THE LIGHTER SID Castlegar Sun Ann Landers Syndicated Columnist Dear Ann Landers: You have printed several about the importance of unplugging kitchen appli- ances when not in use. I am enclosing an article that appeared in the International Association of Electrical Inspectors News. It is grip- ping testimony for unplug- ging BATHROOM appliances as well. Please print this article in your column so that parents may learn from it. My heart goes out to the mother of the children involved in this trag- ic accident. — Thomas W. Schmid, executive director, Independent Electrical Con- tractors, Florida. Dear Thomas Schmid: Thank you for what could be lifesaving information for my millions of readers. Here's the article. Bless you for sending it on. “A 4-year-old girl was electrocuted and her 3-year- old brother critically injured when one of them dropped a plugged-in hair dryer into the tub with them.” “The county sheriff's deputy said the children were in the tub when their mother left them for a moment, and one child apparently got out of the tub and returned with a hair dryer that was plugged in. The dryer was apparently then dropped into the tub.” “The mother returned to find the youngsters uncon- scious and the dryer float- ing beside them. The children were take to the hospital, where the girl was pronounced dead. The boy was hospitalized in critical condition.” And now, dear readers, one more word from Ann: It takes only a second for a heart-breaking tragedy to occur. Please keep your elec- trical appliances unplugged and out of the’reach of young children. Show that special GRADUATE just how much you care -_— «May 16, "Happy Bit Nicole - ‘Uncle Derek #May.J6. Happy 4th Birthday joshua Veritigr Love Mom. Jad Alex Mes faa Birthday , May: eee * May 18° Happy Bisthde y ‘ie Y jata Raye Batting - love Grandma NOU SUPPOSE A CAR S Costs? Tu BET $75. CLUES ACROSS 1. Symbol (5) 4. Ire (5) 8. Sea eagle (3) 9. Story (5) 10. Shrine (5) 11. Pledge (3) 12. Stringed instrument (5) 13, Unmasked (7) 16. Sleepy (6) 19. Garb (6) 23. Pattern plate (7) 26. Performer (5) 28. And so forth (3) 29. Universe (5) 30. Hackneyed (5) 31. Also (3) 32. Short song (5) 33. Western show (5) CLUES DOWN Grassy hill (5) Edgy (7) . Reply (6) 5. Clutch (5) Religious observances (5) Dismissed (5) . Confronted (5) Grain (3) For hearing (3) Rodent (3) . Succeeded (3) Mechanical plough (7) Weird (5) Abundance (6) 3. Stitched (5) . Made a mistake (5) 5. Trainee (5) Tested (5) NoBOOY Hit Tr! IT JUST WENT INTO THE RAVINE ACROSS THE STREET’ ‘AND WITH EVERY DRAWING YOU BUY, YOU GET A FREE PAPER PLATE WITH A TREE ON IT/ ABSOLUTELY FREE! POUL “LZ PRD SZ PAL pT Pamag EZ Awuaig ‘ZZ PUI IZ sO19w1L “OT VOM “SI WALI WAS WO “vl pose “6 Pally“ Say “9 dseIQ “¢ JOMSUY “p SNOAIDN “¢ [10Uy “Z NMOG Oapoy “Ef ANIG ‘Ze COL “IE MAUL ‘OE PLOM “6Z MA 87 Joy “97 [!9UAIS ‘EZ aIMY “61 Asmoiq ‘91 Pasodxy “¢1 OND "ZL MOA “IL FEUW OL 100146 WA "g JOBUy “py UDdyO] “| SNOLLATOS SSOUOV LOOK AT US! MY DAD USED To ACTUALLY, MY Dap WEP BOXERS JUST LIKE THis lore. ! BUT, TWENTY-FIVE CO YOUR DRAWINGS CENTS? DON'T Wf YEAH, ‘CEPT 1 GOTTA CHARGE EXTRA TO USUALLY COST A NICKEL 7! ‘ THE & Sp oy % ed % IF YOU CAN FIND ‘EM GRIND 'EM To free up landscaping space, call about our new stump grinder IF YOU'RE STUMPED, 2917. 4th ive “Tne-1197-Brrsy seiver. J) |S out CAME THE SUN ANID CF PLED VP THE wee en DRIED UP ALA THE RAW Ny DOWN CAME THE AND THE ITSY- BITSY WHEHED THE SPIDER | | CP\DER CRAWLED UP THE gu | gg HOUT AGAIN! + Mug 18° Happy 3rd Bi ry Hayley Walaa Happy #4 Birthday Hayley Wilhelm -tove Ashle; Falyn Bankert + Mag 39 ‘Woppy Bia = Uncle Derek > + May 20, “Hsbpy ie ‘Detek - lor aN, CALL 365-5626 Castegar, 5c - Joye Moming Magp2) 7H we + May20 2nd Bi re tay apprmay, Dey y & Kayla + May-20: vy Birthday ténay ~ trot Al, Nits, Allison & Carly # May 20° Happy ne'Bi Cc ithdey ‘ourthey Swelfishott f love Babe, ize in Ice-cream cakes, Call 365-5522 for takeout of Sunday: j1 am -9 pm WZ The Ci stlegar Sun AWS Excellence in Service Awar This award will be presented every week to someone in Castlegar who shows extraordinary service to his/her customers or clients. The recipient will receive an award plaque to keep courtesy of Kats Trophys and a pizza courtesy of Canadian 2 For 1 Pizza. We'd like everyone in Castlegar to know that service excellence exists in our community. This award recognizes a nominated business. If you know of someone that offers "Excellence in Service," call me, Marilyn Strong at 365-5266, or drop a letter at the Castlegar Sun with your suggestion. a NADIAN 2 POR I PIZZA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1994 PROFILE moguls i in stock market contest/3A are introduced/1B worst’ The Castlegar Sun ‘The weekly newspaper with a dally commitment’ Chief see CR Kea ks public’s help to solve fires KAREN KERKHOFF _ Sun Staff Castlegar fire chief Gerry Rempel is calling for the public's assistance after battling yet another suspicious fire May 16. “We need the public’s help. If residents could just keep an eye out and report suspicious activi- ties to the RCMP or fire depart- ment that would be appreciated.” The fire, on the south side of Arrow Lakes Road across from Celgar pulp mill, is also believed to have been set. It is the eighth in a string of suspicious fires in just under three months. The fire was spotted by Celgar personnel who called it in at 12:59 p.m. and then sent their own firefighting crew to battle the blaze. The Arrow Forest Dis- trict was also notified of the fire and responded. By the time the Castlegar fire department arrived the fire was well under control, said Rempel. “We appreciate the profession- alism of both Celgar and forestry”. The fire, which had consumed almost 1,500 square metres of wooded land, was in an area which Rempel said appeared as if it had been used to dump trash. Because of its location, and weather conditions at the time, Rempel believes the fire was caused by humans. t “We're leaning towards suspi- cious origin rather than! sponta- neous ignition. I don’t think the conditions were really right for spontaneous,” he said. * Areas which Rempel said have been the target of firebugs include the area near the Columbia River and Twih Rivers Park, which has been thé site of four suspicious fires, and the area near the CPR train bridge Two young boys had been spotted running from an area in which a fire had been set near the Twin Rivers Park late last month—the scene of several sus- Picious fires. Rempel is especially con- cerned because of the dry condi- tions..which he says are more typical of later in the year. “The drought code is very dry. The moisture [in the ground] should be a lot deeper than it is now. The conditions are like September or October.” School district releases contracts KAREN KERKHOFF Sun Staff After requests from its unions, the Castlegar school board last week made public all district contracts. Chair Joanne Baker said that under the Freedom of Informa- tion Act the board is required to release such information, but chose to do so in a public man- ner, releasing all contracts and not just secretary-treasurer John Dascher’s contract as the unions had requested. “The board feels that it’s in the best interest for everyone to have all the information. There's always rumors flying around and different interpretations. This way everyone has all the information.” Norm Wolfe, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1298 said the release of the docu- ments is viewed as a positive Step towards solving difficulties which sometimes arise between the unions and the board. “The more included the peo- ple feel, the less disagreement there will be ultimately. The morale is more likely to increase. I see this as a big step.” Wolfe said the lengthy docu- ments package will now have be read and interpreted, but saluted the board for both the release of the contracts and the manner in which they were released “We did request the informa- tion and would like to commend the board for their thoroughness and promptness in which they responded.” One of the reasons for requesting Dascher’s contract, explained Wolfe, is to determine if district money is being spent fairly. “We wanted to make sure that cuts aren't being handed down to members and made to look like it is coming out of other areas.” Now that reorganization of administration is in the works and slated to be implemented Sept.|1, Baker and Surgenor said that the board will negoti- ate future contracts within the lines of BCPCEA (B.C. Public Sector Employers Associa- tion) which sets strict negoti- ating guidelines. “There will be a provincial reference and the board must negotiate within those rules,” explained Surgenor. Surgenor said he believes that contracts for local administra- tion are below those of sur- rounding districts. “I think Castlegar has tradi- tionally paid lower than sur- rounding districts.” Baker pointed out that admin- istration hasn't received an increase in salary in several years. | “BCPCEA is working on comparing salaries and benefits in districts throughout the province.” The contracts released included: the superintendent, assistant superintendent, secre- tary-treasurer, assistant secre- tary-treasurer, maintenance supervisor, stance mainte- nance supervisor, confidential secretaries, speech therapist, Principals and vice-principals, unionized teaching staff and unionized non-teaching staff. Copies of contract are avail- able through the Castlegar board office upon request. RON NORMAN “4 Pa. Pm : yi SUN STAFF PHOTO /Karen Kerkholt, Celigar pulp mill firefighters Theron Isteid (left) and Tom Berisoff hose down hot spots at a bush fire across from: the pulp mill last week. The blaze was the ei ést Service and the CaStiégar Volunteer Fire Department also responded. KINSMEN PARK Residents irate over fence RON NORMAN Sun Editor Area residents ar¢ irate over Castlegar council’s decision to take down the fence around Kins- men Park. “I'm really upset,” said Sherrel Koreen, who lives near the park Koreen is so mad she has start- ed a petition demanding that the city replace the fence. The peti- tion is available at the library. But Councillor Doug Green defended the move. Green, chair of the city’s works and services and parks committee, said the removal of the fence will improve the park’s appearance and make it easier to maintain. “For the overall beauty of the park we're going to remove that fence,” Green told council at its meeting last week. “I think over- all it will look good.” City crews began dismantling the fence the next morning and finished rolling up the wire mesh College Sun Editor Selkirk College will need to spend $30.7 million over the next 15 years on new and expanded facilities at its Castlegar campus, according to an independent study. H. Bookum Consulting Ltd recommends the college nearly double its space by constructing eight new buildings and expand- and removing the posts by Thurs- day afternoon. The ball field backstop was left in place. But Koreen pointed ‘out that the city has already removed many of the park’s amenities, such as the wading pool, the gazebo, the permanent picnic benches and trees. “I think their ultimate goal is to tur it into a parking lot,” she said. Bev Maloff agrees. Maloff, president of the Castle- gar and District Girls Softball Association, said the ball field is not the same without the fence. She noted that the fence prevented balls from rolling down the street. “I am extremely disappointed that they would tear down a fence before that fourth field is built,” She said, referring to the proposed ball field at Kinnaird Park. Maloff noted that the Kinsman Park field is used by six senior girls’ teams and is a valuable field b of the h facilities nearby. “Where are these girls going to play ball? We have a shortage of fields already.” ighth in a spate of recent suspicious fires. Firefighters from the B.C. Fors Maloff is also cc d that the fence is only the first step. “Are they going to tear down the backstop?” She suggested the city would be better off upgrading the park. “It's not going to cost that much to upgrade. I’m just so mad. Thave fought all year for fields.” Meanwhile, Koreen says she is concerned about safety. She pointed out that with the fence gone, vandals will be able to drive on the fields. She pointed out that the city had problems with the park in the past and even went so far as to lock the gates at night She said she has contacted the city and members of council to voice her concerns. Green, she said, promised to rebuild the —_—_—_ See FENCE 2A gets $3 1,151 to 1,385 full-time equivalent students by the year 2008. “To achieve this requires the addition of approximately 12,365 net square metres to the existing 12,815 square metres of space,” Says the report. “The campus total would then be 25,180 net Square metres or 37,266 gross square metres.” The report says that the top Priority is a new student services ing five of its existing building: The recommendations are contained in the Selkirk College Facilities Master Plan and were accepted by the college board at a meeting last week. The report estimates that the col- lege’s student enrolment will increase 1.3 per cent a year, from and ad ‘ation building at a cost of $4.2 million. Other projects ini order of pri- ority include * a cafeteria expansion at a cost of $1.2 million; * anew bookstore at a cost of $817,000, * a gymnasium expansion at a 1m plan cost of $240,000; + the expansion of the faculty A-wing at a cost of $790,000 Other projects include dou- bling the size of the library by adding another floor; a daycare; and a theatre The report also recommends spending $6.8 million on the avi- ation program facilities at the Castlegar Airport, including a shop at $3.2 million, classrooms and labs at $2.6 million and a hangar at $1 million The report also examined the Nelson campus and concluded that 1t thajor new buildings val- ued at $32.1 million will be need- ed over the next15 years. Among them are four academic build- ings, a daycare, and a theatre Welcome B.C. Fire Training Officers Association the Castlegar airport weather office earlier than omic ‘The weather office is slat- ed to close April 1, 1996, however, the government has eliminated one of the three positions at the office beginning next month. “Due to government cut- backs, Jim Richards’ posi- tion is now eliminated,” said weather office - er Tom Willson told The Castlegar Sun. Richards has taken retirement and will finish June 14. However, Envi- ronment Canada has decid- from 10 1/4 a day, seven days a week, to 7 1/2 hours a day, five days a week. Only Willson and weather services specialist Ron Lakeman will remain in the office. Willson said his and Lakeman’s duties will be shared between the Castle- gar weather office and the B.C. Forest Service fire centre in Nelson, “The B.C. Forest Ser- vice, because of our con- tract, becomes our priority See OFFICE 2A