JUNE
• Jim Shirley wrote to city council, explaining his family would like to honour their late father Pat Shirley, who spent more than 40 years with the Salmon Arm Fire Department. The family purchased a granite bench which they asked to install in the southeast corner of the fire hall.
• A Salmon Arm parent was shocked and disappointed after her 15-year-old daughter, an employee at the Salmar Grand, became the target of abuse from angry moviegoers. Hanka Mosher said her daughter was taking tickets at the theatre on June 4 after people in one of the cinemas had to be relocated due to a projector failure. “We are extremely regretful this happened and we would do whatever we can to fix it, but we do ask our customers to show a level of maturity and respect towards our staff,” said Salmar manager Daila Duford.
• Eric and Kaitlyn Wiebe learned their two-year-old daughter Lilia Nicole had Leukemia. A GoFundMe page was set up in the community to support the family as Lilia underwent chemotherapy in the Lower Mainland.
• New food waste containers and recycling bins were rolled out to city residents.
• Mirella Ramsay, 18, is taking on climate change with the Mirella Project. She and a team of 11 young women agreed to tackle the issue through a two year plan focused on education, waste management, plastics, food, renewable energy, industry and habitat.
• Olympic tennis player Daniel Nestor helped the Salmon Arm Tennis Club celebrate the grand opening of its new indoor facility on June 8.
• Shuswap entrepreneurs Jody and husband Rob Shakespeare rolled out the Tapped Truck, a classic pick-up truck capable of serving up to 10 craft beers at a time all while keeping them ice cold on a hot summer’s day.
• The family of missing woman Ashley Simpson announce a $10,000 reward to anyone who can provide information which leads to finding Ashley or the arrest and charge of an individual or individuals responsible for Ashley’s murder.
• Joanne Sargent, who already holds a place in the Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame (1987), the UBC Sports Hall of Fame (1995), the Basketball BC Hall of Fame (2005) and the BC Sports Hall of Fame (2014), learned she would be one of six inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
• Longtime Girl Guide leader Maryann Brock was recognized by the federal government for her years of volunteerism with the Girl Guides and the community.
• Bill Laird, owner of Shuswap Park Mall on Lakeshore Drive, told city council of his plans to install a large art structure in the spot where the mall sign used to stand, a tall, red treble clef, with the first few musical notes of O Canada adjoining it. The structure will be 44.5 feet (13.5 metres) high and 29.5 feet (nine metres) wide.
• The Columbia Shuswap Regional District will be moving ahead with plans to incorporate a purchased 20-acre parcel of land into the Salmon Arm Landfill site.
• A new sign for Salmon Arm’s Marine Park was unveiled, providing a chance to reflect on local history and the contribution of the community’s three Rotary clubs.
