Saturday, January 30, 1993 TheFARSIDE By Gary Larson H “For crying out loud, | was hibernating! ... Don't you guys ever take a pulse?” , New Yorker upgraded, satisfactory condition NEWS STAFF Patrick Hickey is on the road to recovery. The Kamyr construction worker on the Celgar Ex- pansion Project has been recovering in Spokane’s Sa- cred Heart Medical Centre since a Jan. 3 head-on colli- sion south of Castegar. Hickey’s passenger and fiance 25-year-old Sonny Straughan and the driver of the other vehicle were ad- mitted at Castlegar and District Hospital but have since been released. The accident occurred when a Genelle man who was blinded by snow attempted to pass another vehicle on Highway 22 and hit Hickey’s on-coming car. Charges are pending against the Genelle man and his name cannot be released. Police BEAT A black 15-inch Phantom speaker was stolen from a vehicle parked in the Tilden Car Sales parking lot on Columbia Avenue during the night of Jan. 26 or early hours of Jan. 27. A side window was broken to gain ac- cess. Castlegar RCMP have no suspects. There's something fot.everyone! 365-7266 COMMUNITY ; ; CASTLEGAR SENIORS HALL Business meeting, February 4, 2 p.m. Whist February 11, 7 p.m 2/09 Coming events of Castlegar and District non-profit organizations may be listed here. The first 12 words are $4 and additional words are 30¢ each. Boldfaced words (which must be used for headings) count as two words. There is no extra charge for a second insertion while the third and each consecutive insertion is half-price. Minimum charge is $4 (whether ad is for one, two or three times). Deadlines are 5 p.m Wednesdays for Saturday's paper and 5 p.m. Monday for Wednesday's paper. Noti should be brought to the Castlegar News at 197 Columbia Ave. COMMUNITY All Our Best From CASTLEGAR FOODS 635 Columbia Ave. ¢ 365-5755 Prices effective Thurs., January 28 to Wed., February 3 Made In Store ITALIAN SAUSAGE Hot © Mild © 4.14 kg. Fresh Fresh CHICKEN CHICKEN BREAST LEGS Family Pack ver) kg. rout Packs 104 kg. MARGARINE} Tub ¢ 454 g. RED SEEDLESS}; MEDIUM GRAPES TOMATOES 4.16 kg. 1.96 kg. Nalley's. POTATO CHIPS All varieties ° 200 g. Foremost 2 LITRE MILK Skim ¢ 1% ¢ 2% ¢ Homogenized ¢ Limit 2 CASTLEGAR FOODS WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES HOURS: Mon.-Thurs., Sat. 9-6; Fri. 9-8 OPEN SUNDAYS 10 a.m.-5 p.m. @ Saturday, January 30, 1993 The News The News is located at 197 RDCK facing @ Increased assessments could mean 33 per cent tax hikes in rural B.C. Scott David Harrison EDITOR Rural homeowners could be facing 33 per cent tax increases in 1993, and there’s nothing the Regional District of Central Kootenay can do about it. “We've told the government to lay off taxes,” the RDCK’s Hans Cunningham said. “You took the homeowners grant away last year, how much more do you want.” The RDCK’s representative to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, Cunningham has joined forces with the provincial body to oppose any tax hikes to government-determined property and school levies. The potential tax hikes come in the wake of increased property whopping tax increases? assessments in rural areas which saw home values jump an average of 33 per cent. “The rural tax rate is set by the province,” UBCM executive director Richard Taylor said. “The province sets the rural tax levy and school tax levies and there is nothing rural districts can do about it. Where as a municipality can adjust its tax rate, a rural area doesn’t have that flexibility.” Taylor said the UBCM will ask the province to tread softly in 1993. He said until changes are made to the Municipal Act which allows regional districts to set property and school levies, rural homeowners are at the tax whim of the province. Pointing to B.C.’s growing deficit, Taylor said the UBCM will approach Finance Minister Glen Clark in the hopes “of finding out what his (tax) expectations are for rural areas.” Meanwhile, Cunningham has been invited to speak with Clark at a Feb. 4 meeting at the Capitol Theatre in Nelson. He said he will ask the minister to ignore increased assessment values when setting property and school tax levels in rural areas. “He’s prepared to talk money, so I'll be there,” Cunningham said. Cunningham said he is not only worried about rural homeowners in the RDCK, but the entire province. “Something has to be done,” he said. “I suggest that they should drop the rate by the assessment increase. If assessments went up 30, they should drop it 30. “Whatever they decide, it’s not looking like a good tax year for us.” SPLISH, SPLASH along 8th Avenue. Who says a rainy day isn't a pleasant time for a ro for sure. The Castlegar couple dodged puddles and rain drop News photo by Neil Rachynski mantic stroll? Not Frank and Teresa Steenvoorden that’s s together Thursday while enjoying a wet walk Education panel gets Swift reply Wl Post-secondary review in high gear as Margaret Fulton gets input from stakeholders Corinne Jackson NEWS REPORTER If first impressions are any in- dication, Dr. Margaret Fulton says her review will be a success. Responses are already starting to trickle in after two weeks of meetings with different education stakeholders in the Kootenays, the Post-Secondary Education and Training Review Project chair said. “People have been really good about sending responses,” she said, adding that briefs must be submitted by Feb. 28. “We want thoughtful briefs, not off the top of people’s heads. This is avery serious review and we need very thoughtful responses.” While waiting for briefs, Fulton said she will be tabulating infor- The News is published by Castle News Ltd. for Canwest Publishers Ltd. Mail subscription rate to The News is $37.50 per year. The price on number 0019. Transient admits to local break-ins mation gathered at interviews throughout the area and meeting with the advisory committee in Victoria. Wl RCMP close the books on five downtown break-ins; 27-year-old won't be charged Corinne Jackson NEWS REPORTER A weight was lifted from the shoulders of Castle- gar RCMP this week. Vancouver RCMP called the local detachment Monday to say they were holding a 27-year-old male responsible for five Castlegar break-ins in custody. “It kind of gives you a bit more direction to go now,” Cpl. Al Brown said, pointing to the remaining five business break-ins to be solved. The tip closes the investigation of the Dec. 1 break- ins to Castlegar and District Public Library, Tulips Floral Co. and the local Ministry of Social Services and Housing office. The man also admitted to the Dec. 5 to Dec. 7 break-ins to Castlegar Professional Clinic and Tender Care Variety Centre. The man was picked up in Vancouver for posses- sion of a stolen vehicle and is facing charges for auto thefts, hit and runs and breaking and enterings in the Lower Mainland. Brown said he will not be charged for the Castle- gar offenses. “We're not going to have him charged with (our break-ins) because of certain circumstances,” he said, declining to say what they were. The former Rossland resident is described as a transient. “Ee sometimes hangs his hat in a house, but most times he’s transient,” Brown said. Brown said it would cost too much to bring the man up to Castlegar to be charged and besides “we know he will get a lengthy jail time (in Vancouver) anyways.” ‘An investigation into Castlegar’s other business break-ins continues. Police have few leads. Fulton said she will also be meeting with northern Kootenay communities in February before returning to Castlegar in March. Fulton is expected to present her report to the Ministries of Ad- vanced Education, Economic De- velopment and Tourism in June. The review got off to a rocky start in late-December after con- cerns were raised that Fulton’s ties to Nelson University Centre may slant the results. Fulton is a for- mer NUC consultant. In addition, Nelson-Creston MLA Corky Evans and three cab- inet ministers faced conflict of in- terest charges after approving Ful- ton’s appointment.