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[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:37 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F25%2Fcross-eyed-possum-opens-food-truck-festival%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/25/Crosseyed_1_-_rgb.jpg | en | null | Cross-Eyed Possum opens Food Truck Festival | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Upcoming schedule Sept. 3 – 6 p.m. at J&J Restaurant, 224 N. Cortez St. Sept. 11 – Noon at the 19th Annual Empty Bowls event on the Courthouse Plaza Sept. 17 – 6 p.m. at The Wild West Mud Fest in Prescott Valley, the Entertainment District off Glassford Hill Road Oct. 20 – 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St.
Beyond the gastronomical delights sure to be present at the annual Food Truck Festival at the Mile High football field on Goodwin Street on Saturday, Aug. 27, the visiting crowds will be entertained with the likes of a hometown band of three, talented high school-aged musicians.
And you’re not likely to forget the opening acts’ name – Cross-eyed Possum.
With the opening of the festival at noon, the Cross-eyed Possum threesome – Prescott High School students Jonah and Jason Howard and their classmate Max Hill – will take to the stage to perform what their website describes as a mix of original rock, acoustic, blues and more. The group offers a variety of styles and instrumentation, with all performing multiple instruments that include electric and acoustic guitars, upright bass, trumpet, percussion and saxophone.
Food truck festival organizer Steve Gottlieb said he is impressed with what these teenagers bring to the local music scene.
“They are one of my opening acts,” said Gottlieb who has also booked KDMA for a 2 p.m. performance and the Wes Williams Band at 4 p.m. “I love having them. I think they’re a great up and coming band. I want to see what they morph into when they’re older … There is a lot of talent there.”
On their new website – www.crosseyedpossumband.com – is a review that touts their unique style and talent.
Multiple efforts to reach band members this week were not successful.
From their website biographies, the Howard twins’ affection for music started at a young age, and over the years they have both become proficient on multiple instruments and with vocals for the band that has performed in various gigs over the last year. The two both perform in the Prescott High School band, are members of the Prescott POPS Symphony, and together write some of their own music. Jason Howard plays the bass guitar, the upright bass and trumpet and his twin brother plays the electric and acoustic guitar, the French horn, the cello, even the mandolin.
Band mate Max Hill didn’t start playing the drums until three years ago, but showed an affinity for them right away; he, too, has become a proficient saxophone player, playing in the high school jazz band.
Hill recently attended a challenging jazz camp at The University of Arizona and was chosen to perform several outstanding solos amongst the best young saxophone players of the Arizona region.
“Their commitment to music, originality, professionalism and diversity set them apart as a group to keep your eyes on,” reads the intro to their website. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/25/cross-eyed-possum-opens-food-truck-festival/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/73023ff806a349708c44af434f2d16add8ef15742ee3308a8fb5dbfa3d8662fd.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:53:06 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F25%2Ffain-road-crash-claims-life%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/25/kia.jpg | en | null | Fain Road crash claims life | null | null | www.dcourier.com | A rollover collision claimed the life of a 20-year-old Surprise man.
Prescott Valley Police responded to the crash Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 9:40 p.m. at Fain Road at mile post 325.5 near Robert Road.
Traffic investigators identified a 47-year-old female Cottonwood resident who was driving a white 1999 Ford Explorer that was struck from the rear. This action caused her vehicle to enter the median and roll over. The female driver, who was wearing her safety belt, sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Yavapai Regional Medical Center.
The other vehicle involved was a red 2013 Kia four-door station wagon operated by a 20-year-old male Surprise resident who died from his injuries. The driver was not wearing a seat belt, according to police.
Preliminary investigation showed that both vehicles were traveling eastbound on Fain Road in the inside lane of traffic when the crash occurred.
Fain Road's eastbound lanes of travel were restricted for approximately three hours while officers investigated.
There was no initial evidence of impairment of either of the drivers.
The fatal accident remains under investigation by the Prescott Valley Traffic Division.
Witnesses should contact Prescott Valley Police Traffic Division at (928) 772-5103. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/25/fain-road-crash-claims-life/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/697e323a398ecdc8070a0b567ea9b9e8b72c12704a1ac96baa3b4d24f6a240ec.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:47:56 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F28%2Fkayla-muellers-parents-speak-out-2020%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Kayla Mueller’s parents speak out on 20/20 | null | null | www.dcourier.com | For months, Kayla Mueller’s parents fought to rescue their daughter from the clutches of ISIS.
On Friday, Aug. 26, ABC’s 20/20 outlined that struggle in an hour-long episode.
McCain supports Mueller family’s stand The dedication ceremony comes one day after the Muellers shared the horrors of Kayla’s captivity on the ABC 20/20 news magazine show titled, “The Girl Left Behind.” In that hour-long episode the Muellers share their diligence in keeping a public silence about their daughter’s capture so as to secure her release through proper government and humanitarian aid channels. In the end, though, Kayla was left to die; the Muellers say this nation’s President Barack Obama did not do for their daughter what he had allowed to be done for other hostages. They, too, were disappointed with the unwillingness of leaders from the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders to champion her cause because they said she was not a member of their staff and would have been warned against coming to that area had they known she contemplated joining a friend at the hospital in Aleppo where she was before she was taken hostage. Asked about the Muellers’ allegations related to Obama’s refusal to intervene for their daughter – they, too, have alleged he has not yet honored his promise of a financial donation to the Kayla’s Hands Foundation – the senior senator said the president showed a double standard in his tactics related to foreign hostages he finds “disgraceful.” He said he recognizes the difficulties related to negotiating with terrorists, however, he does not subscribe to the “double standard” he has witnessed under Obama’s leadership. As for threatening families who do try and negotiate with terrorists, McCain said he expects most could empathize with a parents’ dilemma. “You would do anything. You would do whatever was necessary,” McCain said. This day, though, was intended to be a celebration of Kayla’s life, and McCain called on all to emulate a woman who defines the term “hero” and accepted risks for the sake of the forsaken. “She gave her all,” he declared.
Kayla’s abduction occurred on August 4, 2013, in Aleppo, Syria, while she was leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in one of the nonprofit’s vehicles. Though she wasn’t a member of Doctors Without Borders, she was in the country to provide humanitarian aid.
When her parents, Carl and Marsha, heard of her disappearance, they knew nothing about her condition or whereabouts until ISIS sent a ten-second video as proof they were holding her.
Two of Kayla’s former fellow hostages Frida Saide and Patricia Chavez described to ABC News some of what they all experienced.
“They (the ISIS captors) caused so much pain to me and to others,” Saide said.
Kayla had been held mostly in isolation in about a 12-by-12 foot room. There was a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. In the background, Islamic Jihad music could be heard incessantly.
“I think it was clear that they hated Americans more than other nationalities,” Saide said. “They would scream at her and blame her for everything that America has done in the world.”
While Carl and Marsha longed desperately to negotiate for Kayla’s release, the U.S. government stuck to its policy of not making concessions to terrorists.
Doctors Without Borders negotiated for the release of its members, including Saide and Chavez, but not Kayla.
“We can’t be in the business of negotiating for people who don’t work for us, and to do so would also increase the risk our teams already face,” Jason Cone, Executive Director for Doctors Without Borders in the United States, told ABC News.
“They’re a fabulous organization, and they do wonderful work, but somewhere in a boardroom, they decided to leave our daughter there to be tortured and raped and ultimately murdered,” Carl told ABC News.
In late May 2014, ISIS made contact with the Muellers to begin private negotiations.
They maintained this conversation with the guidance of the FBI, but the discussions never resulted in Kayla’s release because the U.S. government prohibited them from negotiating with the terrorists themselves.
It was only after the execution of Kayla’s fellow American hostages James Foley and Steven Sotloff that President Barack Obama agreed to meet with the Muellers about their daughter’s predicament.
“The president was very, I felt, cold,” Carl said.
Carl wanted the president to allow him and his wife to make an offer of ransom money, but that wish never came true.
So Carl and Marsha turned to the government of Qatar, which had served as a middleman for the negotiations of releasing other western hostages. This attempt failed as well once again due to the U.S. government’s policy not to negotiate with terrorists.
Out of options, all the Muellers had left were their prayers.
About 18 months after her capture, Kayla Mueller was confirmed dead. She was killed in a Jordanian airstrike.
Since this ISIS hostage crisis, the U.S. government has changed at least one of its policies — families are now allowed to privately pay ransom without fear of federal prosecution. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/28/kayla-muellers-parents-speak-out-2020/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/23a003dc3dc2c89bdbe420e79e6a31c958258715816caab744a462201a02b1cc.json |
[
"Kaiser Health News",
"The Associated Press"
] | 2016-08-31T08:48:38 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F31%2Fstudy-positive-depression-screening-doesnt-mean-yo%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Study: positive depression screening doesn’t mean you’ll get treatment | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Getting treatment for depression may sometimes be a regular part of health care for the “ worried well ” that leaves those who cannot afford it to suffer by themselves.
A new study published Aug. 29 in JAMA Internal Medicine illustrates that phenomenon. Most Americans who screen positive for depression don’t receive treatment — while most who did receive treatment don’t actually have the condition.
“Over the last several years there has been an increase in prescription of antidepressants,” said Mark Olfson, professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center and lead author of the study. “In that context, many people assumed that under-treatment of depression is no longer a common problem.”
But Olfson found the opposite to be true after analyzing data from Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys in 2012 and 2013 that includes questionnaires screening for depression. Of the 46,417 adults surveyed, 8.4 percent answered in ways that suggested they had depression, but only 28.7 percent of them received any treatment for it.
“The findings highlight that there are continuing challenges in aligning depression care with patient needs,” he said.
Adults in the lowest income group were five times more likely to be depressed compared with those in the highest income group. But they, along with uninsured adults, racial and ethnic minorities, and men, were also less likely to receive treatment.
On the other hand, among the 8.1 percent of adults who received treatment for depression, only 29.9 percent of them had depression and 21.8 percent of them had serious psychological distress. And those with either less serious or no depression were more likely to receive antidepressants. It’s a problem of overprescription, Olfson said, because studies have shown that antidepressants are not any more effective for patients with mild depression than a placebo.
“Being a little less aggressive in medication in mild depression would be beneficial,” he said. “There are simpler forms of psychological interventions that can be adapted for primary care.”
Rather than relying on these drugs, the patients can be given other treatments ranging from counseling and exercise to yoga.
In addition, researchers concluded that those with serious psychological distress are more likely to be treated by psychiatrists instead of general medical professionals, but this trend does not translate to older patients, African Americans, the uninsured or those with less education.
“Some when they have depression don’t believe they require treatment or that they could benefit from treatment,” Olfson said. “People are visiting doctors but the attention is to current, pressing medical problems.”
But these doctor visits can be used as an opportunity for increasing access to treatment for depression to disadvantaged populations. Olfson found that most people with untreated depression make at least one visit to a primary care doctor annually. If depression screening and mental health services can be integrated into primary care, Olfson said, there will be better access and awareness about the illness.
“If you give them a referral to a mental health clinic, they simply won’t go if they don’t think they have a mental health disorder,” he said. “By embedding the services within primary care, it becomes more accessible and less stigmatized.”
It’s an idea Benjamin Cook, director of the Health Equity Research Lab and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, agrees on, but he said increasing access for minorities would require professionals who speak their languages and understand what type of treatment they are open to. Cook was not involved in the study.
“(For example) African Americans and Latinos prefer antidepressants less than whites,” Cook said. That might be an underlying reason “not to go for mental health treatment, why they might not stay at treatment for as long.”
This integration of services would also benefit patients who are over treated — those who receive antidepressants when they don’t need to. Olfson said many primary care doctors expressed frustrations in finding mental health professionals particularly in small and rural areas, so prescribing antidepressants might become their go-to when they don’t have resources. If there is a mental health professional right in the clinic, patients might get access to more services that a general doctor cannot offer such as counseling and psychotherapy.
“Depression really is a serious condition and we’re finding that so many Americans aren’t receiving care,” he said. “I hope that it (this study) brings attention to this situation.”
Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/31/study-positive-depression-screening-doesnt-mean-yo/ | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/77a7a8d9aaba6dfd6c3130ae3b3588e850add96dd5db9ed278f24b5439c04e3b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:50:08 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F26%2Fask-contractor-garage-door-window-replacement-not-%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Ask the Contractor: Garage door window replacement not DIY | null | null | www.dcourier.com | This past week we received three calls to replace broken glass in garage door panels. After talking with June Hawkins, owner of Neumann High County Doors, replacing broken glass panels are not a DIY project so I say leave the leather work gloves, step ladder, helper – because an additional pair of hands are needed, Phillips-head screwdriver, small flathead screwdriver, tape measure, replacement glass and the rubber mallet in the garage tool box and call for help.
Many panelized garage doors have windows that are vulnerable to damage and breakage. Some windows consist of a frame with glass and others consist of glass inserts that fit into the framework on the door. The method used to replace a damaged or broken window varies with the type of frame.
If you have a garage door with glass panels that was installed in 2000 and up, more than likely you have a screw-together design. According to June, the screw-together windows are usually easy to deal with when replacing broken glass. The screws are removed from the inside of the frame and the inside portion of the frame comes off and the glass is sandwiched between the frame and the front portion. If you want to be a daring DIY person, this is where you will need the additional set of hands because you will need someone to hold the outside portion of the frame and keep it from falling out when you’re working on the inside. The new piece of glass is plopped in and as they say “wallah” the task is complete.
The other type of glass replacement is a snap-together design. If you have a garage door with glass panels before the year 2000, there are not any screws on the inside of the frame and this replacement is a little more difficult for glass repairs.
For this one – I say stay away from the DIY – the entire window section must be removed from the door, and the process, according to June, is not fun. The most time-consuming part of replacing the window in this older style of door is removing the inner frame retainers from the window frame.
If you need a window replaced, June and her team at Neumann Garage Doors have installed hundreds of garage doors with windows and decorative trim. A free estimate is provided.
While we are on the topic of garage doors, let’s take time to talk garage door sensors.
Most garage remotes use an infrared or radio-based system to communicate with garage door sensors. The remotes send a coded signal through the air that is picked up by the sensors, which then give the garage door a signal to move. Separate sensors detect whether the door is open or closed. If open, the sensors tell the door to close, and vice versa.
While radio wave signals can be picked up by remote systems without much interference, infrared signals need some sort of line-of-sight connection to work properly. An infrared sensor problem can usually be identified by switching between the wired, in-garage button and the remote button. If the garage door works properly with the wired connection but not the remote transmitter, the problem is probably signal-related. Most sensors have a small red light that will blink where the signal is sent and/or picked up, known as the “eye.” Sometimes sensors only need to be cleaned or readjusted to resume working properly.
Garage doors are equipped with photoelectric sensors near the base of the door opening that ensure the door will not close down on anything. When an object interrupts the light wave based connection, the door will either refuse to close or automatically freeze. If these safety sensors are misaligned or blocked in some way, the door will not function properly. Also transmitter problems can be caused by low batteries.
Happy garage door opening and closing.
Remember to tune in to YCCA’s Hammer Time every Saturday and Sunday morning at 7 am on KQNA 1130am/99.9 fm/95.5fm or the web kqna.com. Listen to Sandy to Mike talk about the construction industry and meet your local community partners. It is fun, it is entertaining and enlightening. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/26/ask-contractor-garage-door-window-replacement-not-/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/7acb698c8f275cf6b9e550807ecb7d56e8f4a378095809af7f80dd64a315c0da.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T08:48:13 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F30%2Fpet-focus-catty-shack-pet-week-little-louie%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/29/Catty_Shack_-_Little_Louie.jpg | en | null | Pet Focus: Catty Shack Pet of the Week - Little Louie | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Hi, my name is Little Louie and I was born in March 2015. I was found under a house when I was 3 weeks old.
I think Mom meant to come back for me but I got tired of waiting and was very hungry! I was yowling for food when I was found.
I was cared for in a loving foster’s home until I became a big boy. My medium long hair is so soft and I absolutely love to be brushed (really hate those fur matts)!
I enjoy playing with toys and my housemates and exploring whenever I can. If you are looking for a continual source of delight, I’m your guy!
If you would like to meet me come by Catty Shack, 609 S. Granite Street, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. I will be watching for you! | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/30/pet-focus-catty-shack-pet-week-little-louie/ | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/84fbc2af68e7412a12afeea584fca6c74710bcd4357f0b955790f93be3bc1a8e.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T14:48:47 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F31%2Fincumbents-apparent-winners-supes-races%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/30/Rowle_Simmons_Craig_Brown.jpg | en | null | The Daily Courier | null | null | www.dcourier.com | PRESCOTT – Three Republican incumbents in the race for the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors appeared to keep their seats in the Tuesday, Aug. 30, Primary Election, with two leading by wide margins over their challengers and a third by a tight margin.
Though Tuesday’s contest was officially a primary, because they had no opponents from other parties, should their leads hold, winners in the Republican primary will, by default, take the seats.
In District 1, incumbent Supervisor Rowle Simmons led challenger Mary Beth Hrin, 54 percent to 46 percent, or 3,219 to 2,796, as of the 9:46 p.m. update from the Elections Department.
“I’m real excited, I knew I had a lot of support,” Simmons said. “I’m 69. This my last go-round, I figure I’ll go out on top.”
In District 4, incumbent Craig Brown beat Marla Festenese 63 percent to 37 percent, 3,554 to 2,090.
Brown declared victory just after 8 p.m., when the early ballot results were released.
“I’m going to declare victory – victory over the nonsense,” Brown said. “Victory over people who should not be running, who are not qualified. Never should be running.”
“I think that’s disgusting,” Festenese said. “He has no right to say that. Anybody has the right to run. I think I’m very well qualified, and I would expect more from somebody that wants to call themselves a leader.”
Brown added that he had “told everyone” that he would run for only two terms, and this will be his second.
In District 5, current board chairman Jack Smith came out ahead of two challengers, but it was a closer race: Smith had 40 percent of the vote to Steve Irwin’s 35 percent and Harold Wise at 25 percent.
Smith said, “We’re going to move forward, we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got to talk about the (possible new) jail … We’re going to work on our budget to make it as lean as possible.”
Asked if there was still room for further cuts in the county budget, he said, “I think there’s always room for adjustments in the budget, yeah. I think we can still find some cuts,” mentioning travel specifically.
In the three races, one precinct’s results remained to be tabulated. County officials were unavailable before press time Tuesday night to say how many ballots remain. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/31/incumbents-apparent-winners-supes-races/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/2eb4d7bf7697ccedfb3c43a6407c52495615cf50b650d6103827b13f76697559.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:48:11 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F28%2Fobituary-dorothy-larayne-foster%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/27/Foster_OBIT.jpg | en | null | Obituary: Dorothy LaRayne Foster | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Dorothy LaRayne Foster arrived on this earth on January 30, 1922 in Wahpeton, North Dakota. She made her gracious and peace filled exit on August 11, 2016, in Prescott, Arizona. She was anxious to see her son, Lynn Rehm, her beloved spouse Eddie Foster, her sister Aly and all of the friends and family who awaited her.
She was known by family and friends as “mom,” “grandma,” “Dorie” and “Dorothy.” And, by all of us as very very funny. Mom wasn’t a jokester she was a quipster. She had a funny comeback or line for every situation.
She was an artist, the queen of cookie baking, and a brilliant learner. While her formal education was limited her informal education was boundless. She read incessantly and reflected on what she read. Here are the top ten lessons (oh, I meant top 17) we might have learned from mom:
Find the funny line in every situation. Enjoy each day as the gift of life that it is. Pay attention to every person you meet. Tell people they are lovely. Appreciate every small act of kindness people show you. Show up when anyone needs you. Make sure you look good when you leave the house. Take pride in what you do and how you do it. Family means almost everyone. Being blood kin isn’t the only way to be a part of a family. Many times members of the same family aren’t born under the same roof. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own. Tell the truth. The most important bits in life are free. Look to nature for reassurance. Especially monsoon skies. Try to understand what is beneath the way people act or behave. Follow your dreams. A person can find purpose in every situation. Love, love and love some more.
As mom’s ability to cook and
“serve” others diminished, she looked for ways to enrich the lives of the caregivers at Brookdale. She complimented the women and men who brought her medication and food, overtly appreciated their kindness, and told them they were loved.
Those of us still standing on the earth serve as her legacy. We honor her by committing ourselves to follow her example of appreciating the gift of life, laughing often and loudly, and loving openly and generously.
She asked that, rather than flowers, contributions of food and blankets be given to the homeless.
Information provided by survivors. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/28/obituary-dorothy-larayne-foster/ | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/0e5f68a8919b2701cd84e07b7f5995b1eae94b0d8a24fc1747cf0dfce2b0ea8b.json |
[
"Dick Polman",
"Syndicated Columnist"
] | 2016-08-29T14:48:13 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F29%2Fcolumn-lets-chew-clinton-foundation-nothingburger%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Column: Let's chew on the Clinton Foundation Nothingburger | null | null | www.dcourier.com | The mainstream media has a tough time “balancing” the coverage of a presidential campaign where one candidate is temperamentally suited for the Oval Office and the other candidate belongs in a middle school locker room, snapping wet towels.
But in the service of “balance,” the media is trying its best nonetheless. This past week, for instance, the Associated Press has targeted the Clinton Foundation — isn’t everyone? — looking for the ever-elusive smoking gun, the incontrovertible evidence that Hillary turned the State Department into a “pay for play” playground for the fat cats who pumped money into her family’s charitable group.
The AP found zilch.
People who think the mainstream press is “in the tank” for Hillary should check out the AP’s social media drumbeat. When the story was posted on Tuesday afternoon, it was accompanied by two promotional items that were designed to rivet our eyeballs:
“AP analysis: More than half those who met Clinton as Cabinet secretary gave money to Clinton Foundation.”
And this:
“At least 85 of 154 people who met or had phone conversations with HC while she was SOS donated or pledged commitments to her family charity.”
Wow, more than half! 85 of 154 people! That looks really bad - until you stop and think and say to yourself, “Wait a sec. Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State for four years ... and in all that time she met or had phone chats with only 154 people? Is that really true?”
Of course not. You rack up the hits on social media only if you keep things simple. Nuance is the enemy.
By all accounts, Clinton during her tenure met worldwide with roughly 1,700 people. The AP simply decided to eliminate, from its tally, everyone who worked in any capacity for any government, foreign or domestic. That’s how the AP got it down to 154.
In other words, during Clinton’s four-year tenure, 85 of the 1,700 people she dealt with — a mere 5 percent — had donated or pledged to the Clinton Foundation.
Which in itself should not be surprising, because the Foundation does good works around the world (fighting poverty and AIDS, stuff like that), and any State Department leader is destined as a matter of course to encounter philanthropists and other heavy hitters who have an abiding interest in those good works.
You might ask, “OK, but what about those 5 percent? That’s still 85 people. That’s enough to show a pattern of pay-to-play, the trading of cash for favors.”
Which brings us to the case of Muhammad Yumus. This was the AP’s showcase attempt to prove pay-to-play.
Yumus is an anti-poverty activist and economist based in Bangladesh. He gave money to the Clinton Foundation - not personally, but through a nonprofit bank that he chaired. During Hillary’s time at State, he was clashing with the Bangladeshi government over his tenure on the nonprofit bank board. He asked for her help in three meetings, and, as the story reported, “she ordered aides to find ways to assist him.” He later resigned from the board, and Clinton emailed one of her aides, “Sad indeed.”
Somehow, this revelation has failed to take my breath away.
I suppose you could argue that she wanted to help Yumus because his bank had donated to the Foundation. But it’s way too facile to say that he bought access. Thing is, you could just as easily argue that she wanted to help him because (1) he’s the winner of a Nobel Peace Prize, (2) he has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, (3) he has been awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, (4) he has been listed as one of Foreign Policy magazine’s “top 100 global thinkers,” ranking one notch from the very top, and (5) he has served on the board of the United Nations Foundation.
Granted, the Clintons made things worse for themselves by running a charitable group while Hillary was in office, the kind of arrangement that typically (as the AP put it) “fuels perceptions” of derring do. But there is no “growing proof of pay-to-play,” despite all the mainstream media’s exertions to “balance” campaign coverage.
Someone should also remind Reince Priebus that Donald Trump has given $110,000 to the Clinton Foundation (and has received no favors in return), and presumably he has done so because, in the words of current campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, the Clinton group “does a lot of good work.”
Now there’s a revelation. Even a Trump spinner will occasionally let slip the truth.
Dick Polman is a national political columnist. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/29/column-lets-chew-clinton-foundation-nothingburger/ | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/b5a9e944b002d0e1da6250ea2003c1beb278499eca78235699b188d373fc118f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:54:06 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F25%2Fyour-home-covered-some-insurance-companies-are-fac%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/25/Firewise.jpg | en | null | The Daily Courier | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Patti and Robert Jacobsen were surprised to receive a notice this past month from their homeowner’s insurance broker that The Hartford insurance company would not renew their policy “due to the wildfire exposure.” The policy was set to expire Aug. 6. They have since purchased insurance locally through another company.
“We’re in the middle – it’s not a forest, there’s a ranch behind us, behind the area. Way up at the top of the hill is some vacant land, but not a pine forest, more of scrub,” Patti Jacobsen said of her property in Pinion Oaks to the north of Prescott Parkway.
Pinion Oaks is not one of the more than 30 Firewise Communities in the Quad Cities that have taken action to reduce the risk of wildfires. Some insurance companies will offer discounts to homeowners in a Firewise Community. The Jacobsens did not qualify for a discount, but they didn’t understand why “wildfire exposure” would eliminate them from coverage while friends in other parts of the city, like Haisley Homestead with its pine forests, had no issues.
Sharon Whiting with Abbot Insurance Consulting in Prescott offers insurance through Hartford. She said sometimes insurance companies will suspend writing new policies until the danger of wildfires, hurricanes or tornadoes passes.
“You don’t write a policy when the fire is a block away, or when the tide is at your door sill,” Whiting, who has been selling insurance for 40 years, said.
The Jacobsens’ policy wasn’t suspended; it was just not renewed. Whiting looked on the Hartford website and didn’t find any notice of non-renewals in the Prescott area.
All companies will put a moratorium on writing new business if there is imminent danger of fire, or if the property is in a Protection Class 10, she said. She speculated that the Jacobsens might be in a higher level protection class, and realizing that, their former insurance company did not renew the policy.
Rates are based on the 1-10 Protection Class in which the property exists. One is the best rate with no forest, a hydrant nearby, and a fire station within three to four miles. Ten is the least favorable where there are no hydrants, firefighters need to use tanker trucks, or they have to go through brush or climb a mountain to get to the home. Whiting said some companies won’t write policies for Class 10 homes.
Michelle Symington, The Hartford media and public relations assistant director, provided an official response from the company, but did not specifically mention the Jacobsens’ situation.
“The Hartford continuously evaluates the risks of doing business in states to appropriately manage our overall exposure, including wildfire risks, which enables us to pay homeowners claims when customers need us the most. The Hartford is non-renewing less than 3 percent of its Prescott, Arizona, homeowner policyholders and less than 0.5 percent of customers statewide. We continue to provide homeowners insurance to more than 60,000 customers throughout the state.”
Two insurance companies offer discounts for homeowners living in a certified Firewise Community, said Bob Betts, chair of the Prescott Area Wildland Urban Interface Commission (PAWUIC).
“Last quarter, we were the fourth state to be added to the USAA list of states offering premium discounts for its policyholders living in recognized Firewise Communities,” Betts said. “Now, Allstate Insurance is offering a variable deductible on its wildfire component of their homeowner insurance policies.”
Through grants, PAWUIC helps neighborhoods and communities create defensible space around buildings. Removing pine needles and dead vegetation, cutting back tree branches that overhang rooftops, and pruning branches 6-10 feet above ground are all actions homeowners can take to help prevent the spread of wildfire and increase safety for firefighters. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/25/your-home-covered-some-insurance-companies-are-fac/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/b7fac83f4e3521c819486212779a5cb0e5689d8f94f45bbd14e85f05e2ed89b2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:59:54 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F25%2Fobituary-ladonna-dabbs%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/24/obit-DABBS.jpg | en | null | Obituary: LaDonna Dabbs | null | null | www.dcourier.com | LaDonna Dabbs of Bagdad, Arizona, passed into God’s waiting arms on Aug. 20, surrounded by many loving family members. She was preceded in death by her father, Donald Armstrong; first husband John Nelson III, and brother Morty Armstrong.
She is survived by mother Mildred Armstrong; husband Mark Dabbs; son John Nelson IV; daughter Julie Nelson; stepdaughter Amanda DeBuigne and husband Jeff; nephew Brandan Armstrong; niece Andra Hamilton and husband Shannon; sisters-in-law Frankie Armstrong,
Elizabeth Dabbs and Debra Rudy; brothers-in-law John Dabbs, Thom Rudy and Tommy Dabbs; mother-in-law Grace Dabbs; and so many other cherished relatives and friends. She was a good friend as an understanding listener, and attracted so many with her polite and respectful personality. LaDonna was a wonderful homemaker and the Treasurer for Hillside Bible Church. She will be missed dearly. A graveside service will be held at Fairlawn Cemetery in Elk City, Oklahoma, Monday, Aug. 29, at noon. A celebration of life service will be at Hillside Bible Church in Hillside, Arizona, on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m.
Information provided by survivors. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/25/obituary-ladonna-dabbs/ | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/e63ba80298c50d78c70d63eb262ca8c1f3bfca826e941f3513f2d106e8e1fed9.json |
[
"J. Dyer",
"Special To The Courier"
] | 2016-08-26T14:50:31 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F26%2Fsocial-security-hit-home-run-social-security%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | SOCIAL SECURITY: Hit a home run with Social Security | null | null | www.dcourier.com | A home run is a highlight of any baseball game. The fans cheer with excitement to see a player rocket the ball into the stands. So, what are you doing to prepare for your retirement home run? Your goal should be to get past 1st, 2nd & 3rd base and make it home with a hefty plate of savings.
Social Security has many tools to help you achieve financial security.
Take the first step and visit www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. The benefit of having a my Social Security account is that it gives you access to your personal Social Security Statement, verification of correct earnings, and an estimate of your early retirement benefits at age 62, full retirement age of 66, and delayed age at 70.
We protect your information by using security features and strict identity verification to detect fraud. In several states including the newly added Idaho, Mississippi, and North Dakota, you can request a replacement Social Security card online. Find out if your state offers the service at www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber.
In addition to using your personal my Social Security account to prepare for a comfortable retirement, you can visit www.myra.gov. At myRA, you can access new retirement savings options from the Department of the Treasury. This service is designed for the millions of Americans who struggle with saving for retirement — it’s an easy and safe way to help you take control of your future.
myRA is designed for people who don’t have a retirement savings plan through their employer, or are limited from other savings options. If your employer provides a retirement savings plan, such as a 401(k), learn more about that plan’s potential for matching contributions or other benefits.
Since myRA isn’t connected to any employer, it allows workers to hold on to it when they move to different jobs. myRA makes your money grow faster than a traditional savings account.
Having both my Social Security and myRA accounts in place, you’re guaranteed to hit a home run in successfully planning for your future. Learn more about all of your choices at www.socialsecurity.gov. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/26/social-security-hit-home-run-social-security/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/befcacb454cc299c69974a1af41946134cd66886159e6368313655ae30ccd413.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T22:48:09 | null | 2016-03-07T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F29%2Fchino-valley-police-get-ballistic-vests%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/03/07/Police_lights_thumbnail_no_text_2.jpg | en | null | Chino Valley police get ballistic vests | null | null | www.dcourier.com | CHINO VALLEY – Police here will be able to buy 12 bullet-resistant vests for their officers, thanks to donations from a gun dealer and a gun manufacturer.
Mazy’s of Chino Valley and Sturm, Ruger & Company both donated $1,000 to help the Chino Valley Police Department obtain ballistic vests to provide to officers while they work. The funds have allowed the department to purchase this much needed equipment to help keep officers safe.
“The public/private partnership shows the dedication this town, its citizens and this agency have to making sure our community is a great and safe place to live and raise a family,” CVPD Lt. Vince Schaan said. “The continued support for our agency shows how truly lucky we are to serve in this community.” | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/29/chino-valley-police-get-ballistic-vests/ | en | 2016-03-07T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/5052a4c309b89eca9899ac54c5a1fada0254119e35ab5bee72206e842b973d13.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T04:48:25 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F30%2Fmccain-defeats-primary-challengers%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/30/Election-Arizona-News_Layt.jpg | en | null | McCain defeats primary challengers | null | null | www.dcourier.com | U.S. Sen. John McCain has beaten back a primary challenge from a Republican tea party activist to win the right to seek a sixth term in November.
The 80-year-old who was his party's 2008 presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans on the ballot.
However, the victory doesn't clear the way to a smooth re-election for McCain. He faces a tough Democratic challenge in November's general election from U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. She advanced Tuesday after facing only a write-in opponent in the primary. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/30/mccain-defeats-primary-challengers/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/4f5ae3f40f780c625de4435c43c025d108616f3b3fb542b3908232d03103cdec.json |
[
"Photo Nanci Hutson"
] | 2016-08-29T14:48:07 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F29%2Fgift-survival-us-vets-outreach-distributes-backpac%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/28/MON_1A_homeless_part_2_pic2.JPG | en | null | Gift of Survival: U.S. VETS outreach distributes backpacks to homeless veterans | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Editor’s Note - This is part two of a two-story package about the homeless.
PRESCOTT – On a quiet Friday morning, Mike Ables and Tim Laskowski strap on two large, black backpacks and hike into a forested area below Thumb Butte past Granite Creek, the sound of cicadas surrounding them as they walk along a rock-strewn path through a field of grass.
At one point, the two encounter a group of school children walking over a short bridge in the opposite direction. They then divert deeper into the woods, the hum of traffic in downtown Prescott becoming more distant the farther they walk.
The two slow their pace as the path becomes more remote, and they glimpse a man walking a few feet ahead of them, mostly hidden by nearby trees. As they close the distance, Ables and Laskowski call to the man and assure him they mean no harm. They then see he is not alone. Leaning up against the trunk of one of the tree croppings is another gentleman; they are homeless veterans who for the last few nights have been sleeping in these woods.
Ables is the outreach coordinator for the U.S. VETS Initiative in Prescott; Laskowski is the agency’s program manager. Twice a week, Ables scours the area in search of homeless veterans who might be able to benefit from transitional housing and other services they have to offer.
On this particular day, Ables is accompanied by Laskowski to find homeless veterans who might be able to benefit from a special donation of survival backpacks stocked with more than 100 items intended to help them with their day-to-day existence: the contents include such things as a sleeping bag, socks, nail clippers, laundry soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, a sleep mask, a collapsible cup, a hairbrush and mirror, deodorant, insect repellant and foodstuffs.
After a brief conversation with the two men, who between them have no food, water, not even a blanket, Ables and Laskowski offer the backpacks; both men become teary-eyed as they accept the gifts.
The older man said he has been sleeping outside while waiting for a bed at the Northern Arizona Veteran Affairs Health Care System’ domiciliary where he can go for rehabilitation services for an alcohol problem. The other gentleman, who identified himself as Steven Rittel, 54, an Army veteran, said he has been without a place to live for just a few days.
“I didn’t even know you guys were here. How did you find us?” Rittel said as Ables and Laskowski deliver the backpack donated to U.S. VETS through a connection to the Model Citizen Fund by local agency benefactor Frank Shankwitz, founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Ables explains he is always on the watch for homeless veterans who his agency might be able to assist. Twice a week, Ables goes to hidden places around the area to seek out those who might be in the most dire need of help – only once in five years has he been attacked by someone he approached. An Army veteran, Ables is direct but not pushy, treating each individual with the dignity he knows they deserve.
“All they want is to be treated like normal people,” Ables said. “They just don’t have a home at this point, and that’s what we want to change.”
He knows this outreach makes a difference – he just never knows when one of the men or women he encounters will knock on the door of their office ready to end their homelessness.
“I do this because I served, too,” Ables said as he steers the U.S. VETS van around the courthouse plaza looking for potential clients. “I don’t like seeing my brothers and sisters on the street … And there are success stories.”
On this day, he knows he made life a little easier for two men. Enough to keep him looking for the next one.
Related Stories | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/29/gift-survival-us-vets-outreach-distributes-backpac/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/744d62b4734cad59e8d0139a4582b45aa7f3922d8037ff547175e39022eda7a4.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T08:48:41 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F31%2Futility-regulator-scrutinizing-aps-will-likely-kee%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Utility regulator scrutinizing APS will likely keep seat | null | null | www.dcourier.com | PHOENIX – The Republican state utility regulator who is leading the fight to force Arizona Public Service to disclose its political donations is probably going to get a chance to keep his seat.
And if he survives the general election – and if the two Democrats running also win in November -- he will have the votes he needs to force the issue.
Preliminary results Tuesday night in the GOP primary for Arizona Corporation Commission show incumbent Bob Burns among the top three vote-getters in the five-way race for the three seats up for grabs. Also leading are Andy Tobin and Boyd Dunn.
Burns has made himself an outcast of sort among the other four Republicans on the panel with his demand -- now reduced to a subpoena -- that APS, the state’s largest electric utility, surrender all of its records detailing how it has been spending its money on political, charitable and lobbying expenses. He also wants the same information from Pinnacle West Capital Corp., APS’ parent.
All that is over the objections of the other four Republicans on the panel. And it remains to be seen whether they will block Burns’ efforts to enforce the subpoena if the companies balk.
But here’s the thing: The two Democrats running, Tom Chabin and Bill Mundell, both have promised to support what Burns is trying to do if they are elected. And that creates the possibility of a coalition majority, potentially with Burns as chairman.
Trailing were current state representative Rick Gray and former state senator Al Melvin.
Tobin was appointed in January by Gov. Doug Ducey. And like the other Republicans on the panel he has been opposed to Burns’ efforts to force APS to open its books.
Dunn, a former Chandler mayor and retired judge, has taken a less clear position on the issue during the campaign.
The issue of outside influence on the commission, which sets what customers pay for utilities, was a major issue in the primary and promises to continue to be so in the upcoming general election.
In 2014, two outside group spent $3.2 million to ensure the election of Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little to the panel.
Neither organization will disclose the source of its funds. And an APS spokesman will not deny that his company or its parent provided at least some of that cash.
All the candidates have acknowledged that the First Amendment, at least as interpreted by the Supreme Court, allows the corporations to put money into political campaigns.
The difference is that Burns, Mundell and Chabin contend the commission has the legal right to demand public disclosure. The other commissioners have balked at that idea; APS officials have argued they cannot be forced to make their donations public.
To this point there is no evidence that APS or other utilities have sought to influence the GOP primary.
That, however, is not the case with solar interests who put $667,000 into an independent campaign designed to help Burns win the nomination.
There is one key difference, though, between this year and two years ago.
Unlike the 2014 campaign, with its hidden donors, the source of the dollars to help elect Burns this year has been publicly disclosed as SolarCity, a major manufacturer and installer of rooftop photovoltaic generators.
The question of who is helping to elect commissioners will become crucial in the coming year.
APS and other utilities are asking permission to impose additional charges on their customers who generate their own power. The companies argue that the current rate structure, based largely on usage, allows solar customers to benefit from being connected to
the grid without paying their fair share.
Solar interests argue that such changes would undermine their ability to compete for customers.
A more controversial proposal by utilities would require customers to pay bills based on the highest demand of the day versus strictly on kilowatt hours of energy used. That could result in much higher bills for customers who generally use only limited amount of electricity but might have a spike when an air conditioner kicks on at the same
time as the pool pump or electric dryer. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/31/utility-regulator-scrutinizing-aps-will-likely-kee/ | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/1d6d3eca5dcb1be5b2c60681cc012e75c8ba2bf2c383b2fa0a96940ff3354fd6.json |
[
"Solvej Schou",
"The Associated Press",
"Natalie Mancuso"
] | 2016-08-26T14:50:27 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F26%2Fdiy-picture-frames-go-way-beyond-popsicle-sticks%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/25/Crafts_Picture_Frames_Hitt-2_1.jpg | en | null | DIY picture frames go way beyond Popsicle sticks | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Think back to kindergarten and your first picture frame, proudly put together out of glued Popsicle sticks, some yarn and maybe a splash of glitter.
Voila! Functional art.
DIY picture frames — whether by adults or children — are still the bedrock of meaningful crafts projects. Printing out a photo of a loved one or landscape and displaying it in a frame elevates that image above the ocean of others that we post online or keep tucked away on cell phones and laptops.
Here are some tips on how to make a picture frame out of wood and other materials, from book covers and fabric to those always popular Popsicle sticks.
IDEAS AND INSPIRATIONS
New Orleans-based Alyse Rodriguez, 32, began making frames and home decor as a hobby while working as an accountant, but transitioned her Etsy.com store into a full-time studio and business last year.
“I start with inspiration, from travel, my home and my clothes to playing the piano, and amalgamate all that into ideas, the color palettes and pattern design,” she said.
Her Color Collection, made of two or three thick pieces of birch plywood glued side-by-side and hand-painted with acrylic paint in lime green, coral and other unusual colors, with the photo secured on top, reflects her bohemian style.
Her new Mali Collection features right-angled frames made of smooth poplar, with a stained finish. Geometric patterns — squiggles, arrows, dots — inspired by African, handmade cotton fabric dyed with fermented mud, called mud cloth, are then screen-printed on the surface.
“The way that I approach wood is like the way an artist approaches a blank canvas,” Rodriguez said.
THE RIGHT MATERIALS
If you’re interested in making a right-angled wooden frame — four pieces of wood glued together at the joints and secured with nails or staples — Rodriguez recommends sticking to poplar. It’s smooth, lightweight, easy to sand down, and has a fine texture.
Timothy Holton, 58, of Berkeley, California, who founded the shop Holton Studio Frame-Makers in 1993, suggests investing in high-quality hardwoods such as cherry, oak and maple.
A table saw is one way to cut the wood; you can buy one at a local woodshop, he said. Or Rodriguez suggests having pieces cut for you at chain stores such as Lowe’s and Home Depot that have cutting machines.
Rodriguez, who also quilts, used to make frames out of plywood wrapped in fabric and glued in the back with fabric adhesive, like a fabric-covered book, with the photo on top.
Or you could take a hardcover book, carve out a rectangle in the middle of the cover, pop out the piece, and tape a photo in its place.
For a simple, rustic frame, great to make with kids, combine four twigs to form a rectangle, and then bind them with string at the corners.
HOLDING IT TOGETHER
“The simplest frame, if it’s really made well, feels compelling and has integrity to it,” said Holton.
That makes the process of fitting, gluing and nailing the pieces together important. First use a strong wood glue, such as Titebond, and wait for it to dry.
“If you wait 24 hours, you have to use an axe to get those pieces of wood apart,” Rodriguez joked.
To hold two pieces together at a perfect right angle to dry, use a miter clamp or other type of frame clamp. A picture frame stapler gun or nail gun are helpful when securing the frame in the back, after gluing.
For kids, break out those Popsicle sticks, and buy colorfully patterned Japanese washi tape. Crafts blog Eighteen25.com recommends rolling out a strip of washi tape, sticky side up, and laying the Popsicle sticks on top, wrapping the washi tape around their edges. Then glue two plain sticks across your decorated sticks, to hold everything together. Glue a magnet on the back and a photo on the front.
HAVE FUN DECORATING “To me, the finish work is the best part. That’s where the design really comes into play, and you can have fun,” said Rodriguez.
Head to a paint or art supply store and get color swatches, play with color combinations and buy inexpensive acrylic paint samples, said Rodriguez. She likes to use 1-inch-thick craft paint brushes.
Use a pencil eraser dipped in paint or a stencil to create patterns.
Rodriguez made her first picture frame in 2011 with a stencil of a mask that she actually glued to the frame and then spray-painted gold. She now also incorporates braided leather and burlap into her frame designs.
Your decorated frame should be personal, reflecting the picture in it.
“The frame says, ‘This matters. This is something I care about, that you should care about too,’” says Holton.
www.alysestudios.com www.holtonframes.com _
Solvej Schou is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/solvej_schou | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/26/diy-picture-frames-go-way-beyond-popsicle-sticks/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/61364848f4120570d9029b6bef797336aeddef561e0b8fbac83d3e5da1a998cc.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T08:48:43 | null | 2016-03-09T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F29%2Fobituary-jackson-eugene-ivey%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/03/09/In-Memory-obituary-obit-thumbnail-candle.jpg | en | null | Obituary: Jackson Eugene Ivey | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Jackson Eugene Ivey, 66, of Colorado passed away on Aug. 4, 2016, in Yavapai County, Arizona.
Abcfunerals is in charge of arrangements. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/29/obituary-jackson-eugene-ivey/ | en | 2016-03-09T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/0b1b987d9a9890a07cb7a61388e15d861cdd92a7693d4f9fe829820e6de59430.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T08:48:31 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F31%2Fscorpions-win-western-nationals%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/31/Scorpions_softball_CLO_photo_8-31-16_CROP.jpg | en | null | Scorpions win Western Nationals | null | null | www.dcourier.com | The Kokopelli Eye Institute Scorpions senior men’s softball team of the Prescott area went undefeated in winning the Western Nationals Championships earlier this month in Sacramento.
The Scorpions’ Western National Championship scores were:
Scorpions 17, Triple Play 14
Scorpions 11, Fairway Ford 10
Scorpions 25, Sacramento Gold 6
Scorpions 13, Triple Play 9
Scorpions 24, Triple Play 22 (championship game).
This was the Scorpions’ first leg of the Triple Grand Slam of Senior Softball. Next up, the Scorpions will play a North Carolina team at the World Championships Sept. 26-29 in Las Vegas. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/31/scorpions-win-western-nationals/ | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/74144491f6bd344ec08b7e9e6ed9a2e02eace32b2029fb4a59d6873a161affb5.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T14:48:29 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F31%2Fprescott-resident-finds-road-recovery-after-stroke%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/31/HealthFocusstrokepix1.jpg | en | null | The Daily Courier | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Sixty-nine-year-old Tom Liaboe of Prescott was watching television this past winter when he stood up and unexpectedly fell. His wife, Carol, heard the noise and ran upstairs to find Tom on the floor. He was barely able to move his right side, part of his face was drooping, and he was having trouble speaking.
Tom had suffered a stroke. He had become one of the nearly 2,000 individuals in northern Arizona who are admitted annually to area hospitals for strokes. Strokes are the leading cause of long-term disability in the nation, reducing mobility in more than half of stroke survivors age 65 and over.
Tom, a retired network engineer, had always been an active individual. He enjoyed gardening, yard work and working on home projects – one of which was building gazebos. He and his wife had moved to Prescott eight months before his stroke, having purchased a three-level home.
“Because I was so active, both my wife and I were really surprised when my stroke occurred,” Tom said.
After initial treatment, Tom was transferred to Mountain Valley Regional Rehabilitation Hospital. The hospital provides specialized physical rehabilitation services to patients recovering from disabling diseases and injuries like stroke.
When Tom entered, he was unable to walk or speak. His right side was still extremely weak. A multidisciplinary medical team worked with Tom and Carol to develop customized goals for his recovery, which included receiving intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy treatments. Both he and Carol say they could really feel the impact from the teamwork.
“It was what I needed to recover,” Tom said. “I wanted to work as hard as I could to regain my abilities, which the staff helped me with. But, I never felt overworked or pushed beyond what I could do.”
After one month of inpatient rehabilitation, Tom was released to home where he continued to receive care from the hospital’s home health team. They worked with Tom and his wife, offering therapies he needed to continue the healing process. While providing treatment, the team taught Tom how to safely navigate the stairs in his house, how to get in and out of the shower, and how to walk securely in the neighborhood.
“I now can function in all three levels of my house,” Tom said. “I use the upstairs shower … I walk in the neighborhood for exercise. But, my favorite workouts now are water exercises in the pool. They really help me stretch my muscles.”
Carol considers her husband’s recovery “miraculous,” and described how Tom’s neurosurgeon, Dr. Harvey Thomas, calls him his “miracle patient.”
“I’m really pleased that I have reached this level of ability again,” Tom said. “And, I credit that to everyone who helped me along the way – especially my rehabilitation team.”
For more information about services, visit the website: www.mvrrh.ernesthealth.com. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/31/prescott-resident-finds-road-recovery-after-stroke/ | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/68d1d7c5190df86cfa08dd937d2d407b54f207da0a817a5b0eab054ded845641.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:47:51 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F28%2Fcolumn-inventors%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Column: Inventors | null | null | www.dcourier.com | We humans are born inventors.
And many of us did our best inventing when we were children. While some of us concocted boisterous games, wondrous kingdoms and glorious fairytales, other children imagined a gentle world in which parents didn’t yell, fight or hit and where everyone in the family had enough food to eat every day of the week.
As we matured from children to youths, we may have found our inventive nature discouraged. We were instructed to conform to new, unexamined behavior patterns, often outdated in terms of need or purpose, created by parents and others who “knew best.” While we yearned to invent, we were admonished to follow instructions, write to fit a designated mold, respond to questions with prescribed answers and treat people in the same way in which we observed our parents relating to others.
We learned there is an acceptable, approved way of doing, saying, even looking at things when adults are around.
We also learned that many adults were not really interested in our inventiveness. Growing up often meant relinquishing precious childhood worlds we imagined and leaving behind those creations that made our lives exciting. Adults communicated to us—in many ways—that we should “get down to business,” which, we learned, didn’t include the little fantasies our imaginations had created.
Most of us invented selves that conformed with what our parents wanted us to develop. We learned that who we were to become should not differ drastically from all those people who inhabited our immediate world. We were bracketed by admonitions to “follow the crowd, swim with the stream and do in Rome as the Romans do.” Adapting, accommodating, reconciling, assimilating and compromising became more than words as we entered the adult world.
For many of us the self we invented was designed to be safe, conforming and—sad to say—inconsequential. To get ahead, we learned “to get along.” We became rational, utilitarian, pragmatic, efficient and—dull. We convinced ourselves that as adults we must put behind us our frivolous, spirited, merry child-like games and behave in mature, prudent and sensible ways.
Then there were some of us who invented nasty, mean-spirited selves. Others invented self-righteous, egocentric selves. And there were those who developed glib, superficial selves to hide their insecurities.
Yet, many of us continued to dream and in those dreams we recreated and reinvented ourselves in ways that ennobled us. We explored paths that led to enlightenment, illumination and excitement. We became different individuals than who we used to be. Not totally, of course, but at least enough to give us inner satisfaction and enable us to enjoy the changes.
Of course, none of us reinvented ourselves alone. Our families and friends, along with the many, varied forces we encountered throughout our lives helped shape our redevelopment. And if we were lucky, we had teachers who taught us to improvise, and encouraged us to nurture our inventive spirit and develop imaginative approaches to problems and challenges.
And there were those precious teachers who encouraged us to dream. We shall never forget them.
The fact is, each of us is, to some degree, still a dreamer, still an inventor.
There is the hope that no matter our age our innate inventive spirit will be nurtured and rekindled; that some of those childhood dreams will become real again.
Henry David Thoreau wrote: “I have learned this at least by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to lead that life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
Imagination is common to inventors.
And that still means all of us! | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/28/column-inventors/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/7c42098f66d8fa3d5d1e4a7a64190e33c3b68bc1be5ca7e326bb6ad6c922fb83.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:50:18 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F26%2Flegalized-marijuana-foes-seek-courts-help-stop-ini%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Legalized marijuana foes seek court's help to stop initiative | null | null | www.dcourier.com | PHOENIX - Foes of legalized marijuana asked the Arizona Supreme Court late Thursday to keep voters from ever getting to decide the issue.
Attorney Brett Johnson wants the justices to rule that Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry got it wrong when she ruled last week that a 2015 change in state law precludes outsiders -- including initiative opponents -- from challenging the legal sufficiency of the ballot measure. Gentry said that makes all of the alleged flaws Johnson said are in the petitions legally irrelevant.
Johnson also warned the justices that if they refuse to overturn Gentry's ruling and allow Proposition 205 to be placed on the November ballot that would have dire implications.
"Should the (initiative) committee be allowed to push through such a profoundly flawed ballot measure, future initiative proponents are likely to use the same -- or worse -- tactics to deceive Arizona voters,'' he wrote. "Under the trial court's interpretation of the law, there is (ITALICS) no (ROMAN) recourse for such fraud,'' Johnson continued.
In his own filing Thursday, attorney Roy Herrera, representing initiative proponents, denied there was any fraud in the way the measure was crafted and presented to the public.
More to the point, he told the justices that Gentry was correct in ruling that the law does not allow initiative foes to seek to have measures kept from the ballot once the secretary of state has concluded it meets all the legal requirements. And he urged the high court not to intercede.
"The court should recognize this lawsuit for what it is -- nothing more than an extended disquisition on the (challengers') ideological and political opposition'' to the idea of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, Herrera wrote, saying their case is `build on a catalog of politicized, specious -- and in some instances -- frivolous arguments that stand in diametric conflict with the Arizona Constitution and controlling precedents of Arizona courts.''
And Herrera said if initiative foes are opposed to the measure they should take their case to the public and not try to have the process short-circuited by the Supreme Court.
Johnson, however, suggested that it would be wrong for them to sidestep the issue and let the voters have the final say. He told the justices they have an obligation to "prevent fraud on the electorate.''
What the court decides will determine if Arizonans get a chance to vote on the measure which would allow any adult to possess and use up to an ounce of marijuana without fear of criminal prosecution.
That is a significant expansion from existing law which limits drug use and possession solely to those with specific ailments, a doctor's recommendation and a state-issued ID card. Only about 100,000 of these cards have been issued.
It also sets up a state agency to regulate sale of the drug through regulated dispensaries and imposes a tax, with some of the proceeds earmarked for educaton.
Johnson contends that the measure is legally flawed because petition signers and voters are not told in the required 100 word summary some of the other things the measure would do. These include affecting laws on driving under the influence of marijuana, the ability of companies to fire employees who have marijuana in their system, and limiting the ability of judges who are handling child custody cases to consider whether someone is using marijuana.
He also claims that the title of the initiative, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, is itself misleading to voters.
"Rather than regulating marijuana like alcohol, the initiative makes marijuana a protected substance that adults have a legal right to use,'' Johnson wrote.
For example, he said it would block lawmakers from setting presumptive limits on how much psychoactive drug someone could have in the blood to be considered impaired. For liquor, a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 is presumed to be drunk driving and enough to sustain a conviction.
Herrera said it doesn't matter that everything the initiative would do is not in the summary.
He said the only legal question for the court is whether the summary is fraudulent or misleading. And Herrera told the justices that there was "a good faith effort to distill the principal provisions of the initiative within the confines of the 100-word limit.''
The Supreme Court, however, may never need to decide that issue. If they agree with Gentry that opponents have no legal right to sue, it does not matter, legally speaking, whether initiative organizers did or did properly craft the ballot measure and its explanation.
The justices are expected to take up the issue sometime this coming week. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/26/legalized-marijuana-foes-seek-courts-help-stop-ini/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/82d514414143e0359795078131b60493d6f4e1ac437bddc1f571a237c6cbd926.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T14:48:48 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F31%2Fcampbell-davis-advance-race-arizona-house-represen%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Campbell, Davis advance in race for Arizona House of Representatives District 1 | null | null | www.dcourier.com | PRESCOTT – Incumbent state Rep. Noel Campbell and retiring County Supervisor Chip Davis, both Republicans, won their primary race to advance to the General Election for two seats in the Arizona House of Representatives District 1 on Tuesday, Aug. 30, leaving GOP candidate David Stringer out in the cold.
Campbell won handily, picking up 38 percent of the vote, or 15,585.
Davis, who won solidly in Yavapai County, found the road a little rougher in northern Maricopa, which is also a part of Legislative District 1.
Davis led Stringer by 1 percent, or 12,665 to 12,300 votes - a difference of 365 votes, as of 11 p.m. and 59 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Still upbeat, Davis said, “I’m not going to celebrate too prematurely. But we’ve given our all for the last 14 months.”
Reflecting on his run for the legislature, he said, “This has been a nasty campaign, and it sure makes a person scratch their head and wonder why they’d want to run for public office.”
Asked if he could “handle” Maricopa County, Davis said, “I can handle the state of Arizona. You know what I can do? I can make friends and I can make people come together, and I can make projects happen, and we can solve problems, and we can find solutions, and I’m looking forward to a great Arizona.”
Campbell and Stringer were unavailable for comment Tuesday night before press time.
Should their leads hold, Campbell and Davis will next face Democratic candidate Peter Pierson and Green Party challenger Haryaksha Gregor Knauer in the Nov. 8 General Election.
Follow Scott Orr on Twitter @AZNewsguy. Call him at 928-445-3333 ext. 2038 or 928-642-7705. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/31/campbell-davis-advance-race-arizona-house-represen/ | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/b8a7ad198f86c05e2fa547f9a9a1e350d55b1dc89613de4113a0a611c3fa545b.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:48:10 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F28%2Fnational-park-service-celebrates-100-years-photo-g%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/27/rainier.jpg | en | null | The National Park Service celebrates 100 years (PHOTO GALLERY) | null | null | www.dcourier.com | The U.S. National Park Service is celebrating 100 years of managing some of the nation's most well-known parks, monuments and historic places.
The agency's reach stretches coast to coast, from Acadia on the Atlantic to the Channel Islands in the Pacific. There's the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.
As the national parks system attracts greater numbers of visitors each year, the agency is facing key challenges ahead. One is a backlog of repairs that total nearly $12 billion. The other is reaching out to minority communities, who studies show don't go to the parks, and getting them to visit — and care about preserving — America's parks.
Centennial events were scheduled for Aug. 25, 2016, included free mule-drawn boat rides at C&O Canal National Historical Park in Maryland, creation of a giant, living version of the park service emblem in Washington, D.C., a naturalization ceremony on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and an outdoor concert at Yellowstone National Park.
National parks across the country were offering free admission, birthday cake, ranger talks and other special events to mark the anniversary. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/28/national-park-service-celebrates-100-years-photo-g/ | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/cc4060047842dc0a0035b2a92d4d7ecb0bfb7f40fbc2b7499ea060a0e60a0c84.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:50:04 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F26%2Fhotshots-memorial-ideas-centered-around-their-tree%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/25/tree.jpg | en | null | Hotshots memorial ideas centered around their tree | null | null | www.dcourier.com | PRESCOTT – Iconic Granite Mountain Hotshot images such as the giant juniper tree saved during the Doce Fire, and the crew posing in a pyramid formation, could be among the components of a memorial being developed for the courthouse plaza.
While the project is still very much in the formative stages, Bruce Martinez, the president of the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Partnership, noted this week that some common themes have emerged in the initial public-comment period.
Among them, he said, is the alligator juniper, estimated to be as old as 1,800 years, that the Hotshots saved during Prescott’s 2013 Doce Fire – just days before 19 members of the crew died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire.
“A lot of people wanted to see the juniper tree they saved be incorporated in,” Martinez said.
That idea is among 15 or so different categories that the partnership distilled from the public comments received during a recently completed call for feedback.
Those elements likely will show up in the request for proposals or qualifications (RFP or RPQ) that the partnership hopes to send out to artists in the coming months.
Along with suggestions to incorporate the image of the juniper tree and/or the Hotshots huddled in a pyramid formation, Martinez said members of the public also had thoughts about the materials that should be used for the memorial.
“The majority of people thought it should be constructed of granite and/or bronze,” he said.
The committee’s initial call for ideas went out in February 2016, and ended just prior to the three-year mark of the June 30, 2013 Yarnell Hill wildfire. It produced more than 40 comments.
Now, a subcommittee of the partnership is working to compile the RFP, Martinez said, noting that members hope to bring on a landscape architect to help coordinate that step.
Preliminary discussions on how best to memorialize the young men who died fighting the Yarnell Hill wildfire have been underway since soon after the tragedy.
Martinez, a retired Prescott Fire Chief, was asked by the Prescott Fire Department to help field the calls that were flooding in with memorial ideas in the grief-stricken months after the Hotshot deaths.
Ultimately, that led to the choice of a site for the downtown memorial: A 400-square-foot space on the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza, which the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors granted (located near the intersection of Goodwin and Cortez streets, just north of the historic well site along Cortez).
The partnership announced the launch of its website (www.gmhsmemorial.com) this past winter, and asked the community to weigh in.
Martinez said most of the comments were positive, although one or two expressed opposition to the idea of the memorial.
While the website is set up to accept donations, Martinez said the partnership’s current focus remains on the design of the project. “We want to come up with the right piece, and fulfilling that piece like it should be,” he said.
At some point in the process, the partnership likely will kick off the fundraising component – possibly when the group asks the chosen artist to make a maquette (small model) of the proposed memorial.
Martinez was uncertain this week how long the RFP process or completion of the memorial might take. Early on, he received advice from other memorial efforts around the country not to rush in the effort to memorialize the fallen Hotshots, and he said the partnership is following that advice.
Along with Martinez, members of the original partnership included: Bill Fain of Fain Signature Group; Gayle Mabery, Clarkdale Town Manager; Danny Parker, father of fallen Hotshot Wade Parker, and a retired Chino Valley Fire District Captain; Alexa Scholl, Prescott High School student; Paul Roberts of Roberts and Carver PLLC; John Coleman, renowned artist; Celeste Gordon, U.S. Forest Service; Jim Holst, retired Yavapai County Administrator; Ernie Jones, Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe President; and Pat McCarty, Prescott Fire District Engineer, and former Hotshot.
Currently, Martinez said he and three others – Coleman, Mabery, and Roberts – are serving on a subcommittee to develop the RFP.
Meanwhile, the email on the partnership’s website at https://www.gmhsmemorial.com/ is still active, Martinez said. In addition, the organization’s Facebook page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/Granite-Mountain-Hotshots-Memorial-Partnership-497919723723403/?fref=ts. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/26/hotshots-memorial-ideas-centered-around-their-tree/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/094fb4a112cce47e4d34cff90b94ceba9f66408c1f8795e09f3095de421ef6b5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:48:58 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F25%2Fcplumn-hummingbird-migration-activity-its-peak%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/24/Moore_-__hummingbird.jpg | en | null | Column: Hummingbird migration activity is at its peak | null | null | www.dcourier.com | This past Sunday afternoon, I made a quick trip down to Phoenix. I got stuck in traffic heading south on I-17 with folks returning to the valley after enjoying a weekend in the high country of northern Arizona.
As I sat in this elongated parking lot waiting for the traffic to move, I noticed small numbers of swallows flying by now and then. They were making better time than we were!
We were in the area between Black Canyon City and New River, where the vegetation consists of palo verde trees, sahuaros, cholla, prickly pear and other heat and drought tolerant plants. This is not an area one would consider prime swallow habitat.
As I thought about the swallows and realized they were all flying south in the middle of the desert, and reflecting that it was August, a lightbulb finally went off. I had one of those ‘ah-ha’ moments when I realized they were migrating.
Earlier this week, I received an email that read, “Hi, we live in Chino Valley and wonder if you have heard anything about a huge increase in hummingbirds? We have two feeders out and normally see two to three birds jostling to eat. In the past three days that number has increased to 15 - 20. Our feeders are three hole and we have seen as many as six birds sitting around the holes with another five or so hovering. This is not normal for here, so we were wondering if anyone else is experiencing an increase.”
In another email this week, an individual wrote, “In the last two days I am getting a lot of hummingbirds (more than usual) swarming my feeders. The finch activity has been extremely high also. Can you give me some insight as to why this is happening?”
The answer to these emails is that hummingbird migration is in full swing. Hummingbirds that summered north of Arizona—in places such as Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Canada and Alaska—are on their way to Mexico for the winter months. When you look at a map, it makes sense that to get from points north of Central Arizona to Mexico, migratory birds have to pass right through this part of the country to get to their destination.
As hummingbirds migrate, they stop at backyard feeders to rest and refuel before continuing on. During peak migration, you might witness what appears to be a feeding frenzy, with plenty of fighting, chasing and aerial battles for control of the feeders. This time of year, it is advisable to put out several more hummingbird feeders and hang them in close proximity to one other. I have customers who will go through two or three gallons of nectar everyday this time of year!
Lesser goldfinch numbers are also very high right now, as a result of reproductive success during the summer. In the spring, you initially had a pair of goldfinches. Now in late summer, depending on how many clutches they have had and what their breeding success was, instead of two birds, you will have mom, dad and their offspring. This means that you could easily have anywhere from six to 10 additional birds compared to just a few months ago.
Lesser goldfinches are still in the middle of their breeding season, so the high finch activity is likely to continue right up until mid-October. Lesser goldfinches love nyjer (also known as thistle) seed and fine sunflower chips. They especially enjoy the seeds and leaves of the wild sunflower plants that grow naturally in our area.
I hope you are enjoying an abundance of birds in your yard right now. Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of Jay’s Bird Barn, with three locations in northern Arizona – Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff. Eric has been an avid birder for over 50 years. If you have questions about wild birds that you would like discussed in future articles, email him at eric@jaysbirdbarn.com. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/25/cplumn-hummingbird-migration-activity-its-peak/ | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/e909796709bc2b3e4c837e8a8b1dcaf5b20c2947f1c89c29340b87becd48dd12.json |
[
"Staff",
"Wire Reports",
"Photo The Associated Press"
] | 2016-08-29T20:48:08 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F29%2Fgene-wilder-famous-roles-young-frankenstein-willy-%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/29/gene-wilder-dead.jpg | en | null | Gene Wilder, famous for roles in 'Young Frankenstein,' 'Willy Wonka,' dies at 83 | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Gene Wilder – who regularly stole the show in such comedic gems as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Stir Crazy” – died Monday, Aug. 29, at his home in Stamford, Connecticut.
His nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman said Wilder died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83.
His nephew said in a statement, “We understand for all the emotional and physical challenges this situation presented we have been among the lucky ones — this illness-pirate, unlike in so many cases, never stole his ability to recognize those that were closest to him, nor took command of his central-gentle-life affirming core personality. The decision to wait until this time to disclose his condition wasn’t vanity, but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him ‘there’s Willy Wonka,’ would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble and causing delight to travel to worry, disappointment or confusion. He simply couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world.
“He continued to enjoy art, music, and kissing with his leading lady of the last 25 years, Karen. He danced down a church aisle at a wedding as parent of the groom and ring bearer, held countless afternoon movie western marathons and delighted in the company of beloved ones.”
He had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1989.
The comic actor, who was twice Oscar nominated, for his role in “The Producers” and for co-penning “Young Frankenstein” with Mel Brooks, usually portrayed a neurotic who veered between total hysteria and dewy-eyed tenderness. “My quiet exterior used to be a mask for hysteria,” he told Time magazine in 1970. “After seven years of analysis, it just became a habit.”
Habit or not, he got a great deal of mileage out of his persona in the 1970s for directors like Mel Brooks and Woody Allen, leading to a few less successful stints behind the camera, the best of which was “The Woman in Red,” co-starring then-wife Gilda Radner. Wilder was devastated by Radner’s death from ovarian cancer in 1989 and worked only intermittently after that. He tried his hand briefly at a sitcom in 1994, “Something Wilder,” and won an Emmy in 2003 for a guest role on “Will & Grace.”
His professional debut came in Off Broadway’s “Roots” in 1961, followed by a stint on Broadway in Graham Greene’s comedy “The Complaisant Lover,” which won him a Clarence Derwent Award as promising newcomer. His performance in the 1963 production of Brecht’s “Mother Courage” was seen by Mel Brooks, whose future wife, Anne Bancroft, was starring in the production; a friendship with Brooks would lead to some of Wilder’s most successful film work. For the time being, however, Wilder continued to work onstage, in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1963 and “Dynamite Tonight” and “The White House” the following year. He then understudied Alan Arkin and Gabriel Dell in “Luv,” eventually taking over the role.
Wilder also worked in television in 1962’s “The Sound of Hunting,” “The Interrogators,” “Windfall” and in the 1966 TV production of “Death of a Salesman” with Lee J. Cobb. He later starred in TV movies including “Thursday’s Game” and the comedy-variety special “Annie and the Hoods,” both in 1974.
In 1967 Wilder essayed his first memorable bigscreen neurotic, Eugene Grizzard, a kidnapped undertaker in Arthur Penn’s classic “Bonnie and Clyde.”
Then came “The Producers,” in which he played the hysterical Leo Bloom, an accountant lured into a money bilking scheme by a theatrical producer played by Zero Mostel. Directed and written by Brooks, the film brought Wilder an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor. With that, his film career was born.
He next starred in a dual role with Donald Sutherland in “Start the Revolution Without Me,” in which he displayed his fencing abilities. It was followed by another middling comedy, “Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx,” also in 1970.
In 1971 he stepped into the shoes of Willy Wonka, one of his most beloved and gentle characters. Based on the children’s book by Roald Dahl, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was not an immediate hit but became a children’s favorite over the years. The same cannot be said for the 1974 Stanley Donen-directed musical version of “The Little Prince,” in which Wilder appeared as the fox. He had somewhat better luck in Woody Allen’s spoof “Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex,” appearing in a hilarious segment in which he played a doctor who falls in love with a sheep named Daisy.
Full-fledged film stardom came with two other Brooks comedies, both in 1974: Western spoof “Blazing Saddles” and a wacko adaptation of Mary Shelley’s famous book entitled “Young Frankenstein,” in which Wilder portrayed the mad scientist with his signature mixture of hysteria and sweetness.
Working with Brooks spurred Wilder to write and direct his own comedies, though none reached the heights of his collaborations with Brooks. The first of these was “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Younger Brother” (1975), in which he included such Brooks regulars as Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman. It was followed by 1977’s “The World’s Greatest Lover,” which he also produced.
Wilder fared better, however, when he was working solely in front of the camera, particularly in a number of films in which he co-starred with Richard Pryor.
The first of these was 1978’s “Silver Streak,” a spoof of film thrillers set on trains; 1980’s “Stir Crazy” was an even bigger hit, grossing more than $100 million. Wilder and Pryor’s two other pairings, “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” and “Another You,” provided diminishing returns, however.
While filming “Hanky Panky” in 1982, Wilder met “Saturday Night Live” comedienne Radner. She became his third wife shortly thereafter. Wilder and Radner co-starred in his most successful directing stint, “The Woman in Red” in 1984, and then “Haunted Honeymoon.” But Radner grew ill with cancer, and he devoted himself to her care, working sporadically after that and hardly at all after her death in 1989.
In the early ’90s he appeared in his last film with Pryor and another comedy, “Funny About Love.” In addition to the failed TV series “Something Wilder” in 1994, he wrote and starred in the A&E mystery telepics “The Lady in Question” and “Murder in a Small Town” in 1999. He also appeared as the Mock Turtle in a 1999 NBC adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland.”
He last acted in a couple of episodes of “Will and Grace” in 2002-03 as Mr. Stein, winning an Emmy.
He was born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee and began studying acting at the age of 12. After getting his B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1955, Wilder enrolled in the Old Vic Theater school in Bristol, where he learned acting technique and fencing. When he returned to the U.S. he taught fencing and did other odd jobs while studying with Herbert Berghof’s HB Studio and at the Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg.
Wilder’s memoir “Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art” was published in 2005. After that he wrote fiction: the 2007 novel “My French Whore”; 2008’s “The Woman Who Wouldn’t”; a collection of stories, “What Is This Thing Called Love?,” in 2010; and the novella “Something to Remember You By: A Perilous Romance” in 2013.
Wilder was interviewed by Alec Baldwin for the one-hour TCM documentary “Role Model: Gene Wilder” in 2008. The actor was also active in raising cancer awareness in the wake of Radner’s death.
He is survived by his fourth wife Karen Boyer, whom he married in 1991 and his nephew. His sister Corinne, predeceased him in January 2016.
Before Radner, Wilder was married to the actress-playwright Mary Mercier and Mary Joan Schutz (aka Jo Ayers).
Variety Magazine and the Associated Press contributed to this story. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/29/gene-wilder-famous-roles-young-frankenstein-willy-/ | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/89aa591bc9047db98c1eedc7cc068158dff9172abcfae72e842d0b9c42af605d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:48:30 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F28%2Fobituary-timothy-james-hoffman%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/27/Hoffman_OBIT.jpg | en | null | Obituary: Timothy James Hoffman | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Timothy James Hoffman a resident of Prescott Valley, Arizona, passed away peacefully, Saturday, August 20, 2016. He was born May 14, 1964 in Tiffin, Ohio. Tim gave fully of himself, some would say to a fault. When able, Tim would drive friends, as well as strangers, anywhere they needed to go. He always opened his heart and home to anyone with a need. His sense of humor was evident with a quick joke or a funny face. Tim was preceded in death by his parents May & Elden G. Hoffman, along with his dog, Patches. Tim is survived by his twin brother Tom and brothers: Ron, Rick, Dave and Dan and four sisters: Christine, Monica Sue, Patrice and Mary, as well as many loving nephews and nieces. He will remain in our hearts. Contributions can be made to HelpHopeLive.org.
Information provided by survivors. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/28/obituary-timothy-james-hoffman/ | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/b814ad095ed82c872dae6228a0308dcb91e648df9920809634fbf3d85787509b.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T14:48:11 | null | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F29%2Fhow-much-does-campaign-cost%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/10/Mugs_1A.jpg | en | null | How much does a campaign cost? Simmons outspends Pearsall by more than 5 to 1 | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Not all contributions or expenditures for the candidates in Tuesday’s primary election have been tallied – they have until Sept. 29 to complete their primary campaign finance report. However, they have filed their campaign finance reports through Aug. 18 with the Yavapai County Elections Department.
The big spender in county elections so far looks to be Judd Simmons, candidate for the Assessor’s Office, with $129,673 collected in donations, which includes $4,678 in in-kind contributions. Expenditures total $118,619, which leaves just over $11,000 in his coffers.
Simmons appeared to have ranching, real estate, legal, and medical professions backing his campaign.
Incumbent Pamela Pearsall’s campaign is costing somewhat less – more than $100,000 less, in fact. Contributions to Pearsall’s campaign through Aug. 18 totals $22,744, with overall smaller individual donations by business owners and retirees. Many contributors for both candidates listed “retired” as their occupation, without further information.
Here’s how the campaign contributions stack up:
Challenger
Fain family members with Fain Signature Group contributed a total of $12,000. The development company consists of residential, commercial and industrial businesses or projects, as well as a 140-year history of ranching.
COMING TUESDAY An article about what campaign money buys, and an overview of finance reports for the Board of Supervisors races.
Developer Jason Gisi, CEO of Eco Development LLC, gave $2,500 to Simmons’ campaign. Eco Development owns about 15,000 acres in central Yavapai County, including Granite Dells and Point of Rocks ranches, and Glassford Heights Development. Homebuilding companies Aspen Valley Homes and Mandalay Homes each gave $2,500.
At least nine ranchers contributed to Simmons’ campaign. They include Peter Groseta of Groseta Ranches, $2,500; Shelley Blackmore, $2,000; Swayze McCraine, 7 Up Ranch, $2,500; Chad Smith, manager of ORO Ranch, $5,000; Eugene Polk, Spider and Cross U ranches, $2,500; Vicki Wilkinson, Chino Valley rancher, $1,000; Fred Ruskin, Yavapai Ranch, $2,500; Carole Kenson, Barney York Ranch, $1,500; and John Kieckhefer, K4 Ranch, $2,500.
Other major contributors include Dane Beck, manager of KIBO, Inc., a consulting company, who gave $2,500; Margaret Perkins, Yavapai Cowbelles, $1,000; Ron James with Harold James Family Trust, $2,000; Vivian Campbell, Seligman postmaster, $1,000.
Several out-of-state contributors include Robert Swanson from London, owner of Amicus & AED, who gave $5,000; Anna Irwin of Connecticut, $1,500; and Larry Droppa of Maryland, $2,500. Rex Maughan, CEO of Forever Living Products in Scottsdale, gave $2,500.
Two Realtors with Yavapai Hills Real Estate gave $1,000 each; Phoenix appraiser James Webb gave $1,000; other real estate companies contributed lesser amounts.
Physicians and dental hygienists gave smaller amounts of $100-$500, with Frederick Fenderson giving $1,000; and Dr. Paul Hicks, $1,500.
Other local notables: Karen Fann gave $250, Jason Fann gave $1,000, and Michael Fann gave $2,500; Prescott City Council member Billie Orr gave $250 and also $325 in-kind value in food and items for an event; and Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Tom Thurman gave $25.
In-kind contributors for items and services include attorneys Ethan Wolfinger $600, and Tom Kack $600; Jan Simmons with $1,523 in-kind with total contributions of $7,047; David Hess with $482 in-kind for a total of $1,982; and Pam Jones with $25 in-kind for a total of $1,525.
Loans and expenses claimed by Simmons as of Aug. 18 totals $5,499.
Incumbent
Pearsall’s four largest contributors include software developer Andrew Denis with $2,500; Paul Levie, Levie Water Company, $1,500; David Stringer, motel owner and candidate for District 1 State Representative, $1,000; and retiree Redick Bryan III gave $1,000.
Notable contributors include Catherine Curtis, who works as an appraiser in the County Assessor’s Office, $350; Chino Valley Mayor Chris Marley, $100; Abia Judd Elementary School Principal Clark Tenney, $75; and District 1 State Rep. Noel Campbell, $500.
Pearsall has $2,936 remaining at the close of this reporting period; Simmons has $11,053.
Donations
How did Simmons manage to gather nearly $130,000 for his campaign? He said running a successful campaign in a county the size of New Jersey requires money for effective advertising. He is running on the message of restoring confidence to the Office of Assessor, which he said has resonated with the voters.
“It has produced an overwhelming outpouring of volunteers, endorsements and contributions for my campaign. People from all backgrounds have given to my campaign including retirees, small business owners, ranchers, doctors and builders,” Simmons stated Sunday in an email, adding that donations from the legal community have come “out of respect for my late father.”
Pearsall is in Florida where she will accept, on behalf of the Yavapai County Assessor’s Office, a Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration award from the International Association of Assessing Officers.
“For eight years, I’ve done no special favors. I’ve never catered to special interests. I was elected to make sure every taxpayer in Yavapai County pays their fair share and no more. That’s what I’ve done,” Pearsall stated in an email Sunday.
“By contrast, Mr. Simmons has taken tens of thousands of dollars from wealthy developers and the county’s biggest landowners. Clearly, he owes them big time,” she said, adding that any breaks would hurt other taxpayers. “I hope voters understand the degree to which my opponent is trying to buy this office. And I hope they vote for fairness over favors.” | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/29/how-much-does-campaign-cost/ | en | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/ba8f2e3f0e1ddf37f742011bb10cc95960aaa3ae251ed82fe119aa311791627f.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T06:47:45 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F26%2Flocal-rundown-bagdad-football-improves-2-0%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | LOCAL RUNDOWN: Bagdad football improves to 2-0 | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Loveall scores 2 TDs, grabs 2 INTs in 62-8 rout over Valley Lutheran
FLAGSTAFF – Benjamin Loveall scored two touchdowns, nabbed two interceptions and the Bagdad football team easily handled Valley Lutheran 62-8 at the Walkup Skydome on Friday night.
Loveall scored on an 83-yard touchdown run, and caught a 9-yard throw from his brother, Israel Loveall, in the win.
At quarterback, Loveall completed 4 of 10 passes for 96 yards and four touchdowns, while Connor Pacheco had four carries for 84 yards and a score.
Bagdad (2-0, 0-0 1A West) will host Williams in their home opener Friday, Sept. 2. The Vikings were ranked in the top five in the 1A conference by most preseason polls, while the Sultans are ranked No. 1.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Wilhide throws 4 touchdown passes in 57-6 rout over El Capitan
TUBA CITY – Dylan Wilhide threw for four touchdowns and ran for another, Dacodah Jensen rushed for a score and the Mayer football team won its second straight game in a 57-6 win over El Capitan on Friday night.
Jensen caught two passes for touchdowns from Wilhide, who was 8 for 12 for 168 yards on the night. Gabe Young caught three passes for 76 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats, which scored 30 points in the second quarter in the win.
Defensively, Jensen led the team with 12 tackles while Cameron Henager had eight.
Mayer (2-0, 0-0 1A West) will host Joseph City in their home opener Friday, Sept. 2. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Alebic records 22 kills, but Roughriders drop season opener to Mesa
MESA – Iva Alebic had 22 kills, Jordan Tilley added 45 assists and 12 digs, but the Yavapai College volleyball team lost 3-2 to Mesa Community College in their season opener Thursday evening.
Kaytlin Yost added 10 kills, while libero Hannah Semon led the Roughriders with 22 digs but it wasn’t enough.
“The inconsistency is what caused us to fall short,” Yavapai head coach Zach Shaver said. “Mesa played well throughout the match and deserved the win.”
Yavapai won game one, 25-19, but dropped the next two, 25-19 and 25-21, before losing the fifth and deciding game, 15-10.
The Roughriders were in action Friday at the Coyote Classic in Las Vegas, but results were unavailable at press time.
Lee’s late goal gives Eagles season-opening win, 2-1
SANTEE, Calif. – Parker Lee’s goal in the 76th minute put the Embry-Riddle women’s soccer team ahead for good in a 2-1 victory over San Diego Christian on Thursday afternoon.
Megan Currier was credited with the assist for the Eagles, which open the season with a victory for the third straight year.
Krista Lee gave Embry-Riddle (1-0, 0-0 Cal-Pac) a 1-0 lead off a through ball by Nat Bristol in the 7th minute, then San Diego Christian’s Vivian Oray tied it in the 53rd minute on an unassisted goal.
Embry-Riddle will play Saint Katherine College in San Marcos, California, to complete a two-match road swing today at 3:30 p.m.
The Eagles will host MidAmerica Nazarene University in their home opener Thursday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m.
Suarez nets 2 goals for Hawks, Embry-Riddle drops 3rd straight
SANTEE, Calif. – Borja Suarez scored two goals in the first 7 minutes for San Diego Christian, giving the Hawks a 2-0 win Thursday and sending the Embry-Riddle men’s soccer team to their third-straight loss to begin the 2016 season.
Embry-Riddle (0-3, 0-0 Cal-Pac) outshot the Hawks 8-6, but after goalkeeper Alexander Deahr surrendered two quick goals, he was pulled in the second half for Jake Hutto.
The Eagles will play Saint Katherine College in San Marcos, California, today at 1 p.m., in match two of a seven-match road trip. Embry-Riddle does not return to Prescott until Saturday, Oct. 1, against Simpson University.
Brian M. Bergner Jr. is a sports writer and columnist for The Daily Courier. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Periscope and SoundCloud at @SportsWriter52, or on Facebook at @SportsAboveTheFold. Reach him by phone at 928-445-3333, ext. 1106. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/26/local-rundown-bagdad-football-improves-2-0/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/435215afe2904a532ba7041e6643819c8e2b9badac8e988c0e58aec8ad2f10a4.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:48:36 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F26%2Fnau-yavapai-welcome-center-opens%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/25/NAU.jpg | en | null | NAU-Yavapai Welcome Center opens | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Northern Arizona University President Dr. Rita Cheng opened her presentation to the Prescott Valley Town Council with a children’s tale of a drop of water that wanted to be a snowflake. The drop tried alone only to melt and evaporate. Then, he sought others who shared the same dream and together, they all blanketed the ground in white.
“Like those water drops, NAU is joining you and others who share our vision,” Cheng said. “On our own it would be difficult to be effective at educating a workforce needed to fill the needs of this community, but together we will change the landscape of Northern Arizona.”
Cheng’s presentation followed the grand opening of the NAU-Yavapai Welcome Center across from Harkins Theatres that same day, part of the college’s work to invest more in its Prescott and Prescott Valley presence, Cheng said, noting the doors are open wide. Northern Arizona University is ready for more students, enhanced degree options and stronger cooperation with the Prescott Valley town council and other partners in Yavapai County, she said.
Yavapai County is home to about 5,000 graduates from NAU as well as more than 1,000 students currently enrolled, Cheng said, adding that joint admission options and transfer pathways make education easier for students to finalize their degree paths at the university. While proud of this progress, that is just the beginning, Cheng said.
“Our cooperation with business and community leaders and the support of this council are opening more opportunities for Yavapai County residents of all ages,” she said. “Our involvement here does not stop with educational attainment levels either. We want to join you for arts, culture and sporting events.”
This season, the NAU IceJacks will play six hockey games in the Prescott Valley Event Center, Cheng said.
Northern Arizona University will be able to reach more Arizonans with higher education options with the council’s help, Cheng said, stating that the university is driven by goals of providing high quality education that will increase the percentage of adults in Arizona and the United States with a degree from a community college or university.
“Higher education is not just vital to the success of NAU in Flagstaff or in Prescott Valley, it’s critical to the economic success of this entire region and the state as a whole,” Cheng said. “Our goals for broader access to higher education were developed in cooperation with the Arizona Board of Regents and they align with the work of our sister universities. Together we’re pursuing strategies like stronger partnerships with community colleges that make higher education possible.”
As an example of an opportunity for a new partnership, Cheng mentioned that Mountain Institute JTED is interested in a 2+2+2 program that could align students with Yavapai College and NAU to create new learning pathways. Further, local employers are interested in providing NAU students with internships, she said.
Those were only some of the opportunities that Cheng brought up in her presentation and as each new step is taken, the university will seek to build an even stronger partnership with Prescott Valley, she said.
“Every step of the way, your vision for this region helps make education and economic development possible and we’re thankful to be part of your community,” Cheng said. “We’re excited for our shared future and we’re optimistic about our ties to you and the work that we can do together to strengthen our workforce, expand our knowledge and open new opportunities for our students right here at home.”
Town Manager Larry Tarkowski said he looks forward to the university’s presence and that he can’t wait to get some building going on.
“We’re very eager for the economic development and the education that will come along with it,” he said.
In the same vein, Councilmember Michael Whiting said he is also excited about the news. Prescott Valley Town Council has looked at several centers of excellence in the community, which education and healthcare are a part, he said.
It’s exciting to see all this come together, said Councilmember Mary Mallory.
“I know there’s been a lot of work and a lot of time going into all of this for months and months,” she said. “We don’t do anything alone and we need each other to build each other up and bring things … together in a good, positive way.” | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/26/nau-yavapai-welcome-center-opens/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/e54dd46e6a8451ad3e4ab6ba34697a042644b9ae6fdf49e2def3e9b2e46aee38.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T14:47:54 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F27%2Fex-hostages-say-prescotts-mueller-stayed-brave-dur%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/news/tease/legacy/dcourier/153454a.jpg | en | null | Ex-hostages say Prescott’s Mueller stayed brave during captivity | null | null | www.dcourier.com | PRESCOTT (AP) — Former hostages say an Arizona woman slain by Islamic State militants remained steadfast in her Christian faith and stood up to her captors despite being tortured, raped and verbally abused.
Four ex-hostages who had shared cells with Kayla Mueller spoke publicly for the first time in an interview with ABC News set to air Friday.
Frida Saide of Sweden and Patricia Chavez of Peru and Belgium were among the women held with the 26-year-old Mueller for six weeks at an abandoned oil refinery in Syria in 2014. They said guards targeted Mueller more than other prisoners.
“They would scream at her, and they would, you know, blame her for everything that America has done in the world,” Saide said.
Mueller and her boyfriend were captured after both left a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Omar Alkhani was released 20 days later after being beaten and interrogated.
Other hostages said Mueller of Prescott, Arizona, kept a positive outlook while sharing a 12-by-12 room with brick walls and a single light bulb where she could only tell if it was daytime if a bit of light appeared through a small vent.
Mueller sometimes entertained Saide and Chavez by doing impressions of the guards. Mueller also told them how she briefly cared for a 14-year-old Shiite girl and a woman while isolated for six months.
“She was amazing. She was a really strong girl,” Chavez said.
Prisoners say Mohammed Emwazi, also known as Jihadi John, led three other guards who paraded Mueller around the refinery in March 2014. One hostage, Daniel Rye Ottosen, a Danish freelance photographer, recalled Mueller daring to contradict a guard who said she had converted to Islam.
Mueller was held captive for 18 months. Her family confirmed her death in February 2015.
Saide and Chavez said they managed to smuggle out three letters written by Mueller. One of the contacts she listed on the back of a letter was Kathleen Day, a campus minister at Northern Arizona University, where Mueller studied.
Day said the willingness to transport Mueller’s letters was extraordinary because the women could have been killed.
“These young women and hostages were all alone,” Day told The Associated Press. “They had no power. They had no voice. They had no money yet they stayed steady in their compassion and outreach to others.”
Parents Carl and Marsha Mueller criticized President Barack Obama for not honoring a pledge to donate to Kayla’s Hands, a foundation created to honor her commitment to serving the needy.
Carl Mueller told ABC News that Obama had promised during a private meeting in 2015 to make a contribution. Mueller also accused the Obama administration of failing to help secure his daughter’s release.
“The president could have been a hero, but he chose not to,” Mueller said. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/27/ex-hostages-say-prescotts-mueller-stayed-brave-dur/ | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/1abc1e17ee9a2d5b616cc9dd53395998a159411035a1070e24ac070bdbd98c2c.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T08:48:01 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F29%2Faround-bluhmin-town-column-olympian-each-us%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/static/custom/dcourier/images/dCourrier.ico | en | null | Around the Bluhmin’ Town column: To the Olympian in each of us | null | null | www.dcourier.com | I want to be an Olympian. To run, jump, swim, pedal, shoot, throw, kick, punch or soar through the air is an inspiring thought.
Sadly, like most of us, I will never get to the Olympics except as a spectator. But after watching the world-class athletes give their all in some amazing and mind-boggling events, it does make me feel a bit more motivated to step up my exercise program. (Well, I don’t exactly have one.) You know, walking a bit longer, shoveling the horse manure a bit faster, lifting the saddle a little higher, mopping the floor a bit harder. These are things I can do.
What we saw in Rio was the culmination of thousands of athletes’ life efforts all compressed into one amazing race, game or event. Maybe it lasted minutes, perhaps the winner won by a fraction of a second, but the countless hours of devotion and sacrifice that these young people put into their sport is the real story.
Some Olympians are not so young! The equestrian champ is 62 years old. Devoted, skilled, strong people who practice for years for one chance ... one moment that might bring them a medal, or an off day that will haunt them forever.
There is truth to those words, “the agony of defeat.” Who can look away when a diver that should easily make the semi-finals and nails every dive just misses the cut by one place – after four years of diving practice? Or the heartache for Allyson Felix, who lost a race when her opponent head-dived across the finish? And the Dutch bicyclist set to take gold whom then crashes on the downhill run and ends up in the hospital?
Of course, the stars shone brightly in Rio, leaving us to wonder exactly if Michael Phelps is bionic. Twenty-three gold medals and although not really a surprise, quite a thrill! Can we ever forget the speed and smile of Usain Bolt? And what about those gymnasts? Simone Biles is my new champion and role model. Every time I go down to the barn I look at my hitching post, which is four inches wide, and I am left to wonder, could I do a back-flip on it? I have mentioned this to my husband, Doug, who then says let him know so he can have the ambulance on stand-by. Very funny Doug, but every athlete starts somewhere!
There was some boorish behavior at The Games. Hope Solo, the cranky and out-spoken goalie for the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, said that Sweden’s team that beat them were a “bunch of cowards.” Come on Hope, be better. She has since been suspended. This is the Olympics and learn how to lose with grace. And then Ryan Lochte and fellow swimmers made up the story about how they were robbed at gunpoint to cover up their drunken, bad-boy behavior. We expect more from elite athletes! Grow up!
But we were given inspiration and heart-warming moments to take away and remember. Long-distance runners Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand and Abbey D’Agostino of the U.S. collided on the track during the 5,000-meter race, resulting in a serious leg injury for D’Agostino. Urging each other on, the two women were able to finish the race by literally pulling each other up and sacrificing their chances at a finals berth along the way. It takes strength to be an Olympian. It takes heart to be a champion.
Dear Readers, let’s embrace the Olympic challenges. Walk the extra block, lift a bigger weight, swim one more lap and, maybe, try a back flip on an old hitching post. I will keep you posted on that progress! Here is to the champion in each of us!
Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a story or a comment? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/29/around-bluhmin-town-column-olympian-each-us/ | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/c37943d131979a76f1f9d733e1af20c470d727f290564bdcd0fd0f82dd6320d8.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T08:48:40 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F30%2Fpet-focus-humane-society-pet-week-checkers%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/29/YHS_A30652682-Checkers-3.jpg | en | null | Pet Focus: Humane Society Pet of the Week - Checkers | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Hi there, my name is Checkers. I’m a 7.5-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix looking for my forever home at Yavapai Humane Society.
I’m a bit shy with new people but once I get to know you, I love to play and have all of your attention. I’ve had more than six months at YHS to work on my social skills with other dogs and, given that I’m a lady of a certain age, I am a good student, if I do say so myself.
I’m also eligible for YHS’s Senior Program, which means my adoption fee will be 100-percent waived for an adopter 60 or older. I would love a home with mature people like myself (I have to say, I’m partial to men) and will give me time to settle into my new home and bond with you.
Adopt me and we’ll enjoy a lifetime together of love, lounging, playtime, daily walks, and more!
Call the Adoptions Center at 928-445-2666 to learn more about me. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/30/pet-focus-humane-society-pet-week-checkers/ | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/a75202825b7a05efd0afd0dd70f2eb3ac95c56601e3b1b6a0bae911c68bd912d.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T10:48:04 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F29%2Fyavapai-big-brothers-big-sisters-child-week-david%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/28/COW_David.jpg | en | null | Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters Child of the Week: David | null | null | www.dcourier.com | In many ways, David seems to act just his age, but in others, he is nearly-12-going-on-30. The latter comes from his current project using a Go-Pro video camera to create his own movie with LEGOS, which he plans to post on YouTube.
“I come up with a storyline in my head, and then think, ‘I need this piece and this piece and this piece…,’” David explains. It has an elaborate plot and is an ambitious undertaking for a new seventh-grader. He would appreciate the input a Big Brother could offer.
Since second-grade, David has lived in Prescott with his older sister, his mom and her long-time significant other. He spends every other weekend with his father in Phoenix. An adult male who could spend a few hours with him each month, creating with LEGOS or Chibi animé– he loves watching and drawing the Japanese cartoons – would be a wonderful addition for David. Another favorite indoor activity is playing video games, such as Minecraft, Call of Duty 2, and Terraria, all of which he says are more fun with a friend.
David also likes outdoor things, from bicycle riding to kayaking. Sledding in the winter is great fun, too. He hopes to play soccer for his junior high and into his high school years.
He’s pretty busy with school, where his favorite subjects are social studies and language arts, and he plays the clarinet in band. He says his teachers are “really fun.” A menagerie of rescue animals at home – three cats, two dogs, two turtles, and a lizard – also demand some of his time.
Anyone interested in being a Big to David or another child, or in referring a potential Little, can call Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters at 928-778-5135, or visit www.azbigs.org. Or, if you can’t be a Big, how about supporting a Big? The Arizona State Tax Credit is one way to do so. YBBBS always can use volunteer office help and has other ways people can be involved, as well. Go ahead and call. The rewards can be endless. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/29/yavapai-big-brothers-big-sisters-child-week-david/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/7dec64a2c5b5bb363acc0b904315fdf5966f0f9cb9d54ff556f19ca5b568236a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:49:26 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F25%2Fnow-showing-week-aug-26%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/08/25/Film_Review_Mechanic_Hitt.jpg | en | null | Now Showing: Week of Aug. 26 | null | null | www.dcourier.com | (NEW) BEN HUR – The epic story of Judah Ben-Hur, a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala, an officer in the Roman army. Stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves, Judah is forced into slavery. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but an encounter with Jesus leads him to the Crucifixion, where he discovers forgiveness and finds redemption. Rated PG-13 for sequences of vio-lence and disturbing images. Classics, Drama
(NEW) MECHANIC: RESURRECTION – Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) returns as the Mechanic in the sequel to the 2011 action thriller. When the deceitful actions of a cunning but beautiful woman (Jessica Alba) force him to return to the life he left behind, Bishop's life is once again in danger as he has to complete an impossible list of assassinations of the most dangerous men in the world. Rated R for violence throughout and language. Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
(NEW) GREATER – Brandon Burlsworth is perhaps the greatest walk-on in the history of college football. Brandon dreamed of playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, but was told he wasn't good enough to play Division I ball. Undeterred, Brandon took a risk and walked on in 1994. Written off by fellow teammates and coaches, Brandon displayed dogged determination in the face of staggering odds. The awkward kid who once was an embarrassment to his teammates and an annoyance to his coaches, ended up becoming the most respected player in the history of the program, changing the lives of all he touched. Rated PG for thematic elements, some language and smoking. Genre: Drama, Sports & Fitness
(NEW) HELL OR HIGH WATER – Texas brothers--Toby (Chris Pine), and Tanner (Ben Foster), come together after years divided to rob branches of the bank threatening to foreclose on their family land. For them, the hold-ups are just part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a fu-ture that seemed to have been stolen from under them. Justice seems to be theirs, until they find themselves on the radar of Texas Ranger, Marcus (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last grand pursuit on the eve of his retirement, and his half-Comanche partner, Alberto (Gil Birmingham). As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their scheme, and with the Rangers on their heels, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the values of the Old and New West mur-derously collide. Rated R for some strong violence, language throughout and brief sexuality. Drama
(NEW) SPACE DOGS: ADVENTURE TO THE MOON – Blast off for fun! Join an all-star cast includ-ing Alicia Silverstone (Clueless) and Popstar Ashlee Simpson on an out of-this-world adven-ture. Pushok, a pup astronaut is on a mission to find his father who is trapped on the moon! Defying all odds, Pushok blasts off on a rocket to rescue his family but quickly finds he's not alone as he crosses paths with a macho monkey and a tiny green alien. Can Pushok save his family? Will this be mission impawssible? Rated G. Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Kids & Family
Also showing:
BAD MOMS – In this new comedy from the grateful husbands and devoted fathers who wrote The Hangover, Amy has a seemingly perfect life--a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beauti-ful home and a career. However she's over-worked, over-committed and exhausted to the point that she's about to snap. Fed up, she joins forces with two other over-stressed moms on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities--going on a wild, un-mom-like binge of long overdue freedom, fun and self-indulgence--putting them on a collision course with PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn and her clique of devoted perfect moms. Rated R for sexual material, full frontal nudity, language throughout, and drug and alcohol content. Come-dy
JASON BOURNE – Years after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, former CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) resurfaces just as his former employers are implementing a new pro-gram aimed at hunting him down. Now fully recovered from his amnesia, Bourne teams up with Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) to uncover the ultimate truth about his past and his family while simultaneously exacting revenge and eluding capture by the government forces hot on his trail. Paul Greengrass returns to helm this sequel, with Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, and Vincent Cassel co-starring. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and brief strong language. Action & Adventure, Drama
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS – Young Kubo's (Art Parkinson) peaceful existence comes crash-ing down when he accidentally summons a vengeful spirit from the past. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) to unlock a se-cret legacy. Armed with a magical instrument, Kubo must battle the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes) and other gods and monsters to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. Rated PG. Fantasy/Adventure
PETE’S DRAGON - A reimagining of Disney's cherished family film, "Pete's Dragon" is the ad-venture of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who just so happens to be a dragon. "Pete's Dragon" stars Bryce Dallas Howard ("Jurassic World"), Oakes Fegley ("This is Where I Leave You"), Wes Bentley ("The Hunger Games"), Karl Urban ("Star Trek"), Oona Lau-rence ("Southpaw") and Oscar winner Robert Redford. The film is based on a story by Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field. For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales ... until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysteri-ous 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete's descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham's stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father Jack (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon. Rated PG for ac-tion, peril and brief language. Animation, Kids & Family
SAUSAGE PARTY – In an adult computer-animated film, life is good for all the food items that occupy the shelves at the local supermarket. Frank (Seth Rogen) the sausage, Brenda (Kristen Wiig) the hot dog bun, Teresa Taco and Sammy Bagel Jr. (Edward Norton) can't wait to go home with a happy customer. Soon, their world comes crashing down as poor Frank learns the horrify-ing truth that he will eventually become a meal. After warning his pals about their similar fate, the panicked perishables devise a plan to escape from their human enemies. Rated R. Adventure & Comedy
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS – For their fifth fully-animated feature-film collaboration, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures present a comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day. Comedy superstars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet and Kevin Hart make their animated feature-film debuts. Co-stars/voices: Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Buress and Albert Brooks. Rated PG – Action and some rude humor. Animation/Comedy
STAR TREK BEYOND – Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise encounter an alien warrior race when marooned on a distant planet after the destruction of their spaceship in this thrilling sequel directed by Fast & Furious director Justin Lin. Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence. Action & Adventure/Drama/Science Fiction & Fantasy
SUICIDE SQUAD – From director David Ayer ("Fury," "End of Watch") comes "Suicide Squad," starring Oscar nominee Will Smith ("Ali," "The Pursuit of Happyness"), Oscar winner Jared Leto ("Dallas Buyers Club"), Margot Robbie ("The Wolf of Wall Street," "Focus"), Joel Kinnaman (Netflix's "House of Cards") and Oscar nominee Viola Davis ("The Help," "Doubt"). It feels good to be bad... Assemble a team of the world's most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, pro-vide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government's disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren't picked to succeed but cho-sen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it's every man for himself? Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language. Genre: Action & Adventure
WAR DOGS – With the war in Iraq raging on, Efraim Diveroli offers childhood friend David Pack-ouz a chance to make big bucks by becoming an international arms dealer. Together, they ex-ploit a government initiative that allows businesses to bid on U.S. military contracts. Starting small allows the duo to rake in money and live the high life. They soon find themselves in over their heads after landing a $300 million deal to supply Afghan forces, a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people. Cast: Jonah Hill and Miles Teller. Rated R. Crime/Drama | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/25/now-showing-week-aug-26/ | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/d48581128d14565261df827013a755e4f1d0fc156e587d9ad81db2084027e333.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T08:48:41 | null | 2016-03-09T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcourier.com%2Fnews%2F2016%2Faug%2F30%2Fobituary-sandra-diane-everett%2F.json | http://westernnews.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/03/09/In-Memory-obituary-obit-thumbnail-candle.jpg | en | null | Obituary: Sandra Diane Everett | null | null | www.dcourier.com | Sandra Diane Everett, 77, of Dewey passed away on Aug. 28, 2016, in Prescott, Arizona. She was born Dec. 31, 1938, in Hastings, Nebraska.
Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home Bradshaw Chapel assisted the family with arrangements. | http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/aug/30/obituary-sandra-diane-everett/ | en | 2016-03-09T00:00:00 | www.dcourier.com/57c536a310aa06843e274e91ad5018a767c1bc4cbb93076502686a9e353422a4.json |
[
"Jeff Nagel"
] | 2016-08-26T13:12:09 | null | null | $60 a year increase for most drivers once optional auto insurance increase is included | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391304001.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/52753BCLN2007CarcrashLangleyfile.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | ICBC seeks 4.9 per cent basic rate hike as crashes, costs climb | null | null | www.saobserver.net | ICBC wants to increase basic auto insurance rates by 4.9 per cent – the fifth straight annual increase – as it continues to grapple with rising numbers of crashes, claims and dramatically increasing costs.
The typical driver will pay $3.50 a month or $42 a year more for basic insurance if the hike is approved.
But the corporation is also raising optional rates by 2.8 per cent so the average customer who buys both basic and optional insurance with ICBC will see their insurance bill rise $5 a month, or $60 a year.
ICBC CEO Mark Blucher said the basic rate hike would have been much worse – 15.5 per cent translating into a $130 annual premium increase – had the province not approved another major transfer of $472 million from the optional to the basic side of operations.
A compounding factor has been the long decline of interest rates, which result in less investment income revenue to ICBC.
"These external pressures have really created a perfect storm and it's a really significant challenge for the organization," Blucher said in an interview Thursday.
ICBC had raised rates 5.5 per cent a year ago, and the province's rate smoothing policy requires the annual change be within 1.5 per cent of the previous year's increase.
The number of crashes has climbed 15 per cent in two years and damage claims are up 11 per cent.
Vehicles are increasingly reliant on technology and expensive materials that have become more costly in recent years as the loonie sagged against the U.S. dollar.
Despite much safer vehicles, injury claims have soared to $2.4 billion, up 60 per cent from $1.5 billion in 2008.
"We've seen no evidence that these strong trends are abating," Blucher said. "In fact, if anything, they're continuing to escalate going forward."
Blucher also noted there are more cars on the road in B.C. today – 3.1 million up from 2.8 million in 2011 – and people are driving more because of cheaper gas, contributing to more accidents, particularly in densifying urban areas.
And he pointed to personal injury lawyers as an aggravating cause of ICBC's spiralling claims costs.
"B.C. is the only province in Canada where you can sue another motorist for even a minor traffic accident," Blucher said, noting an increase in lawyer-represented claims and advertising by injury law firms.
Internal operating costs have been cut by $186 million a year, and ICBC is counting on more savings ahead, through its modernization program, by more aggressively combatting insurance fraud and from a hoped-for drop in distracted driving as motorists respond to stiffer penalties.
But transfers from the optional side to bolster the basic side will likely be needed for the foreseeable future, Blucher said, because basic premiums can't keep up with rising costs.
In a surprise move, the B.C. government will this year forgo extracting its usual $160-million annual dividend from ICBC's optional side into general revenue.
"Forgoing the dividend this particular year is one strategy amongst a litany of others we're employing to get that basic trate increase down," Transportation Minister Todd Stone said.
Stone said the $514 million the province has transferred out of ICBC in dividends since 2012 is small compared to the $1.4 billion over the same period that has been shifted from the competitive optional side to basic to apply downward pressure on basic rates.
The minister would not say if the government would permanently give up the ICBC dividend.
Adrian DIx, the NDP critic for ICBC, said the dividends to government have exceeded $1.2 billion since 2010 and predicted they'll resume after next year's election because the BC Liberals are "addicted" to using ICBC as a "profit centre."
Dix said the reliance on shifting huge amounts of capital from optional to basic raises troubling questions.
"Next year they've got to find that $472 million," Dix said. "What they've done is create a disaster at ICBC and their only hope is to deceive the voters until after the election."
He said ICBC's new move to hire more claims staff underscores problems with completing the computer modernization that was supposed to make operations more efficient.
"The transformation project has taken longer than World War 2 and is not close to finished."
ICBC's basic rates rose 11.2 per cent in 2012 and at least five per cent every year since.
The new rate hike is subject to B.C. Utilities Commission approval.
ICBC Rate Pressure Charts | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391304001.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/cf2f270009af343e173d05126a6f5804999b308a46860d7dc7a5e4f73e1cd34b.json |
[
"Tom Fletcher"
] | 2016-08-29T18:51:42 | null | null | Province has alternatives if Canada Post employees begin strike action | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391636531.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/40679BCLN2007CanadaPostMailboxwikim7web.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | B.C. prepares for possible postal disruption | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The B.C. government's plan B for income assistance cheques and other time-sensitive documents could be re-activated as the long-running Canada Post labour dispute reaches another deadline.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is in a legal position to strike as of Monday, but postponed threatened rotating strike action after weekend talks with a federal mediator. Its initial action would be an overtime ban rather than a full-scale walkout that would disrupt mail delivery.
Canada Post served lockout notice in July, with the two sides far apart on issues including pension changes for future employees and pay for rural carriers.
Income assistance, rent subsidy and other B.C. government payments are not affected if they are direct deposit. For mailed cheques and information, updates on possible postal strike effects to the Ministry of Social Development will be available as necessary at this website or at 1-866-866-0800.
Phone and online contacts are set up for questions about affected provincial departments:
• Ministry of Advanced Education and StudentAidBC online here.
• Ministry of Children and Family Development 1-877-387-7027
• Medical Services Plan payments online here or 1-877-405-4909
• ICBC inquiries 1-800-663-3051
• Family Maintenance and Enforcement program 604-660-2528
• Public Guardian and Trustee online here or 604-660-4444
• Vital Statistics 1-888-876-1633
• WorkSafe BC online here or 1-888-967-5377 | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391636531.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/553554d06cb2dc679690ab3269161bdc514b503e824bc84ccad155baefbf30f2.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:53:46 | null | null | The results for Wednesday, Aug. 24 are as follows: first place Jack Ashenbrenner & Vicki Coe | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391806641.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Salmon Arm Observer | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The results for Wednesday, Aug. 24 are as follows: first place Jack Ashenbrenner & Vicki Coe, second place Carol McNabb & Dave Duncan and third place Betty & Fred Bergman. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391806641.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/231392715577c4cd4a2604dcf62f013126c6dd362f7dc235e6fdb2444b778c9f.json |
[
"Canadian Press"
] | 2016-08-27T02:50:58 | null | null | Forest fires tore through northeastern B.C., but then cooler weather took over June into July. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391429961.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/27526BCLN2007FireTangoLookout.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | B.C. wildfire costs top $100M, but still less than in 2015 | null | null | www.saobserver.net | B.C. has spent $103 million fighting wildfires across the province since the fire season began April 1.
Information officer Claire Allen of the BC Wildfire Service says that is less than half the amount spent in B.C. over the same period last year.
She says $232 million was spent battling 1,772 fires between April and the end of August in 2015, while just 936 blazes have scorched about 990 square kilometres of B.C. woodland this year.
That compares to the nearly 3,000 square kilometres of bush burned across B.C. in 2015.
This year's fire season began early and aggressively with several huge wildfires in northeastern B.C.
But Allen says cooler weather in late June and throughout July dampened the fire danger, and a recent heat wave is also expected to be checked by lower temperatures this weekend.
"That's going to bring showers beginning in the northern portions of B.C. and coming into the southern half by the end of the weekend," she says.
"That's going to bring variable amounts of precipitation, cloudier skies, cooler temperatures, higher levels of humidity and all those things work together to reduce the fire danger rating across the province."
Sixty wildfires are currently burning in B.C., with eight new fires in the last 24 hours, most of those in the Coastal Fire Centre, where the fire danger rating is ranked high to extreme.
(CHNL)
The Canadian Press | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391429961.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/9f75d62ea9518162abaf105c93d83ab88580cdedf7497c038735df98a6e9ccaa.json |
[
"Evan"
] | 2016-08-31T00:53:38 | null | null | Seventeen players have been cut since the Silverbacks main camp started last week. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391806581.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/17455salmonarm20160827BacksvsWarriorsEB0004.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | ’Backs still searching for preseason win | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Knocked down: The Warriors' Stephen Kleysen trips the Silverbacks Nathan Iannone as he enters the offensive zone during exhibition play at the Shaw Centre on Saturday.
Seventeen players have been cut since the Silverbacks main camp started last week.
The 41-player field has been whittled down to just 24, and there are still two cuts to be made before the start of the regular season.
As the Silverbacks enter week two of the exhibition season, they are still searching for their first win.
The ’Backs kick started their preseason with a 5-5 tie with Merritt.
The ’Backs got off to a convincing start in the Nicola Valley when 18-year-old Grayson Constable scored just 17 seconds into the contest. Julian Timba, Jaden Hay, Aaron Aragon and Justin Wilson also added their names to the score sheet, in a game that didn’t feature any returning ’Backs.
Over the weekend, the gorillas played in a home-and-home set with the raining BCHL and national champion West Kelowna Warriors.
The Silverbacks fell 2-1 to the Warriors in West Kelowna on Friday night.
The following night the ’Backs dropped a 4-3 decision in their first action at the Shaw Centre this season.
West Kelowna took a 1-0 lead into the second period, despite being outshot 12-7.
Silverbacks returnees saw their first action of the preseason on Saturday.
Carson Bolduc, Josh Blanchard, Mitch Skapski, Jared Turcotte, Ryley Booth, Elijiah Barriga, Cameron Trott, along with new signing Carter Cochrane, took to the ice.
Returning forward Marcus Mitchell watched Saturday’s game at the Shaw Centre, as well as forward Connor Sundquist and rookie defencemen Spencer Hora and Julian Timba.
The Warriors secured a 3-0 lead after the first 40 minutes of play.
The ’Backs 19-year-old Turcotte got the home team on the board just over a minute into the third, and rookie forward Wilson cut the Warriors lead to one, with his second of the preseason just four minutes later.
West Kelowna regained their two goal lead a few moments later, on the man advantage. Turcotte was penalized for checking from behind and was given a game misconduct.
In the final five minutes of the game, blueliner Cam Trott blasted a shot past the Warriors’ netminder for his first of the preseason.
With the clock against them, the Silverbacks came up short in the end, losing 4-3.
Goaltender Michael Botiz started and finished Saturday’s game allowing four goals on 26 shots in his first pre-season start.
The Silverbacks power-play finished 0-for-4 on Saturday, while the penalty kill was 0-for-1.
Salmon Arm will conclude their preseason schedule this weekend, with a home-and-home series against with the Vernon Vipers.
The Silverbacks will host the Vipers on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Shaw Centre.
A week later, on Sept. 9, the ’Backs and Vipers will meet again to renew hostilities in the season opener at 7 p.m. in Salmon Arm at the Shaw Centre. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391806581.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/73914aeae5ccb932c782ade555d5f88a8480eac5a0056e2f12e836b87d8aaff3.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:14 | null | null | The 36th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run is less than a month away, and registration is still open. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391173541.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Register for the Terry Fox Run | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The 36th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run is less than a month away, and registration is still open. The run will take place on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m., starting and finishing at Blackburn Park. There will be two-kilometre, four-km and 10-km distances. To register, visit www.terryfox.org/Run/_BritishColumbia_.html. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391173541.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/848f7fcabb3a630c8f72b276c093c4c67a18777b4ead0953ec698f6c1739e49b.json |
[
"Jeff Nagel"
] | 2016-08-30T00:51:48 | null | null | Chronic wasting disease is similar to mad cow disease but infects and kills deer, elk and moose | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391677361.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/56631BCLN2007Chronic_Wasting_Disease_Map.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | B.C. wary of deadly deer disease in Alberta | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Known infections of chronic wasting disease in deer and other wildlife as of 2014.
Provincial wildlife officials are concerned that a disease killing deer and elk on the prairies could soon spread into B.C.
Chronic wasting disease, a degenerative nervous system condition similar to so-called mad cow disease, has been discovered in an animal 30 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
That's the furthest west – by about 100 kilometres – that biologists have detected the deadly disease and the discovery intensifies concerns that infected deer may make their way to B.C.
No infected animals have been found yet in B.C. but wildlife health staff are stepping up monitoring efforts in the Peace and Kootenay regions, where deer are most at-risk.
Hunters are being asked to help by donating deer, elk and moose heads for analysis. Drop-off locations are listed at www.stopchronicwastingdisease.ca.
Anyone who encounters a sick or dead deer is urged to report it to B.C.'s wildlife health program by emailing wildlifehealth@gov.bc.ca.
Although chronic wasting disease is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Alberta's agriculture and forestry ministry says there's no evidence it can infect humans, but notes the World Health Organization advises against allowing any meat source possibly infected by prions into the human food system.
It's thought to be unlikely that the disease could spread to domestic cattle or bison.
Outbreaks on game farms typically result in quarantines and culls.
Transmission is through saliva, urine and feces and is thought to be more likely to occur where elk and deer are crowded or congregate at man-made feed and water stations, according to the Alberta ministry.
Most of the Canadian cases have been in Saskatchewan. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391677361.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/4bde0ab932d480c5189718a952ee6463f58438e6afe795756a4f4dfeb96dd7e9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:51 | null | null | Steve Bradwell took third place in the Kelowna Apple Triathlon in his age category on Aug. 21 to 22 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391173611.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Swim, bike, run | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Steve Bradwell took third place in the Kelowna Apple Triathlon in his age category on Aug. 21 to 22. Bradwell raced alongside his best friend, Malcolm Shattock, and others from Salmon Arm including Jeremy Bray, Erin West, and Peggy Maerz. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391173611.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/9c1f083a8787fce0859655b422ebef5d7be7f2842fd4f5c2ea753d26a9261132.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:53:44 | null | null | Volleyball season is fast approaching, and will start on the second or third week of September | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391806871.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Register for volleyball | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Volleyball season is fast approaching, and will start on the second or third week of September. Contact Al Boucher by email: al.boucher@ymail.com, if you are interested in putting a team together or would like to find a team. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391806871.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/e994f05a8c41f9c9496dbfb45908981a533bbbe3710766c8a9e341e78cac8bfc.json |
[
"Jim Elliot"
] | 2016-08-31T00:52:12 | null | null | A couple in an increasingly difficult financial and accommodation situation is appealing to landlords in the Shuswap | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391809521.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Couple struggles to find a home before baby arrives | null | null | www.saobserver.net | A couple in an increasingly difficult financial and accommodation situation is appealing to landlords in the Shuswap for a place to live before their child is born in October.
Stephen Vanderkroft and his wife Sonja Dye have been staying with their friends in Malakwa since May. The house they were renting has black mould, and they are engaged in arbitration with their landlord over how to handle the matter.
The couple is in search of a two or three bedroom house, apartment or suite in Salmon Arm, Sicamous or Canoe with an absolute maximum budget of $800, including utilities.
Negotiating the already challenging rental market in the Shuswap is made more difficult by the fact that Vanderkroft and Dye are on income assistance.
The couple receives only $980 per month to cover housing, food and other necessities.
“When was the last time you saw a decent place for a family at a rate of $600?” Vanderkroft questioned.
Vanderkroft said he is willing to work in exchange for accommodation.
His skills include basic repairs such as drywalling and painting, roofing and lawn maintenance.
“I would be using these skills for employment, but there is always the fear it will not be permanent or full time. If you make wages you need to claim it on a monthly stub and they deduct that amount from the following cheque,” he said.
Vanderkroft said the couple have had lots of leads on places but a lot of landlords get scared away by income assistance, or didn’t return their call. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391809521.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/26931b4816b7c911b314598495737a15e2e471d42804ebd2f253fd30cea2421e.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T18:52:00 | null | null | Company applauds effort from its customers with matching donation program in two day campaign | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391763481.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/98267winfieldnaturesfare.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Nature's Fare in Kelowna and Vernon raises more than $30,000 for Okanagan Rail Trail | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Nature’s Fare Markets co-owners, Alexa Monahan and Claire Volpatti and Trail Ambassadors Laurie Postill and Debbie Clarke are impressed with the length of trail funded by the recent donation matching campaign.
Nature’s Fare Markets and the communities of Vernon and Kelowna raised a whopping $30,000 for Okanagan Rail Trail construction in a two day matching fundraising campaign.
“We are thrilled," said Alexa Monahan co-owner of family run business Nature’s Fare Markets. "This campaign exceeded our expectations. Our customers and visitors were extremely generous, and between the Kelowna and Vernon stores, contributed $15,124.64. Nature’s Fare is happy to join our customers in contributing $10,000 towards this valuable community project."
On the last day of the campaign, when the totals posted outside of the store indicated that the response would exceed Nature’s Fare matching, an anonymous donor volunteered to make up the difference to reach a total of $30,000, according to Nature's Fare.
“The matching campaign has been a great experience for our staff and customers," said Claire Volpatti, Nature’s Fare co-owner. “Nature’s Fare challenges other businesses to come forward as rail trail business partners, and meet or beat our meters. With five or six similar business campaigns, we could fund a kilometre of trail, and this will build as more businesses come forward.”
This amount will fund 187.5m of the rail trail on the discontinued rail corridor between Coldstream and Kelowna.
“The success of this two day event demonstrates the power of donation matching. Supporters who had not yet come forward were motivated by the opportunity to double their donation,” said Heather Stewart, Kelowna Trail Ambassador. “It will be great to see businesses from Kelowna to Vernon stepping up to meet Nature’s Fare challenge and help make the trail happen.”
The rail trail fundraising campaign is community driven with volunteer Trail Ambassadors in Kelowna, Lake Country and Vernon working with campaign partners and business partners to raise awareness and inspire donations. The Community Foundation of North Okanagan and the Central Okanagan Foundation are collecting donations and providing tax receipts. Since the campaign began in May, communities have raised about $870,000, enough to fund nearly 5.5 km of trail construction.
“The response to the Nature’s Fare campaign has been fantastic," said Brad Clements, trail ambassador. “It is important to keep up the momentum in order to be prepared to start trail work next spring. Any businesses who would like to join in the campaign should contact us through the website: www.okanaganrailtrail.ca.” | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391763481.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/b7e0351c0e4f18c696cdaa5bcdae52516922dab3e9548ecb9af15cf8bc843dd5.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:53:42 | null | null | The Lake2Lake is a two day, non-competitive, fully supported bike ride stretching over 220-kilometres | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391806821.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Ride from lake to lake | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The Lake2Lake is a two day, non-competitive, fully supported bike ride stretching over 220-kilometres in the Okanagan and Shuswap region. Registration closes Sept. 2, and will take place on Sept. 17 to 18. The ride starts on the shore of Kalamalka Lake to Eagle Bay Camp on the shores of Shuswap Lake via Armstrong and Salmon Arm, before returning to Vernon the following day. The ride is in support of the teaching of quality education to over 82,000 children in Rwanda. For more information or to register, visit lake2lake.org. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391806821.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/1e76cf8a1c016bb7dacb4883f80172987c0c869526908091607ced24d368b0de.json |
[
"Evan"
] | 2016-08-26T13:14:11 | null | null | Six years ago her dream of owning a gym was on a shelf and tucked away. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391172971.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/96848salmonarm20160822NewBoxingEB0019.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Bulldog Boxing on the move | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Nearing completion: Bulldog Boxing coach, Peggy Maerz shows longtime student Connor Ogilvie the progress of the new gym for Bulldog Boxing and Fitness on Monday, Aug. 22.
Six years ago her dream of owning a gym was on a shelf and tucked away.
Then something “clicked” in Peggy Maerz’ mind.
Since then Maerz, has turned Bulldog Boxing into a mainstay in the community, produced national and provincial-quality boxers and improved the lives of many.
In September the gym will be moving to from Lifetime Fitness into the old Canadian Tire location.
“We have outgrown the space at Lifetime and we will be able to do so much more in this new space,” says a beaming Maerz in the new gym.
The new gym is still under construction but crews are hard at work to make the planned mid-September opening.
“The vision includes rock climbing along with fitness programs and of course our boxing program in an inclusive and welcoming environment,” says Maerz.
Included in the plans for the new space are a regulation size boxing ring, mens and women’s change rooms with showers and a sauna, a handicap accessible change room, a cardio workout space and plans for a climbing wall.
“These features will help the gym to be more inclusive for everyone in the community.”
The new gym will be more than triple the size of the current gym.
In order to keep the gym running smoothly, Maerz is adding six fitness instructors including a registered nurse with Muay Thai experience.
“Having instructors work with me will be a big change, but it will allow me to cycle through some of their classes, not to evaluate them but because it will be fun to be a participant.”
A certified early childhood educator with experience in marital arts and working with acute special needs youth has also signed on, which is important to Maerz since she works with many children and adults with acute and high functioning special needs.
“I have built this great team to work with me, the only piece of the puzzle I’m missing is a receptionist,” laughs Maerz. “That’s not too big of a concern at this point.”
When Maerz started Bulldog Boxing she had to rent bags and other equipment from well known Salmon Arm boxer Mickey Sims and had to “borrow” space from Lifetime Fitness.
“Six years ago I would not have believed any of this could have been possible, even Mickey was skeptical it would work out. As cliché as it sounds – I am realizing my dream, this is what I am meant to do,” said Maerz.
She says in the gym’s infancy, she was essentially homeless.
“I had nothing. I was sleeping on peoples’ couches and in my car. At least now if I end up homeless I’ll have this amazing new gym I could call home,” Maerz joked.
Aside from the fitness and boxing classes, Maerz vision includes the ability to host provincially sanctioned bouts at the gym. She is hopeful to host the first bout as early as November, provided there is room in the provincial calendar.
“We will be able to hold events here, we are just getting bigger and better at serving this community,” she said.
Maerz said the idea for the climbing wall was her desire to give climbing a try. She says there is a large climbing community in the area and this wall will give them a space to climb in the winter.
“Right now we are probably a year away from installing the climbing wall. I want to get settled in first because this is such a huge change all at once.”
Once the climbing wall is installed the panels will be interchangeable allowing for new routes.
“Every six weeks we’ll change the wall because once you master something – you have to look for a way to push yourself or else you will stop continuing to improve,” Maerz said.
The idea of changing things up is nothing new to Maerz. She says she has done the same thing with her fitness programs and tailors each session with her participants in mind.
“There is no one way to do things, everyone is different and deserves a program tailored to them. It’s all about being able to include everyone.” | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391172971.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/189a1771477b236fa2269440145f6770c108f038f3e95acda90e0ca249f4e468.json |
[
"Tracy Hughes"
] | 2016-08-27T22:51:18 | null | null | Recovery: Megan Leverrier joins in Canadian Transplant Games. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391165831.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/93954salmonarmSAMeganLeverrierrun.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Cancer survivor gets gold | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Going the distance: Megan Leverrier, six, runs in the one-kilometer race at the Canadian Transplant Games, open to those people who have had an organ transplant. Megan received a new liver when she was four.
She’s not at the Olympics, but no one could doubt that six-year-old Megan Leverrier has an Olympic-sized spirit.
And she’s now got medals to prove it.
Megan, who was diagnosed with cancer at age four and underwent a liver transplant at Sick Kids in Toronto, is now considered to be in remission. She recently marked the two-year anniversary of receiving her donated organ.
This summer, Megan attended the Canadian Transplant Games, which consists of athletic events for people of all ages who have received transplanted organs.
One of the youngest competitors, Megan won gold in the one-kilometre run, silver in the ball throw and long jump and bronze in the 50-metre dash. Megan also got to present her younger brother Gavin with a special medal for being such a supportive sibling.
“I look at my daughter with her new liver in her body and she is doing so great. It’s absolutely amazing,” says Megan’s mother Michelle. “She looks so healthy and happy.”
The family also took time to visit the hospital ward where she spent much of her young life and see the surgeon who performed her transplant.
“It was bittersweet visiting floor 6A, because there’s all the people there still waiting for their miracle and we have already had ours,” says Megan’s mother Michelle. “It was also a time to show Megan the Toronto she never got to see because the whole time we were there, it was lucky if she even got outside for a half-hour walk. So we did dinner at the CN Tower and Niagara Falls, in addition to the games.
“It was such a celebration to see all those people there, who have their stories of organ donation,” says Michelle. “It was also a celebration of all those donor families, who allowed all those people to be there with a second chance at life.”
The Canadian Transplant Games are held every two years in a different city in Canada, and Megan is already planning her events for the next one.
“She’s a total water baby, we can’t hardly keep her out of the water, so next time, instead of the run, she wants to do the swimming events.”
Megan will be heading back to Grade 2 in September and picking up some of her favourite hobbies, like hip-hop dancing and art. The family, including father Jaimie who is a Salmon Arm RCMP officer, must continue to travel to BC Children’s Hospital on a regular basis to monitor Megan’s condition.
The family remains grateful for the support of the people of the Shuswap, but has a message as well.
“We’d just really like to keep raising the awareness of the importance of organ donation. To see these people competing at the games, living their lives, it really is amazing. That could not happen without donors,” says Michelle.
For more information on becoming an organ donor, check out www.transplant.bc.ca. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391165831.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/a7b0563a72bc73283c857a663383e2b44ab7166a80f09b296a2187fb81e4c786.json |
[
"Jim Elliot"
] | 2016-08-31T00:52:14 | null | null | Meeting: South Canoe residents discuss protest actions against the planned move of public works | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391809811.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Opposition to works yard ramps up | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The organizers of the committee of South Canoe residents opposed to the city’s purchase of the vacant South Canoe School for the purpose of relocating their public works yard made plans to protest at an Aug. 29 meeting.
The organizers, led by Lisa Nobbs, hosted a community meeting at Klahani Park to inform fellow residents and review neighbourhood objections to the plan.
Approximately 50 South Canoe residents attended the meeting.
“I think it all comes down to dollars and cents,” Nobbs said, addressing the city’s motivation for moving the works yard to the South Canoe School property, acknowledging the city was getting a good price on the five-acre site.
Salmon Arm city council approved a short-term borrowing plan at their Aug. 8 meeting in order to purchase the school property from School District #83 for $475,000.
The sale is contingent on the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) approving non-farm use for the property, which is in the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Nobbs recommended that the assembled residents at the Aug. 29 meeting voice their concerns to Ron Wallace, the ALC Land Use Planner handling the South Canoe School property. Wallace’s contact information was provided as part of an agenda circulated at the meeting.
The agenda also contained email addresses for each city councillor and Mayor Nancy Cooper and urged people to write letters of concern to them.
Couns. Alan Harrison and Ken Jamieson excused themselves from previous discussion of the property acquisition, because they are employees of School District #83.
Along with the letter writing campaign, Nobbs urged South Canoe residents to attend the City of Salmon Arm Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting on Aug. 31 at 3 p.m. at city hall, as well as the city council meeting on Monday, Sept. 12.
Adam Muddiman will lead a presentation from the concerned South Canoe residents outlining their concerns including compromised safety, pollution, increased noise and devaluation of nearby properties as a result of greater industrial traffic in the area.
Alternative locations for the works yard suggested at the meeting include the industrial park and the former Department of Defence property on 20th Ave. SE near the new cemetery.
Nobbs and a few other meeting attendees expressed their intent to sue the city if the works yard project does go through. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391809811.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/3752760be58e5522e0214b0905cae69e8cc528d869fd6dca53e4c1834b876d3f.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T18:51:41 | null | null | Tim Walters will begin a three-day trek tomorrow in an effort to raise money for local student , who suffered a massive brain aneurism. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391636381.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/40619salmonarmSAWalkerGuy.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Professor begins long walk to raise money for student who suffered aneurism | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Tim Walters, an English professor at the Okanagan College Salmon Arm campus will be walking from Penticton to Salmon Arm to raise money for a student who suffered a brain aneurism.
An Okanagan College professor will set out Tuesday on an ambitious three-day trek in an effort to raise money for local student Gary Baker, who suffered a massive brain aneurism in early August.
Tim Walters, an English professor at the Okanagan College Salmon Arm campus and president of the OCFA, the college’s Faculty Association, aims to walk between the Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, and Salmon Arm campuses—a distance of 160 kilometres—setting out Tuesday August 30 and arriving at his destination September 1.
“I’ve known Gary for several years, and I was keen to do something to try to help him and his family,” explained Walters.
Baker, a father of four, was a student at Okanagan College last year, having returned to school to pursue a career in engineering after years of working as a timber framer. On August 1, he suffered a severe brain aneurism while playing soccer, and after undergoing two surgeries is currently recovering in Vancouver—a process that may take many months or even years.
“Gary was a very involved, well-liked member of our close-knit college community,” Walters said. “His family is facing an unimaginably awful situation just now; one that is exacerbated by having to worry about repaying student loans and covering the costs associated with staying at, and travelling to and from, the coast.”
Walters will average 55 kilometres per day during his fundraising walk, and will be posting photographs of his progress on a Facebook page so sponsors can follow along the way.
“My goal is to raise $3200 or more, which works out to $20 for each kilometre that I walk. Breaking it up by kilometre will be a great motivator for me to keep going even when it feels like a slog,” he said.
Sponsors wishing to donate can do so at the GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/campustocampus and follow along the walk in progress at the Facebook page “Campus to Campus Fundraising Walk”. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391636381.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/25aaf40729dc0e0b89d23f1b42e6c096450ab66bdff0563953646d4911b6dbc7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:50:56 | null | null | There is no campfire ban issued but the government is urging caution to those lighting campfires. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391447121.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/18675salmonarm792px-Camp_fire.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Government urges cautious campfire use this weekend | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Although no campfire ban is in place Government agencies are urging caution for those having a fire this weekend.
Although there is no campfire ban issued for the Kamloops fire centre and most of the rest of B.C. as well, the government is urging caution to those lighting campfires this weekend.
A government press release noted an increase in wildfire activity in the province over the past week, including major fires on the Malahat highway and near West Kelowna.
"This past week, we all saw how quickly the wildfire situation can change and how easily fires can spread. During this period of elevated wildfire risk, I ask all British Columbians to assist our BC Wildfire Service ground crews and air crews by being extra careful with any allowed fire use," said Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson.
Between April 1 and August 25 the BC Wildfire Service responded to 936 wildfires, 443 of which they say were human caused.
Campfire safety tips recommended by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Include: Keeping campfires smaller than half a meter high by half a meter wide, keeping a hand tool or a large supply of water nearby to completely extinguish the fire, avoid campfires in extreme winds, removing fuel from the ground near the campfire and never leaving a campfire unattended.
They government also advise that motorized vehicles in the back country may start fires with hot exhaust pipes, especially in long dry grass. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391447121.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/8ff24a550d68d1ed854e71168d15fb86ab15a8c898591a966f4a42e9fab35f26.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:46 | null | null | This weekend, 31 Salmon Arm Sockeyes competed at the BCSSA Provincial Championships held in Coquitlam | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391173861.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/97212salmonarmSASockeysSwim.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Sockeyes sensational in finale | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Just like Penny: Tricia Fair cruises to the finish in the 100-metre butterfly final, breaking the provincial record at the provincial tournament at Spani Pool in Coquitlam over the weekend.
This weekend, 31 Salmon Arm Sockeyes competed at the BCSSA Provincial Championships held in Coquitlam.
Competitors from around the province gathered to race for top placings and best times.
Tricia Fair swam to gold and broke the provincial record in 100-m butterfly, gold in 50-m freestyle, gold in 100-m backstroke and silver in 100-m freestyle.
Fair also earned a BCSSA regional scholarship for her performances throughout her BCSSA swimming career.
Now, she moves on to compete at the university level representing the University of Lethbridge.
In boys division three, Rowan Trow placed third in 50-metre freestyle, and second in 50-m butterfly.
Tyler Bushell came third in boys division five 100-m backstroke.
Matthew Nesdoly competed in the open category where he swam to third in 100-m backstroke, first in 100-m breaststroke, and third in 200-m individual medley.
In division eight girls, the Sockeyes won silver in the 200-m medley relay and gold in 200-m freestyle relay.
Nesdoly, Jamie Trow and Ben Novakowski, placed second in the open category 200-m medley and 200-m freestyle relays.
Swimmers swam in categories according to age. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391173861.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/fba4ab1774476dc5e36ffa4dd1999e3b4549d0eda8a688615e6604b998a6971d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:15 | null | null | Issues with plumbing may be caused by annual sewer main flushing | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391354151.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/74044salmonarmToilet.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Toilet trouble in Canoe | null | null | www.saobserver.net | City utility crews are performing the annual flushing of the sanitary sewer mains. As a result some residents have complained of issues with their toilets.
Some Canoe residents have complained of plumbing issues ranging from empty toilet bowls to geyser-like spray from the toilets, which may be related to the city's annual flushing of the sanitary sewer mains.
Rob Niewenhuizen with the city of Salmon Arm engineering department says city utility crews are working on the annual sewer main flushing in the Canoe area.
"This cleaning may result in turbulence and noise in the pipes. Occasionally during the cleaning operation, air pressure in the sewer can cause water to splash out through toilets, sinks and drains. This could also be caused by improper plumbing connection or poor venting in the residence. It is recommended to keep all toilet lids closed when not in use." Niewenhuizen said.
If water does overflow from a fixture it is recommended that residents contact the City Utility Department at 250-803-4080.
Niewenhuizen said the main flushing will be city-wide but disturbances have typically occurred in older and flatter areas of the community. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391354151.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/4be66f7ff2130fd1cad5d434c14e354e0b60d6c38b6f0584db9f8ff238e466f3.json |
[
"Evan"
] | 2016-08-30T22:53:35 | null | null | The 25th annual Salmon Arm Demolition Derby took place at the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds on Sunday, Aug. 28. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391799021.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/13649salmonarm20160828DemoDerbyEB0753.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | 25th annual demo derby a hit | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The 25th annual Salmon Arm Demolition Derby took place at the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds on Sunday, Aug. 28. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391799021.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/e97b1390700fea1d80a67a961bd9dd22eb50c5f74c82dc1058067d3a11910dcd.json |
[
"Evan"
] | 2016-08-26T13:13:33 | null | null | With the Silverbacks season opener against Vernon a little over two weeks away, it was back to business as the club kicked off its main camp | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391174181.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/97496salmonarm20160822BacksGameEB0004.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Back to business for ’Backs | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Game action: Team White goaltender Kevin Kozlowski trips Team Black’s Josh Latta as he makes an attempt on goal in the first intra-squad game during the Silverbacks Main Camp on Monday, Aug. 22.
With the Silverbacks season opener against Vernon a little over two weeks away, it was back to business as the club kicked off its main camp on Monday.
Forty hopefuls from across Canada and the U.S. are vying for the one of 22 roster spots available for the 2016-17 season.
In total, eight players from last season’s squad were back in action, including blueliners Ryley Booth and Cam Trott, and forwards Carson Bolduc, Elijiiah Barriga, Mitch Skapski, Josh Blanchard, Jared Turcotte and Marcus Mitchell.
Following registration, the 40 hopefuls were put through their paces in a NHL-style combine to determine each players level of fitness in more than 20 different tests and an on-ice practice.
A few of the combine tests include vertical jump, bench press, grip strength and anaerobic and aerobic testing.
On Monday evening the two sides faced off in the first of three intra-squad games.
Both sides came out with intensity but lacked finesse as the play was limited to the neutral zone in the first 10 minutes of the game. It didn’t take long for the returning ’Backs to make their mark on the game.
Team White broke the deadlock after 12 minutes, when Mitchell set up Penticton-native Nathan Iannone to beat the newly signed goaltender Michael Botiz.
Following the opening goal, Team White dictated the play of the game.
Defencemen Trott and new signing Carter Cochrane looked calm and confident moving the puck up the ice.
In the offensive zone, Mitchell controlled the play showing good vision and puck distribution.
Another Silverback veteran, Turcotte, got his name on the scoresheet while short-handed when he stripped James Hunter at the blueline and beat Botiz one-on-one.
Team Black struggled to find a way into the game and could not solve Valencia, Cali. native Trevin Kozlowski, who looked composed in goal.
The 6’4” goaltender played 23 games for The Gunnery Prep school in Connecticut and sported an impressive 1.63 GAA and a 0.940 save percentage.
Iannone, who suited up for the Vees four times last season, scored his second of the first period thanks to a great feed from Tre Dupilka-Sales and Isiah Hendricks.
A pair of returning ’Backs combined early in the second period for Team Black’s first goal of the game.
The speedy Barriga stormed into the offensive zone before dropping the puck to Bolduc, who skillfully toe dragged the puck around a defenceman and fed Barriga in the slot, who made no mistake scoring into the open net.
Barriga, Grayson Constable and Spencer Hora, who played three times for the Silverbacks last season, all scored in the second but that is all they could muster.
The final score in game one ended 8-4 in favour of Team White.
In game two on Tuesday morning it was another barn burner as the score was run up 7-5.
The two squads will meet again on Tuesday evening after the Observer’s deadline in the final intra-squad game.
Following a round of cuts, the ’Backs will open up their exhibition season on the road in the Nicola Valley against Merritt.
The Silverbacks will play their second exhibition game against the defending BCHL champions West Kelowna on Friday, Aug. 26 in West Kelowna, before hosting the Warriors the following night at the Shaw Centre at 7 p.m. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391174181.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/dcdcce36c76068d881f5e7967586357cfd728394df27af84642110e2d70af042.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:21 | null | null | A growing group of 57 residents with property near the school have sent a letter laying out their concerns to the city | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391168121.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/94705salmonarmNobbs-Lisacmyk.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | South Canoe residents oppose works yard move | null | null | www.saobserver.net | 'We think expansion of that park in the future is a great idea. We are just opposed to the public works yard going to South Canoe.' - Lisa Nobbs, South Canoe resident
A group of South Canoe residents have a bone to pick with the City of Salmon Arm’s plans to relocate the city’s public works yard to the vacant South Canoe Elementary School.
A growing group of 57 residents with property near the school have sent a letter laying out their concerns to the city.
The group, led by Lisa and Darrell Nobbs whose property is directly adjacent to the school, say the plan does not conform to the city’s official community plan (OCP) and will affect their property values.
“The public works yard in South Canoe doesn’t fit with the residents of South Canoe,” Nobbs said.
The city approved the purchase of the school site for the purpose of relocating the public works yard at their Aug. 8 meeting. The purchase from School District #83 is conditional on alternate use authorization from the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) as the property is on the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Nobbs said she has spoken to a representative of the ALC and is in the process of composing a letter on behalf of the other residents protesting the use of the school site for a works yard, even though it is zoned for institutional use.
Nobbs said the development of the public works at the South Canoe site doesn’t conform with Salmon Arm’s OCP because the plan highlights an area west of Highway 97B as it’s light industrial development area.
“The Official Community Plan generally acts as a guide to rezoning. The subject property already has the appropriate institutional zoning for this use,” said Carl Bannister, the City of Salmon Arm’s Chief Administration Officer.
The letter that Nobbs and her fellow South Canoe residents sent to the city also questions the suitability of the roads.
“The current location of the public works yard is on a main street with paint lines, turn lanes and sidewalks on either side. The roads in South Canoe are country roads with none of these features, and as such, are unfit for heavy industrial traffic,” the letter reads.
Bannister said there are no plans currently in place to the undertake road improvements in the South Canoe Area, but stressed that there was lots of work on the financial and site planning aspects of the project before the site is actually moved. He added there is already truck traffic from gravel pits and logging operations in the area.
The letter also suggests city heavy equipment would be at risk when pulling onto highway 97B unless a traffic light is installed.
The present public works site is also in a residential area close to a widely used recreational facility, and several school zones, Bannister said.
The city plans to use the vacancy created by moving the public works yard to develop a track and field facility attached to the Little Mountain Sports Complex.
“Please let it be clear that we do not oppose the changes the city has for Little Mountain Park. We think expansion of that park in the future is a great idea. We are just opposed to the public works yard going to South Canoe,” Nobbs said.
Nobbs suggested the old Department of Defence rifle range or the industrial park as possible alternatives.
The site in South Canoe is ideal because it is for sale for a reasonable price, large enough for the city’s needs, zoned appropriately and near a gravel supply and major transportation networks, Bannister said.
“It may be a long time, if ever, before such a site comes along again.” | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391168121.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/154f9c1122ffbcb4866a115b3a68c42a8c75ce5585e2ca35e795385e11faa047.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:42 | null | null | SASCU Recreation Centre has been selected as one of 27 communities in B.C. to pilot programs to help older adults get more physically active | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391172411.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Rec centre to offer seniors’ program | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The SASCU Recreation Centre has been selected as one of 27 communities in B.C. to pilot programs to help older adults get more physically active.
The BC Recreation and Parks Association along with the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility have designed two programs to help seniors get moving.
Both programs are free but participants must register through the SASCU Recreation Centre.
The Choose to Move program has a certified activity coach, that works with participants 65-years-and-older to develop a personalized physical activity action plan customized to their needs, interests, goals, resources and abilities.
Participants are supported through regular motivational group meetings as well as one-on-one consultations and regular check-ins with their activity coach.
In addition, participants have the opportunity to enroll in the new ActivAge older adult fitness class as part of their physical activity plan.
The ActivAge program is fun and social program will get you moving in a relaxed and inviting class environment with like-minded people.
Participants have two different program options to choose from: Option 1 focuses on improving activities of daily living, strengthening muscles used day-to-day; Option 2 focuses on exercises that will enable you to become more involved with other activity/fitness programs or sports. The class includes discussions and handouts to help you improve your overall health and physical well-being. ActivAge is free of charge but participants need to register. Class sizes are small so register early.
Programs will start in the middle September with Choose to Move sessions on Thursdays and Activage on Tuesdays. Please phone the SASCU Recreation Centre at 250-832-4044 to sign up. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391172411.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/8398f3a606e7d5e4cb3cdb97eeb38e43ae31f20726770110e4f88eb8451c7e69.json |
[
"Jim Elliot"
] | 2016-08-26T13:12:37 | null | null | The initiative to get a BMX track in Salmon Arm is out of the starting gates. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391166821.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/94273salmonarmSAShelleyDesautels.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | BMX Club looks to city for support | null | null | www.saobserver.net | 'If you have that $20 bike sitting in the garage you can hop on the track and ride on that.' – Shelley Desautels, BMX Supporter
The initiative to get a BMX track in Salmon Arm is out of the starting gates.
Shelley Desautels, a member of the Shuswap BMX club, presented a plan for building a track in Salmon Arm to city council on Aug. 22.
On behalf of the BMX club, Desautels requested a $1 per-year lease on one of several two-acre parcels of land around town, with water and electricity service provided by the city.
“Blackburn Park is currently the most ideal location for a track in Salmon Arm,” she said, adding that the area had enough space and parking as well as enough earth to construct the track itself out of.
Other possible locations identified by Desautels include: The SASCU Rec Centre parking lot, the corner of the Safeway Soccer Fields, the empty lot at the corner of 20th Street and 20th Avenue Northeast and Klahani Park.
There is demand for a track in the area, she said, estimating there might be as many as 40 riders in the area who would use it.
“BMX is a sport where riders will travel around and race different tracks and go to all the different events.”
Riders from Kamloops and Vernon might come to town for events at the track, Desautels said.
She made it clear that the track would be accessible to all, with no restriction on type of bike used as long as it isn’t motorized.
“If you have that $20 bike sitting in the garage you can hop on the track and ride on that,” she said.
Desautels and the BMX club’s goal is to build a nationally sanctioned track, suitable for possible championship use in Salmon Arm.
She used a national race recently held in Kamloops which attracted 400 riders, over 300 which were from out of town, as an example of the scale of events which could be held on the proposed track.
BMX events would increase shoulder-season tourism by bringing riders and their friends and families to the area, she said.
Desautels estimated the cost to build the track are between $60,000 to $100,000 depending on the amount of materials and equipment donated.
The planned track will have a mechanical starting gate, lights and fencing to ensure the track isn’t used when wet, as this can cause ruts which make the track unsafe for other riders.
If material and equipment are provided, the design and building of the track is taken care of by BMX Canada at no charge, Desautels said.
Possible sources of funding may include: The Salmar Community Association, the CSRD, B.C. Sport and the Shuswap Cycling Club itself.
Desautels hopes the track will be built, with the first races held in the spring of 2018.
Coun. Ken Jamieson asked if the track would be open to the public when events are not being held; Desautels replied the track would be open at all times except when conditions do not allow.
Coun. Kevin Flynn suggested building a bike skills park inside the track.
“If the space is there we could do anything. A lot of BMX parks put in pump tracks,” Desautels said.
Coun. Chad Eliason said he thought constructing a skills park would be a good first step towards building a BMX track.
Council said they would consider a location that the city would be able to provide for the track but wanted more information on the project and for Desautels to establish a board to help her organize fundraising before committing to anything. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391166821.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/4d5d9938f621064c5d53413d93d1778c6e94588ceb73cd5816f0ce4c2c08ec53.json |
[
"Canadian Press"
] | 2016-08-28T22:51:26 | null | null | Talks continue, with rotating overtime ban set to begin Monday if no agreement by midnight Sunday | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391545211.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/68221BCLN200782072cranbrookdailyCPweb.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Postal workers union give details of job action if no deal is reached Sunday | null | null | www.saobserver.net | OTTAWA – Contract talks continue between Canada Post and its largest union, but neither side is hinting as to whether any progress has been made.
A federally appointed mediator has been meeting with the two sides since Friday to try to reach a deal.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says if there is no deal by midnight, it would begin job action on Monday by having its members refusing to work overtime on a rotating basis, starting in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
CUPW served 72 hour strike notice Thursday night, accusing Canada Post of forcing a labour disruption by refusing to bargain in good faith.
The two sides have been deadlocked for months on the issues of pay scales for rural letter carriers and proposed changes to pensions for future employees.
A CUPW news release says the initial job action will cause little disruption to Canada Post customers and that its members will still be delivering mail every day.
The Canadian Press | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391545211.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/3ca4a95b6c2f2cebc0f3698e86813e07551e9147bd087f9cedb0a6188a5e69a8.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:03 | null | null | All group fitness classes at Lifetime Fitness from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 29 to Sept. 10 will be by donation | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391173421.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Fitness charity event | null | null | www.saobserver.net | All group fitness classes at Lifetime Fitness from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 29 to Sept. 10 will be by donation for the Salmon Arm Women’s Shelter. Those interested are asked to bring a cash or hygiene product donation. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, visit www.lifetimefitnessshuswap.com or call 250-833-4799. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391173421.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/fcedecfa00b98ead6b471a53dc4f83e8a5f351c58e6e8868ec5df3abaedb507e.json |
[
"Richard Rolke"
] | 2016-08-28T06:51:20 | null | null | The evacuation alert continues for 45 residences in the Sunset Properties area | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391521031.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/73708vernonDSC_63451spf.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Predator Ridge fire mostly contained | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Water bombers soar over Okanagan Lake as they tackle a fire near Predator Ridge Saturday.
Progress is being made on a fire burning near Predator Ridge.
As of 8 p.m. Saturday, the fire is about seven to nine hectares in size and is relatively contained at its perimeter.
"It's showing as a rank one and two ground fire with some flames," said Rachel Witt, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service.
"Ground crews are still working on the perimeter."
Air support has been grounded for the evening because of darkness but they have been able to place retardant around much of the fire.
"Ground crew will be fighting the fire through the night and provincial wildfire crews will have more ground crew arriving in the morning," said Tanya Laing Gahr, communications officer with the City of Vernon.
The evacuation alert continues for 45 residences in the Sunset Properties subdivision off of Okanagan Landing road. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391521031.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/b17c6aa3baccb658f49a1d03e346f8387ee32f3827b9547932051d35cf3297ae.json |
[
"Tom Fletcher"
] | 2016-08-30T18:52:04 | null | null | Some urban districts struggle with overcrowding, special funds for declining rural schools, bus service to take effect | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391773061.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/2045BCLN2007Schoolstudentblurwide-BJ7web.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | B.C. school enrolment up for second year | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Students return to public school next week, with changes to curriculum and some provincial exams.
Students are returning to class next week in most of B.C.'s public schools, with enrolment expected to be up province-wide for the second year running.
Education Minister Mike Bernier says early forecasts show about 529,000 students, an increase of 2,900 from last year. But that increase is centred on fast-growing school districts, while many rural areas continue to struggle with declining student numbers.
Among changes that parents and students will see this year is a new curriculum in place up to Grade 9, with a test year for changes in the senior grades. Bernier said the new emphasis on collaboration and communication skills does not mean a watering down of the basic skills, and is designed to improve students' ability to work at modern jobs.
Report cards are to continue this school year, but the ministry is reviewing its system with an eye to providing more frequent updates. Parents are being consulted on the changes, Bernier said.
Foundation Skills Assessment tests in grades four and seven are also continuing after years of protests from teacher unions, but that program is also being examined for possible changes. FSA tests will be "enhanced" but not eliminated, Bernier said.
Provincial exams continue for graduates in math and English, but science and social studies will now be assessed at a classroom level rather than school-wide tests, Bernier said.
The ministry provided a series of top-ups to education funding this year, for bus service and to keep selected rural schools from closing. Applications are still being taken for a transportation fund until Sept. 30, requiring districts to drop across-the-board school bus fees to qualify.
Districts may still charge transportation fees for international students or those from outside a school catchment area.
NDP leader John Horgan highlighted the crowding in Surrey school district, where 7,000 students remain in portables despite an expansion program. The NDP says the B.C. government's claim of record per-student funding ignores a reduction of education funding as a share of the provincial economy.
"Since 2001, the B.C. Liberals have dragged public education funding in this province from the second best in Canada to the second worst," Horgan said. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391773061.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/5fb34ffe247351284b1acefe5ffadf1f69901046397db0cb30d39b93e82ef6db.json |
[
"Jim Elliot"
] | 2016-08-30T22:51:59 | null | null | With video: Being opposed to the use of animals for food, the Nicholsons raise the animals that come to them as pets. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391799251.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/13759salmonarmJETwinHearts1-1.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Vegan principles guide animal rehabilitation | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Diane and Harry Nicholson hadn’t planned on opening an animal sanctuary when they moved to their property in Tappen less than a year ago. After the property’s previous owner left behind an elderly mare and two hinnies, the stage was set for the Nicholsons to open Twin Heart Animal Sanctuary.
Currently the sanctuary is home to the two hinnies, which are the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey, two cows, a mare, three goats, a lamb, a dog and a turkey.
The same love of animals that motivated the Nicholsons to open the sanctuary is what drove them to move to Tappen from their home in Armstrong; The animal agriculture in the area troubled the long-time vegans.
Being opposed to the use of animals for food, the Nicholsons raise the animals that come to them as pets rather than livestock, bottle-feeding them and in some cases keeping them in their house when they are young.
“By nurturing them we stretch their brains and get the intelligence they are capable of,” Diane said.
Several of the animals that came to the sanctuary had severe health problems, which probably would have resulted in them being euthanized had they been on an ordinary farm.
Forrest Gump, a young calf, had some of the most serious health issues, contracted tendons in his legs left him virtually immobile, hobbling around on his knees with his legs twisted up beneath him. Diane explained how they gently forced Forrest’s legs straight as they fed him his bottles each day and gradually began seeing results. Now Forrest happily trots around his pen on all four legs when he isn’t trying to lick or nibble on whoever comes near the edge of the fence.
Yoda, one of the sanctuary’s goats, also came with severe health problems. The farmer who sold Yoda to the Nicholsons assumed he was born blind, when in fact he had entropium, a birth defect which causes the animal’s eyelids to be inverted. As a result of the inverted eyelids Yoda’s eyelashes were badly scratching his eyes. Diane estimated that if they had not gotten a vet to fix his eyes with a surgery Yoda would have been permanently blinded within a day and dead of infection soon after that.
“Vets don’t know what to do with us,” Diane said adding that vets are surprised at the lengths they go to for their animals when most farmers would simply euthanize them.
“Basically these guys are ambassadors to show people that they are no different than your dogs and cats,” Diane said.
The Nicholsons want to expand the sanctuary soon, hoping to welcome pigs by the end of the year, but they need to improve their fencing first.
Diane said they hope to raise approximately $12,000 to cover the cost of new fencing through donations from the public and t-shirts which will be on sale soon. The sanctuary is open to visitors by appointment by calling 250-308-5357 or through their Facebook page. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391799251.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/2be4cb81cc04679b6158420c3b8d8566618b0b7eb0c1aa99dec0433e708ed12d.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:53:43 | null | null | The 36th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run is less than a month away, and registration is open | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391806851.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Register for the Terry Fox Run | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The 36th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run is less than a month away, and registration is open. The run will take place on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m., starting and finishing at Blackburn Park. There will be two-kilometre, four-km and 10-km distances. To register, visit www.terryfox.org/Run/_BritishColumbia_.html. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391806851.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/52e8e8636dc388d65495cd3441f31cf2aea3ac9229a74c88da4768973c7468e9.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:53:35 | null | null | The Shore ‘N’ Score Cup could have changed its name to the “Pour ‘N’ Score Cup” on Saturday | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391807001.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | U11 girls win thrilling final in penalty kicks | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The Shore ‘N’ Score Cup could have changed its name to the “Pour ‘N’ Score Cup” on Saturday after play was halted twice for lighting and heavy rain.
Despite the weather delays, 28 teams from Calgary and across B.C. competed in the third annual tournament. An exciting U11 girls gold medal game featured Revelstoke and Shuswap FC. Overtime couldn’t break a 2-2 tie between the two sides so it went to a shootout. Shuswap FC were 2-1 victors in the shootout, capturing the gold medal.
In the U12 girls division the gold medal went to Nelson with a 4-2 win over the Cariboo team, Shuswap FC was one goal short to qualify for the gold-silver medal game. On the boys side, in the U12 division, a five-team, four-game round robin was used to determine the gold, silver and bronze medalists. In a very balanced division, Revelstoke captured the gold, Vernon Kal Strikers the silver and Shuswap FC the bronze medal. In the eight-team U11 boys division, two very strong teams, Calgary Roma Boys and Coquitlam Metro Ford faced off in a highly skilled final, the Alberta boys won a hard fought 3-2 game to capture the gold.
Seven teams from Williams Lake, Vernon and the Shuswap competed in the U9/U10 girls and boys divisions where fun, not scores, were the name of the game. In between lightning storms, Saturday also featured the very popular skills competition, where each division crowned a champion in the hardest shot, the most accurate shot and juggling skills events. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391807001.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/cfaf9ce7d799cf36a9e1ca2f17dbd745bcdc924732b5d2e1d1e66ddccec98f81.json |
[
"Jim Elliot"
] | 2016-08-26T16:50:53 | null | null | Groups opposed to and in favour of the controversial Gateway development in the Lee Creek area stated their cases to the CSRD | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391292091.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/48822salmonarmSAGatewaydevelopmentsite0422col.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | CSRD Board hears opposing views on Gateway | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Groups opposed to and in favour of the controversial Gateway development in the Lee Creek area stated their cases to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District Board of Directors on August 18.
Mike Seymour, a Wastewater Treatment Engineer for MSR Solutions, laid out the development’s plans for a new wastewater treatment method for the board and the unusually full public viewing gallery.
Seymour said the development currently discharges highly treated effluent into the lake and wants to move to on-site disposal.
The planned improvement of the sewage treatment scheme comes after the CSRD board rescinded the first two readings of the development’s rezoning application at their May board meeting. The rezoning application would allow the development to go from housing 22 single-family cabins and 113 RV sites to as many as 292 lots for a mixture of detached single family dwellings, duplexes, accessory upper-floor dwelling units and resort residential spaces.
“Gateway Shared Interest’s owners’ objectives is to secure zoning and future subdivision like the Cottonwood Cove development across the road,” Seymour said.
Seymour said upgrades bringing the sewage treatment system up to the CSRD’s standard will cost approximately $1.5 million, and so current residents do not want to commit to them without confidence that the development will be completed.
“By rezoning the subdivision, these upgrades would be completed to a municipal standard,” he said.
The system Gateway is considering is a rapid infiltration basin and subsurface drip system.
“Gateway is committed to managing the facilities in an environmentally and financially responsible manner,” Seymour said.
Immediately following the presentation from Gateway, Greg Witsky, a band councillor for the Adams Lake Indian Band presented a position paper on behalf of the band outlining their opposition to the development.
Their opposition was primarily based on the development’s proximity to the mouth of the Adams River, an important salmon spawning ground.
“In 2015 less than 3,000 of an estimated escapement of 120,000 sockeye salmon returned to spawn in the Lower Adams River. The last time a disaster of this magnitude took place it was comparable to the infamous Hell’s Gate slide,” the position paper says.
Witsky also criticized the boat moorage buoys near the river mouth and any wastewater treatment system that includes groundwater filtration.
The band also believes that the archaeological assessment of the Gateway site needs to be revisited.
“The archeology study completed for this location needs to be revisited as it only scratched the surface and did not dig deep enough to investigate these potential older village sites,” Witsky said.
Rather than immediately discussing the submissions from the band and Gateway, the board agreed to defer discussion until their September meeting to fully review the submissions with staff. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391292091.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/6cc99b51b606c0abc1b2c05dc5bdd111a2f61a7bc32dfc73d5025b1d10deb739.json |
[
"Tracy Hughes"
] | 2016-08-31T00:52:04 | null | null | As some of you might have heard, I’m participating in a rather unique fundraising event for the expansion of the Larch Hills ski chalet | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391808351.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Hitting the dance floor | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Floor - 1
Tracy Hughes - 0
Well, it has begun.
As some of you might have heard, I’m participating in a rather unique fundraising event for the expansion of the Larch Hills ski chalet – also known as Dancing with the Shuswap Stars.
The brainchild of skier/dancer Val Heckrodt, the Nov. 18 event will be modelled after the popular television program, where people learn a dance and perform it in front of judges and a crowd, who will be voting on their favourite dance.
Walking the fine line between courage and stupidity, I agreed to be one of the victims, er, dancers, and am joining forces with City Dance instructor Orlando Robertson to tackle the Cha Cha.
Rehearsals are underway and that’s where my meeting with the floor comes in. Let’s just say I’m not exactly used to even walking in high heels, let alone trying to dance in them.
To his credit, my instructor has not yet stepped on me, although I have stepped on him. Plus I’ve managed to step on myself. Yes, I have multiple bruises on my own feet from crushing the heel of my shoe into the top of my other foot.
And so my posterior has now had the chance to get up close and personal with the dusty floor of the Deep Creek Hall.
The stumble was entirely my fault. And thankfully Orlando managed to haul my graceless body up off the floor to continue my attempts at learning the Cha Cha’s fast, fun, flirty dance moves.
But my current word for the process is frustrating.
EZ Rock radio’s Rich Daniels and I are currently bonding over this, as we both lament that our brains keep telling our bodies to move in a certain way, but the feet just don’t seem to be getting the message. Or we do one thing right but forget about everything else. You see, dancing actually involves more than just a series of steps with your feet. You are actually supposed to use your whole body.
I’ve also got some serious arm issues. Monkey arms was Orlando’s first description. I’ve since graduated to chicken-wing arms, spaghetti arms and the latest – stick arms.
But Orlando’s not giving up on me yet. He’s determined to make me into a dancer.
Can he do it?
You’ll have to stay tuned. So mark Nov. 18 on your calendar and help support the Larch Hills’ Ski Club with your presence and your votes for the top dance performers.
Tickets will be on sale beginning in October, so you’ll want to pick them up quickly. It’s going to be like nothing this town’s ever seen before – comedy, drama, the triumph of the winning dancers. This show’s got it all, plus appies to boot.
For more information and to see the full slate of dancers, go to www.skilarchhills.ca/DancingWithTheStars. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391808351.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/8fc7a69349d569b2030db7f27dc6c1227263e6ad32529389bd0cb97a934be174.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:37 | null | null | Bev Smith is no stranger to the Canadian women’s basketball team, having been both a player and a coach in four Olympic Games | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391173921.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Bev Smith’s experience an asset | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Bev Smith is no stranger to the Canadian women’s basketball team, having been both a player and a coach in four Olympic Games.
Most recently Smith served as one of the assistant coaches at this summer’s Games in Rio.
On the court, Smith was one of Canada’s best players and a key contributing member of the senior women’s national team during her first stint with the squad from 1978-88.
She returned to the program from 1992-96 to captain the team through veteran leadership and a strong sense of determination before retiring from the sport following the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
She was at the helm of Team Canada from 1997 to 2001, and in 2000 led Team Canada at the Olympic Games in Sydney.
Smith’s history with the sport affords her an in-depth understanding of the game and was a key role in her selection as an assistant coach in Rio.
She helped coach the Canadian team to a respectable, albeit disappointing seventh place finish, after their Pan Am Games gold medal last year. Canada bowed out in the quarter finals to the fourth place finishers from France. In the tournament the team won three and lost three, defeating China, Serbia and Senegal.
The highlight for the team may have been the thrilling 71-67 victory over eventual bronze medalists, Serbia in the round robin. Canada trailed by 12 heading into the final quarter and out scored the Serbians 26-10 in the final frame. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391173921.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/24b1307bed74508db10a46a9c35bc18453fe09173f981c81cf1d1cb515f63ca9.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:47 | null | null | The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) board of directors approved funding up to $2,000 to cover the removal of a houseboat | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391293221.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/49081salmonarmSAHouseboat.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | CSRD Board approves funds for boat removal | null | null | www.saobserver.net | An abandoned houseboat, which is tied to shore and has become partially submerged, will soon be removed thanks to funding from the CSRD and cooperation with the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resources.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) board of directors approved funding up to $2,000 to cover the removal of a houseboat that is partially submerged just offshore in Eagle Bay at their Aug. 18 board meeting.
The Compliance and Enforcement Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations have expressed interest in working collaboratively with the CSRD and other agencies to fund the removal and proper disposal of the boat. CSRD’s portion of the funding
The funds come from the Electoral Area C, F and E grant in aid funds.
The owner cannot be held responsible for clean-up cost as the last registered owner sold the boat years ago.
The board expressed concerns over whose responsibility it should be to dispose of the boat but agreed that stopping the boat from polluting the lake further was important. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391293221.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/944348924dd9f991e726899e4dbd08fc69edd0b5df920d8057156749fccfe6ae.json |
[
"Canadian Press"
] | 2016-08-31T00:52:15 | null | null | Two sides avert job action that has loomed for months | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391803281.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/18051BCLN2007Canada_Post_TruckWikimediaCommons.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Canada Post, postal union reach tentative deals | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed over the talks for months.
In a statement, Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the agreements were reached "voluntarily," but provides no other details about the deals themselves.
The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers had been at the forefront of protracted contract talks between the two sides.
The negotiations were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.
Canada Post described the tentative agreements as short-term. It said they are for two years and that four-year contracts were typically negotiated in the past.
"The agreements will avert a work disruption, bringing much-needed certainty in the postal system for our employees and customers," said Canada Post in a statement. "Canadians can now use the postal system with confidence."
The tentative agreements, however, still must be ratified by the members.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is Canada Post's largest union, representing more than 50,000 postal workers
The Canadian Press | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391803281.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/3cc7d9619dcae703fd758c6598b69fdcfb2384917d1083283b4521ece0a0b0aa.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:59 | null | null | The Lake2Lake is a two day, non-competitive, fully supported bike ride stretching over 220-kilometres in the Okanagan and Shuswap region | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391173461.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Ride from lake to lake | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The Lake2Lake is a two day, non-competitive, fully supported bike ride stretching over 220-kilometres in the Okanagan and Shuswap region. Registration closes Sept. 2, and will take place on Sept. 17 to 18.
The ride starts on the shore of Kalamalka Lake to Eagle Bay Camp on the shores of Shuswap Lake via Armstrong and Salmon Arm, before returning to Vernon the following day. The ride is in support of the teaching of quality education to over 82,000 children in Rwanda. For more information or to register, visit lake2lake.org. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391173461.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/916d3601ee61b9e91be10aed11a44ad2aef97a19879aac216f1870099a760d57.json |
[
"Canadian Press"
] | 2016-08-29T20:51:42 | null | null | Rising temperatures cause B.C. fishery closures for Nicola, Coldwater rivers to protect steelhead, trout | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391633591.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | High water temperatures cause B.C. government to close some rivers from fishing | null | null | www.saobserver.net | VICTORIA — High temperatures have caused the B.C. government to shut down fishing on the Nicola and Coldwater Rivers, as well as Spius Creek.
The government says the temporary closure is intended to help protect steelhead and other trout.
It says the mortality rate of catch-and-release trout increases when water temperatures rise above 20 C.
The province's closure, which is in effect until further notice, reflects the federal government's closure of steelhead fishing on the same waterways.
Under the federal Fisheries Act, the province is responsible for non-salmon freshwater fisheries, including sea-run steelhead, cutthroat and Dolly Varden.
The Canadian Press | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391633591.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/8a79110f54dcb34061d970151301c75e098d50d6a35099b856093d5c6c228420.json |
[
"Leah Blain"
] | 2016-08-31T00:52:07 | null | null | Megan Senn: Teen continues treatment, returns to SAS. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391808771.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/18846salmonarmSAMegansenn1.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Tackling classes and chemo | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Megan Senn, fighting cancer
Megan Senn, like most girls going into grade 12, is gearing up for the school year in the usual way.
“She’s got a new backpack and she is going on Pinterest picking out a grad dress. She’s very much looking forward to going back to school,” says her mother, Karen Quinton.
Megan has Down syndrome and last September she was diagnosed with leukemia. For the past year they have spent months in Vancouver at Children’s Hospital, and a lot of hours on the highway, going back and forth.
“We just came home on June 27. We finished our treatment and we are waiting for her chemo to start. She will be having treatments until January 2018. Most leukemia treatments are two and a half to three years, that’s normal,” says Quinton.
Megan gets her chemo treatments in a few ways: spinal injection, intravenous, and orally.
“She gets some kind of chemo almost every day. Leukemia likes to hide around the brain and spinal column so they always take a little spinal fluid. She’s never had any cancer in her spinal fluid, we’ve been lucky.”
They had a scare last week because her hemoglobin was very low.
“We were very concerned. They thought she had had a relapse but she didn’t. It was fine.”
They still have to go to Vancouver every 29 days for treatments but Quinton says they’re fortunate because they can do many of the treatments here.
“We were really lucky to have the oncology department here agree to do some treatments here in Salmon Arm. We don’t have to go to Vernon or Kelowna. It’s been a huge blessing for us. That means less time off work for me and less time off school for Megan. The nurse in the oncology department worked for 25 years at Children’s and knows all of Megan’s oncology team. That’s really a good thing, it doesn’t happen to just anyone.”
Last September a trust fund was set up at the Credit Union for Megan. Quinton says the financial support they have received from the community has been “a really big blessing.” She says the cost of food while they’re in Vancouver, the travel back and forth and the cost of parking add up.
“We’re so lucky to have community support. Thank you Salmon Arm and Sicamous. They’ve rallied behind me and Megan. It’s nice to focus just on Megan and not worry what was going on (financially).”
In October Quinton plans on taking part in the CIBC breast cancer run but she’s not going to wear the traditional pink shirt.
“Orange is the new pink. Orange is the colour of leukemia awareness. I’m going to wear orange.”
Throughout the whole process Megan has been an inspiration, she says.
“She is the model of positive attitude. She always has a smile on her face. She has never complained about her hair falling out, mouth sores, or being tired. The staff loved her because she gave them hugs and said, ‘thank you.’ People commented on her friendly and outgoing nature. She’s a sweet girl.”
Donations can be made at any branch of Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union, by asking for the ‘In trust for Megan Senn, account 1626480.’ | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391808771.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/9248d22ed100bba020d689dc4a577cc68a9131cf723edd4a7b691735da273819.json |
[
"Shannon Lough"
] | 2016-08-26T13:11:44 | null | null | Two months after having an endoscopy Joan Dudoward received a letter telling her that the endoscope used was not cleaned properly. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391353941.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/73852princerupertWEB.Joan-Dudoward.SL.35.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | VIDEO: Prince Rupert woman treated with unclean medical equipment, Northern Health, B.C. Centre for Disease Control confirms more than a hundred affected | null | null | www.saobserver.net | A routine check-up at the hospital has turned into a nightmare for a Prince Rupert woman.
A month-and-a-half after having an endoscopy to inspect her nose and throat, Joan Dudoward received a letter from Northern Health stating that the endoscope used at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital was not cleaned properly.
From April until the end of June 2016, the endoscope, which is a flexible tube with a light and a camera used in nonsurgical procedures, was being cleaned with the wrong cleaning solution to disinfect the equipment. There were 104 patients affected and Dudoward was one of them.
“I was majorly stressed out,” she said in an exclusive interview with the Northern View. “I'm a cancer survivor. I try to keep my health up for my mom, I'm a caregiver for a 95-year-old woman.”
Dudoward had gone to the Prince Rupert hospital for an endoscopy on June 29 at 3:30 p.m. after complaining to her physician about reoccurring plugged ears and a sore throat. She received the letter from Northern Health on Aug.24, which stated the error did not impact the diagnostic outcome of the tests and the process error has been corrected.
The letter also states that the BC Centre for Disease Control has been consulted and “the risk of a patient being exposed to a virus as a result of this process error is extremely low.” The contact number for the director of acute care services is offered in case she has any other questions or concerns. Dudoward has many.
She called to find out why the instrument wasn't cleaned, what had happened and how many people had gone through the procedure before and after her. “She said she's not permitted to tell me anything about this,” was the response Dudoward said she received.
The vice-president of medicine for the Northern Health authority, Dr. Ronald Chapman, was quick to respond to media inquiries and stressed the importance of transparency. He said, based on previous experience, once they realized the mistake had occurred they consulted the BC Centre for Disease Control as well as the Northern Health infectious disease specialist in Prince George.
“The risk for the patient is extremely low. We're not concerned that it will at all have any negative impact on their health,” Dr. Chapman said. He added that it's Northern Health's policy to make patients aware even if the risk to them is low. “We believe it's important to be open with those patients and to be fairly transparent so at least they are aware of the mistake. In this case, we don't recommend any particular follow up or tests for the patients.”
This type of process error has happened before, Dr. Chapman confirmed. Not with the same scope, but he said there are many different endoscopes used and each are made by different manufacturers that have various recommendations on how to clean the equipment.
“The health sector is run by human beings and it's fairly complex. If mistakes do happen what we encourage our staff to do is to make management aware so they can learn from that experience,” he said. “I'm happy to say where those mistakes have happened in our environment, a process has been put in place and we haven't had any repetitions after some of those learning experiences.”
For the 104 patients that were affected by this incident, Dr. Chapman said their general practitioners have been notified and if they have any questions they can speak to them and the infectious disease specialist. They can also contact Northern Health's Patient Care Quality Officeto register a complaint.
For Dudoward, who had a bone marrow transplant in 2011 to battle leukemia, she is concerned and has already scheduled a meeting with her physician in early September.
“I'm thinking that my body is not going to be able to fight off infection like I was able to before the cancer because chemo takes a lot out of your body so this is like a bomb exploding in my life,” she said. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391353941.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/7cdb09c8c26cae641905c14af02dc8bf74e7be0bdcd36c6712fc4cb047faf45c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:07 | null | null | The results for Wednesday, Aug. 17 are as follows: first place Rose Mitchell & Dan Quilty | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391173301.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Salmon Arm Observer | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The results for Wednesday, Aug. 17 are as follows: first place Rose Mitchell & Dan Quilty, second place Jane Dale & Carol McNabb and third place Jim Allison & Rick Warnecke. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391173301.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/b74341ec2bd4ac43f4b1dfdd5097c9fe46eaa9b606a2202900640a3788125cbc.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:14:18 | null | null | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fs%3Faction%3DdoLogin%26f%3Dy.json | http://www.saobserver.net/s?action=doLogin&f=y | pl | null | Clickability | null | null | www.saobserver.net | null | http://www.saobserver.net/s?action=doLogin&f=y | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/ca5610ab4e8ea1e6b93c9b80b15d6dd86b3e68d50500564674570ed94d159a5f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:03 | null | null | A sentencing hearing for a 24-year-old man convicted in June of first-degree murder has been delayed until January | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391294401.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/49398salmonarmMYERSTyler-col-newest-copy.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Convicted murderer won’t be sentenced until January | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Tyler Myers, murder victim
By Cam Fortems
KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK
A sentencing hearing for a 24-year-old man convicted in June of first-degree murder has been delayed until January.
Crown and defence lawyers were set to argue next month whether the offender, whose name cannot be made public because he was 16 years old at the time, should be sentenced in adult court.
Crown lawyer Evan Goulet said court-ordered psychiatric reports will not be ready for the September date.
A jury convicted the man of murdering a romantic rival in Salmon Arm on Nov. 21, 2008. Tyler Myers was found shot to death by RCMP in a school yard.
After the conviction, Goulet said the Crown would seek an adult sentence for the killer. If Goulet’s application is successful, the man could face a life sentence with 10 years before parole eligibility.
If he is sentenced as a youth, he would serve no more than six years behind bars. He has been in custody since his arrest in 2012.
A trial for the co-accused, a woman who was 17 at the time Myers was killed, is scheduled for November. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391294401.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/2d071df5c7b9e10b9f3eb2a3c7e161fae940c719ba766a5b4a808cbd32aa1f95.json |
[
"Canadian Press"
] | 2016-08-26T13:12:26 | null | null | Notice means delivery could be cancelled as early as Monday | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391302051.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/68221BCLN200782072cranbrookdailyCPweb.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Postal union issues strike notice after it says Canada Post refused special mediator | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The union representing most workers at Canada Post has issued a 72-hour notice of job action as it tries to bargain a collective agreement with the Crown corporation.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says the notice spells out what actions it is planning, but stops short of a full-blown walkout.
CUPW national president Mike Palecek says Canada Post forced the labour disruption by refusing to accept a request from the federal labour minister to continue negotiations with the help of a special mediator.
But a spokesman for the agency says that's not the case.
The union's strike mandate was set to expire at midnight.
The two sides have been in negotiations for more than nine months but are far apart on key issues including pay equity for rural carriers and proposed changes to the Canada Post pension plan.
The Canadian Press | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391302051.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/99d28dd56e1fb9c404f1b57f358cef90132ad88de2cb8cac533826587b6d2fd6.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:53:40 | null | null | The Salmon Arm Tennis Club will host their annual open tennis tournament on Sept. 10 and 11 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391806651.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Open tennis tournament | null | null | www.saobserver.net | The Salmon Arm Tennis Club will host their annual open tennis tournament on Sept. 10 and 11. The tournament will comprise of men’s and ladies’ singles, men’s and ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles.
The entry fee includes a minimum of two matches, tennis balls, refreshments on Saturday and Sunday morning, a wine and cheese social at 5 p.m. on Saturday and prizes. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391806651.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/5d4d54b78656b38dce07e68aba40ad2156c4a538ee8122f2f99b58d8fae58aa6.json |
[
"Carli Berry"
] | 2016-08-26T13:11:51 | null | null | A burger and beer fundraiser for Baker will be held Saturday at Enderby Memorial Arena. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391327921.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/63076vernonsub-gofundmebaker-8-11.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Community rallies for Baker | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Erica and Gary Baker are thankful for community support since Gary collapsed on the soccer field. He is recovering from a brain aneurysm.
Gary Baker of the Okanagan Spring Brewery Camels is a trooper.
The 45-year-old is currently in Vancouver General Hospital, recovering from a brain aneurysm he suffered after collapsing during a Capri Insurance Men’s Soccer League soccer match, Aug. 1 in Vernon.
A burger and beer fundraiser for Baker will be held Saturday at Enderby Memorial Arena.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at Big Al’s House of Hockey in Salmon Arm or at Sutherland’s Bakery in Enderby. The event runs from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets will also be available at the door.
The Enderby resident has been through two surgeries but also has the community rallying behind him with a GoFundMe page.
He is currently out of an induced coma, and responds differently depending on the day, said Camel teammate Ron Krause.
They plan for a two-year recovery period.
The Bakers also recently went back to school. Gary has been attending Okanagan College in Salmon Arm.
“My sister (Gary’s wife Erica Baker) would say ‘this has been the hardest of her life,’” said Katherine Goertz.
Erica, 37, commutes a few times a week to Kelowna where she attends Okanagan College to get her biochemistry degree.
“They’ve been stretching every dollar. They have the extra burden of student loans” said Goertz.
Erica has been incredibly grateful for the support of her community.
“It’s like having a big, thick blanket wrapped around me,” she said.
It isn’t surprising that the family has received support from the community because of their involvement, said Goertz.
Gary coached his daughter’s soccer team and is a volunteer firefighter.
“Someone offered to pick their veggies. People have been mailing cheques to the house,” said Goertz.
A carpenter, Gary and Erica own B.C. Log Design.
“They built their own house. The kids have never lived in any other house,” said Goertz.
She described Gary as a “voracious learner” and he always provided help with her homework.
Gary and Erica have four children: Alea, 16, Erin, 15, Bree, 13 and Keira, 11.
Visit their GoFundMe at “Help Support the Bakers” or gofundme.com/2hvh3jg.
They have raised $29,485 on their GoFundMe as of Aug. 24.
The Kelowna Cantinas, who were playing the Camels when Baker collapsed, raised $320 earlier this week. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391327921.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/b9c633bdde18ebce45079b3a44f53418a42e60122b4ca47a4c6c7d0bb5dca2dc.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:53:47 | null | null | More than 25 teams from across B.C. and Alberta took part in the third annual Shore ‘N’ Score Cup | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391807531.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/18253salmonarm20160827ShoreScoreSoccerEB0134.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Salmon Arm Observer | null | null | www.saobserver.net | More than 25 teams from across B.C. and Alberta took part in the third annual Shore ‘N’ Score Cup the SASCU Sports Field over the weekend. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391807531.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/1776be240ce87313f9b77b4dcd5211ccb6d85c7b94250600c0a2627495e442a5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:57 | null | null | Constituents are receiving information and response ballots in the mail from MP Mel Arnold, who is seeking input | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391294861.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/49531salmonarmArnold-Mel2015.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Election reform survey available | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Mel Arnold, North Okanagan-Shuswap MP
North Okanagan-Shuswap residents can speak out the electoral process.
Constituents are receiving information and response ballots in the mail from MP Mel Arnold, who is seeking input on a possible national referendum on electoral reform.
“I sincerely hope that all constituents will take the opportunity to provide me their input on this very important national question,” he said.
The Liberal government is proposing changes to Canada’s system of calculating election results.
“In the absence of any clear proposal from the government on what or how they envision changing our system of voting, I believe it is appropriate to provide voters in Canada the opportunity to vote in a referendum to determine if this is something Canadians actually want,” said Arnold.
The information pamphlet mailed to all residences includes a ballot that can be mailed to Arnold’s office indicate whether residents favour a referendum on electoral reform. | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391294861.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/299808ad13fdec36c1c9d63799b764076de81d4d70b8ada70ba1e517c53fae89.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:53:34 | null | null | Heather Hodgins chips her ball onto the 11th green during the Salmon Arm Golf Club’s club championship tournament over the weekend | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fsports%2F391807121.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/17965salmonarm20160828SAGCChampionshipEB0031.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Hitting the links | null | null | www.saobserver.net | Heather Hodgins chips her ball onto the 11th green during the Salmon Arm Golf Club’s club championship tournament over the weekend. The men’s club champion was Dan Kohlen, while the ladies champion was Joan Sholinder. In the senior divisions, Dave Evensen took home the title for the men and Linda Rivard won the ladies title. The super senior club champion was Chuck Buckler. | http://www.saobserver.net/sports/391807121.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/d7ab6e09d73ed68325cafeced966ffea259521d07fb94066557811d7bd18e8a2.json |
[
"Canadian Press"
] | 2016-08-30T18:52:05 | null | null | Windy Lake and Little Windy Lake to be poisoned to remove unwanted non-native perch | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saobserver.net%2Fnews%2F391765791.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/1705BCLN2007WindyLakemap.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Poison to be used in two B.C. lakes west of Kelowna after non-native fish species spotted | null | null | www.saobserver.net | KAMLOOPS, B.C. – British Columbia's Fish and Wildlife Branch says all the fish in two lakes in the Upper Nicola watershed will have to be killed in order to get rid of an unwanted perch.
Biologist Steve Maricle says perch were spotted earlier this year in Windy Lake and Little Windy Lake, both about 50 kilometres northwest of West Kelowna.
Perch are not native to the lakes or the Nicola watershed and biologists say the rapidly breeding species competes for food with native fish and has the potential to wipe them out.
Maricle says barriers will be set up on waterways leading in and out of the lakes to contain the perch this year.
Rotenone, a poison lethal to fish but with limited effect on other animals such as frogs or waterfowl, will then be used to kill all fish in both lakes.
The lakes will be restocked once the perch have been removed, but Maricle says it will be next year at the earliest before any action is taken.
"It's just the logistics of all the permitting that's required to get the product, the rotenone, that we use to treat the lake. To get all the permitting in place to get (the rotenone) in, there's no way we could jump on it this year."
The Fish and Wildlife Branch believes visitors to Windy Lake and Little Windy Lake intentionally introduced the perch into the water. (CHNL)
The Canadian Press | http://www.saobserver.net/news/391765791.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.saobserver.net/a34331ea393df39591e24d7970fe72e9fa06067cb1e53fdffcf2f85a4c1f23f5.json |
[
"Debbie Ramsey",
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Lucette Moramarco"
] | 2016-08-26T12:54:43 | null | 2013-08-01T14:24:00 | Some people admire beauty and others create it. Fallbrook resident Meg Berry does both, with love. A nationally respected gem cutter and carver, Berry rece | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Flocal%2Fwith-incredible-talent-fallbrooks-meg-berry-brings-gems-to-life-and-wins-9-awards-at-county-fair%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/07-25-13-local-Meg%20Berry%201-LM.jpg | en | null | With incredible talent, Fallbrook's Meg Berry brings gems to life and wins 9 awards at county fair | null | null | villagenews.com | Some people admire beauty and others create it. Fallbrook resident Meg Berry does both, with love. A nationally respected gem cutter and carver, Berry recently brought home nine awards from the 2013 San Diego County Fair in Del Mar.
When asked about her notable passion for gems, Berry said, “Every natural stone is different but we have the potential to make it look beautiful. How can I not be fascinated with that?”
Berry has been cutting gems for 38 years and her passion only seems to have increased over time.
“I work for my art; I’ve learned a lot and gotten better with each cut I’ve made.”
Berry grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“I dropped out of college, worked in a factory and a bike shop and moved to California at the age of 20,” she explained. While living in the Los Angeles area, Berry enjoyed competing in bicycle races nationally in addition to making jewelry. She bought her jewelry supplies at Grieger’s Gem Supply in Pasadena, which in 1947 issued a statement saying “You will see more rocks than Rockefeller [here].”
“Grieger’s was one of the few places that offered classes in stone cutting and I went into a three-year apprenticeship program and learned the art alongside John Grieger,” she said.
The opportunity to use her artistic skill brought Berry to Fallbrook in 1985. “In 1989 I began working full time for The Collector (Fine Jewelry),” she explained. Subsequently, she married and had a daughter. “In 1994 (after becoming a single mom), I moved to Fallbrook and then bought a home in Rainbow in 1996,” she said.
Berry’s home is as unique as she is.
“When I was looking at homes to buy, I saw this 140-year-old hand-built rock house in Rainbow on the site of a former quarry; when I saw it I knew it was the only place I’d ever want,” said Berry. Despite the enormous amount of work required to bring the vacant property up to habitable condition, she wasn’t deterred from her goal.
“It had 30 broken windows and I had to remove a squatter who was on the property,” she said.
While renovating her new place of residence, Berry continued to hone her skills and impress those in her industry.
With a very strong technical background in her craft, Berry has penned many articles that serve as reference material for diamond cutting tools. She is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable people in the United States on these tools. Berry does not cut diamonds, but uses the same tools for the gems she works with.
“Cutting diamonds doesn’t interest me; it’s a totally different technology,” she said. “To be considered a gemologist, I would need to have the diamond credential, which I don’t intend to get. In my opinion, that’s when gem cutters lose their touch with reality.”
As time has passed, Berry has become more and more involved with teaching her craft to others and speaks regularly at the Gemological Institute.
This year, in addition to submitting several pieces for competition, Berry volunteered her time for eight days at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, working a booth for both Volunteers for Minerals and the Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Society.
“Essentially we do mineral sales as a fundraiser and social outreach,” she said.
“I also volunteer and teach lapidary classes at the Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Society,” said Berry, who also has some private students.
A natural teacher, Berry takes pride in teaching her students well.
“I try to start people out [cutting] tourmaline; it’s pretty and easy to cut,” she said. “A lot of teachers start their students out on marble or quartz, because it’s cheap, but it’s really hard.”
Known to many in the gem world as the “Tourmaline Whisperer,” Berry has cut more of this gem material than anything else, which is no surprise given her 15-year affiliation with Bill Larson, who owns Pala International (mining operation) and The Collector retail gallery, along with his wife, Jeanne.
“I can do things with tourmaline that people don’t think is possible,” said Berry, who is well regarded for her bi-color tourmaline cuts. Other materials she considers easy to cut are aquamarine and emerald.
Stones that she calls “moderately difficult” to cut are topaz, sapphire, and tanzanite.
“Difficult would be kunzite (originally found in Pala), fluorite, and wulfenite, which is very rare.
Berry said it is common for a student to feel nervous when they begin to cut gems.
“Students always worry that they will screw up and I tell them, ‘you’re my student; you won’t screw it up,’” she said. “The only thing that can happen is that the stone will get a little smaller. The goal is always to get the biggest possible cut out of the rough material.”
Given her expertise at cutting gems, Berry then began to carve gem material into pieces of valuable art.
“I started with rocks, but my time is worth too much – I needed to carve gems to put the art value together with my time,” she explained. “I don’t want to put my time into rubble.”
Her favorite carving to date is an intricate heart-themed piece fashioned out of Brazilian tourmaline. “I took a slice of tourmaline and carved it into multiple hearts with a piercing in the middle,” she explained. “The result is a 25-carat work of art carrying a value of $10,000.” Needless to say, now Berry’s carvings are well-recognized and sought after.
As with many pursuits, the repetition of work takes its toll.
“My career as a gem cutter is on limited time now,” Berry admitted. “With some health issues, including the condition of my hands, I will be lucky if I have 10 more years left before my hands won’t withstand this work anymore.”
That’s where her gift for teaching and value as a consultant will become paramount and her wealth of knowledge maximized.
To learn more about Meg Berry, visit www.megagemberry.com.
Meg Berry
2013 San Diego County Fair awards
“Best Of” awards (4)
• Best Faceted Stone – Round, 3.45 carat Pink Zoisite (Tanzanite) with matching rough stone
• Best Carving (Dahnke Award) – 25 carat carved heart out of Rubellite (red Tourmaline) from Brazil
• Best Lapidary Case (all work done by exhibitor) – Lapidary Scrabble game
• Best Lapidary Piece – Carved Australian Chrysoprase pendant
“Blue Ribbons” (3)
• First Place, Professional Faceted Stone – Round, 3.45 Pink Zoisite (Tanzanite) with matching rough stone
• First Place, Professional Carving – 25 carat carved heart out of Rubellite (red Tourmaline) from Brazil
• First Place, Lapidary Case (all work done by exhibitor) – Lapidary Scrabble game
Red Ribbon (1)
• Second Place, Professional Carving – Nehprite Jade Pendant
White Ribbon (1)
• Third Place, Open Class (25 carat and up) – 25 carat fancy brilliant shield facet cut Morganite (pink Beryl) with matching rough | http://villagenews.com/local/with-incredible-talent-fallbrooks-meg-berry-brings-gems-to-life-and-wins-9-awards-at-county-fair/ | en | 2013-08-01T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/6a666070601367d13f76bd76129abe265f3dce63fbb99911d6c4c7a5c6d0a785.json |
[
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-30T20:46:32 | null | 2016-08-30T12:38:10 | A 22-year-old Fallbrook man accused of driving drunk, triggering a rollover crash in Anza that killed his passenger, is expected to face gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI charges, authorities said Tuesday, Aug. 30. | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Flocal%2Ffallbrook-man-custody-alleged-dui-crash-leaving-one-dead%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Village-Logo-online.jpg | en | null | Fallbrook man in custody for alleged DUI crash, leaving one dead | null | null | villagenews.com | ANZA – A 22-year-old Fallbrook man accused of driving drunk, triggering a rollover crash in Anza that killed his passenger, is expected to face gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI charges, authorities said Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Michael Briggs was arrested early Monday upon being released from Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where he was treated for unspecified injuries from the Sunday night crash, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Darren Meyer.
Meyer was then booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where he was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail, the officer said.
Briggs was behind the wheel of a white 1988 Ford Ranger that crashed about 11:20 p.m. Sunday on Coyote Canyon Road, east of Terwilliger Road, Meyer said.
A CHP report alleges that “due to his intoxicated state, (Briggs) failed to negotiate the right-hand curve in the roadway”’ and turned unsafely, causing the truck to flip over onto its roof and then back onto its wheels.
The passenger, a 22-year-old Escondido man, died at the scene of head trauma, Meyer said. His name was being withheld pending family notification.
Briggs is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, according to jail records. | http://villagenews.com/local/fallbrook-man-custody-alleged-dui-crash-leaving-one-dead/ | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/84f5c8a08552b194b9328d19c0b7ebac792abae36cf593a3c26ea8f22040ddc2.json |
[
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-29T04:46:19 | null | 2016-08-28T21:45:27 | FALLBROOK − All are invited to come join the fun at the inaugural Fallbrook Country Car show on Sunday, Oct. 2. The event will be held at Grand Tradition | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Fmotor%2Fag-boosters-host-fallbrook-country-car-show-oct-2%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Village-Logo-online.jpg | en | null | Ag Boosters to host Fallbrook Country Car show on Oct. 2 | null | null | villagenews.com | FALLBROOK − All are invited to come join the fun at the inaugural Fallbrook Country Car show on Sunday, Oct. 2. The event will be held at Grand Tradition in Fallbrook and is hosted by the Fallbrook Ag Boosters.
In addition to some awesome cars, there will be pumpkins for sale, raffles, food and entertainment. Doors open at 8 a.m. General admission is $5.
Car and driver pre-admission is $35 online at www.FallbrookCountryCarShow.com , or $40 at the gate. Car registration begins at 7 a.m. There will also be a 21 and under Junior Car Class. Hand-made trophies will be awarded.
The Fallbrook Ag Boosters support Fallbrook 4-H and the Fallbrook High School FFA chapter. Meguair’s and Jack Powell are proud sponsors of this event. For those who cannot make the event but want to support the program, additional sponsorship is available.
For more information, contact Laura Evans at (760) 421-9113. | http://villagenews.com/motor/ag-boosters-host-fallbrook-country-car-show-oct-2/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/f05453db660d9e1581ed9a2af2dc78f58e9d65a647ccf815bc5b3db66e10b034.json |
[
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Lucette Moramarco",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T12:51:28 | null | 2016-08-26T04:25:58 | FALLBROOK – The Fallbrook Healthcare District announced that this year’s free PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening will be held Saturday, Sept. 17 fro | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Fhealth%2Ffree-psa-screening-will-offered-sept-17%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Village-Logo-online.jpg | en | null | Free PSA screening will be offered Sept. 17 | null | null | villagenews.com | FALLBROOK – The Fallbrook Healthcare District announced that this year’s free PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening will be held Saturday, Sept. 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Fallbrook Family Health Center, 1328 S. Mission Road (next to Northgate Market).
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States after skin cancer. It competes with lung cancer as the leading cause of death among men. Early diagnosis and treatment are the best defense.
There are varying opinions on the value and importance of screenings for this disease condition. The opinions are just that – opinions. Determination of treatment is a matter to be decided by the individual in consult with his physician.
A screening is an indicator that additional medical attention may be warranted. Just as an electrocardiogram, a pap smear, a mammogram or a high cholesterol reading may be an indicator that additional medical attention is warranted, the PSA screening with a blood test and an exam informs that there may be health concerns that should be attended.
Dr. Philip Brodak of the Tri-Valley Urology Medical Group is the physician in charge. He and the Fallbrook Healthcare District are teaming up again this year with the Fallbrook Family Health Center to offer a free Prostate Cancer Screening opportunity.
The PSA blood study and digital exam are provided at no charge to men who live in Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow or De Luz. It is recommended that men over the age of 50 have a prostate screening on an annual basis. Men who have a family history of prostate cancer should begin to have evaluations at least by age 40.
Dr. Brodak and many others volunteer their time to make this program possible. Results of the exam and blood study are confidentially provided to each individual. Follow-up on results of the studies is the responsibility of each individual.
Approximately 1,200 free screenings have been provided to individuals over the last 10 years. The majority of those tested were within normal range on both components of the screening.
There are however, each year, those whose test findings indicated the need for additional evaluation due to abnormal findings in one or both areas of the screening. For some, it was a screening without which their condition may not have been identified and addressed early enough for intervention. It is crucial that each individual follow-up with his physician when abnormal results are reported to him.
The Fallbrook Healthcare District is proud of this annual program for the men of this community. This offering aligns with the district’s mission of promoting the health of the people of the district and enhancing access to sustainable quality healthcare services. The district urges all men to consider the screening as it applies to them – either by age or by family history – and to invest their time in their personal health and well-being.
Appointments are required. To make an appointment in English call (760) 731-9187; in Spanish (760) 451-4728. | http://villagenews.com/health/free-psa-screening-will-offered-sept-17/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/61d2b494472783745ce84c2311ec7f0786b817ec7f31ff3a6590f12da02745f8.json |
[
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Lucette Moramarco",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T12:56:15 | null | 2016-08-20T09:37:34 | MENIFEE − Three people have been arrested for their involvement in the kidnapping of a Menifee woman and two additional suspects remain at large, the River | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Fmost-relevant%2Fthree-arrests-fallbrook-residents-made-menifee-kidnapping-two-suspects-still-large%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/test-1.png | en | null | Three arrests of Fallbrook residents made in Menifee kidnapping; two suspects still at large | null | null | villagenews.com | MENIFEE − Three people have been arrested for their involvement in the kidnapping of a Menifee woman and two additional suspects remain at large, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said on August 20.
The investigation, which was a multi-agency effort led by the Menifee Police Department Special Enforcement Team, began Aug. 9 when the victim was reportedly taken from her residence in the 27000 block of Holland Road in Menifee.
Two suspects armed with handguns, identified as 32-year-old Jesse Aaron and 31-year-old Nathan Lopez of Fallbrook, forced the victim to obtain money to repay a debt to them and to secure her release, according to Sgt. Sam Morovich of the RCSD.
As the investigation unfolded, a Murrieta Police Department patrolman conducted a routine traffic stop near the intersection of Antelope Road and Keller Road in Murrieta and detained Aaron and the victim in a car, Morovich said.
The victim was freed and Aaron was released to the Menifee Police Department Special Enforcement Team. He was later booked at the Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of kidnapping and false imprisonment, Morovich said.
Aaron is being held on a $145,000 bond. His next court appearance is Tuesday at the Murrieta Southwest Justice Center, according to online Riverside County inmate records. Lopez remains at large.
Two additional arrests were made in the case Thursday in Fallbrook with the assistance of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Fallbrook station and a Drug Enforcement Agency Narcotics Task Force, according to Morovich.
Authorities served a search warrant at a home in the 1200 block of Juliette Place in which they recovered an illegal firearm and ammunition, 15 ounces of methamphetamine, and items associated with drug sales, Morovich said.
During the warrant search, 31-year-old Jedediah Shaw of Fallbrook fled the location on foot but was apprehended in a nearby backyard by San Diego sheriff’s deputies.
Shaw and 27-year-old Kelly Crossmen were arrested as a result of the search warrant and for their alleged connection to the kidnapping but authorities didn’t immediately disclose how the pair was involved.
Shaw and Crossmen also were booked at the Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of kidnapping and drug sales, Morovich said.
Shaw is being held on a $250,000 bond, according to online Riverside County inmate records. Records for Crossmen were not available.
One more woman associated with the kidnapping and remains at large, according to Morovich. She’s been identified as 31-year-old Jacqueline Smith-Perez of Menifee.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has issued arrest warrants for Lopez and Smith-Perez, Morovich said.
If Lopez or Smith-Perez are sighted, people are asked to immediately call 911, but are advised to not make an attempt to apprehend either person.
Any other information involving this case can be forwarded to the Menifee Police Department at (951) 210-1000, or by email at [email protected] . | http://villagenews.com/most-relevant/three-arrests-fallbrook-residents-made-menifee-kidnapping-two-suspects-still-large/ | en | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/7c93539bb6e75bff064960999b2ea96e98cd1e6f8787b3d16c827ce7a61b06e7.json |
[
"Tom Ferrall",
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Lucette Moramarco",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T12:57:37 | null | 2016-08-17T22:22:48 | Negotiations that began on Aug. 9 for the purchase of Fallbrook Golf Club were continuing as of the deadline (Tuesday, Aug. 16) for this article. "We're wo | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Flocal%2Fnegotiations-continue-fallbrook-golf-club%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Village-Logo-online.jpg | en | null | Negotiations continue for Fallbrook Golf Club | null | null | villagenews.com | Negotiations that began on Aug. 9 for the purchase of Fallbrook Golf Club were continuing as of the deadline (Tuesday, Aug. 16) for this article.
“We’re working on it,” said Fallbrook Golf Club owner Jack Lamberson on the morning of Aug. 16. “We’re still negotiating. We’re trying to get a deal. Hopefully, by this time next week we’ll have something really solid.”
Lamberson stated on Aug. 9 that he had a meeting that morning with a real estate broker. The fact that talks were continuing a week later provided some hope to Gird Valley residents who want the 116-acre property to remain a golf course or an open space recreational area.
“We try to be optimistic,” said Teresa Platt, the leader of the community group Save Fallbrook Golf Course. “For the right person it’s a terrific property, even in its current neglected state.”
Lamberson shut the golf course down for the third time this year on July 26 and the property has not been watered or had any maintenance performed on it since July 25.
“We just have to remain hopeful that a good deal can be made,” said Platt. | http://villagenews.com/local/negotiations-continue-fallbrook-golf-club/ | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/0eba7a09444b2652d769e8fcbfef64cac9d2259c3aa618741f391399c086bfbb.json |
[
"Andrea Verdin",
"Shane Gibson",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T18:45:43 | null | 2016-08-26T11:35:40 | A suspect with a felony warrant fled from law enforcement on August 25, causing the Sheriff's deputy to use a taser to detain and arrest the invidual. Acco | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Flocal%2Fsuspect-felony-warrant-tasered-arrested-fleeing-fallbrook-deputies%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Village-Logo-online.jpg | en | null | Suspect with felony warrant tasered and arrested after fleeing from Fallbrook deputies | null | null | villagenews.com | A suspect with a felony warrant fled from law enforcement on August 25, causing the Sheriff’s deputy to use a taser to detain and arrest the invidual.
According to Sgt. Patrick Yates, Robert Harris, a 54-year-old male was driving in Fallbrook at approximately 2 p.m. when he was identified by a deputy as an individual with a felony warrant. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, which led to a 5-mile chase into the De Luz area.
When Harris reached the Sandia Creek area, he attempted to flee on foot.
“He fled approximately 150 yards, and turned around as if he was going to fight,” said Yates. “So the taser was deployed. It worked effectively, and after a short struggle after the tasering, Harris was arrested.”
If “assaultive behavior” is displayed, the deputy may choose to use a taser as a resource as a non-lethal option for restraint, said Yates.
Upon arrest, it was found that Harris had several ounces of methamphetamine and a scale on his person. He was then charged for possession of narcotics and controlled substance for sale. | http://villagenews.com/local/suspect-felony-warrant-tasered-arrested-fleeing-fallbrook-deputies/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/2afd91c3d72501923518835fb3c02ed8683f84b180e009e6f408465752ed2ca2.json |
[
"Lucette Moramarco",
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T12:47:19 | null | 2016-08-26T05:28:44 | Dining choices at the last Fallbrook Summer Nights event on Aug. 19 included pulled pork sandwiches, Maine lobster and personal size pizzas, but the deligh | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Frestaurants%2Fbbq-stand-benefits-local-troops-vets%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/DSCN5990.jpg | en | null | BBQ stand benefits local troops and vets | null | null | villagenews.com | Dining choices at the last Fallbrook Summer Nights event on Aug. 19 included pulled pork sandwiches, Maine lobster and personal size pizzas, but the delightful aroma of hamburgers and hot dogs cooking on a grill attracted just as many customers to the Veterans of Foreign War’s (VFW) food stand.
An appealing meal for families as well as for a group from the sheriff department’s Volunteer Senior Patrol, Fallbrook VFW Post 1924 also offered cheeseburgers (“with American cheese of course,” said post commander Ken Etherton); meal plates included chips and bottled water for $8.
Service was so quick, I forgot to ask for a well-done patty, so mine was pinker inside than I like but, as my sister pointed out, a lot of people like medium rare meat so I’m not holding it against them. (She got a nicely charred patty on her bun.) On a more positive note, the toppings included onion, which I find always make hamburgers and sandwiches in general taste better.
Sergeant Armando Muniz, Jr., an active duty Marine, manned the BBQ that night, sprinkling the patties on the grill with steak and grilling seasoning. The volunteers have had plenty of practice since the VFW serves a hamburger dinner (with choice of chicken or beef burger) for $5 every Monday night at their post, 1175 Old Stage Rd.
Wednesday night dinners feature pasta or a salad bar which includes chicken or steak for $8, and Friday’s dinner offers a varied menu. The third Friday of each month features rib-eye steak with baked potato and cole slaw, while the last Friday of the month is all-you-can-eat tacos for $8. The dishes on the other Fridays vary from month to month, sometimes including St. Louis style pork ribs with cole slaw and corn bread for $11, or Sloppy Joes for $8. All prices are recommended donations.
All VFW dinners, from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m., are open to the public as an on-going fundraiser. Etherton said that the dinners are put on “100 percent by volunteers and 100 percent [money raised] goes to benefit local vets.” Among the volunteers, kitchen manager Laura Torres coordinates the meals, which are cooked by different
volunteer chefs each night.
The volunteers also serve a third Sunday breakfast from 8:30 to 11 a.m. for $8 and a champagne brunch on the fifth Sunday of the month for $9, a delicious way to support local troops and veterans. | http://villagenews.com/restaurants/bbq-stand-benefits-local-troops-vets/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/d59efa44d0afa425457c49e360a441108caae7c7a29a0e7697d20a49cca3431f.json |
[
"Andrea Verdin",
"Shane Gibson",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Joe Naiman",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T16:46:47 | null | 2011-07-22T16:40:00 | Two Oceanside women are behind bars after a Fallbrook man turned them in for attempted home burglary. According to reports, the witness was sitting in his | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Flocal%2Ftwo-females-arrested-after-fallbrook-resident-catches-them-during-home-burglary%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Village-Logo-online.jpg | en | null | Two females arrested after Fallbrook resident catches them during home burglary | null | null | villagenews.com | Two Oceanside women are behind bars after a Fallbrook man turned them in for attempted home burglary.
According to reports, the witness was sitting in his office/den at home, located in the 1900 block of James Gaynor Street in Fallbrook. While he was looking out the front window of the office, he observed a gray vehicle drive up and park on the street in front of his neighbor’s home. An older white female adult with blond hair drove the vehicle, and she and another female with brown hair exited the vehicle and walked to the side gate of the residence.
Lt. Robert Haley, the commander of the Fallbrook substation stated that the witness believed his neighbor was on vacation, which was why he continued to watch the women’s progress.
The blonde female, later identified as Sandlanna Stewart, exited the residence carrying a red bag and the dark haired female, identified as Stephanie Hollinger-Child, was carrying a blue duffle bag.
The witness began to take photos and followed the women as they were leaving. When they noticed he was following them they acted very nervous, Haley stated.
“They began talking about how Hollinger-Child’s boyfriend was ‘going to kill her.’
The witness asked the women if they needed help, and they asked for a ride to the 7-11 on Main Street in Fallbrook. As he was driving them he asked if they knew the owner of the home they were at, and they admitted they did not. He asked the women whose bags they were carrying, and they claimed they owned them and were moving out of an apartment.
“The witness then realized the subjects had probably broken into his neighbor’s residence and stolen her property, so he drove to the Fallbrook Sheriff’s station with the two subjects,” said Haley.
Upon arriving at the station the two females exited and fled on foot. The witness contacted deputies from the Fallbrook station, and they searched the area and found the females hiding behind a business on Main Ave.
“Deputies Felicia and Crowley placed the two under arrest, Detective Vrabel of the Fallbrook Station drove to the residence and found a rear window broken and found the residence ransacked and property missing,” said Haley. “The property the two suspects had in their possession was later identified as being stolen from the victim’s residence.”
Hollinger-Child, 25, and Stewart, 46, both of Oceanside, were booked into the Vista Detention Facility for residential burglary, grand theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy. Bail has been set at $305,000 and both suspects are to be arraigned on July 22.
The detective handling the burglary case indicated Hollinger had two prior felony convictions and has served time in prison. Currently, Oceanside Police are also investigating to see if either women are involved in home burglaries in their jurisdiction.
To help deter home burglaries, Haley recommended that individuals heading out of the area stop by the Sheriff’s substation to sign up for vacation checks.
“Our volunteers stop in on a regular basis to ensure the doors are locked and provide our presence while making sure there is nothing out of the ordinary,” said Haley. “All it takes is a form.”
Vigilant citizens are also essential to keep down home burglary, he continued.
“We appreciate the neighbors looking out for each other, as it helps us immensely,” said Haley. “We have to cover 137 square miles, so we count on the citizens to inform us of incidents.” | http://villagenews.com/local/two-females-arrested-after-fallbrook-resident-catches-them-during-home-burglary/ | en | 2011-07-22T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/a1490d9b6540652ed3693805b075cbaf9019f89cf8647ae86eaa15d6bf6f9244.json |
[
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-29T04:46:14 | null | 2016-08-28T21:44:07 | The Bonsall Unified High School District (BUSD) approved the final documents to transfer the property containing the North County Fire Protection District' | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Flocal%2Fbusd-finalizes-purchase-former-ncfpd-station%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Village-Logo-online.jpg | en | null | BUSD finalizes purchase of former NCFPD station | null | null | villagenews.com | The Bonsall Unified High School District (BUSD) approved the final documents to transfer the property containing the North County Fire Protection District’s (NCFPD) former Station 5 back to the school district.
A 5-0 BUSD board vote Aug. 11 approved the escrow and closing agreement for the 0.64-acre parcel of land on Old River Road adjacent to Bonsall Elementary School.
“That’s pretty much the end of escrow,” said BUSD superintendent Justin Cunningham.
The Bonsall Union School District sold the property to the Fallbrook Fire Protection District for $35,000 in 1981. The grant deed, which was binding on successor agencies, included a stipulation that if the land was to be used for anything other than a fire station it was to be sold back to the school district for the purchase price of $35,000.
A fire station and a parking area were constructed on the property. The Fallbrook Fire Protection District became the North County Fire Protection District in 1986 and the Bonsall Union School District became the Bonsall Unified School District in 2014.
The former Station 5 was replaced with a newer and larger station on Olive Hill Road, and in early 2015 the fire district moved its personnel and apparatus into the new station. NCFPD and BUSD staff had different interpretations whether the repurchase price should reflect the improvements made to the property.
In January 2015, the BUSD board voted to support a purchase price of $35,000. Fire board members threatened to continue to use the old fire station rather than sell it for $35,000, but the fire board never took an official position in favor of factoring the improvements into the repurchase price and in July 2015 the NCFPD board voted to approve the sale of the property for $35,000.
In December 2015, the school board authorized BUSD staff to enter into a purchase and sale agreement, and the BUSD board approved the specific agreement on March 9.
In addition to the $35,000 purchase price the school district will pay $1,045 in escrow and title costs and $109 for a natural hazard disclosure report. A $250 buyer refundable pad will cover any additional costs and brings the total payment amount to $36,404 minus any refund the Bonsall district receives from that pad.
“We even paid for their attorney’s fees,” Cunningham said.
Bob James is NCFPD’s legal counsel, and the school district utilized James to assist with the repurchase agreement.
“We’re really looking forward to having some more room,” Cunningham said.
The school district has not made a definite decision on the use of the land. A continuation high school is one option, and the former fire station may also become a school district maintenance facility. “Our maintenance people would look at that as a great place,” Cunningham said.
An addition to an existing school which does not increase student capacity by more than 25 percent or 10 classrooms, whichever is less, is eligible for a categorical exemption from California Environmental Quality Act review. | http://villagenews.com/local/busd-finalizes-purchase-former-ncfpd-station/ | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/b09947a2856075717445f6b02f96329947deca81eb623dc8076c55fc09a95730.json |
[
"Andrea Verdin",
"Joe Naiman",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Lucette Moramarco",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T12:50:22 | null | 2016-08-26T04:11:55 | Now that school has started in Fallbrook, it won’t be too long before the Fallbrook High football stadium and fields will be filled with cheering parents a | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Fentertainment%2Fbehind-scenes-look-mission-theatres-music-man%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/musicman-2.jpg | en | null | A behind the scenes look at Mission Theatre's ‘The Music Man' | null | null | villagenews.com | Now that school has started in Fallbrook, it won’t be too long before the Fallbrook High football stadium and fields will be filled with cheering parents and family friends supporting their children as they partake in a pastime they love. The hard-working actors and dancers at Mission Theatre deserve the same support, and it was evident that their passion and love for their art requires just as much dedication as any sport.
This was evident with CAST Academy’s summer camp presentation of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man.” It was clear that camp director Jennifer Craw and director Oscar Escobedo had worked hard to get the actors to do give their best performances, even as they ended their summer production on Aug. 14.
Behind the scenes, the children were comfortable in their costumes, and happy to be going on stage. As they waited in anticipation for the show to begin, the youngest actors, instead of being the chatterboxes, were the ones policing each other to make sure that it was truly silent behind stage.
Once the play began, the children got to show off their acting, dancing and singing abilities. Each has been working hard, and the favorite numbers from the musical, such as “76 Trombones,” “Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little,” “Marian the Librarian,” and “Goodnight My Someone” were performed to the best of everyone’s ability.
CAST Academy’s summer camp had several sessions, with each guaranteeing that enrolled students would be given a role in the production. Every student performed in each of the five performances, which cannot be said for some players who invest in athletics. There’s simply no way that a sports team can compete with the inclusiveness of CAST Academy’s summer program.
From 8:30 a.m. to noon, Mondays through Fridays for two weeks, students practiced, rehearsed and prepared for each production. Each child had the potential to become more confident in who he or she was as an actor, and it showed on performance days.
The CAST Academy, which offers dancing lessons, has helped children who love the arts become the best they can be for years. Dancers of all ages can become confident at the academy, and its students are proud to perform for everyone.
Just because summer is over does not mean there are not other opportunities for children to participate in the arts. Scrooge the Musical, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” will be performed from Dec. 9 to 23. In addition, dance classes are offered for individuals of all ages at CAST Academy. | http://villagenews.com/entertainment/behind-scenes-look-mission-theatres-music-man/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/b6db22014c0b1d05028a880fd1224efa2320dffdb05e6d357fa7e54828febf99.json |
[
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Lucette Moramarco",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T12:58:02 | null | 2016-08-22T20:47:29 | The annual assessment for properties in Zone A of the San Diego County Street Lighting District has increased from $6.48 to $13.50 per equivalent dwelling | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Frealestate%2Fstreet-lighting-district-assessment-increased%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Village-Logo-online.jpg | en | null | Street Lighting District assessment increased | null | null | villagenews.com | The annual assessment for properties in Zone A of the San Diego County Street Lighting District has increased from $6.48 to $13.50 per equivalent dwelling unit.
A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote Aug. 3 approved the increased assessment. A 5-0 vote July 20 set the hearing date and approved the Engineer’s Report for the street lighting district.
“The main reason for the increases is due to skyrocketing energy prices,” said supervisor Dianne Jacob.
The increase amount will also allow for the completion of a phased retrofit of high-pressure sodium street lights to light-emitting diode bulbs which will be more energy-efficient.
The county’s Department of Public Works, which operates the street lighting district, has adopted a policy of slight annual increases to keep pace with energy costs rather than a large increase, which was the case in 2004. Stabilized energy, labor, and material costs had allowed the assessment to remain unchanged between 2008 and 2015.
“It’s the first increase in eight years,” Jacob said.
“The increase falls well within the voter-approved maximum of $25,” said Supervisor Bill Horn.
The San Diego County Street Lighting District was formed in September 1987. The district itself includes the entirety of unincorporated San Diego County; Zone A covers parcels which benefit from street lights in the district while Zone B consists of the remainder of the district. The district maintains and operates 10,332 street lights, including 3,681 which are owned by San Diego Gas & Electric, in residential areas and along major roadways.
Zone A covers more than 100,000 benefit units and 200,000 customers. In 1987 voters approved an assessment rate of up to $25.00 per year per benefit unit, with a single-family home equating to one benefit unit. The other maximum approved assessments are $850.00 per acre for commercial property, $150.00 per acre for institutional buildings, $50.00 per acre for industrial land, $25.00 per acre for recreational parcels, and $2.50 per acre for farm land.
The assessment was reduced from $23.00 to $2.50 per benefit unit in 1990 and stayed at $2.50 until 2004, when rising energy costs and a state budget shift from special districts did not allow increased efficiency to offset the additional expenses. The assessment per benefit unit was increased to $5.33 for Fiscal Year 2004-05, $5.60 for 2005-06, $5.88 for 2006-07, $6.17 for 2007-08, and $6.48 for 2008-09.
The increased assessment will provide the San Diego County Street Lighting District with a budget of $2.45 million for Fiscal Year 2016-17. The district’s energy costs were $1.14 million in Fiscal Year 2012-13 and $1.35 million in Fiscal Year 2014-15. Energy costs have increased by 18 percent over the past two years, and SDG&E has proposed a 12 percent rate increase which will not allow the street lighting district’s reserves to absorb the additional electricity costs.
In 2015 the street lighting district was able to obtain a California Energy Commission loan to convert approximately 2,000 high-pressure sodium lights to LED bulbs. That will save an estimated 1.8 megawatt-hours of energy use each year, but that loan only allowed for the conversion of approximately one-third of the county’s high-pressure sodium bulbs. The increased rate will allow for a phased retrofit over several years of the remaining high-pressure sodium bulbs. | http://villagenews.com/realestate/street-lighting-district-assessment-increased/ | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/43ceb9b4e0e7a38dc53254cd32109705e0c7151403602f4ab5592f6d4d43703a.json |
[
"Joe Naiman",
"Andrea Verdin",
"Tom Ferrall",
"Lucette Moramarco",
"Debbie Ramsey"
] | 2016-08-26T12:49:19 | null | 2016-08-26T03:48:11 | Olivia Louden was a Best of Class winner at the San Diego County Fair's Student Showcase. Louden, who was a Fallbrook High School senior during the 2015-16 | http%3A%2F%2Fvillagenews.com%2Feducation%2Flouden-wins-best-class-fashion-design-fair-student-showcase%2F.json | http://villagenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/08-25-16-edu-Louden-wins-Best-of-Class-for-fashion-design-1-cp.jpg | en | null | Louden wins Best of Class for fashion design in fair Student Showcase | null | null | villagenews.com | Olivia Louden was a Best of Class winner at the San Diego County Fair’s Student Showcase.
Louden, who was a Fallbrook High School senior during the 2015-16 school year, entered the Fashion Design portion of the Student Showcase. Her submission “It’s Only Rock and Roll” featured nine drawings which allowed front, back, and side views of three different outfits and earned her Best of Class for first-year students in the Fashion Illustration division.
“It was great,” said Fallbrook High School fashion instructor and career technical education department chair Lita Tabish. “She did a wonderful job, a very creative girl.”
Fallbrook High School’s fashion department offers two classes which incorporate marketing and other business skills, display and presentation skills, and color and design skills along with apparel creation. Both the Fashion, Clothing and Design class and the Fashion Merchandising course are recognized by Palomar College, which allows students to receive college credit for taking those classes at Fallbrook High School, and the students’ work is also featured at the spring Palomar College Fashion Show held at the Escondido Center for the Arts.
“She developed a design line,” Tabish said. “She developed three different outfits that all fit in the same line.”
Louden developed the design line during the first semester of the 2015-16 school year. “It was outstanding work,” Tabish said. “I encouraged her to step it up a little bit.”
That included writing a report which addressed marketing capabilities. The work to prepare the project for the county fair took Louden approximately one month.
The Best of Class honor was the first for any of Tabish’s students. | http://villagenews.com/education/louden-wins-best-class-fashion-design-fair-student-showcase/ | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | villagenews.com/7b7eafed316fab6721fc9ab50c3eb14dba668e6fa64aef3ffeb1f6ae5483dc07.json |
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