Climber survives Everest peril /15

Big bad George Thorogood returns to P.G. /13

Nash named NBA MVP / 12

Fire up the grill / 25
80 CENTS (HOME DELIVERED: 57 CENTS A DAY)

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2005

Farmers praying for rain
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff Alarm bells are not sounding around Prince George farms the way they are in the southern interior as crop producers kick the dirt looking for moisture. But area farmers are still concerned about a lack of rain because this is seeding time, a critical period that sets the tone for the rest of the growing season. "The Prince George area seems to be divided into different sub-areas. Some are drier than others and visa versa," said Alf Nunweiler who puts up 400 to 500 acres of grass and clover hay, plus some grain. "Here in the Reid Lake/Ness Lake area it isn't too bad for moisture, but we are usually different from the south part of town or the Vanderhoof area. The soil conditions are different and the altitude is different. We are usually a couple of weeks behind those other places. We are a couple of weeks ahead of schedule this year, with the earlier melt, and we do need a rain soon to get a normal crop. It is still early enough we have our fingers crossed." Nunweiler says the crops are important for hay, but moisture is also needed for grazing. The cattle market dictates the hay market, he says, so he is hoping for good grazing and an end to the BSE crisis that has driven the beef market down and the hay prices with it. Mark Grafton of the Bar-K Ranch down the road from Nunweiler says the BSE crisis is definitely hitting the prices hard right now, with so much uncertainty over the reopening of the American border. If there isn't a good summer grazing crop and winter hay/grain crop, he said, then ranchers will be suffering. "We definitely could use some real rain," Grafton says. "The grass is wanting to come with a little rain and a little heat. The sub-surface moisture isn't bad, actually, because of the rains we got last fall. It dried off on the top so the grasses were drying up, but the deeper-rooted plants like clover are OK. Basically if we get a three-day rain sometime in the next few weeks, we'll be smiling but three dry weeks and we'll be whining." The milder winter has given livestock producers a positive year for healthy outdoor births, Grafton said. On the other hand, he reports the Gang Ranch and Riske Creek farmers are talking about moisture shortages already. Irrigation sources are reportedly drying up in the Kamloops area, as well. Local farmers and ranchers are still hopeful the skywatching around here will have a wetter ending.
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL -- Members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 43 take part in a ceremony at the Cenotaph to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. The Dutch community of Prince George honoured Canadian veterans, who were a key part of the Allied effort to liberate the Netherlands. For more on VE-Day celebrations, see related stories page 6 and 14.

Cancer walk a success Lavigne
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff The weather held and the records fell at the 24 Hour Relay For Life. The annual fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society pounded the track at Massey Place Stadium this weekend, and it was more popular and successful than it has ever been. "This is the only 24 hour cancer relay in all of Canada -- everyone else is 12 hours," said event coordinator Kelly Sharp. "It is amazing that people stick it through. People are driven and get behind this cause. People have been touched somehow by cancer and it hits home bigtime. They make this a unique event." Sharp says the number of overall participants was up this year. The number of teams is also up to 137, 11 more than last year. He says the number that means the most -- funds raised -- was also record breaking. When the relay officially closed on Sunday at 10 a.m. they had surpassed $300,000 and counting.

to play CN Centre
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

A record 137 teams star t the 24 Hour Relay For Life in Massey Place Stadium. The positive signs could be felt like a shelter in a storm at the midnight candlelighting ceremony where guest speaker Sandra Blackwell told the 1,000-plus crowd how she survived Hodgkin's disease while pregnant with her first baby. -- See INSPIRATION page three

High : 21 Low : 7 page 2

Pageant keys on representing teens
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff Rebecca Hagan-Egyir is looking to broaden her horizons. Travelling in Canada and building personal-growth skills are all part of the Miss Teen Canada International experience and she is making that her summer goal this year. Miss Teen Canada is a Toronto/Mississauga-based youth leadership pageant styled on the pass� beauty contests of yesteryear but now focused on personal development instead of looks. "The great thing about this competition is it isn't about a certain weight or a certain height, it is to represent young women," said the 16-year-old Kelly Road Secondary student. "They are looking for a quality spokesperson, not a model, and that caught my attention. It was appealing just for the fact that I'd get to help people. The contest has a charity focus and a focus on seniors." Last year the Miss Teen Canada International organization put its weight behind the tsunami relief effort, partnering with Habitat for Humanity and ADRA Canada (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) on a cross-Canada Teddy bear collection program for Asian children who were hard hit by the earthquake and flash flood. "It will be interesting and a lot of hard work at the same time," said Hagan-Egyir, thinking about the possibilities for this year. "There is a scholarship involved to help me go to school to learn journalism. I've always loved writing, ever since I was young. "And I love researching, so when you put those two together it sounds like an exciting career. I write poems and stories as a hobby. I've done that ever since elementary school." She is currently in Grade 11. The first experience Hagan-Egyir will gain before the competition even begins is the sales call. She has already been accepted as the regional representative for the area, so now she must raise $3,300 in corporate sponsorship (two major backers and 10 support sponsors) by July 1 in order to attend the pageant itself this August 18 to 28. The money will cover the $500 entry fee, plus travel and accommodation to and from Toronto. She has already begun solicitation for corporate support and will build on that in the days and weeks ahead.

drive! fr ee t
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2005

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INDEX
Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . 17 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 City, B.C. 3, 5, 13, 23, 16, 17 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . 20-22 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . .2, 23 Entertainment . . . . . . .18, 19 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
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Prince George's Rebecca HaganEg yir wants to be Miss Teen Canada International.

Citizen staff Prepare yourself for the Prince George debut of Avril Lavigne. As part of her world tour, Lavigne, the rocking pride of Napanee, Ontario, is coming to Prince George to perform at the CN Centre on August 3. Tickets go on sale May 14 at 10 a.m. to see Canada's latest superstar. Already one of Canada's most celebrated recording artists, Lavigne was still a teenager when she hit the charts with Complicated. The infectious rock t u n e couldn't be contained by the nat i o n a l scene and went on to d r i ve h e r rookie album sales into the global millions. Her very next at-bat s h e LAVIGNE launched Sk8er Boi and established herself as the world's punk princess. But she wasn't done. Next she smacked a gritty ballad out of the park with I'm With You. She is now 20-years-old, deep into her second album with the hits still coming. She has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards in total, and was the queen of the 2005 Juno Awards with nominations in five categories: Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year, Pop Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Fan Choice Entertainer of the Year (she won the latter three of them). Her first album was Let Go, her latest is Under My Skin and together they have sold more than 20-million copies and counting.

The Campbell Liberal record: tuition fees doubled
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