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CITIZEN
Serving the Central Interior since 1916

PRINCE GEORGE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2003

80 CENTS (HOME DELIVERED: 54 CENTS A DAY)

30 YEARS OF RESEARCH, STUDY PAYS OFF

UNBC professor wins major award
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff Alex Michalos, UNBC professor emeritus, has won a prestigious international award from the International Society of Quality of Life Studies. For the past 30 years Michalos has been researching and studying what makes for a good quality of life, and his work has attracted inter national praise, said Rob van Adrichem, UNBC public relations director. The award is called the Betterment of the Human Condition and the win puts Michalos into a powerful group with past winners such as the U.S. Center for Disease Control and the United Nations Development Program. Michalos's award is based on his work of founding, in the early 1970s, Social Indicators Research, a journal that has published more than 1,000 articles on the quality of life. He continues to edit the journal. On Friday Michalos was stuck in Ottawa because of the power outage with no Air Canada flights home. He called from his 23rd floor hotel room where he was using an elevator fuelled by diesel. "I was really pleased to receive it," he said about his award, which he received recently in Frankfurt, Germany. "I work away in the trenches whether anybody else likes it or not, and to find out 30 years later that somebody likes my work is a nice thing," he said. Michalos has travelled the world to give presentations and workshops on the subject of life quality and a number of his surveys have been conducted at UNBC. His research has focused on both objective and subjective measures of quality of life in an attempt to help government and others make decisions that will improve the lives of all citizens. Objective measures include such matters as employment rates and health status, while subjective measures are all about how people actually feel about their lives. In 2001, Michalos was given the title professor emeritus at UNBC, which recognizes a distinguished academic career. He retired from teaching this year, but remains involved at UNBC with social research and evaluation. He went to Ottawa as the Canadian Commissioner for a meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and expects to arrive home Monday.

Alex Michalos, right, UNBC professor emeritus, poses with his Betterment of the Human Condition award.

Beaverly-area farmer believes Blackout boosts demand for cougar killed one of his sheep locally distributed flashlight
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff It's believed a cougar killed and quickly consumed an 80-pound sheep in Beaverly earlier this week. The kill took place on the farm of Ivan Martichuk on Muralt Road in the early hours Monday. "We found the sheep about 9 a.m., but we think it was killed a few hours before that," said Ivan's son, Jonathon. "We're sure it was a cougar by the way it was killed," said Jonathon, explaining Jeff Hanratty, the conservation officer who attended the scene, said the female sheep, which was 18 months old, had a broken neck. He said the family did hear a kind of "screeching noise" at about the time of the kill, "but that noise wasn't coming from the sheep." The cougar must have been hungry because it consumed the sheep quite quickly, said Jonathon. "There were no organs left -- not even a drop of blood on the ground. All that was left was the carcass," and even the rib cage was taken sometime after the family discovered the kill, he said. "(The cougar) must have come back because more was missing," said Jonathon. "The thing is, we've heard that a neighbour also had some calves killed and eaten -- most likely by the same cougar -- and there have been a couple of sightings in this area within 10 to 20 miles. "Last year we heard a foal had been taken by a cougar in this area. We think it's becoming a problem cat," said Jonathon, noting the Martichuk family has 10 sheep and lambs, seven cows and a calf they don't want to lose. Conservation officer Darryl Struthers said the situation is being monitored. Citizen staff Power outages in Ontario and the northeastern U.S. have really lit up business for a Prince George entrepreneur. Greg Rivers, owner of Advanced Rescue Technologies Inc., said his phones started ringing Friday at 5:30 a.m. with orders from Ontario and the U.S. for the NightStar Magnetic Force Flashlight to which he has exclusive Canadian rights. Rivers said his master distributor reported that $3,000 in orders went out Friday morning in response to those calls. The NightStar magnetic flashlight has neither batteries nor bulbs. "You shake it for 30 seconds and it gives you 20 minutes of light," he said. "You shake it another 30 seconds, and it gives you another 20 minutes of light, and so on. It'll last forever." Demand continues to pick up. "By this time next week, we'll be run off our feet," Rivers said. --See more on blackout, pages 15, 24

Find some time for Summerfest
Citizen photo by Dave Milne

Daniel Martichuk feeds his sheep on the family farm in Beaverly on Friday. It's believed one of the flock was killed by a cougar on Monday.
He said when the other conservation officer looked at the carcass and the killing site on Tuesday, he determined it probably was a cougar kill. "But because of the heat and time period since the kill, the scent was lost so no dogs could be used to track the animal effectively. "What we're doing is monitoring closely, and if there's a hot sighting, we ask people to call the 24-hour conservation officer line at 1-800-663-9453," said Struthers. "There are certain telltale signs like a sharp bite to the neck or back area that help determine if it's a cougar. A cougar can kill a sheep-sized animal quickly," said Struthers. He added there haven't been a lot of cougar sightings in the Prince George area this year. He cautions people not to panic if there's a disturbance by some kind of animal. "More often than not it's another type of animal rather than a cougar," he said.

Citizen staff Summerfest takes over downtown this weekend with fun for the whole family. The event runs all day Saturday and Sunday. Here are a list of events: MAIN STAGE -- SATURDAY 11 a.m. - Kick Off Event Poquita's Parade Third & George 11 a.m. - 11:45 - Opening Ceremony 11:45 - SPCA /Tricks by Twister the Dog noon - Jamie Biggar 1 p.m. - Your chance to Belly Dance 1:30 - Maureen Schultz - Contemporary Folk Singer 2:15 - Absolute Studios - Pop/Rock Musical Acts 2:30 - Fashion Show 3 p.m. - Absolute Studios Pop/Rock Musical Acts

3:15 - Hi Strung - Bluegrass Music 3:45 - Ashley Siddle - Pop Singer 4 p.m. - Eric Tompkins - Jazz 4:45 - Drie Ignas - Pop Singer 5 p.m. - Jamie Biggar 6 p.m. - Fort George Follies - Traditional /60's Music 7 p.m. - Hi Strung - Bluegrass Music 8 p.m. - Carl Standeven - Blues Soloist 9 p.m. - 94X / The Wolf 97 FM 10 p.m. - Movies under the stars MAIN STAGE -- SUNDAY 11:30 - noon - Fashion Show noon to 1 p.m. - Fort George Follies - Traditional /60's Music 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. - Maureen Schultz Contemporary Folk Singer 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Dave Bowman Country Bluegrass 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Eric Tompkins Jazz

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Tasers: Legal tool, or lethal weapon?
by KAREN KWAN Citizen staff Wild and possibly high on drugs, a man struggles and flails against police officers outside a Prince George shopping mall. He's wrestled down and is later zapped three times with a taser pressed against his skin, but police say there's no discernible effect on the violent man. In an ambulance on the way to the hospital, he has to be resuscitated and dies the following morning. Three months earlier, a 51-year-old man armed with a knife and hammer went into cardiac arrest after being shot by police with an electric stun gun at a Burnaby pub. Though still being investigated by the coroner's office, the recent B.C. deaths have raised questions about the safety of the electric weapons now widely used by police across the country. The family of 33-year-old Clay Willey, who died July 22, a day after a violent clash with police in Prince George, has started a petition to ban the use of tasers by all police forces in B.C. "I think it contributed to his death. What can an electric shock do to a heart that's already pumping fast?" wonders the man's sister, Bryna Willey. Her brother, who had often been in trouble with the law, was high on cocaine at the time, she notes. "I think it's cruel and unusual punishment," Willey says. Family and friends continue to protest outside the city RCMP detachment, city hall and the courthouse, demanding answers about Willey's death. A mandatory investigation by a senior level of RCMP is underway, and the coroner's office must also hold a public inquest whenever someone dies in custody, but it could be a year before the probe reaches that stage. The provincial government's police services department, which authorizes the use of weapons by law enforcement in B.C. Continued on page 13.

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INDEX
Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . .39 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Business . . . . . . . . . . . .16-18 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . . . .3, 5, 13 Classified . . . . . . . . . . .19-23 Comics . . . . . . . . . .28, 31, 32 Coming Events . . . . . . . .2, 36 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Entertainment . . . . . . .25-28 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Lifestyles . . . . . . . .31, 32, 39 Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 7, 24 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Photo courtesy www.taser.com

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This photo shows electrodes being fired from an M26 taser gun.

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