File photo

The world famous RCMP Musical Ride played a dazzling show at Ryan Dempster Field in Gibsons in front of more than 4,000 people in last July.

Coast Reporter staff

May

The hissing of summer lawn sprinklers could become a thing of the past on the Sunshine Coast if tough conservation measures are adopted to buy time and save millions of dollars in water system upgrades. Major upgrades are needed to the Chapman Lake system over the next 25 years and even with more restrictive outdoor watering and universal metering, the price tag will be an estimated $36 million.

Some Sechelt residents were pressuring council to reverse their decision to build a new sewage treatment plant on Ebbtide Street. About 160 residents who questioned things like the location of the new plant and its high cost met in a citizens forum hosted by the Sunshine Coast Senior Citizens Organization and the Sechelt Sewage Coalition.

The outpouring of love and support for Mujtaba Saloojee and his family continued to grow along the Sunshine Coast with a major gesture coming from Extra Foods in Sechelt. Extra Foods, through its Presidents Choice Childrens Charity, presented a cheque for $20,000 to Muj and his family during a ceremony at the store.

Financial difficulties, an in-depth assessment by Environment Canada and a newly-filed warrant to seize the HMCS Annapolis could spell the end of the Artificial Reef Society of B.C.s (ARSBC) plan to sink the war ship in Halkett Bay. The ARSBC was set to sink the 115-metre destroyer to create an artificial reef in Halkett Bay (off the southeastern shore of Gambier Island) last fall but a final inspection from Environment Canada held up the process.

Work on building the new Gibsons Elementary School officially began with the construction start-up marked with a ceremonial sod turning. Dignitaries and members of School District No. 46 (SD46) spoke to a sea of students sporting yellow hard hats as well as many community members gathered for the big day.

Sunshine Coast students got involved in the provincial election through Student Vote, a chance for young voters to mark a ballot similar to the official one adults used. Thousands of students from across B.C. took part.

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The Year in Review: Part two

Leon Mathieus Christmas tree is usually the last thing he puts up during the holiday season.

Before that come the 11,000 lights, 22 inflatable displays and everything else that goes into making his lawn one of the brightest and most festive in Raynham each year.

When my wife and I first started it about 11 years ago, we had one blow-up and then the next year we would add another one and then we progressed that way, and then the kids came into our lives, said Mathieu, 51. Then we starting going from one per year and we started buying multiple per year.

The South Main St. lawn is chock full of characters on display from his 12-foot-tall Mickey Mouse, clad in a Santa costume, to his newest addition, a reindeer driving a steamroller that ran over grandma.

His friends say he gives Clark Griswold, from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation a run for his money.

Thats the running joke, our friends will call me Clark, Mathieu said.

Another new addition to Leons display is a purple and white cancer awareness ribbon he made out of plywood, hanging from a tree in his backyard. The ribbon is adorned with more than 250 lights.

I just made that a couple weeks ago, he said of the ribbon. That might be one that stays up year-round. I havent decided yet. I went into a store and I found some purple lights and then I bought the white twinkling lights to outline it.

Ive been a cancer patient since the early 80s, Mathieu said. Back then, I had a form of bone cancer. Three years ago I had the better part of three organs removed. I came down with the same type of cancer that Steve Jobs had. I had a neuroendocrine tumor in my pancreas, and at the end of this summer we found that it has spread to my liver.

These days it takes him a little longer to set up his display as he tires easily. He has always kept a positive attitude, however.

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Leon’s lights make Raynham glow for holidays

CHAPEL HILL LaMonte Armstrong met with Gov. Pat McCrory 11 days ago as the newly lighted Christmas tree twinkled outside on the Capitol lawn.

Carolers sang out melodies of good tidings, and Armstrong, in his ninth month of freedom after a wrongful murder conviction cost him 17 years of his life, took note.

Armstrong, who lives and works in Chapel Hill, was with his lawyers that Friday afternoon elaborating for the governor on the miscarriage of justice that caused him to miss out on many key moments of his 63 years. His daughter, not quite 7 at the time of his imprisonment, blossomed into a woman while he was behind bars. His older son, who was playing college football at the time, matured into the kind of man that Armstrong enjoys being around today.

The father and son were together on Monday morning, sharing a meal at a Bob Evans restaurant between Durham and Chapel Hill, when Armstrongs phone lit on top of the table.

Armstrong looked up from his plate of eggs, sausage and grits toward his son, who was filling up on a plate of pancakes. The number in the phone window was a Charlotte one and Armstrong almost didnt pick up. But on the fourth ring, he answered, and McCrory, the former Charlotte mayor, was on the other end with long-awaited tidings.

He asked me what I was doing and I said I was eating breakfast with my son. I said we were doing a sort of Christmas breakfast, Armstrong said. And he said, OK. What Im about to say will probably make your Christmas even more joyous. And then he said, I just finished signing a document of pardon of innocence for you. And I said to him, Fantastic, governor. Thank you so much.

With that the governors first pardon of his term Armstrong is eligible to file a claim under a North Carolina law that allows compensation of up to $750,000 to persons wrongly convicted of felonies.

Armstrong was wrongfully convicted of murdering an N.C. A&T University professor found dead in her Greensboro home in July 1988. He maintained his innocence throughout from the first time Greensboro police interviewed him to when a Guilford County jury returned a guilty verdict to his arduous appeals of his life sentence.

Duke Universitys Wrongful Convictions Clinic took up Armstrongs case more than seven years ago and helped spur his release in June 2012 with a vacated conviction.

But it was not until March 18 that Armstrong learned the murder case against him had been dismissed. He no longer faced the possibility of another trial or another wrongful conviction. He finally was free of accusations that he had a hand in the fatal stabbing and strangling of Ernestine Compton, a beloved college professor at N.C. A&T.

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McCrory pardons Chapel Hill man wrongly convicted of murder

Dec. 23, 2013, 10:08 p.m.

DIP your toes into this Ballarats first ever water spray park is open.

Water world: Ballarat City councillor John Philips, mayor Joshua Morris and Mackenna Naylor, 7, try out the new water spray park. PICTURE: KATE HEALY

DIP your toes into this Ballarats first ever water spray park is open.

Perfect for what is promised to be another scorching summer, the self-service water spray park at Midlands Reserve is set to cool plenty of people over the coming months, a perfect alternative since the closure of the Wendouree pool.

City of Ballarat mayor Joshua Morris said the park was a great form of aquatic fun.

We are expecting it to be hugely popular in that its a great way to cool down, its fun and its safe, Cr Morris said.

Its the modern-day equivalent of the sprinkler on the front lawn.

The park features water cannons, fountains, high-pressure jets, and gentle play areas for younger children, while a waterfall is expected to open next week.

Environmentally friendly and safe, the water park re-circulates all used water and uses the same level of water treatment as an outdoor pool.

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Ballarat spray park a cool place to play

Most popular Lawn Treatment Austin TX
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By: Austin Texas

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Most popular Lawn Treatment Austin TX - Video

by TINA SHIVELY / KVUE News and Photojournalist KENNETH NULL and KVUE.com Staff

kvue.com

Posted on December 20, 2013 at 8:55 AM

Updated today at 9:01 AM

AUSTIN -- Construction will begin on the West Lawn of Auditorium Shores on Friday, Dec. 20, according to the Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD).

The AuditoriumShores Improvement Project will close different sections of the park temporarily during various phases of construction. During the phase of construction to begin Friday, the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail will remain open, but there will be a few trail detours.

"It is desperately in need of improvement and more importantly than that, it solves the problem of safety which is very real out there. The collision of dogs and cyclist and runners is something that happens on a daily basis, and something needs to be done about it," Executive Director of the Austin Parks Foundation ColinWallace said.

But not everyone agrees.

"What happened with the community involvement in this? I think I'm plugged in and I didn't hear anything about it. There has been no concern for the public opinion. No vetting. On the contrary, there's been a back room treatment of this issue," Teresa Quay said.

The park improvements are part of a parnership project between PARD, C3 Presents and the Austin Parks Foundation.

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Auditorium Shores construction to begin Friday

Tuesday, December 17, 2013 Last updated: Tuesday December 17, 2013, 4:43 PM

GLEN ROCK A Fair Lawn man is facing aggravated assault charges after allegedly spitting blood on a borough patrolman during a traffic stop on Route 208, authorities said.

Edward Guy, 31, was a passenger in a mini-van police pulled over just after 2 a.m. on Monday. The driver stopped near Goffle Road after a brief pursuit, officials said, and cooperated with police, but Guy allegedly did not.

He started yelling and swearing at officers, who summoned for back-up when Guy later refused to exit the vehicle, authorities said. Officers from Hawthorne and Ridgewood responded within minutes.

Guy, who was described by the driver as extremely intoxicated, was forcibly removed from the car by police, who handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a squad car. The officers later noticed Guy was trying to kick out the vehicles windows, authorities said. Later, he spit at police as they put his legs in shackles, officials said.

Guy was transported to Bergen County Regional Medical Center, where he continued to resist officers, attempted to overturn a stretcher he was strapped to, and tried kicking a nurse, authorities said.

One of the officers Guy managed to spit blood on was taken to The Valley Hospital for a blood workup and preliminary treatment. Word on the officers condition was not available Tuesday afternoon.

Guy is being held at Bergen County Jail on $50,000 bail. He is due in court Jan. 7 on two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, as well as charges of resisting arrest, obstructing an official government function and two separate motor vehicle passenger safety violations.

Email: harrisc@northjersey.com

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Fair Lawn man accused of spitting blood on police officer after Glen Rock traffic stop

SPICEWOOD BEACH, Texas (KXAN) - For two years, the only water residents of Spicewood Beach could use had to be trucked in. But that could end in a few weeks. A new water treatment plant there could soon revitalize the lakefront community.

Kenneth Saire spent Monday working on his Christmas decorations. But as the holiday nears, he'd prefer to spruce up other parts of his home.

"You know, wash your car, water your lawn, you can't do none of that,"he said. "You can't water your flowers."

Saire has been living in Spicewood Beach for 20 years, the last two under the tight Stage 4 water restrictions where water can be used for showers, cooking and little else.

"All you can smell is chlorine," he added. "You let it sit for five minutes and it finally clears up, but nobody drinks it hardly in the neighborhood."

Corix, the company that operates the water utilities in Spicewood Beach, has spent the last two years trucking water into the community. But the company says that could be coming to an end after they installed two large treatment units.

The company says the units will prepare about 330 gallons of Lake Travis water a minute. But Sairs isn't buying that story quite yet.

"I'll believe it when I can turn up my tap and wash my car, stuff like that," he said, "then I'll believe it."

Corix says water prices in the community should stay steady for about a year after the units start running.

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Water to return to Spicewood Beach

Md. woman displays holiday spirit with 277 Christmas trees inside her home Md. woman displays holiday spirit with 277 Christmas trees inside her home

Updated: Monday, December 16 2013 8:09 PM EST2013-12-17 01:09:07 GMT

She doesn't sell tickets. In fact, hardly anyone even knows it's there. But a Maryland woman is putting on quite a holiday show and it's all inside her house. You might say Renetta Zanco's love of Christmas has snowballed. She has a lot of Christmas trees. 277 trees to be exact.

She doesn't sell tickets. In fact, hardly anyone even knows it's there. But a Maryland woman is putting on quite a holiday show and it's all inside her house. You might say Renetta Zanco's love of Christmas has snowballed. She has a lot of Christmas trees. 277 trees to be exact.

Updated: Monday, December 16 2013 8:21 AM EST2013-12-16 13:21:49 GMT

The last remaining Australian combat troops in Afghanistan were headed home on Monday, as Australia's military involvement in the 12-year-old conflict draws to a close. The final group of Australia's combat soldiers in Afghanistan pulled out on Sunday, coinciding with the closure of the international military base at Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province, Australia's main base in the country, Defense Minister David Johnston said. Around 400 of the 1,550 Australian military personnel in...

The last remaining Australian combat troops in Afghanistan were headed home on Monday, as Australia's military involvement in the 12-year-old conflict draws to a close. The final group of Australia's combat soldiers in Afghanistan pulled out on Sunday, coinciding with the closure of the international military base at Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province, Australia's main base in the country, Defense Minister David Johnston said. Around 400 of the 1,550 Australian military personnel in...

Synthetic marijuana is believed to have sickened 221 people in Colorado during a monthlong outbreak this year, according to a federal report released Thursday.

Synthetic marijuana is believed to have sickened 221 people in Colorado during a monthlong outbreak this year, according to a federal report released Thursday.

Updated: Friday, December 13 2013 7:52 PM EST2013-12-14 00:52:42 GMT

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Chris Brown's probation revoked over DC arrest

Crews in Fair Lawn and Fort Lee worked on three separate water main breaks throughout Sunday.

In Fort Lee, a break on Horizon Road affected traffic and water pressure in the Horizon Houses cooperative apartments. Officials were still working to fix it at around 8 p.m. Sunday, Sgt. Matthew Hintze said. He didnt have a timetable for when repairs might be completed.

Fair Lawn saw two unrelated breaks on Sunday, one on Morlot Avenue and the other on George Street, near Westmoreland School, water treatment specialist Dan Belinsky said.

On Morlot Avenue, about 50 homes and businesses were under a precautionary boil water alert as crews put a piece of pipe in, Belinsky said. At 8 p.m., crews were almost finished with repairs.

On George Street, Belinsky said the work will probably be completed Monday. The break did not affect any structures, he said.

Water main breaks are typical as the temperature drops, Belinksy said, especially in sub-freezing weather.

It happens all over, he said. Its usually out of sight, out of mind.

Email: dazio@northjersey.com

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Crews work to repair Fort Lee, Fair Lawn water main breaks