The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 24, 2002 - A3 COLIN GOODALL repairs the newly installed ‘Welcome to Terrace’ sign next to Hwy 37 near the airport after it was dented and chip- ped by rock-throwing vandals, The sign had survived barely a week and a half. JOANNA WONG PHOTO Vandals strike welcome sign By JOANNA WONG THE NEWLY installed ‘Welcome to Terrace’ sign that greets visitors across from the airport on Hwy 37 has already been vandalized. Rocks have been thrown at the Kermode bear portion of the sign, chipping paint and creating fist- sized dents. “It’s just so sickening,” said Myrna Rolfsen, the acting presi- dent of the Greater Terrace Beau- tification Society. “It was all so perfect and lasted about a week and a half.” The sign, which had previously been used to greet airline passen- gers on the tarmac, was refur- bished and installed at the end of June. “You would expect less dam- age out of town,” said Rolfsen.“It would have had to have been a time when there wasn’t much traf- fic. It was targeted.” Rolfsen hopes that by calling attention to the damage, people will keep an eye out for acts of vandalism. “If you see something, tell someone,” she said. “It’s expen- sive. How many times can we keep doing this?” Northern Signs’ Colin Goodall repainted the sign last week in preparation for the Communities in Bloom national competition, to be held July 27. News In Brief Fire burns grow-house TWO LAKELSE Lake residents lost their home — and a hydroponic grow operation — in an early moming blaze July 14. The fire gutted a garage and destroyed the cou- ple’s home at 4323 First Ave, Lakelse Lake shortly after 7 a.m. The two residents were home at the time and escaped the blaze unharmed. As the investigation into the cause of the fire progressed, a marijuana grow operation was disco- . vered, said RCMP Cpl, Sean Wadelius. Pot growing paraphernelia, lights and 71 mari- juana plants were seized by police as a search warrant was executed later that same day. Wadelius said the two residents turned them- selves in to the RCMP detachment June 17, “It’s anticipated that they will be charged with production of a controlled substance,” he said, Docs approve pay deal B.C. DOCTORS have approved a new fee agree- ment with the province, settling a long dispute. The new $392 million deal means an average raise of $50,000 for B.C.’s 7,800 practitioners. Doctors voted by an 88 per cent margin July 16 to accept the May 31 agreement. The deal halted three weeks of job action in the south, thousands of cancelled surgeries and the possibility of legislation to end the dispute. Doctors here didn’t go as far as others elsewhere, with minimal office closures and only elective sur- geries being cancelled at Mills Memorial Hospital. The new package sees rural doctors continue to have an edge over their urban counterparts by in- cluding on-call pay rates. That will work out to $25.68 per hour while waiting to be called in. Terrace doctors continue to receive a 14 per cent northern isolation premium on top of their normal Medical Services Plan billings. As well, general practioners receive a lump sum of $21,000 and specialists $26,500 a year to stay in Terrace, The lump sums and on-call payments were brought in here along to match incentives intro- duced for Prince George doctors who said they needed more money to either attract physicians or Be quiet, Alcan tells Kitimat Company ‘disappointed’ with publicity, but hasn't refuted town’s predictions ALCAN officials say they're “disappointed” with District of Kitimat predictions that a modernization of the smelter will cost jobs. Kitimat officials spoke to a chamber of - commerce meeting in Terrace July 4, laying out what they think is Alcan's goal of boosting - power sales at the expense of aluminum pro- “duction. They predicted the corporation will an- nounce a modernization of the smelter that and 1,000 fewer jobs. ) They argue Alcan would build a larger will. make it more efficient, using less power Ve al nted to. 5¢ wo ont ene *S*™ il isnot working co-operatively with us and re WOW YB YOO smelter employing more people if the province blocked the sale of Alcan power outside this region. Richard Prokopanko, Alcan’s corporate af- fairs director told the Kitimat Northern Sentinel he will not debate what Kitimat officials said. “It is totally and completely premature to make any assumptions about what Alcan may or may not do,” Prokopanko said, adding the company and the town should work together. “We are disappointed to see that city coun- has chosen to ignore our invitations to work to- i eether and has chosen to get into a very public controversy,” he said. “By starting a provincial-wide negative campaign, that would do what?” Prokopanko said a modernization could “possibly” lead to a dual opportunity of smelt- ing aluminum and selling electricity. “And with that power, look at other oppor- tunities — it’s not necessarily power yersus alu- minum, it’s economic diversification,” he said. “There i§ no special deal, there are no dis- cussions with the government at this time,” he added. - 1:20 BOOTS JAIL & BAIL ENTRY FORM Name Of Company Or Organization: | Contact Person: | Telephone: [ Person You Wish To Have Charged Or Arrested: | Crime Stoppers that you.. | The Charge! “We have received an anonymous tip through Terrace to stay in the community. The new $392 million deal, retroactive to April 1, 2001, means the province will spend 24 per cent of its health-care budget on doctors, up from 21 per cent. It expires March 31, 2004. Giesbrecht retires HELMUT GIESBRECHT has officially retired from his teacher’s position with the school district. Giesbrecht could have gone back to the class- room last year, after losing his seat as the MLA for Skeena in last year’s provincial election, but deci- ded to take a year’s leave. Giesbrecht retained his teacher’s status with the school district after his first election as NDP MLA for Skeena in 1991 and subsequent re-election in 1996. | "He’s one of nearly 20 people to take retirement from the school district this year, : (MINIMUM $20.00 BAIL) FAX TO TERRI WILLIAMSON or CST. TOM KALIS @ 638-7448 .