SCRAPYARD BLAZE DELIBERATELY SET, FIRE OFFICIALS SEEKING CLUES Building on Railway Avenue goes up in flames Monday { Page A7 }
times Chilliwack
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THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015
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You’ve got nothing but love for Chilliwack { Page A17 } @chilliwacktimes
Douglas makes first court showing
OH! WHAT
A NIGHT
Indicted on two counts of murder BY PAUL J. HENDERSON phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com
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doesn’t have children graduating anymore. She’s just hooked on finding the money to keep Dry Grad going and the prizes flowing. In addition to two PS4s, there were GoPro cameras, cruiser bicycles, a travel voucher, Cirque du Soleil tickets, headphones, and more. “The whole point is that we promote
tone-faced as always, Chill i w a c k ’s A a r o n D o u g l a s appeared in BC Supreme Court Monday via video to be indicted for two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder using a firearm. This was his first appearance in Supreme Court to face the charges for the alleged Aug. 7, 2014 m u r d e r s o f Aaron Douglas Richard Blackmon and Tyler Belcourt in a Gore Avenue apartment in downtown Chilliwack. Douglas is also accused in the attempted murder of a woman who survived the attack. Her name cannot be reported due to a publication ban. Charges were laid against Douglas on Aug. 11 last year. That’s when RCMP Integrated Homicide Investigation Unit (IHIT) officers announced the search was on for the notorious prolific offender. On Sept. 25, after 49 days on the
{ See DRY GRAD, page A11 }
{ See DOUGLAS, page A4 }
Greg Laychak/TIMES
Five hundred balloons, some with prize tickets, fall from the Landing ceiling during last Thursday’s Dry Grad event. BY GREG LAYCHAK glaychak@chilliwacktimes.com
Intrepid Times reporter Greg Laychak goes to Dry Grad
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crowd of 760 grads fortunate enough to win big. The woman who brings cheer to the lucky attendees by way of winnings is Eleanor Meldrum, prize and fundraising co-ordinator for the Dry Grad. “Every year the amount of kids have been going up and up, so we must be doing something right,” she said. “It’s exciting and it’s a lot of work.”
Meldrum is quick to point out that while she has a fun, albeit busy, job it takes 120 to 140 parent volunteers from all three Chilliwack high schools every year to make the big festivity a reality. And if everything goes according to plan, most aspects of the celebration are ready a day ahead of schedule so the volunteers can spend the special day with their children. Five years into helping, Meldrum 7042631
ast Thursday was a good day for Mason Byrne. Not only did he celebrate his graduation from Chilliwack secondary school, but he also walked away in the early morning hours from the Dry Grad festivities with a new PS4 under his arm. It was just one of the many prizes handed out at the annual event that just turned 25 years old, and this year Byrne was among others in the
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