Golf pro putters off into sunset
sports /13
Buried miners in for long wait
news /18
U.S.
news
hurts
money /10
Wednesday,
August 25, 2010
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george it's what matters to you
Goes with the flow
More rain provides more relief from wildfires; fire fighting tab hits $5 million a day
Gordon Hoekstra Citizen staff
Recent rain has changed conditions in the forest as seen in Cottonwood Park Tuesday afternoon.Water drips off the leaves as a pedestrian walks along a path.
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
Rain, cooler temperatures and a change in wind direction are helping quell fires in north and central B.C., the hot zone this fire season.
But there are still thousands of fire fighters on the front lines ensuring those fires don’t flare up. On Monday, the province’s firefighting expenses hit $5 million a day.
The tab includes the cost of nearly 800 personnel tackling the two largest fires in the province west and southwest of Prince George. “Really, I don’t think we can let our guard down,” B.C. Forests Minister Pat Bell said Tuesday.
Bell noted that the $5 million being spent daily is likely to con-
On page 4
■ Campfire ban lifted
■ Evacuation orders
downgraded ■ Mine reopens
tinue for a couple of weeks. The firefighting bill is expected to reach $200 million. That would be higher than the $115-million, 10-year average, but less than the nearly $400 million spent fighting fires in 2009.
While the hot zone was located in the Southern Interior in 2009, this year it has moved farther north, fueled by extremely dry conditions in the vast beetle-killed pine forests in this region.
— See FORTY on page 4
City
ups
fees
Frank Peebles Citizen staff
Fees for a wide swath of municipal services were increased by city council.
The roster of increases was no surprise. During the budget process this past winter, concluded in spring, it was evident that the strained municipal budget was being built on across-the-board increases to offset losses of income during the economic downturn. According to council, the new fees for core utilities move the payment structure closer to a system whereby the cost of operations is largely offset by the users. Here are the latest in those fee increases being carried out (effective April 1):
Core services
■ Water Utility
- 15 per cent increase to the residential and commercial flat rates,
- 15 per cent increase to the residential and commercial capacity rates,
- 15 per cent increase to the residential and commercial metered rates effective January 1, 2011.
■ Sewer Utility
- 15 per cent increase to residential and commercial rates effective January 1, 2011.
Recreation services
Pine Valley Golf Course
- Increases on the average of $0.40 per fee package effective January 1, 2011.
- See SWIMMING on page 5
SMH :(
RCMP take a suspect into custody Tuesdayjust before 1 p.m.in an alleyway between the 200 block of Wainwright and Alward.
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
Texts turn testy
Cell exchange sends teen, then police to Alward Street scene
Frank Peebles Citizen staff
When an argument between two youths crossed into threats being issued, police became involved.
One of the youths is now in custody and a search underway for a knife that might have been hidden or lost along the route he took.
The incident began long distance between a 20-year-old and an 18-year-old and got too close for comfort for the one who called police.
“This was partially an argument via text messaging that resulted in
Bust nets more than party favours
crime /3
the suspect coming to the victim’s house to threaten him, and therefore went too far,” said Prince George RCMP spokeswoman Const. Lesley Smith.
“One of them threatened the other with a knife and then the 20-year-old victim contacted police.
The 18-year-old suspect fled the scene.”
The police cordoned off an area around the 500 block of Alward Street. A police dog unit (dog and handler) was brought to the area and followed the suspect’s track.
— See POLICE on page 3
photography
The secret of Uncle Earl /17
opinion
Plodding police response puts people at risk /6
movies
‘Last
Exorcism' almost freaky /8
diversions
Annie's Mailbox . . . .2
Bridge ................8
Comics ............9
Crossword .....9
Horoscope .... 2
Classifieds . . . 19-22
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