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Citizen photo by David Mah Good Samaritan QUEEN BEE Submitted photo RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff McArthur presents Derrick Norn, centre, with a token of gratitude for helping Const. Jason Gillis, right. Police thank roadside hero by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff A Prince George man was honoured by the RCMP on Sunday after he came to the rescue of an officer in distress. Derrick Norn was driving home from his shift at PG Pulp just before 5 a.m. on July 2. As he approached the John Hart Bridge he saw three men in a frenzied fight. One of the men was Prince George RCMP Const. Jason Gillis. Gillis had responded to a complaint of two men jumping at passing vehicles. "(Gillis) located the males on the highway, stopped his vehicle and approached them at roadside," said Prince George RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff McArthur on Sunday. "The suspects attacked (Gillis and) in the process he lost control of his two-way radio." -- See I'LL on page 3 BOMB THREAT Hospital targeted by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff Prince George Regional Hospital was the target of a Sunday morning bomb threat, but no bomb to go with it. "We investigated it, it was unfounded," said Prince George RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff McArthur. Northern Health spokesman Mark Karjaluoto said the threat was made by way of an anonymous phone call to the hospital switchboard at about 8 a.m. "We secured the hospital for a period of about 2 hours," Karjaluoto told the Citizen. "There wasn't a significant disruption to the hospital and patient care continued. There was no evacuation, emerg remained open, the front entrance and staff entrance were all that were closed." Northern Health's security service worked with Mounties to sweep the building and found no evidence of an explosive devise. An investigation is now underway into who might have made the call. Karjaluoto said no motive for the threat was made by the caller and none is known to Northern Health. "Big institutions have protocols in place to deal with these sorts of things because they do happen from time to time," he said. This is the third time in the last year that police have had to respond to a bomb threat. In January the Synovate call centre was targeted, in June Kelly Road Secondary School was targeted. In all these cases no bomb was actually found to be present. Athena Nghi Huynh, 10, of Heritage elementar y school, is the CanWest CanSpell 2007 National Spelling Bee Prince George Region winner. Athena Nghi Huynh wins Citizen spelling title by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff 10-year-old Prince George girl, whose parents are both professors at UNBC, captured top place in the first Prince George Citizen spelling bee Saturday. Athena Nghi Huynh, a Grade 5 student at Heritage elementary, won the bee after eliminating 27 elementary school winners from throughout the region with her final word "eligible". Right on her heels was runner-up 12-yearold Sonja Olsson, a Grade 7 student at Spruceland elementary in Prince George. Athena and Sonja now have an opportunity to become the Canadian spelling champion in the CanWest CanSpell national bee in Ottawa April 14. The Citizen contest required 19 rounds, involving 282 words before the girls were the only two left on stage. Athena and Sonja were presented with Registered Education Saving Plan prizes valued at $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, by Kevin Shan from AIC. Athena will also be invited, with a chaperone, to travel to Washington, D.C. in May to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and participate in activities, tours and a private reception. Following The Citizen bee at Vanier Hall, Athena, daughter of Hanh Huynh and Lien Ho, said, "I'm excited and surprised that I got this far." A Citizen photo by David Mah CanWest Canspell 2007 Prince George Citizen Regional Spelling Bee winner Athena Nghi Huynh, right, holding certificate, and second place winner Sonja Olsson and their families pose for a photo after a thrilling finish at Vanier Hall on Saturday. Her father, Hanh, said her win is "a nice surprise". "I think the spelling bee is a great idea. It an opportunity to participate and gain experience in competition. Athena really enjoys it, but we try not to put pressure her. We just tell her to have fun," said Hanh. Sonja said she "studied a lot to get to this point ", but admitted she felt "like a volcano about to explode" during the final rounds. Her parents, Elvin and Sheila, were "ecstatic" at her placing. "I can breathe now," said Sheila while Elvin said the spelling contest "is a great idea". Nicole Pearson, CanWest education liaison from Edmonton said, "Word wise, the Prince George participants went extremely far", requiring 282 words to determine a winner among 28 contestants. By comparison, she said the Edmonton bee winner among 70 contestants was determined with 326 words, and in Kelowna the winner among 43 participants was declared after 270 spelled words. The words to spell during the first rounds were relatively easy such as sugar, zero and skunk, but became more difficult as the contest progressed. By round five words included eulogy and pacifism; by round 10, the five remaining were given words like melancholy and Gestapo, and during the final three rounds Athena and Sonja were sparring with challenges like soliloquy, camouflage, tentacle, and silhouetted . Prince George participants,who came from as far as Prince Rupert and Dawson Creek were welcomed by Mayor Colin Kinsley, Shirley Bond, deputy premier and MLA for Prince George-Mount Robson and Del Laverdure, publisher of The Citizen. -- See SPONSORSHIP on page 3 Trustee worried over special needs by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff School trustee Sharel Warrington wants to know how many classes in the district have more than three special needs students. The provincial government does not allow classes in B.C. schools to have more than three without consultation on the matter and a publicly expressed reason why. -- See TEACHERS on page 3 E-Mail address: news@princegeorgecitizen.com Our website: 0 58307 00100 8 http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com High : 9 Low : 5 page 2 INDEX Annie's Mailbox Bridge City, B.C 24 21 3, 5, 13 Classified Comics Coming Events 19-21 18 23 Crossword Horoscope Nation 18 5 6, 7 SWITCHBOARD: 562-2441 CLASSIFIED: 562-6666 READER SALES: 562-3301