Nelson Star, October 28, 2015

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ith our w p u m r Wa

MENU R E T IN NEW W PM41537042

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Vol. 8 • Issue 33

Whitewater vs. El Nino See Page 5

Officers commended at foundation gala See Page 2

Council hears from public on panhandling

He lives with his mother in Rosemont. Hernandez then rode away, leaving Worgul bleeding, and stopped at a neighbour’s house, asking for help. He told the neighbour he and Worgul had been hit by a truck. The neighbour noted Hernandez had a large amount of blood on his shoes, arms, legs and face, and appeared to be in shock. Passing motorists called an ambulance, which took Worgul to the hospital.

BILL METCALFE Nelson Star There was little consensus among members of the public who expressed their opinions, in letters and in person, about Nelson city council’s proposed panhandling bylaw Monday. The draft bylaw was introduced Sept. 16, but at its Oct. 5 meeting, after receiving a lot of feedback, council decided it needed more public input and more time to think about it. Monday’s meeting was a committee of the whole, a type of monthly meeting at which council hears from the public but doesn’t make decisions. There were several presentations, and acting mayor Valerie Warmington acknowledged a number of letters council has received. A letter from the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce states that in the summer the group’s board adopted a resolution in favour of adopting an “aggressive panhandling bylaw that would regulate behaviour and also where panhandling could take place, but not make it illegal.” The chamber letter said it surveyed an admittedly small sample of 22 businesses and found 81 per cent in favour of a panhandling bylaw. The letter went on to recommend that enforcement of any bylaw use a “best practices” approach. Council also received six letters from businesses in the Nelson Business Association expressing a range of views. Margaret Stacey of the business association summarized them in writing as follows: “One merchant says the panhandlers are about 80 per cent young men, some with mental health issues, and another says it’s seasonal, surrounding Shambhala for example. Another merchant says there should be zero tolerance of panhandlers, and from watching them daily, says the money is not used for food or transport, but goes to drugs. Some say they should be regulated as much as buskers. Several recommend street workers or housing or social assistance or addictions services.” A letter from the Seniors Coordinating Society stated that panhandling is not particularly a seniors

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Buying or Selling a Home?

Picking plump pumpkins Blewett’s Foulger family and friends had a chance to pick up pumpkins of all size from local growers like Linden Lane farms at the Harvest Festival at Taghum Hall on Sunday. See more photos page 11. Tamara Hynd photo

Laura Salmon Cell 250-551-8877

E-mail Laura@LauraSalmon.com Website www.LauraSalmon.com

RHC Realty

Each office independently owned & operated

Fall tidy up time!

524 Railway St Nelson (250) 352-5375

Rosemont attacker deemed not criminally responsible

BILL METCALFE Nelson Star A man who attacked a woman in Rosemont this summer has been found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disability. Paul Hernandez, 49, was charged with assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon. A summary of the facts of the case agreed upon by the Crown and defense before the trial is as follows: On July 8, while visiting her family in Nelson, Janice Worgul of Edmonton was walking on the

1100 block West Innes with her grandson in a stroller. Hernandez passed her on a bike, stopped, and yelled at her, telling her to get off his property. He struck her repeatedly with the blade of a pruning saw on her head, neck, throat, and face. She fell, he stomped on her face, and she lost consciousness. The child in the stroller was not harmed. Worgul was actually never on Hernandez’s property and the two had never seen each other before.

Y GOOD SERIOUSL

Salomon, , Full Tilt, Scott LaSportiva, K2

702 baker st

250.354.4622

www.gericks.com


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