A - The Terrace Slandard, Wednesday, December 15, 1999
RCMP, school officials mum on what happened

Dog does school drug sweep

THE SCHOOL District has
tested its new zero toler-
ance to drugs resulting
from a drug free zone
around Caledonia by sus-
pending an’ undisclosed
number of students for
having drugs or-drug-rela-
ted items in their lockers. .

The seizures followed a
sweep of 300 student lock-
ers by at) RCMP dog Dec.
9. os

Neither school officials
or the RCMP, who took
part in a a Dec, 6 cerem-
ony warning students what

would happen if. drugs:

were found in the zone,

were talking aboul what

was seized or how many
students were suspended.

But reports circulated
that one pipe. used to
smoke marijuana :
found and that‘one student
was suspended.

Caledonia principal
Geoff Straker did say the
suspension or suspensions
carried a term of five days,
the maximum allowed in

- ing
“Was

the school district.

“Any penalty is pretty
harsh,” said Straker. “The
action we've taken is well
within the.- beard
guidelines.”

The drug suspension po- .

licy here approximates
that which takes place in
other school ‘districts: who
have drug free zones.”

' “A pamphlet handed out,

- . however, to Caledonia stu-

dents does state that
people will be arrested and
charged if found with ‘even
the -smallest amount of
drugs. :

‘The RCMP ‘dog and
handler were at the school
for 50 minutes. When the
dog: sniffed-drugs in lock-
ers near the students’ park-
lot; .lockers: were
opened‘and searched. °

‘Straker said’ the ‘school .
- operates with looser guide-

lines than the legal system
when it comes to penaliz-
ing students for suspected
drug use.

“We don't have to

prove anything,” said Stra-
ker. “We can -have enough
evidence if someone
smells of pot to send them
home to change.”

He added that much
like. the school’s breath-
alyzer, brought out at
school dances, the search

acted as.a deterrent to

other students, who learn
by “word of mouth’ that
drugs won’t.be tolerated in
schocl.

Although a pol ice dog
hasn't been in Caledonia

for at least a couple years, .

Straker said dogs: have
been brought into other
northwest
hours for years.

- “It's” trying.to make
public what we have-all

been trying to do for,

years,” he said,

Caledonia student

- council president Christa

Lambright said ‘a ‘lot of
students. are angry ‘about
how’ the search : Was: con-
ducted.

schools after

She said one student
whose locker was searched
had her school notes and
papers ripped out of the
locker while another stu-
dent had an asthma attack
and wasn’t allowed access
to her locker to gel medi-
cation.

Lambright wasn’! con-

_Vinced the dog -search-will -.

stop students from bringing
drugs to school.

“People will just. do it
anyway,’ she © said.
“They're not scared,”

Lambright feels a stu-
dent Crime Stoppers tip

‘Jine, scheduled-to be in
place this week, will cre-

ate more tension at school.
Students. who come

under investigation from:

the’ tip line. will -retaliate
by picking fights with
those who they. think made

‘phone calls, she said,

Terrace RCMP Inspec-
tor Doug Wheler said the
detachment will.need the

‘help of community mem-

Police rescue girl trapped in car

TERRACE RCMP used a
large vehicle jack to free a
13-year-girtl from a flaoded
vehicle Dec. 10 about 65
km east of Terrace.

The girl and her family
were in the process of mov-
ing from Prince Rupert to
Quesnel around 8 a.m. Fri-
day when they hit a patch of
black ice, swerved and
landed upside down in the
opposite ditch.

“She was inside the van
but her hand was outside,
trapped under the hood,”
said attending RCMP offic-
er Constable Mike Hacker
of the Terrace detachment.

“She was lying down at
least up to her waist in
water.”

The gitl was treated for

hypothermia at Mills
Memorial Hospital after
spending at least 45 minutes
in the ice-cold water, She
was also treated for a sore
knee and severely bruised
hand.

Her remaining three fam-
ily members escaped the
scene with minor cuts and
bruises. But the family cat,
which took off at the scene,

was still missing after night-_

fall Friday.

The cause of the accident
is said to be inclement
weather and highway ice.

Biack ice also caused
another vehicle to swerve
into the ditch in the same
area.

Hacker said the spot,
known for its proximity toa

Christmas lights
judging on Friday

THERE’S STILL time to enter the 11th annual Christ-
mas lights contest. Eatries close off tomorrow afternoon
as judges prepare to make the rounds on Dec, 17.

Several houses on Molitor near the Terrace Co-op
have a good display of lights. The house at 4928 Lazelle
is lit up and there’s a nativity scene at the house at the
end of the block of Dairy which leads off of North Eby
on the bench. And there are several houses on Birch on
the Birch Hill bench worth checking out.

The contest is sponsored by a number of local busi-
nesses and organizations including the B.C. Northern
Real Estate Board and its member agencies, the Terrace
Beautification Society and The Terrace Standard. There
are five categories — best home, best commercial, best
effort, best mobile home or apartment and best street.

The entry form is on Page B4 of this paper and can be
faxed to 638-8432 or dropped off at The Terrace Stan-
dard. The mailing address is 3210 Clinton St.

Judging takes place Friday, Dec. 17 beginning at 7
p.m, and the results published in the Dec. 22 issue of The

Terrace Standard.

Sat, Dec. 18th
Samsara Fish
Folk /Country Trio
2- 5 Pom.

“Dee. 18: 20. a

ki Instructors’ Course

Dec. 20-22 & 27-29

McDoneld’s Kids Camps

(7-14 yrs., hwo |-hr. lessons per day
with supervised lunch provided)

= WE'RE OPEN

For updates & snow

_ conditions call .

=a

nearby potato farm, is not
usually this accident prone
but the stretch of highway
can be treacherous.
“Highway 16 east bet-
ween here-and Hazelton is

known for black ice,” Hack-
er said.

The RCMP would like to
thank passing motorists
who helped the youth and
her family.

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: _638- 1 808 |

"ANEW YEAR'S MESSAGE FROM YOUR UTILITIES

Your utilities have worked hard to prepare for Year 2000 and we do not

bers, school staff and ‘stu-
dents lo report drug “activ-
ity.

He’s promised to send
more patrols and to have
more dog searches at Ca-
ledonia when resources
permit. ;

More. school drug
sweeps will. be possible
when a sécond’ police. dog,
who will be just for Ter-
race and: area, arrives in a

couple of menths.

Right now there is only
one police dog in Terrace,
but that: animal has to
cover the entire northwest.

The topic of dog: sear-
ches came up‘at a ques-
tion-and answer period be-
tween‘students and Wheler
at the Caledonia drug free
zone signing Dec. 6,

“You're not going to get |

attacked by a dog if you
have a-joint in. your
pocket,” said Wheler in
reply to one question.
“You've been watching
too much TV,”

Hero of the Day

Imagine belng 5 years old and blind
and laking the bus to visit your mom
at work, Chelsea did it safely with
her white cane, thanks to skills

we taught her,

‘The Carefart Mei ping ere

Nationa 11.000 pecpte
cw jer the Bin eho are hile,

BC= Veiga Deveact sisually bmpaired
“BE 18884320111 ned dent Mind,

"We're in the Independence Business

Santa visited the Special Olympics Christmas Party last Saturday,
This is the 6th year that the Skeena Valley Rolary Cub

has hosted this event and they would also like to thank

Safeway and Old Dutch for Fe

their kind donations. ae

z Terrace Public Library $
The Story Vine ;
Jai i
3 leslie as
: Sparkles i
; Sparkles Junior ;

RI ETITELITLINII TAL IXILALIXIIXIANIIIII!

The Family Place and the It }
Takes A Community Project >
thank the following for making {i
National Child Day a successful 5:
and joyful celebration of »
children and youth: ¢

Public Health Nursing and Injury Prevention}!
Skeena Mall Administration and Security +s

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S
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635-2976

expect any Year 2000-related service disruptions.

Should you need to reach any of us for any reason on December 31, 1999,
we will be available to take your calls.

(49) BCGas

Centra Gas

www.westcoastenergy.com

On December 31, 1998, there were a number of power outages
across B.C. lasting an average of ane hour, due primarily to weather.
related incidents. These can happen anywhere, anytime -be =~
prepared all the time. Call 1-800: BCHYDRO fora copy ‘af our
“Lights Out" brochure,

Please remember ~ use your appliances only. for the purpose for
which they are intended. Never burn wood in your-gas fireplace or
use your gas stave or barbecue to heat your home. Over.the New
Year, as at anytime, use emergency phone lines for emergencies only.

Many customers call friends and family on Christmas Day and New
Year's. Along with Mother's Day, these are busy days for the
network, Yau can help manage the peaks by placing your ¢ calls
throughout the -holiday season.

ce Telus

Year 2000 Enquiries
1-877-722-4925

General Enquiries
293-8888

or
1-888-224-2710

outside the Lower Mainland

Emergencies
1-800-663-9911

CENTRA'GAS |
Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast

and Whistler

Emergencies
call your local office

Victoria
388-6944

Nanaimo
751-8399

. 2 Enquiries :
1-800-366-6672

Trouble Calls
641

- BC HYDRO

_ Enquiries
-1-800-BCHYDRO.
"or
224-9376.

in the Lower Mainland

BChydro