Friday, April 21, 2023 edition - A bandwagoner's guide to the playoffs

Friday, April 21, 2023 | 🌧 High 12C | Forecast

Good morning!

Yesterday, I woke up to news alerts from essentially every major media outlet about SpaceX's rocket explosion. The was reported to be the “largest and most powerful” ever built—a considerable feat of engineering. I could never imagine months, likely years of work exploding and crumbling in the sky. But crews are said to have been prepared for the outcome and the rocket launch was to gather data. Eventually the goal is to send humans to Mars.

Fans of outer space still have lots to look forward to this year, according to The New York Times’ annual space calendar. The next event listed is the Lyrid meteor shower happening this weekend. (There’s always a bright side!)

Finally, a big thank you to The Current’s newest insider members: Jacqueline, Wayne, and Katherine. We can’t do this without you. Find out how you can join here. 

NEWS

A bandwagoner’s guide to the playoffs

The Canucks are in the playoffs.

Not those Canucks or those playoffs, of course. But that doesn’t mean the Abbotsford Canucks’ participation in the American Hockey League’s playoffs doesn’t include a whole bunch of NHL players and a lot of potential excitement (not to mention a less inevitable conclusion.)

Abbotsford hosted its first AHL playoff game in nearly a decade on Wednesday and won.

• With the Canucks returning Friday night, Tyler provides a quick explainer for locals looking to hop on a Canucks bandwagon that hasn’t shut down for the season—or for those looking to rekindle a passion for junior hockey.

Need to know

💧The Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Society’s annual clean-up event is happening Saturday; those who pre-register will receive an extra raffle ticket [Clean Rivers]

🏡 A developer wants to build a 32-home subdivision in Aldergrove [Aldergrove Star]

👉 The province hired a tiny organization to run the Yale Historic Site and the Yale & District Historical Society, which sold the site to the province for $1, is not happy [Hope Standard]

🚌 It could be another four years before Mission Secondary is replaced with a new school [Mission Record]

🚔 A man who beat a transgendered Chilliwack man to death has gone missing from his halfway house in Vancouver, police say [Chilliwack Progress/VPD]

🚫 A Langley liquor store was fined for selling alcohol to a minor during a sting operation [Langley Advance Times]

🛠 Developers behind the Abbotsford Tech District want the city to provide a clear outline of how it could get the proposed project approved [Abbotsford News]

⚠️ Some Chilliwack homeowners might not be aware about the risk of radon [Chilliwack Progress]

🥾 Kent’s mayor plans to walk 26 km to the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre on Saturday to raise awareness about the lack of pool facilities in Agassiz; you can view the mayor’s live progress on this map [District of Kent]

⌛️ Garbage remains on a Cultus Lake property after a ALC deadline for its removal passed earlier this week [The Province]

🏃‍♀️ A Hope resident completed her first-ever Boston Marathon this weekend [Hope Standard]

⚖️ A 22-year-old man plead guilty to second-degree murder in a 2021 Abbotsford killing [Abbotsford News]

😊 TODAY’S SMILE: A father tries to catch up to his toddler who makes a getaway in the family car (or so the little guy thinks) [GoodNewsCorres1/Twitter]

🦙 Would you like to take a walk with Alpacas? Check out Kensington Prairie Farms to book your walk, today!*

*Sponsored Listing

TOGETHER WITH CLOVERDALE RODEO

The Cloverdale Rodeo is back

After a three-year hiatus, the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair is back this upcoming May long weekend! This family-friendly event runs from Friday, May 19 until Monday, May 22.

The Cloverdale Invitational Rodeo will feature Roughstock Rodeo Events such as bareback, saddle bronc, bull riding, and ladies barrel racing. Twenty-four rodeo contestants will compete in each of the rodeo events.

At the Country Fair, all the favourites are back, including the Westcoast Lumberjack show, livestock display, World Freestyle Skateboarding Round Up, Kidsworld, Longhorn Saloon, All-Star Wrestling, and new for this year, the Indigenous village. Canadian country legend George Canyon will be this year’s musical headliner. There will be entertainment and attractions for the whole family all weekend long.

Get your tickets here!

The Agenda

Four apartment buildings in central Abbotsford given green light

A four-building, 269-unit apartment development just south of Abbotsford city hall was approved by council earlier this week.

The buildings would be located back-to-back to one another on Parkview and Langdon streets.

Two of the buildings would feature only rental units. The proposal generated little public opposition at a public hearing on Monday. Council unanimously approved the project.

Mayor Ross Siemens said the project reflected the increasing desire to densify and provide more housing in central areas. “We have to stay the course and it’s starting to show that it is working,” he said.

You like to fly

On Wednesday, with WestJet pilots voting to potentially strike, we asked you if you were a frequent flier like Joti or not, like Tyler, and whether you planned to fly this year.

Around 300 people took the poll. Although only around 40% of you said you flew regularly, two-thirds said you had flight plans this year. Keep an eye on those strike plans!

Correction

Yesterday’s article on a new parking lot in downtown Chilliwack said that the lot is currently home to empty buildings. Those buildings have already been demolished in order to make way for the parking lot, which will be built over the summer.

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