OH, THE HUMANITY
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2007

Remembering the Hindenburg disaster /25

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NHL PLAYOFFS

2 0
Detroit wins best-of-seven series four games to two

Train traffic to double
by MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff The number of CN trains passing through Prince George is expected to double within six months to a year, once the new container terminal at Prince Rupert is opened this fall, according to company spokesperson Kelli Svendsen. "There will be one train going in either direction for the first six months to a year and then likely up to two trains a day in either direction," Svendsen said. Clearance on six tunnels is being increased and two areas of track are being improved to accommodate "double-decking" of containers carried by the trains. The work will be completed by the time the $170million terminal opens in October, she said. "All work blocks are being scheduled to work around train schedules to avoid any delay in service," Svendsen said. She declined to say how much money is being spent on the track and tunnel work, but said it's part of $350 million worth of capital work across Western Canada that CN announced in 2006. Work has also begun on the $20-million transload operation and intermodal rail terminal in CN's First Avenue yard in Prince George, Svendsen said, specifically on renovations to an existing building, which will be turned into a transload facility. That project will also be completed by the time the Prince Rupert container terminal is opened, Svendsen said. Once the first phase container terminal is completed, the Port of Prince Rupert will have the capacity to handle 400,000 20-foot-equivalent containers a year. A second phase, which would raise the total bill to $500 million, would increase the capacity to 1.2 million containers. In Prince George, the plan is to have an 84,000square-foot warehouse with 10 acres of outside storage in place at CN's First Avenue rail yard. Meanwhile, CN regional manager Tom Bourgonje will be the speaker at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon on May 16. Topics will include an update on the First Avenue project and what's happening with excess CN lands in the Prince George area. mnielsen@princegeorgecitizen.com

Western Conference final starts Friday

vs.
Eastern Conference final starts Saturday

RBC Royal Bank Cup

vs.

COLOUR COIN CONFUSES AMERICANS /30
Citizen photo by David Mah

New gang eyes city's drug trade
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff The Crew and The Renegades have some new competition in Prince George. The city's most notorious organized crime gangs are now facing a rival known as the Independent Soldiers. "Recently we were up in Prince George and shared our (intelligence) with Prince George and area members," said Insp. Brent Bloxham, commander of RCMP E-Division's gang task force. The Renegades, according to police, were the first organized crime group based in Prince George. They deal mostly with the massive marijuana trade. The Crew, police explained, are younger, more violent, and deal with street-level drugs and prostitution. Both groups operate in concert with one another, both answering directly to the B.C. Hells Angels, police have said. -- See VIOLENT on page 3

Reegen Guise, left, Triana Bojarski, Nicola Janzan, and Anaya McGaffin and other Grade 3 and 4 students from Morfee elementary in Mackenzie cheered enthusiastically during Monday afternoon's game at CN Centre between the Aurora Tigers and the Pembroke Lumber Kings at the RBC Royal Bank Cup.

GLEE GREETS JAIL TERM FOR PARIS /27

School kids cheer on teams
by TED CLARKE Citizen staff Elementary school was never this much fun. Close to a thousand Prince George and area school kids showed up by the busload at CN Centre Monday afternoon with painted faces and holding signs to show their support for the Aurora Tigers and Pembroke Lumber Kings, the two Ontario teams in the RBC Royal Bank Cup. And did they ever make their presence known, using their cheering voices to raise the decibel level to an all-time high on Day 3 of the eight-day junior `A' hockey national championship tournament. "I think it's a pretty good hockey game," said 11-year-old Steven Easthom, a Grade 6 student at Salmon Valley elementary school.

MORE COVERAGE
Inside on pages 8 and 9 Live game updates at princegeorgecitizen.com
"Even though the Tigers are losing, both teams are putting up a great effort. I just love hockey. This is awesome." The schools were given free tickets and transportation to the game. Each school picked a team to collectively support as their school project. Salmon Valley, Heather Park, Shady Valley, Austin Road, Hart Highlands, Peden Hill, Carney Hill and Glenview elementaries were among the schools represented in the crowd of 2,473 in attendance Monday, as was Morphee elementary of Mackenzie.

More schools are coming to the Camrose Kodiaks-Pembroke game Wednesday afternoon. In return, some of the players will be visiting the kids in their classrooms over the next couple days. "This is way better than going to school because we don't have to do any work," said Amanda Everitt, a Grade 5 student at Glenview. "All we have to do is sit here in a cold place and cheer. At school we can't be loud like this." The players certainly appreciated the warm response they got. "It was wild, I've never seen a group of kids go that wild over a hockey game before but it was nice to see," said Aurora Tigers goalie Paul Beckwith. "It was good to see fans cheering for us, all the way out in B.C."

Rain adds to flood worries
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff Provincial flood forecasters are calculating water level estimates in response to the heavy rains that are certain to make the Nechako and Fraser River levels rise. "The flood potential is quite high due to the high snowpack and the rain (Monday) could exacerbate the problem," said Lyle Larsen, a flood hazard technician with the environment ministry. "The freezing level is at approximately 1,800 metres or 5,900 feet. What that means is we might be seeing some rain falling on snow and that could speed up the melting process." -- See SNOWPACKS on page 3

INDEX
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58307

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8

Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . 29 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Business . . . . . . . . . . . .22-24 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . . .3,5,6,13 Classified . . . . . . . . . . .17-21 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . .27 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14,15

High : 9 Low : 1 page 2
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