Looking back at what made headlines in 2018 from the pages of the Eagle Valley News.
Here’s a glimpse from October 2018:
• The District of Sicamous is ready to take the next step toward the creation of a municipal campground with the submission of a land exclusion application to the Agricultural Land Commission.
The properties being sought for exclusion include 43 acres owned by Bryant Laboret, 17 acres owned by Robert Haberman and 36 acres of Crown land.
The 36-acre piece of Crown land to the west would become part of the district’s nature park trail system with some seasonal tent sites. The 17-acre portion to the south would be used for the Splatsin and district interpretive area, while the 43-acre portion is where the majority of the campsites would be located.
Sicamous native Shea Weber is getting a ‘C’ switched onto his Montreal Canadians jersey.
The 33-year-old defenceman was an alternate captain with the NHL club for his first two seasons in Montreal. Weber replaces former captain Max Pacioretty, who was traded to the Las Vegas Golden Knights over the summer.
• In his column, In Plain View, reporter/photographer Lachlan Labere wrote a column about Lorraine March, former mayor of Sicamous, former Eagle Valley News editor and former president of the Sicamous Junior B Eagles Hockey Club president.
In part he wrote, “Last Monday I found myself in the same state of mind, searching for words to address the surprise and grief after learning another person I respected and admired had passed away….Lorraine did a lot of giving back. It’s not surprising. She simply loved Sicamous.”
• The candidates hoping to secure a seat for themselves on Sicamous District Council in the upcoming election had a chance to make their positions known on a variety of issues, from major capital purchases to legalized cannabis, at an all-candidates forum on Oct. 4.
Exceptional athletes raced over gruelling terrain for an exceptional cause at the 56-kilometre Lewiston Ultra Trail Run at the end of September.
The trail run on Sept. 29 spanned the trail system between Hyde Mountain Golf Course in Sicamous and the South Canoe Trails in Salmon Arm.
The fastest solo finisher was Michael Fitzpatrick, who completed the course in just over five hours and 23 minutes.
The fastest woman was Amy Anderson, who crossed the line with a time of six hours, 47 minutes and 35 seconds.
The two person relay team made up of Elora Van Jarrett who registered under the team name GingerSNAP finished the course in five hours, 32 minutes and 33 seconds.
Mayor Terry Rysz and Sicamous Legion President Martin Goble cut a ribbon on Sicamous Canadian Legion Branch 99’s new automatic doors on Oct. 11. Rysz said he saw many people with mobility challenges struggling through the old manual doors and hopes the new ones will make it easier for them. Installation of the doors cost approximately $15,000, with $5,000 coming from the District of Sicamous and the rest funded by meat draws at the Legion.
The microphone crinkles and cracks as Stony Nakano addresses the crowd.
Government ministries, First Nations chiefs, and school children sit or stand in long rows. Listening.
Nakano’s voice is steady, clear and unwavering. He’s been waiting a long time for this moment. Behind him is a large wooden sign, the last of eight to be unveiled around the province. This project grew out of a partnership between the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Japanese Canadian Legacy Committee to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Japanese internment by the Canadian government.
The unveiling took place near Three Valley Lake Chateau.
• Sicamous and the surrounding area elected their local government representatives for the next four years.
Four incumbents returned to Sicamous council and they will be joined by two newcomers. The new council consists of incumbents Gord Bushell, Malcolm Makayev, Colleen Anderson and Jeff Mallmes along with new councillors Bob Evans and Ryan Airey.
• Quintin Bruns, a dairy farmer who lives near the south end of Mara Lake, was elected over former Sicamous Mayor Fred Busch for the position of School District #83 trustee.
He will represent Electoral Area 2, which includes Sicamous, Malakwa, Enderby, Grindrod and the surrounding area.
• A violent crime against an exceedingly vulnerable victim was committed in Sicamous on Oct. 24 and the culprits remain at large.
• A 59-year-old woman who is terminally ill with cancer was tied up, assaulted and robbed in a home invasion on Kappel Street.
Sicamous RCMP responded to the scene of the home invasion at 6:24 a.m. They were advised that two men, armed with handguns, had forced their way into the residence while a female suspect remained outside.
The victim suffered a fractured nose, stating to investigators that she was held at gunpoint and kicked in the face.
After stealing two small safes, jewelry and prescription drugs, the suspects fled in a white Ford dually pickup truck. Police located the truck, which had been stolen from Armstrong.
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