Wednesday, January 6, 1993 @ Lasca Four gets probation, fines Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER The Lasca Four have been put on probation. Sentences were handed down Tuesday in Nelson Supreme Court for the four people found guilty of civil con- tempt of court. Mathew Beynon, Candice Batycki, Andre Arnold and Samuel Schikowitz, all Nelson area residents, have received suspended sentences: They were placed on two years probation and must per- form 75 hours of community service work, All four must refrain from illegal protesting activities, in- cluding the obstruction of log- ging any logging operations. They are also not permitted within 200 metres of where active logging and related road building is occurring. Beynon is the only excep- tion in order to allow him ac- cess to his residence. A $500 fine was also im- posed for each of the contem- ners. Nineteen-year-old protester Arnold said the whole experi- ence was an eye-opener. “I, myself, had no previous encounter in the judicial sys- tem,” Arnold said. “The fla- grant waste of money and time was apparent from be- ginning to end. But I do feel the court was open minded.” He said he didn’t regret protesting on the logging road, but said in the future he “would avoid it at all costs.” The four protesters were charged with violating a court injunction Sept. 24, 1991 when they blocked an Acto Lumber Ltd. logging road at Lasca Creek, northeast of Nel- son. “It definitely showed me that confrontation techniques don’t solve anything.” Arnold said the protesters now must be careful how they conduct themselves. “We have to step very light- ly now. A lot of it is open to in- terpretation in the courts,” he said. “It was a challenging but necessary education for all of us.” No buses, no demand NEWS STAFF Buses were pulled from Castlegar streets for the sec- ond year in a row this New Year’s Eve. Dennis Stach says the number of people needing public transit service New Year’s Eve is dropping as more people choose to celebrate at home. “In talking to B.C. Transit they tell me the ridership sta- tistics for B.C. are down,” Trail Transit Services Inc. manager said.“It’s too expensive to go out.” Some 30 people used the ARROW LAKE ELEVATION 1400.5 ft. on Jan. 1 Forecast of Elevation 1396.5 ft. on Jan. 9 Castlegar service in 1991 and Stach said these kinds of num- bers don’t warrant continuing the service. “Of course it’s free (for New Year’s passengers), but it still costs some money and there’s no use in keeping it running. “We've had no concerns raised about it,” he said. edhe sGureer —\) WEEKLY O. SPECIAL © Hot Dog & Fries 4 Happy New Year Ail Our Prices include the G.S.T. & WINTER HOURS-10 A.M.-8 P.M. 1521 Columbia Ave. 365-8388 Call Ahead Drive Through Service £ h-hh ~~ + Utilities set for power play @ B.C. Hydro seeks new and improved contract with West Kootenay Power Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER B.C. Hydro wants more. The Crown corporation wants to scrap its existing Power Purchasing Agreement with West Kootenay Power in favor of anew — and more expensive — contract. WKP presently buys about 10 per cent of its total power from B.C. Hydro. “In a nutshell, the whole basis is to increase the rates to what proved by the commission, it “would result in an average increase of approximately five per cent to WKP for electricity bought from Hy- dro.” The Crown corporation states if WKP chose “to spread the increase across its customer base,” it would raise residential user rates by 20 cents per month. Not so, according to Bradshaw. He said the increase would be from 15 to 20 per cent for each residential customer. Geissler said WKP is free to go anywhere in the province to expand its own resources. “That’s kind of others are pay- ing,” B.C. Hydro community rela- tions co-ordinator Al Geissler said. “We only sup- ply 10 per cent of (WKP’s) power needs,” Geissler said. “But ba- sically, B.C. Hydro customers around the rest of the province have been subsidizing that. We've been supplying (WKP) with power for less than it costs to build.” But WKP’s director of community and pub- lic affairs disagreed. Mike Bradshaw said B.C. Hydro is not selling its power for less than the cost of production. ~ “(Geissler) can say that, and that’s what Hydro is claiming, but that is not true and we will address that at the hearing,” Bradshaw said. Tuesday’s announcement by B.C. Hydro will see a hearing held before the B.C. Utili- ties Commission. Two weeks of meetings have been scheduled, the first to be in Castlegar on Feb. 8. B.C. Hydro stated if the new rates are ap- ‘That’s kind of an arrogant response, isn’t it?’ — WKP’s Mike Bradshaw °U an arrogant re- sponse, isn’t it?” Bradshaw said. “We’d like to have resource structure inde- " pendent of B.C. Hydro. But with current provincial policy that’s impossible.” Even the Regional District of Central Kootenay is expected to oppose to the rate in- crease. RDCK chair George Cady said the dis- trict will unite with the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary at the hearings to help avert any increase. The deadline for applying to be at the hearing is Jan. 8, and even though the next RDCK meeting isn’t until Jan. 16, Cady said he is “going to go ahead anyway. “We are subsidizing (B.C. Hydro) by not col- lecting property taxes,” Cady said. The RDCK chair said even though B.C. Hy- dro is building a $27 million sub-station in Oliver, West Kootenay residents won't bene- fit. Cady said he disagrees with blanket in- creases he called the “postage stamp princi- ple.” To Welcome in 1993 Chicken Time has Spectacular Savings for you. A 20 Piece Barrel for Offer ends Saturday, Jan. 9 2816 Columbia Ave. *49.93 Discover a brand new you and save $18.00 Come see the New Weight Watchers. People laughing. Meeting new friends. Listening to tapes or enjoying entertaining videos. So call the New Weight Watchers to become a brand new you. You'll love the changes in our Program. Almost as much as the ones in your mirror. For a brand new you. 1-800-682-8011 CASTLEGAR PoRTUGESE HALL 421-13TH AVENUE Tuurspays, 7:00 PM. Half Price Join for $18.00 alid Area No.68, British Columbia, January 2-23, 1993. Cannot be combined with any other offer and is not available for at work Jual weight loss may vary. © 1992 Weight Watchers International, Inc., Owner of the Registered Trademark. All Rights Reserved @ Wednesday, January 6, 1993 AroundTOWN Our person for Our People Corinne Jackson 365-7266 HEAR YE HEAR YE Calling all poets... the Sparrowgrass Poetry Forum's new “Awards of Poetic Excellence” contest is accepting entries now. You can enter one poem only, 20 lines or less on any subject and in any style. The contest closes March 31 and entries will be considered for publication in the Fall 1993 edition of Poetic Voices of America. Cash prizes totaling $1, 000 will be awarded and the contest is free to enter. Send entries to Sparrowgrass Poetry Forum, Inc., Dept. CN, 203 Diamond St., Sistersville, WV, 26175 NOW’S YOUR CHANCE The Tuberculous and Chest Disabled Veterans’ Association is inviting people to join their lost keys program To obtain your 1993 TB Vets key-tag call 1- 800-665-7796 Because the program is funded by donations, contributions are appreciated. Baby Girl arlcen @ Happy Castlegar couple welcomes the New Year with 10-pound baby girl Corinne Jackson NEWS REPORTER Castlegar’s New Year’s baby won't be lacking for very much... least of all, love and attention. Except, maybe a name. Sandra Lee Marken and her husband David have not decided on a name for their baby girl yet, but they say they have a few in mind. “We better not say,” Sandra says, explaining “we might completely change our minds.” “We thought we’d wait to see if the baby had any personality traits that would help us name the child,” David says. Baby Girl Marken was born Jan. 3, at 10:22 a.m. and weighed in at 10 pounds. So far, the new addition to the Marken clan has received much attention in Castlegar, but Sandra says the baby won't be spoiled. “She won't be spoiled. She'll get lots of love and attention — nothing wrong with that,” she smiles. The baby girl was a wonderful surprise for the new parents. So was the day the little one decided to come out and greet the world. Sandra says she wanted it to be a surprise, but she did expect the baby was going to be a boy and born Dec. 28. But Sandra says, “I was just as happy when I was told it was a girl.” It may be a little premature to start talking about any more children in the future, but both parents agree that they'd like to have another. “We're hoping to have at least one more after this,” David says. And after that? “It depends on how much they drive us up the wall,” David laughs. “It’s always nice for the child to have another News photos by Corinne Jackson Sandra Lee and David Marken show off their new arrival with pride. The baby girl is the couples’ first child — a good reason to get a lot of attention. Couple this with the fact that she is a New Year's baby, and you understand why she is so special. child to bounce off of — to have feedback from someone other than parents and to laugh and play with,” he says. But, Sandra and David have a little time yet before they decide to have another child. Right now, Sandra and her daughter are getting a little rest at Castlegar and District Hospital before they go home — a day the new Mom can’t wait for. “We'll start getting used toa routine with the baby,” she says. Until they get home though, Sandra and David are more than happy to enjoy their daughters company at the hospital. “It certainly is a nice gift for New Year’s,” Sandra says. “It’s a nice gift anytime,” David responds. “She’s beautiful.”