Chocolate each day keeps heart attacks away /23

Fergie would like to be on Dancing With The Stars /41
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2006

Ride the rails to Whistler /37
$1.25 (HOME DELIVERED: 61 CENTS A DAY)

More winds forecast to pound region
by MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff Brace yourself -- more high winds and power outages could be on the way. Winds speeds as high as 50 kilometres per hour gusting to 80 km/h are forecast for this evening, Environment Canada meteorologist Jim Steele said Friday as another storm moves onto the North Coast. "Hang onto your hats," Steele said. The most recent storm could be felt as early as this morning coming from the south at 30 km/h gusting to 50 km/h. Gusts exceeded 90 km/h Tuesday night when power to 6,200 customers in Prince George was knocked out. Service to most areas was restored by 5 a.m. according to B.C. Hydro. About 100 customers in the Bear Lake and Summit Lake areas were without power for five and a half hours Friday morning after a tree fell over a power line shortly before 6 a.m. Wind speeds were as high as 50 kilometres per hour. Rain and a high of 11 C are predicted for Sunday, followed by dramatic cooling on Monday and then yet another storm later Monday or Tuesday, but with snow and a high of only zero. "It's a wicked storm cycle out there, it doesn't know when to quit," Steele said. B.C. Hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer said crews are ready to respond "as safely and as quickly as possible to any outages that may occur this weekend." Customers who suffer power outages are urged to call 1-888-POWERON (1-888-768-3766) to report them to B.C. Hydro. Gammer also advised customers to visit the B.C. Hydro website for tips on preparing for a power outage. It can be reached at www.bchydro.com and then clicking on "safety." Tips include turning off appliances -- particularly computers, microwaves, and DVD players -- to prevent power surges when electricity is restored and, in the case of stoves and irons, reduce the risk of fire. And once the power is back, turn on the most essential appliances first, and wait 10 to 15 minutes before reconnecting the others to give the electrical system a chance to stabilize. For updates on outages, you can use a laptop running on a battery or call someone with internet access whose power is on, to visit www.bchydro.com/outages and click on northern B.C.

Cougars bringing in big-name consultant
by JIM SWANSON Citizen Sports Editor The Prince George Cougars have enlisted the help of a former National Hockey League head coach, who will come in to help new hire Drew Schoneck and general manager Dallas Thompson get the WHL team going in the right direction. Terry Simpson, who took over the New York Islanders two years after leading the Prince Albert Raiders to the 1985 Memorial Cup, has been hired as a consultant and will be in Prince George next week to help Schoneck, Thompson and owner Rick Brodsky assess the Cougars. Brodsky said Friday he does not expect Simpson, 63, to end up behind the bench. Simpson, who has been out of coaching since he sold the Red Deer Rebels to Brent Sutter in 1999, lives in Saskatoon and spends his winters in Palm Springs, Calif., but has done some consultation and scouting work in the years since. "I know Terry well enough, and I've known him for a long time," said Brodsky, a former part-owner of the Saskatoon Blades who admired Simpson's work when he led the powerhouse Raider teams of the mid-1980s. "I think we see a lot of things the same way. I'd like his opinion on some things, like I would with any knowledgeable hockey guy. I met him for coffee in Saskatoon earlier in the week, and it was a great talk." Simpson will be in Prince George on Tuesday to see the Cougars face the Regina Pats, and will stay through the weekend to view games involving the Chilliwack Bruins. The relationship will evolve from there, Brodsky said. "I'm not saying it won't lead to something, but I don't know at this point what that would be," said Brodsky. "He's got a little time on his hands. I wouldn't mind if he came on a road trip with us and hung around as much as he wants. I told him it has to be fun for him, something he wants to do. Where would it lead to? If he wants to increase his association with the team, we're open with that. It's not like we're advertising for a spot to fill, but he's a trusted friend. We wanted to be very careful that we weren't putting pressure on anyone." Simpson hopes to add another voice to the process of building a winner in Prince George. "Let's face facts, nobody knows everything about hockey, but I'm a different set of eyes," Simpson told The Citizen. -- See CATS on page 8

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

BIG RIG -- Kalum Ellerby, 6, was in awe as Bigfoot driver Rick Long gave the boy a close look at the monster truck Friday at NR Motors. Bigfoot and three other monster trucks will be racing today and Sunday at CN Centre.

LIVE ree!
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FOR A YEAR

Social worker to address global forum
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff A Prince George social worker is about to present to the rest of the world a highly successful foster child program that was designed in northern B.C. Brenda Lewis, acting deputy director for the Ministry of Children and Family, is heading to the World Forum in Vancouver to do a present ation Wednesday on coming-home culture camps, which introduces or reunites First Nations children in care with their own people. "My message is that when communities and governments make up their minds to do what's best for children, they can overcome a lot of problems," said Lewis, who initiated the culture camp project to allow children to meet relatives, get a glimpse of their heritage and, hopefully, establish relationships. "The United Nations Children's Rights (charter) clearly states that children have the right to know where they came from and their extended families, and I wondered if we took the children (in care) back to their home community, could we initiate some permanent plans for them? "During my 10 years with the ministry, there has been a ground swell of workers and practice experts who recognize there are ethical, mental, social and health benefits to children being connected to their families," said Lewis, who received a Premier's Award for her leadership efforts. The first culture camp was held in 2005 in Kitkatla (Gitxaata) near Prince Rupert, where 19 children in care throughout B.C. travelled for a day visit. Each one had family roots in the community, but 15 had never set foot on their traditional territory and 12 did not know they had relatives there. -- See CULTURE on page 3

CONTEST

High : 3 Low : 2 page 2

INDEX
Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . 35 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . 44-46 City, B.C. . . . . . . . .3,5,6,7,13 Classifi ed . . . . . . . . . . .17-21 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . 42,47,48 Coming Events . . . . . . . . . .29 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . 41 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14,16

New PlayStations scooped up
by CHRISTINE SKOREPA Citizen staff Diehard video gamers started lining up Wednesday morning in Prince George for a chance to get the Sony PlayStation 3, which went on sale Friday at Future Shop. And after going to those extreme measures, one of the lucky 10 people who was able to buy the $659 video game system was offered $2,500 for it as he walked out of the store. There was no word on whether he accepted the offer. Doug Paquette, entertainment manager at Future Shop, said by Thursday afternoon the lineup was 10 people long, which matched the number of video game systems the local store was allowed. "This was the most respectful lineup of people I've ever seen," said Paquette. "They figured out who was one through 10. They had a generator with a space heater, a TV and an Xbox. They had their own food and we bought them pizza (Thursday) night." Things were not near as friendly in some cities in the United States. -- See GAMERS on page 3
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

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