v Wednesday, August 19, 1992 “ire crews have hands @ Arrow Lakes Forest District hits Class 4 rating as crews prepared for the 112th fire of the summer season Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER Forest fires are lighting up all over the Ar- row Forest District. : “Right now the whole Arrow district is in a Class 4 rating,” district fire control officer Doug Fellman said. “In other words this means it is a high haz- ard for forest fires. “If the weather stays like it has been... we'll be going into extreme hazard by the end of the week.” * An extreme hazard rating would see camp- fire bans enforced for the weekend. “All of our lookouts are up and we are main- taining daily air patrols,” Fellman said. Already, 111 fires have ignited this year, consuming a total of 25 hectares of land. This compares to last year’s forest fire count of 39, which destroyed 11 hectares of for- est. Although most of the fires to date have been caused by lightning, 18 were the fault of man. Fellman says a fire Thursday between the Castlegar airport and the golf course was the result of someone abandoning a campfire. He says damage was minimal due to the quick response time of fire crews. All this activity by the firefighters does not come without its price. Fellman says the cost of staff and equip- ment to fight the fires in the area have, so far, amounted to $680,000. At this point last year, the price tag was on- ly $150,000. Incredible Journey hits Castlegar @ Ken McColm’s fight against diabetes takes him on 20-month journey across Canada Scott David Harrison EDITOR Ken McColm is taking on diabetes one step at atime. The 31-year-old New Brunswick native isin the final stages of a cross-Canada walk de- signed to raise public awareness to the disease which cost him his eye sight. “About one million Canadians suffer from diabetes and of those half of them aren't even aware they have it,” McColm’s B.C. media re- lations director Bob Karman said Monday. Titled the Incredible Journey, McColm start- ed his walk ing the fight against the debilitating disease. In 1991, the CDA committed $3.23 million to di- abetes research in the hope that a cure can be discovered. The CDA, which has 165 chapters across Canada including Castlegar, Nelson and Trail, generates its funds from individual Canadians, businesses and foundations — many of which are helping to finance McColm’s Incredible Journey. The Incredible Journey will make its way through Castlegar this Thursday, and to help drum up support for diabetes research the local chapters of the CDA are hosting a breakfast for McColm this Friday at 8 a.m. at the Sandman Inn. McColm — who has raised some $420,000 for diabetes research since his trek began — will use the across Cana- da on March 20, 1991, in St. John’s, Nfld. Walk- ing some 30 kilometres a ‘It’s really an awareness campaign aimed and getting people to understand exactly what help Castlegar gathering to make people aware diabetes is.’ of the two CDA’s Bob Karman types of-dis- ease which is day, he en- tered British Columbia on Aug. 4 with some 7,000 km and 17 months behind him. McColm has some 1,000 km and three months remain- ing before his Incredible Journey ends in Vic- toria. “We're not looking at it as a fundraising cam- paign per se,” said Karman, a member of the Canadian Diabetes Association. “It’s really an awareness campaign aimed and getting people to understand exactly what diabetes is.” McColm knows about diabetes and the com- plications of it all too well. Diagnosed with the disease as a five-year-old, McColm learned to live with diabetes until it robbed him of his sight in 1988. That prompted the freelance journalist and writer to put down the pen and put up a fight against the often overlooked disease. McColm’s mission is designed to provide Canadians with the facts on diabetes — one of which is the startling news that diabetes is the third leading causes of death by disease in Canada. Diabetes is also a leading cause in adult blindness and non-trauma amputation. It al- so doubles the chance of heart attacks and strokes and increases the chance of kidney dis- ease. The annual cost of diabetes to the Cana- dian health care system is more than $2.5 bil- lion. expected to af- flict 60,000 Canadians this year. Type 1 — also known as juvenile diabetes — usually afflicts those under the age of 40. It oc- curs when the body stops producing or can no longer produce enough insulin to regulate blood level. Type 1, which attacks the system sud- denly, is treated with injections of insulin. Type 2— also known as adult-onset diabetes — makes up 80 per cent of all cases in Canada. This form of diabetes creeps up on individuals and can easily be missed. With Type 2 diabetes, the body still produces insulin but not at a rate that is needed by the body. This can be caused by a hormonal defect or when a person becomes overweight and the body is unable to produce enough insulin to meet the larger individual. McColm is trying to make Canadians aware of the subtle symptoms of the two types of dia- betes, which includes increased thirst, hunger, excessive fatigue, frequent urination, slow- healing cuts and sores, blurred vision and un- usual weight loss. “It can be a hidden disease,” Karman. “A lot people have it and they don’t even know it. “Ken is trying to make people aware of dia- betes to make sure that people are properly treated.” eee The public is invited to attend the breakfast. Tickets will be on sale outside the door at $8 per Why rent?... WITH 5% DOWN AND EASY MONTHLY PAYMENTS YOU CAN OWN YOUR OWN HOME! We have a good selection of new and used mobile homes. Pads available in family and adult parks. BELAIRE MOBILE HOMES 1525 Columbia Ave., Castlegar - 365-8077. WE "SELL, BUY OR TRADE" Gemologist and vaker Since 1962 Proprietor of Ted Allen's Jewellery, is pleased to announce that his company has secured the exlusive services of talented goldsmith and jewellery designer, E.J. Duncan. Mr. Duncan brings to Ted Allen's a wealth of training and experience in his field. He worked for the last 12 years with a prominent and respected Victoria ery y, specializing in the design and creation of handcrafted gold and silver jewellery. : ; This new association with E.J. Duncan is part of Ted Alien’s Jewellery ongoing commitement to “making your dreams come Ted Allen's Jewellery 431 Baker Street, Nelson, B.C. 352-5033 IF YOU HAVE THE ENERCY, SHELL HAS THB RESOURCES. & Perhaps you want to clean up your local river bank. Or set up a recycling program in your community. If you've got an env ironmental project in mind. Shell wants to help! We've set up the Shell Environmental Fund to help Canadians transform their ideas into action. For more information. call the Shell Helps Centre at 1-800-661-1600. Shell © helps! a 2 RE SERIE CE ee ne oa etmek @ Wednesday, August 19, 1992 =e AroundTOWN ly Our person for Our People Glen Freeman 365-7266 THE LAST HURRAH It’s out with the old, tired community news reporter and in with the new as Vancouver- native Corrine Jackson gets set to take over my shoes at The News. Jackson, 25, reports for duty on Monday and is eagerly awaiting her start in journalism. She is no stranger to the Kootenays as her family spent time in the Trail- Rossland area. © On a personal note, Jackson is somewhat of a language expert (at least, that’s what she told us). She has studied both French and Russian and looks forward to practicing the latter right here in Good Old Castlegar. PLANE TO SEE The winner of the B.C. Senior Games Zone 6 Raffle has been announced and that person just happens to be from our fair city. Congratulations goes out to M. Rodenburg of Castlegar. Rodenburg wins two free tickets from Air B.C. Happy skies to you. OurPEOPL After a year as local royalty, Kirstin Mason is ready to take on the British Columbia Interior Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER Kirstin Mason has done a lifetime of growing in one short year. The 18-year-old Castlegar born and bred woman was named Miss Castlegar 1991 and she says her life will never be the same. “The first thing that went through my mind was ‘Thank God,” Mason said of the June 1991 night she was crowned. “It was really an over- whelming moment and I was just so thankful. It was such a gift — the honor and privilege one step further. “I’ll be taking part in the Miss Interior B.C. Pageant this week,” Mason said. “It’s being held in Penticton and it’s really quite a big event. There are 19 girls from all over the interior of B. C. who will be competing.” The B.C. women will spend a week gearing up for the big event Friday, when a new queen will be crowned. But Mason insists the thrill is not about winning a crown. “I don’t think it’s the winning that makes a pageant,” she said. “It’s what’s associated with it. News photo by Glen Freeman With or without the Miss Interior B.C. crown, Kirstin Mason has her to represent Castlegar.” And now Mason has chosen to take the representing our communit meeting Kirstin Mason (right) celebrated as she was named Miss Castlegar in 1991. Today.she is in Penticton vying for the Miss Interior crown. It’s not the fame or notoriety honor of involved, it’s just so great to be eye on the future. representing your home town. It’s a tremendous experience.” And for those who say talent pageants such as Miss Castlegar are sexist or demeaning, Mason has an idea or two on the matter. “The fact that so many people insist on looking at pageants from an archaic point of view is frustrating,” she said. “Some people see them as a meat, market, and that is not at all what the majority of pageants — including the Miss Interior and the Miss Castlegar pageants — are trying to are and to respect other people. What can be wrong with that?” Mason went on to say that participants are excellent role models for the young in a time when good role models are hard to find. But the defender of talent shows says that win or lose in Penticton this week, she is hanging up her crown. “After this I go to school,” Mason said. “I can’t fool myself into thinking that winning Miss Interior is going to get me through the rest of my life. As portray. “What they are trying to do is encourage confidence and self- They emphasizing to just be who you News file photo assurance. far as I can see now, education is my number one priority.” With that confidence and positive attitude, Mason doesn’t need a crown to be a winner. keep Glen Freeman NEWS REPORTER The end of an era. This is absolutely the last article that I will write as a Castlegar News reporter and I’m left with one question. What the heck am I doing here? Just how on earth did I end up in Castlegar in the first place? You see, I consider myself a big city boy. In fact, more than half of my life has been spent in towns of more than one million people. My last address was in a city called Taoyuan, Taiwan, and it was wall-to-wall faces and places. I went to high school in Barranquilla, Colombia, population a cool 1.75 million folks. Pretty easy to get lost in the crowd down there. The ’Gar’s been great for this big-city boy Eventually I went to the University of Alberta in Edmonton and I really grew to like the laid-back, mellow style of the suburbs. Castlegar doesn’t have suburbs. Castlegar doesn’t even have a doughnut store — in my books a city has to have double chocolate doughnuts before it can qualify as anything more than a hamlet. I don’t think doughnuts have anything to do with the legal definition of a city but if I become Prime Minister they will. Keep that in mind in coming elections. Anyway, there I was in January vsiting my in-laws and planning my future. (and my trip back to Edmonton) when someone said “Hey, you can write. Why don’t you apply at The News?” My educational background is in Political Science and English — and while I read The Rolling Stone articles like they’re on tomorrow's mid-term exam, I must admit I’m no journalist. But I went into my interview with Scott David Harrison and made two mistakes. I called him ‘sir’ and I lgt him know I own a Nikon camera. I was hired the next day. Castlegar immediately took me under her wing and made me feel welcome. And while the folks at The News may have regretted having me, I have never regretted joining this strange group of small-town psychopaths — they’re great. And so is the ’Gar. The people actually smile and say ‘hi’ every once-in-a-while. You get locked up or beat up for that in most metropolises. You surprised me Castlegar. I didn’t get bored with your one-mall town. I didn’t miss smog and traffic. I didn’t even really miss doughnuts.: Heaven knows I could use a good diet.