INSIDE: Former Mouat football star keeping his eye on the NFL Pg. 18 T U E S D A Y
October 9, 2012
3 N E W S ,
Suspected murder in Mission
Woman’s body found in mobile home
SPORTS,
PM award for local teacher
FALL-TASTIC WEATHER
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E N T E R T A I N M E N T abbotsfordtimes.com
Better weather saving crops from a dreary spring
ROCHELLE BAKER RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com
ROCHELLE BAKER RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com
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soggy spring gave way to a glorious summer and golden fall and now Abbotsford farmers are reaping the reward. Local grower Mike Lepp said the great autumn weather is a welcome reprieve from a shaky start to the season in May and June. “It’s really nice. I’m not going to lie,” said Lepp. “The last four years, it’s been progressively worse in the spring, but this year we’re getting an unreal “That’s farming for fall.” T h i s Se p t e m b e r a n d you. Farmers are August were the driest since 1945 when records hard to please, but were first kept, according to it’s sure fun work.” Environment Canada. In the two months combined, Abbotsford received – Mike Lepp farmer 10.4 millimetres of rain and a plethora of sun. The prolonged wet and cold weather in May and June meant crops like corn and cucumbers didn’t get going until mid-June. And on the Lepp Farm, the planting season started so late that peas and beans were more or less a washout. “As far as I’m concerned, summer started on July 4,” said Lepp. But having a later fall season has helped bolster a diminished corn crop and led to a great harvest of pumpkins, gourds and squashes. “We’re even picking a lot of stuff, like squashes, earlier this year,” said Lepp. What’s more, the good weather has also been good for sales at the Lepp Farm Market. “Often by Labour Day, corn sales drop but because of the sunshine, they held up for longer.”
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omicide investigators are investigating a possible murder after a woman’s body was found in a Mission mobile home park on Thursday afternoon. Police surrounded the scene with yellow tape and cordoned off the complex in the 34000 block of the Lougheed Highway just east of Mission on Friday. “This is in the very early stages of investigation, but it appears the female has met with foul play and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken see BODY, page A5
Summer housing sales cool CHRISTINA TOTH CToth@abbotsfordtimes.com
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he federal government’s change in mortgage rules may be having a dampening effect on home sales in the Lower Mainland, according to the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. For the second month in a row, property sales on the FVREB’s Multiple Listing
see HARVEST, page A6 – JEAN KONDA-WITTE/TIMES
Pumpkins need the sun to get their vibrant colour, says Audrey Neufeld, centre, owner of Neufeld Farms in Abbotsford. Joining her with the rich autumn bounty are Karina Nagy, left, and Makaela Dueck.
see HOUSING, page A6
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