Tuesday May 14, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 39)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
Early lead: The Surrey Eagles were downright offensive in their first game of the RBC Cup Sunday, scoring early and often en route to a 7-0 win over the Truro Bearcats.
S U R R E Y
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Teens swarmed and robbed by a larger group near Crescent Beach
Machete threat in bear-spray attack Nick Greenizan & Tracy Holmes Staff Reporters
Surrey RCMP are investigating after three teens were swarmed and robbed near Crescent Beach. Cpl. Bert Paquet confirmed Thursday that three male victims – two aged 17, one 18 – were attacked by “between four and 10 white males” on May 4 around 11:30 p.m., as they walked on Crescent Road, east of the train
tracks. One of the victims was sprayed with a pepper-based substance, and two of the three had backpacks and cellphones stolen. A machete was also produced by one of the assailants but not used, Paquet added. Police were called to the scene, as was a dog team, but Paquet said the large amount of pedestrian traffic made it difficult for the dog to pick up a scent. As of Monday, none of the property had
been recovered, nor any suspects – described as older youth and young adults – found. No similar incidents have been reported since. None of the victims were hospitalized after the incident, and all three were returned to their homes. It is unclear why the trio was targeted. “These three did nothing wrong – they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Paquet said, adding there is no indica-
tion the victims knew their attackers. Paquet described the incident as “not something we see often in that area,” and a good reminder to stay in well-lit public areas and travel in groups after dark. With summer just around the corner, Surrey RCMP has increased its presence at beaches, parks and other public areas, paying particular attention to known problem areas and hot spots identified through crime analysis.
B.C. votes today
Election connection
Mitch DuPont photo
First-time skydiver Beth Hutchinson, 20, says she has scratched one more item off her “bucket list” and has made up her mind to embrace life.
Terminal-cancer diagnosis inspires young woman to set new goals
‘I don’t want to just be another statistic’ Sarah Massah
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Staff Reporter
itting on her bed in her Ocean Park home, Beth Hutchinson rattles off a list of nine things most don’t know about her. For example, despite living in Canada for more than 10 years, the 20-year-old sometimes slips into an English accent. Her room includes movie photos and posters, and she has a huge aversion to dry hands – a family trait. This scene from Beth’s Brain – a month-old video that’s already received 1,600 hits on
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YouTube – may seem like many other spiels videoed by young people, but for Hutchinson, this was the opportunity to give a glimpse of the person behind a disease that has been defining her to strangers for the last four years. At age 16, Hutchinson was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. In her young life, she has had four brain surgeries and currently has a fifth tumour growing close to her spine. Despite the diagnosis, she doesn’t want people to see her as a walking cancer patient. “Cancer has changed me, of course, but
it hasn’t affected my personality. It hasn’t changed my interests. I’m still that girl who loves Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings,” she said. “I think the misconception is that you suddenly become this total cancer patient, but many people have had no idea what I’ve been going through the last four years. “I just wanted to make sure that people got enough of me in that video and that people get to know my personality, as well as the story. I don’t want to just be another statistic.” › see page 4
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It’s voting day – the last chance for voters to have a say in who will represent them in the provincial legislature for the next term of office. Those who didn’t take advantage of increased advance-polling opportunities have until 8 p.m. tonight to cast their ballots. On the Semiahmoo Peninsula, there are 17 polling stations in each of the three ridings residents call home: Surrey-Cloverdale, SurreyPanorama and Surrey-White Rock. Ballots may be cast at any general voting location in the province. On the ballot in Surrey-White Rock are incumbent Gordon Hogg (BC Liberal), Susan Keeping (BC NDP), Jim Laurence (British Columbia Party), Elizabeth Pagtakhan (BC Conservative) and Don Pitcairn (BC Green). Surrey-Cloverdale voters will choose between Matt Begley (independent), Stephanie Cadieux (BC Liberal), Harry Kooner (BC NDP) and Howard Wu (BC Conservative) for the seat vacated by retiring BC Liberal Kevin Falcon. In Surrey-Panorama, formerly represented by Cadieux, voters have five options: Marvin Hunt (BC Liberal), Amrik Mahil (BC NDP), Kevin Rakhra (BC Conservative), Sara Sharma (BC Green) and Ali Zaidi (BC Vision). For highlights of local and provincial election results, voters can visit www.peacearchnews.com, follow @whiterocknews on Twitter, or tweet using hashtag #semivote2013
H May 17-20
Rodeo Tickets $20 (12 & under FREE) Grounds Admission $12 (12 & under FREE) Ride ALL Day Wristbands $40
www.cloverdalerodeo.com