`Raymond' star passes away at 71 / 28

Serial killer suspected in slaying of five women / 15

First Team Canada cuts today / 12
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2006

Queen musical to rock Canada / 25
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Citizen photo by David Mah

A moose takes a break from eating willows to look around a yard on the Ferguson Lake Road recently. A UNBC study says moose are the animal second most often struck by a vehicle, after deer.

No home for fire families
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff The two families burned out of their homes a week ago are finding a lot of No Vacancy signs around the area as they look for a place to live. "We just don't want a hotel for Christmas, we want a home," said Mandy Boothe. She, her husband Robin, their three children and their grandma all lost their half of a duplex in a fire Dec. 7. "There doesn't seem to be anything. There are lots of one- and two-bedroom apartments, but there are six of us. We aren't even picky, but there is nothing. At this time of year, who is moving? And we can't purchase in this housing market. And we can't afford to stay in the hotel for too much longer. It is adding up so quickly." The residents of the other duplex half are having the same issues. Glen Stene and his two teenaged children Justin and Chelsea are living temporarily with family, but the options are slim. "Housing is a real problem," said real estate agent Fred Gorley, a friend of the Stenes who has taken it upon himself to help their search for a home. He is helped by Glen's father, Floyd, because Glen is a trucker who is often on the road. "It seems there just isn't a lot available for rent," said Gorley. "Right now we are even looking for someone who has a house for sale and if the house isn't selling and you would prefer to have someone in it..." -- See DONATIONS on page 3

Deer, moose lead wildlife collision list, says study
by SCOTT STANFIELD Citizen staff Deer are by far the most commonly struck animal by vehicles in northern B.C., according to a study co-authored by a pair of UNBC professors. They are followed in order by moose, bear, elk and caribou, states the report by Eric Rapaport and Roy Rea, called the Temporal Patterns of Wildlife-Related Vehicular Collisions in Northern B.C. The pair analyzed upwards of 77,000 collision reports from 1996 to 2005, as supplied by ICBC. The objective was to determine seasonal patterns of motor vehicle collisions involving wildlife. Findings also pinpoint times of the day and year when highway motorists are most likely to hit an animal. Deer collisions, for instance, peak in November, generally between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. "Wildlife collisions -- this is not just in Canada, but

FACTBOX
The number of vehicle collisions in Northern B.C.'s 13 regions between 1996 and 2005: Deer 15,090 Other wildlife 988 Moose 6,285 Bear 901 Elk 145 Domestic 1,248 animals Caribou 56 across North America -- are on the rise," said Rapaport, a professor in the school of environmental planning. "It can be things like habitat encroachment. There's some very wide issues." During the five-month study, Rapaport and Rea reorganized ICBC data, worked with experts to help map out hotspots for wildlife-vehicle collisions, and investi-

gated new GPS (global positioning satellite) technology to help with the mapping process. Among the local hotspots is Tyner Boulevard on the west side of the city. "There are many collisions inside of our city that Roy has investigated on Tyner, and that's because Tyner is built right in prime moose habitat," Rapaport said. The study raises numerous questions concerning signage, landscape features, salt on the road, the shape of roads and other factors involved in wildlife-vehicle collisions, which result in millions of dollars worth of ICBC claims each year. "It's in the police and ICBC's top-10 list now of things they have to deal with," Rapaport said. "Should we be prioritizing finding ways to mitigate moose before deer, because every time you hit a moose, the car is basically worthless? So it may take maybe 10 deer -- and this is speculation -- to equal the damage claim of one moose."

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Students try to weave record from Web
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff Glenview elementary school was buzzing with the flair of a state fair Wednesday, as students attempted to break a world record for reading aloud. Students were dressed like farmers and stuffed animals were everywhere as Glenview students joined more than 500,000 others around the world reading page 35 to 37 from the novel Charlotte's Web. "I felt like we were standing on top of the world," said Grade 3 student Sarah Waldner. Principal Gail Walraven said the students' participation in the record attempt was to hook them into reading. "Our focus is literacy at this school," Walraven said. "When we take on something like this and we know we are the only ones in Prince George (doing so), it makes it special." Several dignitaries were there to witness the school's attempt to set a Guinness Book of Records mark in the category "most people reading aloud simultaneously in multiple locations." "I'm excited to see the mayor at our school," said eight-year-old Alden Loveng. School board chair Lyn Hall was on hand because he believes Walraven is correct. "With my own children, if you can make reading fun, they will stick with it their entire life," Hall said. "It sends out a message about how important student literacy is. "Reading is t he foundation of ever ything they do after kindergarten." The record attempt was set up by the film company that produced the new movie version of Charlotte's Web, which opens Friday. Famous Players theatre has agreed to host a special showing for Glenview during the day Friday, making them the first to see it. "It is sad when Charlotte dies," said Grade 3 student Miranda Sosnowski, who encourages all kids to read the book even with its unsentimental parts. The students won't know if they set a record until sometime early in the new year. The Guinness Book of Records verification process will take at least a few week s, said Walraven, who added even if they don't make such a mark it was a worthwhile exercise just to celebrate reading and connect kids to a favourite book.
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

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INDEX
Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . 17 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-24 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . 3, 5, 6, 13 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . 18-21 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Entertainment . . . . . . . 25-28 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 15

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Grade 3 students in Mr s. Hawryluk's Glenview elementary class read during the school's attempt to be par t of a world record of reading the same passage simultaneously in multiple locations.

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