Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023 edition - When bad fall begins

Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023 | ⛅️ High 23C

Good morning!

Though my plan to read 50 new books this year has fallen by the wayside (in rather dramatic fashion, honestly), I’m still finding a few things to read. Right now I’m in the middle of Babel: or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution. It’s set in the 1830s at Oxford’s fictional translation institute, Babel, where translation isn’t just about communication—it’s also magic. The book is really smart, and well worth a read if you’re looking for a good novel this fall. (Although I can’t vouch for how it ends, I haven’t gotten that far yet.)

And thank you again to our members! You can become a member here.

WORTH KNOWING

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / Check the BC Wildfire Dashboard here

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

NEWS

When does Bad Fall begin?

The weather has turned. The days are shorter and cooler, and it has actually rained.

Fall, both in spirit and on the calendar, is here.

But autumn is a weird season in the Fraser Valley. It can be beautiful and perfect. It can also be utterly miserable and disaster-inducing.

So how much more time do we have to enjoy the outdoors?

• Tyler consulted the data at Weatherspark.com to answer that question and perhaps the biggest Fraser Valley weather conundrum: When does Good Fall end and Bad Fall begin? 

• We also asked our Insider members their thoughts.

Need to know

👮‍♂️ Thousands gathered in Langley to honour and mourn an RCMP officer killed in Coquitlam [Vancouver Sun]

👉️ The man accused of killing the police officer will face a first-degree murder charge [Langley Advance Times]

📰 Harrison’s mayor and council met Wednesday, and couldn't even agree to approve the agenda; one councillor suggested calling the RCMP [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🟣 Purple Light Nights campaigns against domestic violence began in Agassiz and Harrison—and across North America—at the start of October [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🏃 Nearly 100 people took part in the 3rd annual run for sobriety in Langley last weekend [Langley Advance Times]

🚔️ An Abbotsford man is among three men charged with a murder in Surrey from last year [Abbotsford News]

🍺 Farmhouse Brewing in Chilliwack is celebrating three years of farm-to-table food [Chilliwack Progress]

📷 CURRENT CAM: The location of yesterday’s Current Cam photo was a tricky one! It was this prominent mural in downtown Chilliwack.

🍻 Brewhalla is coming to Chilliwack this weekend. Find out more about the event, and how to win two free tickets.*

👩‍🚒 Langley City fire crews are educating the public about cooking safety during Fire Prevention Week [Langley Advance Times]

💻️ An Abbotsford School Board meeting that was interrupted by anti-SOGI protestors will reconvene online next week [Abbotsford News]

🥖 Sip, sample, shop at the ultimate artisan market “A Taste of the Valley” October 20th and 21st , at Chilliwack Heritage Park. $5 Cash Admission.*

🏌️‍♂️ UFV Cascade’s golf teams—both men’s and women’s—won bronze at the Canada West Championships [Chilliwack Progress]

*Sponsored Listing

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The Agenda

Regular garbage clean-ups planned for river valley

A non-profit is planning to undertake a seven-month-long clean-up project in the Chilliwack River Valley.

In recent years the valley has been beset by illegal campers who visit on weekends and leave mountains of debris and garbage behind, according to the Chilliwack-based Streams Foundation Canada. The accumulation of trash has raised environmental and safety alarms. Streams is now planning a project wherein volunteers will undertake twice-monthly clean-ups.

The hope is that regular clean-ups can reduce accumulations, prevent spillage into the river and reduce the need for large-scale efforts.

The Fraser Valley Regional District has promised the non-profit $4,000 to help with their project. Although administered by the FVRD, the money for Streams will come from a $200,000 provincial grant specifically aimed at reducing costs of cleaning up abandoned encampments in the Chilliwack River Valley.

SPONSORED BY ABBOTSFORD TECH DISTRICT

Live, learn, work, play

Housing affordability has decreased significantly in the past 5 years, especially in desirable communities like Abbotsford.

Abbotsford Tech District will deliver affordable housing for young people and families in a complete community with high-quality education and well-paying jobs—and it will build up not out to preserve Sumas Mountain nature and trails.

Throwback Thursday

This photo of the Mavis house in Fort Langley was taken in 1894. Francis Alexander Mavis first arrived in North America from England in the 1850s with the hope of finding gold. He joined the California gold rush and proceeded north in each subsequent gold-prospecting frenzy: first the Fraser Valley Gold Rush, then the Cariboo. He continued up to Barkerville where he started a successful mine and, in 1864, returned to England a rich man.

Mavis, after marrying again, returned to North America with his seven children, wife and mother-in-law in 1887. Several streets are named after family members in Fort Langley today, including Mavis Avenue.

🗓 Things to do

🕊️ Saturday, Oct. 7: Join the Explore Science Club for a guided bird tour of Brydon Lagoon in Langley City. Find details online.

🦅 Photography: The Agassiz Harrison Museum is holding an exhibition of the photography of Andrea Chapman called “Fearless Spirits.” The exhibition features the photographer’s relationship to nature, in particular to bald eagles, and will run Oct. 4 to 21. Details online.

🎻 Concert: Ambi Subramaniam, one of India’s most-celebrated violinists, will play a concert at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Wednesday, Oct. 11. More details online.

Want more events? Insider members get a comprehensive events listing every Thursday, plus a weekly Saturday round-up edition with behind-the-scenes content. Becoming a member costs less than $2 a week and helps support the ongoing production of The Current’s newsletters and in-depth journalism. Become a member here.

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