Wednesday, October 27, 2010
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Student who died in fall was on acid James Weldon jweldon@nsnews.com
AN American high school student who fell to his death at Capilano Suspension Bridge in June was on LSD, according to a coroner’s report made public Friday.
NEWS photo Cindy Goodman
Drag racing NORTH Vancouver’s Colin Freeland (No. 32) looks sharp at the start of the Hallow’s Eve Trail Race half marathon Sunday near Lynn Canyon Park. Racers, including many costumed competitors, tackled either a half marathon or 10-kilometre trail run in the annual Run the North Shore event. Visit www.nsnews.com for more photos of the race.
Daniel Cho, 17, was visiting the private North Vancouver tourist attraction on a field trip with California’s Aragon high school June 6 when he climbed over the safety barrier on a viewing platform and tumbled down a 30-metre cliff. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The report released Friday by B.C. coroner Mark Coleman concluded the hallucinogen was a factor in his death. Cho was on a bus with other students en route to Vancouver from an airport in Seattle when a friend offered him and another young man LSD, according to Coleman. All three took it. It was Cho’s first experience on the drug. See Coroner page 3
City aids funding-starved theatre Benjamin Alldritt balldritt@nsnews.com
THE City of North Vancouver has produced $25,000 to help bail out Presentation House Theatre after the provincial government doubled back on a commitment to give the arts group gaming money. The theatre will be approaching the District of North Vancouver for the same amount. In his written report to city council, Ian Forsyth, director of The Arts Office, said Presentation House was facing major cuts to the upcoming season, and might even have to close.
$25,000 gift helps Presentation House cope with gaming grant cut “In 2009, the theatre lost its annual gaming grant of $38,000,” Forsyth wrote. “The province’s cuts were sudden and the theatre had little chance to adjust its budget or eliminate production costs in an effort to accommodate this shortfall in grants revenue.” The province said its slimmed-down arts budget would be focused on youth programming, so Presentation House applied for funding to support the North Shore High School Drama Festival. “In June, the theatre received telephone confirmation that
they had been approved for a $17,000 grant,” Forsyth wrote. “In September, three months into the fiscal year, the B.C. Gaming Commission informed the theatre that their grant request had been denied.” Presentation House Theatre has now exhausted its line of credit and is $50,000 in the red. “My question isn’t how do you run a theatre that way,” said Coun. Craig Keating, “it’s how do you run a provincial government that way — in which you’re making promises of grants and then suddenly they’ve gone back. It’s a bit of joke.” Coun. Mary Trentadue asked Forsyth what would happen if the See Downloading page 5