Thursday - Nov. 2, 2023 edition - Why we all need more air guitar

🌧 High 13C

Good morning!

Apparently fireworks are illegal in Langley, but you'd never be able to tell from the shows that lit up the sky on Halloween. I watched them all from my balcony and had a great time. But I think the nervous dogs next door thought the world was ending.

– Grace

P.S. We’re looking for a Head of Sales to join our team! Know someone who would be a good fit? It’s a remote role anywhere in Canada.

Support local journalism by supporting The Current. Become a Current Insider member today and help bring local stories to life.

Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

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

🛣 You can check DriveBC’s highway cameras on a brand new Current collection page here.

NEWS

Why we all need more air guitar in our lives

Everybody needs a little more air guitar in their lives.

On a sunny October day, Jeremy K David bounced around a Fraser Valley forest, wailing on his unplugged electric guitar while his daughter filmed him. 

Filming a music video for your band can be a little bit awkward when you’re playing loud music very quietly. It can also be a ton of fun.

• Today, we talk to David about making a music video in the forest with his band Summer Eyes (and his daughter), and the joy of air guitar.

• Summer Eyes is playing music from their new CD at a release party Saturday and we have a pair of tickets to give away to an Insider member. Enter your name and email address here. We’ll pick the winner Friday.

  Related

Need to Know

🏘️ Updates to BC’s zoning rules will allow more townhomes and laneway homes [Province of BC]

🚰 Two water pumps failed at Harrison Hot Springs’ water treatment facility; the village has declared a state of local emergency [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🏫 A modular-style unit will be built to replace portables at an elementary school in Langley [Langley Advance Times]

🧩 A two-day puzzle sale in Chilliwack raised more than $10,000 for the food bank [Chilliwack Progress]

🇩🇪 Former BC Premier John Horgan was named ambassador to Germany [CTV]

👩‍🎤 The MLA for Chilliwack-Kent read the opening monologue of Micheal Jackson’s Thriller to open the BC Legislature’s Halloween session [Chilliwack Progress]

🚒 A house caught on fire on Stave Lake Road north of Mission [Mission Record]

🍭 Aldergrove’s downtown business trick-or-treat event was twice the size of last year’s [Langley Advance Times]

🚘️ Charges have been laid in an investigation following the theft of more than 20 vans in Abbotsford [Abbotsford News]

👉️ Chilliwack is asking the public what it can do to reduce poverty in the city [Chilliwack Progress]

Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!

Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Fraser Valley.

The Agenda

Langley looking for input on future of 200 Street

The Township of Langley has opened a survey for public input on plans for one of its busiest arteries. The plan, called 200 Street 2040, will focus on changes to 2.5 km of road between Highway 1 and 68 Avenue.

The plan will also consider the future of roads on either side of 200th Street that will be served, in the future, by a Translink RapidBus (and, possibly in the future, by another extension of the SkyTrain). 

Fill out the survey here.

Inflation, other issues, push Abbotsford city building costs past $44 million

Abbotsford plans to spend around $44 million on infrastructure over the next five years, more than first anticipated—but most of the money is coming from the province and federal governments, rather than local property taxes. Many of the original budget figures had been set five years ago.  

The new spending includes: 

• $4.2 million more for a project to recover heat and reduce emissions from the Abbotsford Recreation Centre. Total spending for that project is now pegged at at $10 million. That money comes from the province’s no-strings-attached Growing Communities Fund.

• $20.2 million for flood response and recovery projects, with the money coming from the province and feds.

• $1.4 million to finish a larger portion of the expanded Abbotsford Police headquarters than originally planned.

• $288,000 for flood warning systems, with about half of the cost borne by the province.

• $534,000 to replace seating and kitchen equipment at the curling club.

• $250,000 to repair damages caused by a car accident on Whatcom Road. The city is currently on the hook for the costs because the vehicle involved was stolen, though it has been “working” with ICBC to try to recoup costs.

Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.

Become a Current member today and join 1,200+ other local supporters who help keep our lights on.

As part of a membership, you get our special weekend roundup of all the things you might’ve missed each week!

🗓 Things to do this week/end

💬 Smart talk: TEDxAbbotsford, a series of talks about creativity and innovation, will take place at UFV this weekend on Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4. Find tickets and a schedule of speakers online.

😆 Smart-ass talk: Five Roads Brewing in Langley will host Laughs on Tap, a stand-up comedy show, on Saturday, Nov. 4. Find details online.

🍄 Mushrooms: The Hope Mountain Centre is hosting a wild mushroom walk and talk on Saturday, Nov. 4 on the Flood Falls Trail in Hope. Details online.

Want even more? 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.

Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.

Catch up

That’s it!

Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥️ 

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another local.

And before you go, please let us know:

Help share The Current

Wouldn’t the Fraser Valley be better if more people had access to local, quality news – and didn’t have to rely on social media? Share The Current with your friends and help us build better communities.