SHOW & SHINE TO ‘PERFORM’
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LOTS TO DO ON FAMILY DAY
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WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 4 2015 www.newwestnewsleader.com
Sereana Malani stars with New Westminster’s David Adams in Valley Song. See Page A9
City tax hike of 3.45% eyed Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
GRANT GRANGER/NEWSLEADER
Video Stop owner Joey Le will be closing the store this month once he sells off the inventory he has left after 8,000 DVDs were taken from his store in early January.
Joey’s Video Stop fades to black 12th Street shop has been neighbourhood hub; a place to share and care Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
A regular customer sees the door open to Joey’s Video Stop and comes in hopeful Joey Le is back in business. But no, Le tells her, quite the opposite. He’s putting up a “B&E Sale” sign instead. The Jan. 2 burglary that deprived him of 8,000 titles has
golfburnaby.net
forced him to decide to close. to miss you so much. Everybody “What! What do you mean?” thinks the world of you, they love exclaims Debbie Bigattini to Le. you so much. Everybody said he “You can’t close, was a little social you can’t close! That worker. We love really sucks. I’m you. We’ll never Joey Le sad because there’s forget you.” I may take a month or two nobody anymore The women are to do some traveling or soul with video retail. typical of those searching. It’s crazy somebody in the upper 12th would do this. It’s a happy place. It’s Street neighbourhood who have so much fun.” dropped by to offer their support Another woman stops by and since the robbery. Some have cried. tells Le, “You don’t deserve this at “When you’re in trouble you all. Nobody does. People are going suddenly feel all the energy. I allow
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people to come in and grieve,” says Le. Although many of his customers, like most people in North America, get their videos off the Internet these days, they love Joey and they don’t want to see him leave. But leave he will. What he will do now he doesn’t know. “I have no clue. I have no clue. With my background I may have choices,” says Le, who has an MBA and says he is working on his doctorate.
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City Realty
Property tax in New Westminster could jump as much as 3.45 per cent this year if council approves the city’s 2015 wish list. A draft budget presented to council Monday proposed a 2.75 per cent increase if services and capital projects stayed status quo. But departments at city hall have made requests for additional funding of $500,000. The budget estimates an average residential strata owner with a property worth just over $300,000 would pay an extra $30 for the 2.75 per cent increase and $38 for the 3.45. A single-family dwelling worth about $700,000 would be assessed either an additional $71 or $89, while an owner of a $1-million home would be hiked by $99 or $124 a year. The budget said the city’s growth has put increased pressure on city services and infrastructure. On top of that, the city is replacing aging infrastructure, buildings and equipment while at the same time adding new capital stock to address the needs of a growing community, said the budget report. Please see OPERATING, A3