000 Cash Purchase Incentive may not be combined with special lease and finance rates offered through Lexus Financial Services as part of a low rate interest program. All advertised lease and finance rates are special rates. Cash Purchase Incentive offer takes place at the time of delivery. See your Lexus dealer for whether tax applies before or after the application of Cash Purchase Incentives in your jurisdiction.*Lease and finance offers provided through Lexus Financial Services, on approved credit on new Lexus 2011 RX 350 Sfx ‘A’ models. Lease example based on a 48 month term at an annual rate of 2.5% and MSRP of $49,100 and includes freight/PDI. Monthly payment is $488 with $8,050 down payment or equivalent trade in, $0 security deposit and first monthly payment due at lease inception. Total lease obligation is $31,475. 96,000 kilometre allowance; charge of $0.20/km for excess kilometres. ** Finance example includes taxes and is based on 48 month term at annual rate of 2.5% and MSRP of $49,100 (excludes taxes and includes freight/PDI). Monthly payment is $1,076. Cost of borrowing is $2,547 for a total obligation of $51,647. License, registration (if applicable) and insurance are extra. Lexus Dealers are free to set their own prices. Offers are subject to change without notice. Offers expire at month’s end unless extended or revised. See your Lexus dealer for complete details.
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