ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A12 | NEWS | THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022
Grizzlies home from provincials Dave Luenberg sports@ahnfsj.ca The North Peace Secondary Grizzlies senior boys basketball team has returned home from Langley. The Grizzlies were down in the Lower Mainland last week as part of B.C. high school’s annual 16-team AAAA championships. Although win-less in their four games, head coach Ryan Galay called it a great experience, likely one his team will remember for a long time to come. “We got to play right in the (Langley Events Centre) arena bowl where the Vancouver Giants play their hockey,” said Galay. “They put the platform right over top of the ice. Gives it a college or NBA feel so the kids feel very special.” One of the highlights for NPSS was the play of Cy Bellamy who netted 79 points over four games for the Grizzlies. With a more wideopen and faster pace, Galay feels the
Grade 12 forward was able to elevate his game. Playing in the opening game against the second-ranked team in the tournament, Centennial from Coquitlam, Bellamy was able to make five from outside the arc. “He gets the guys going when he’s on the floor...big rebounds,” said Galay. “He finally got to make all the three’s (3-pointers) we’ve been waiting for him to make all year.” Close to half of this season’s team will graduate this June, but Galay is optimistic of a possible return to the venue next season. By playing in this year’s tournament, he believes his younger players saw how much more physical and quicker the game is compared to competition closer to home. “We’ve got a good group of Grade 11s,” Galay points out. “One, in fact, rolled his ankle, so he wasn’t able to play the entire tournament. I think they’re going to come back hungry... and better.”
Trial date set in Foord murder case Tom Summer tsummer@ahnfsj.ca DAVE LUENBERG PHOTO
Grizzlies’ Cy Bellamy scored 79 points over four games at the AAAA high school senior boys basketball championships.
Fort St. John student joins run for Ukraine in Prince George By Hanna Petersen Vova Pluzhnikov not only ran 44 kilometres in one day to raise awareness for the 44 million people affected by the war in Ukraine, but also smashed his fundraising goal of $44,000 on March 8. Upon completing his run at Prince George City Hall, to a crowd of waiting supporters, Pluzhnikov said he was left speechless – at that time he’d raised more than $45,000 through the Red Cross. That number has since jumped to nearly $75,000. “This has been done on such short notice and it is just incredible what it has turned into,” the 26-year-old native of Kharkiv, Ukraine, told the crowd. It was only a week prior that Pluzhnikov, a senior guard for the UNBC Timberwolves basketball team, got the idea to run 44 kilometres for every one million Ukrainians now under siege in Russia’s military invasion. Pluzhnikov recently saw videos and photos of the destroyed square in the centre of his city and the university where he used to go, including the basketball gym which was also destroyed. His parents, grandfather, brother, and sister-in-law have been hunkered down in their homes in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border, one of the hardest-hit cities in the war. His parents, grandfather and the family dog left their Kharkiv apartment and headed to a rural cabin on the outskirts of the city. His 33-yearold brother and sister-in-law are now in western Ukraine, where they are staying with friends. “I am trying to be positive today, as much as I can, and it is because of you all,” Pluzhnikov told the crowd. “I have a smile on my face because
of you and it has been hard, so thank you so much. Because of you people back home will get the support that they need.” Pluzhnikov’s classmates and teammates from UNBC were all in attendance to show their support, as well as UHNBC traditional drummers, and members of the local Ukrainian community. Among them was Kenzie Chilcott of Fort St. John, now a student at UNBC and member of the Timberwolves women’s soccer team. Chilcott joined Pluzhnikov Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. for the first nine-kilometre segment of his run throughout the day to help raise awareness about the invasion and the humanitarian fundraising goal. “Vova has been directly impacted by what is going on, as he no longer has a home town to go back to I cannot even begin to imagine,” Chilcott said. “This event was bigger than all of us. It showed how well a community can come together in a short time and make a big impact. I wanted to share this to my hometown community because we cannot passively sit back and watch the invasion happen.” The money raised through the run will enable the Red Cross to respond to the humanitarian needs as well as preparedness and response efforts in Ukraine. Pluzhnikov said the first time he was asked how much he wanted to raise he immediately thought $44,000 because it was symbolic for Ukraine, but knew it was a pretty high goal. “I wasn’t expecting to reach that $44,000 dollars but it is incredible.” Those who wish to contribute to the cause can still do so online at secure.redcross.ca/registrant/donate. aspx?eventid=374650 -Prince George Citizen
HANNA PETERSEN PHOTO
Vova Pluzhnikov ran 44 kilometres in one day to raise money for the 44 million people in Ukraine. Upon finishing the run he was greeted with a crowd of supporters in Prince George.
A Fort St. John man accused of killing his girlfriend and dumping her remains north of the city nearly two years ago will stand trial this fall. John Wendell Keyler is charged with second-degree murder and interfering with human remains stemming from the disappearance of Sarah Foord in July 2020. He will go to a jury trial starting Oct. 10, according to the BC Prosecution Service, after a series of voir dire court hearings were held over the last few weeks to consider the admissibility of evidence. RCMP first issued a public alert about Foord’s disappearance on July 11, 2020, and initially believed she was travelling with Keyler, who was found days later in Surrey. The Major Crimes Unit was then tasked to lead the investigation on July 13, and soon after arrived in
Fort St. John to begin their search at Foord’s home in the nearby community of Taylor. Investigators later found Foord’s remains on July 24 in a remote location 75 kilometres north of the city, and Keyler was arrested without incident, according to RCMP. RCMP said the investigation was assisted by Surrey RCMP, forensic identification and search units, police dogs, as well as other units from across B.C. and Alberta. Keyler has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody. He will return to court March 24 for a pretrial conference. A preliminary inquiry earlier this year found there was sufficient evidence to try for a conviction. Keyler has a long list of previous convictions in Fort St. John for robbery, theft, fraud, break and enter, possessing stolen property, assault, and mischief. -Local Journalism Initiative
Watchdog investigating woman’s death B.C.’s police watchdog has been called after an incident in Fort St. John resulted in one woman’s death on Tuesday. In a release, BC RCMP say frontline officers from the Fort St. John detachment received a report that an “intoxicated and suicidal woman” was driving north on the Alaska Highway just before 7 p.m. on March 8. According to RCMP, officers found the woman in her vehicle at a gas station in the 16900-block of Highway 97 and attempted to speak with her, but that she reportedly drove away.
RCMP say officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, however, RCMP allege the woman failed to stop. RCMP say her vehicle was later found on Highway 97 upright in a ditch, and that the woman was found unconscious outside her vehicle. The woman died at the scene despite life-saving efforts by a passerby and paramedics, RCMP said. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is investigating to determine whether police actions are linked to the woman’s death, RCMP said. RCMP say they will not be releasing any further details.
NLC celebrates Women’s Day Tom Summer tsummer@ahnfsj.ca Northern Lights College celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, inviting a panel of local women to speak about their personal leadership experiences. Helen Knott, the newly named interim director of Indigenous Education at the college, hosted the virtual panel, and was accompanied by guests Taylor Behn-Tsakoza, Sweetzelle Arago, and Kristal Echano. Behn-Tsakoza, a member of the Fort Nelson First Nation, was the the first in her family to pursue university but says she felt pressure to live a traditional life rather than pursuing higher education. She currently co-chairs the National Youth Council for the Assembly of First Nations, and was among 13 First Nation delegates selected to travel to Vatican City to discuss reconciliation with Pope Francis. “Growing up, I still felt I was stuck in that box that society was trying to put me in, whether it was because I was a woman or was indigenous, or
came from the North,” said BehnTsakoza. “It was the women in my life who kept saying ‘No, you’re much more than that’ and they encouraged me to break through that box.” Arago hails from the Philippines and added another perspective the dialogue. She’s a second-year postgraduate business administration student at the college and currently serves as the student association’s vice president. “There are always bumps on the road to success, but it’s how we rise again to serve other people that make us incredible leaders,” said Arago. “As a woman, it’s important to believe in ourselves and pursue leadership positions, because we are capable of success by persisting through leadership challenges.” From a young age, Arago says she always had a passion for numbers and mathematics, and became the youngest and first female president of her high-school math club. “My passion is to be of service to other people, and it’s still there,” she said. -Local Journalism Initiative