🌧️ High 10C

Good morning,

April's here, and so is a Fraser Valley success story worth celebrating — a Mission student is among seven BC recipients of one of Canada's most prestigious undergraduate awards. We've also got Easter weekend plans sorted if you're looking for something fun to do in the region.

– Emily

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🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope | Mission

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

🛣 Click here for links to road cameras across the Fraser Valley, including those for the Coquihalla, Highway 7, Hope-Princeton, Fraser Canyon, and Highway 1 in Langley and Abbotsford.

Seven students from across British Columbia have been selected as 2026 Loran Scholars, among 36 recipients chosen from more than 5,400 applicants nationwide. Nearly 20% of this year's cohort comes from BC communities.

One of them is Harishvin Sasikumar from Mission Secondary School. Harishvin co-founded an initiative to develop a non-invasive way to help paralyzed people regain movement using brain-computer interfaces, leads a STEM Club for younger students, and serves on his city's youth advisory committee.

The other BC recipients are Ala' Alaiwah (Kelowna), Anisa Abduhamedova (Vancouver), Ibrahim Shaaban (Surrey), Kaia Fitz-Earle (Nelson), Kayla Okada (Nanaimo), and Nimisciw Hills (North Vancouver).

The Loran Award is valued at more than $100,000 and includes financial support, experiential learning opportunities, and mentorship across a four-year undergraduate program offered in partnership with 25 Canadian universities.

Loran Scholars are selected not on marks alone but on character, commitment to service, and leadership potential. This year's finalists gathered last month for a National Selections weekend, where 36 of 90 finalists were named scholars.

The 2026 festival lineup is out now! Get your tickets today for a weekend bursting with good times and great music, with over 25 acts from Canada and beyond on 5 stages. Hear everything from harmonic folk to Chicago horns, high-energy Celtic roots to Ukrainian village singing, Indigenous soul to Métis fiddling and much more. Experience soul dynamo, Tanika Charles, Taiwan’s Sauljaljui, the powerhouse sound of the LowDown Brass Band, BC’s The Fugitives and Blue Moon Marquee, Glaswegian singer-songwriter, Michael McGovern, Nastasia Y’s Ukrainian soul, and Alpha Yaya Diallo & BAFING’s West African dance grooves plus many others. Bring the whole family!

July 24-26 in Fraser River Heritage Park, just east of Mission. Early Bird discounts to June 21. Come find your folk!

🔥 Chilliwack firefighters responded to a barn fire on Branford Avenue on Monday afternoon, containing flames found in the ceiling space to minor structural damage with no injuries reported. [Fraser Valley Today]

🚧 Rock slope stabilization work on Highway 7 west of Hope will begin April 6 and run through August 8, with Geo-Rope Ltd. conducting work in four phases and drivers facing up to 20-minute delays during daytime hours. [Hope Standard]

📢 The Mission Friendship Centre said concerns raised by protesters outside its doors on March 27 were reviewed and found to be unsubstantiated, following a meeting with organizers, board representatives, and police. [Mission City Record]

💊 Officers at Mountain Institution in Agassiz seized more than $300,000 in contraband on March 26, including cell phones and shatter, with Agassiz RCMP notified and an investigation underway. [The Progress]

🌧️ The Fraser Valley Regional District's Emergency Operations Centre returned to routine operations after an atmospheric river threat passed, following a State of Local Emergency declared on March 19. [Fraser Valley Today]

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Wildlife Festival Abbotsford: Get up close with sloths, kangaroos, porcupines, and more at this hands-on wildlife experience running April 3–5 at Abbotsford Exhibition Park, with general admission from $17.95 online.

Fire Hall Open House & Pancake Breakfast: Join the Sunshine Valley Volunteer Fire Department for a free Easter morning pancake breakfast and open house on April 4 in Sunshine Valley.

Adult Easter Egg Hunt: Mountainview Brewing Co. is hosting a free adult Easter egg hunt on April 4 in Hope, with prizes including gift cards and overnight stays — location to be announced.

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