MONDAY DECEMBER 8, 2014
BIRD WATCHING
HOCKEY WEEKEND
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WEEKEND WRAPS
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Mainroad responds to road concerns Mainroad takes public concerns very seriously, GM says ARNE PETRYSHEN Townsman Staff
J. RIGHTON PHOTO
The Dynamiter Jewels On Ninth Player of the Month for November is Jason Richter. Presenting him with a Fossil men’s watch courtesy of Brian and Heather Masich of Jewels on Ninth is Tasha Johnston.
Learn trial concludes with final submissions
Defence and Crown paint two distinct narratives TRE VOR CR AWLEY
Crown and defence counsel made their final submissions to the court in the trial of Cheyenne Learn on Friday in Cranbrook Supreme Court. In front of Justice Dev Dley, Crown counsel Lianna Swanson and defence counsel Brent Bagnall both painted two very distinct narratives for the events
leading up to Dec. 17, 2007, where Tammy Ellis died after being shot by Learn inside a residence. Learn is on trial for second-degree murder. He was convicted of the same charge in 2009 but it was overturned on appeal in 2013 and he was awarded a new trial. After seven days of testimony from two eyewitnesses to the incident as well as RCMP members and experts on forensic pathology and firearms, the two
sides wrapped up their cases for the court, starting with the defence. Bagnall began by stating that the crown must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that there was intent to kill for there to be a conviction for second-degree murder. Bagnall focused on what had been established beyond a reasonable doubt due to evidence given by testimony from each of the witnesses. See LEARN, page 3
Winter road conditions last week were challenging for motorists, as a thick layer of ice has stuck around on most of the area’s highways. It’s also been a source of frustration for those who feel the contractor in charge of highway maintenance is not doing enough to ensure safe roads. On Friday, Mainroad East Kootenay responded to concerns and complaints from the public about the conditions of highways over the past week. Al Sander, general manager for Mainroad East Kootenay Contracting, said they take the concerns raised by the public seriously. “We were aware of the impending weather before it came last week,” Sander said. “We were fully prepared. All of our equipment had been deployed.” Sander said the service levels haven’t changed and there is the same amount of resources as there were in past years. “It’s been a challenging week for weather conditions in many parts of the province,” Sander said. He said crews have utilized close to twice the amount of abrasive product compared to normal, and last weekend they used over 500 truckloads of sand and
Mainroad East Kootenay General Manager al Sander addressed concerns last Friday. 50-60 truckloads of salt. “When you get a flash freeze like we had, you just can’t go out with a grader and peel it off; you just can’t go out with a plow truck and burn it off with salt,” he said. “Once you get past -6 (degrees) salt is a useless material; sand won’t stick because it’s too slippery. It’s a really difficult situation.” The East Kootenay fleet is made up of 43 plow trucks and chemical application trucks and six graders, as well as mechanics to keep those vehicles going. They also have contractors they bring in if they need more graders. He said weather patterns are changing as well. “I talked to guys that have been here for a long time and worked in the business. They’ve never seen Novembers like the last two — the rain and the flash freezes with it. I’m not sure if this is an anomaly or a change in the weather pattern.” See MAINROAD, p. 4