2 - The Prince George Citizen -Saturday, August 24,1991 Coup victims mourned From Reuter-AFP MOSCOW (CP) — Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev told a funeral gathering for three people killed by troops in this week’s failed coup that he would not forgive those who tried to seize power. “Those who followed this path will get what they deserve. There will be no forgiveness,” Gorbachev told tens of thousands of mourners near the walls of the Kremlin today. Gorbachev, restored to power after the three-day coup attempt that collapsed Wednesday, appeared at the front of the crowd dressed in a black mourning suit. He posthumously awarded the dead victims the Heroes of the Soviet Union decoration, the country’s most prestigious award, and approached the grieving families briefly to pay his respects. Three coffins stood on simple plinths on Manezh Square, draped in silk flags in the Russian national colors: white, blue and red. Grieving relatives stood in small groups nearby, holding candles and photographs of the victims. Funeral music played over loudspeakers as sympathizers filed silently into the square bearing Russian flags bordered with black silk. The three were crushed to death or shot Tuesday night when troops with tanks stormed a barricade near the Russian parliament. One Russian Orthodox priest in traditional black robes held high a large golden cross. Another waved a huge portrait of the last czar, killed along with his entire family by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918. Soviet television played sombre music in honor of the victims. A funeral procession, led by Russian President Boris Yeltsin, was to pass westward through the city to the Vagankovskoye cemetery today. Seven of the eight-member Emergency Committee, which seized power at dawn Monday, now face possible treason charges for their actions. An eighth, former interior minister Boris Pugo, shot himself Thursday to avoid arrest. “This is a farewell. This is not a political meeting,” radical activist Ilya Zaslavsky told the silent crowd. “People have been killed on the streets of their own city. Such a thing must never happen again.” “In these vital days you did your duty toward the Russian people,” Moscow Mayor Gavriil Popov said. Patient set free COQUITLAM, B.C. (CP) — A man who was found not guilty by reason of insanity after killing six members of his family in 1983 has been given a conditional discharge from the Forensic Psychiatric Institute in this Vancouver suburb. Bruce Blackman, who was 23 at the time, shot and bludgeoned his mother, father, a brother, two sisters and a brother-in-law in nearby Port Coquitlam. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity at his B.C. Supreme Court trial, where Blackman was diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenic. He has been a patient at the psychiatric institute since 1983. A provincial cabinet order-in- City council Winners of the Prince George Better Gardens Competition will be recognized at Monday’s council meeting. About 10 winners in three categories will receive prizes and awards. In other matters expected to be discussed: ■ Mayor John Backhouse will recommend council’s approval for his continued membership on the Fraser River Start-Up Committee. At an Aug. 2 meeting, Vancouver Mayor 'Gordon Campbell offered to share the expenses of Vancouver and Prince George equally with most meetings held in the Lower Mainland, but visits to the Interior likely. ■ A public hearing will be held to consider rezoning of property at Vancouver Street and Sixth Avenue to multiple-family from residential to allow a 24-unit apartment building. Principals of the proposal are John and Joan Cox. ■ Alterations to city bus service to Stirling Estates will be discussed. Because of limited use, the recommendation is to reduce the service to selected trips and shift the balance of the service to the North Nechako Road. ■ The selection of an environmental advisory committee, scheduled for Monday, has been postponed until Sept. 9 because the terms of reference have not been received. Bakker’s sentence cut CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge resentenced Jim Bakker to 18 years in prison, a 27-year reduction of the initial sentence, after the former evangelist expressed remorse on Friday for bilking his followers. “I ask all that I have hurt to please, forgive me,” Bakker told U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen. “I have asked heavenly God to please forgive me and now I ask this court for human forgiveness.” Minutes later, Mullen sentenced the founder of the PTL ministry to his new term. He did not restore a $500,000 fine imposed on Bakker in addition to a 45-year prison sentence after his fraud conviction in 1989. In February, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Bakker’s conviction but threw out the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Robert Potter. Bakicer would not have been eligible for parole until 2001 under the old sentence. Bakker, 51, has spent nearly two years in a federal prison at Rochester, Minn. Under the new sentence guidelines, he will be eligible for parole in 1995. Neither Bakker nor his family showed emotion when Mullen handed down the sentence. His wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, wiped away tears, however, when Bakker pleaded for leniency. out The Prince George Junior Chamber/Jaycees with to thank the following individuals and businesses for their donations of time, products, and services. Their generosity greatly contributed to the success of our event RAFT RACE 91 which was held on August 4,1991. Crane Services Target Transport Sterling Crane Radios T&S Communications Door Prizes The Keg Earls Place Inn of the North The Caribou Restaurant Niners Diner Jet Boats Keith Thompson Doug MacCarthy -Scenic Jetboat Tours Gil Rahier -Barton Insurance Jet Boat Fuel Ken Sands Agencies BtsaMsst Knights of Columbus Dance The Generator Cabaret council was passed this week giving Blackman a conditional discharge. The conditions of his discharge say he must continue to live at the 151-bed secure hospital, take his required medication, not possess firearms and keep the peace. Latvia sends plea RIGA, U.S.S.R. (CP) — Latvia appealed for immediate recognition of its independence from the Soviet Union on Friday. Citizens of the three breakaway republics also gathered to remind the world of the Nazi-Soviet agreement that took away their freedom. Latvia froze the assets of the republic’s Communist party and seized its headquarters in a bid to investigate its role in the failed 60-hour coup earlier this week that temporarily ousted Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and led to a Soviet military crackdown on the Baltics. The independent news agency Baltfax reported later Friday the new head of the Soviet KGB had ordered the Lithuanian KGB to prevent any attempt by Communists there to remove documents from its headquarters in Vilnius. There were reports the head of the Latvian Communist party had been arrested for investigation of his possible links to the coup. Fighting spreads BELGRADE (CP) — Rival Croatian and Serbian groups began ordering partial mobilizations Friday as fierce ethnic fighting spread in the secessionist Yugoslav republic of Croatia. Croatia said it would go on the offensive in a “dirty war” with Serbian guerrillas and army troops. A federal official admitted a truce ordered in Croatia on Aug. 7 had collapsed and said more than 70 people had died in fighting since then. Members of the ceasefire commission also said they were considering quitting because of the failure of the truce. Meanwhile, Yugoslavia’s collective presidency met to discuss Croatia’s demand for the federal army to withdraw to its barracks within a week. Croatia’s deputy prime minister, Mato Granic, said 210 people have died and 664 were wounded in Croatia since June 25. The figures were believed not to include Serbian casualties. Local man goes back to court Floyd Glover, 28, of Prince George is expected back in provincial court Monday after appearing Thursday to face a charge of break-and-enter. Glover was arrested Thursday after Spee-Dee Printers was the target of an early morning break-and-enter. Property missing from the Brunswick Street business was recovered. WCB CLAIMS ON RISE Planting sites inspected by SHERRYL YEAGER Citizen Staff Treeplanting sites and camps arc coming under scrutiny from the Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C. following a 100-per-cent increase in wage-loss accidents over the past five years. More than 500 wage-loss claims from planters were accepted last year, and 2,000 were accepted in the past five years, said occupational safety officer Dave Rowe. The financial amount of the claims are also increasing, he said. This year Rowe inspected over 30 sites in the Prince George and Peace regions, and the other nine safety officers were also kept busy with inspections. Over 10 reforestation companies were penalized as a result of the inspections, he said. Penalties are based on the employer’s payroll, and the minimum for planting companies has been $1,500 and the maximum so far was $7,500, he said. “The majority of them are adhering to our regulations, but there are a number that are not adhering. Very few sites were completely in compliance.” The worst offence he saw this year was a complete lack of first-aid equipment and personnel in one camp. “Some work sites are excellent, and on others there is a grievous lack of first-aid equipment.” Rowe also closed one site where planters were working in a “hack-n-squirt” area where the dead deciduous trees still stood. Hack-n-squirt trees are cut with an axe at the base and sprayed with herbi- cide. They slowly die over a period of years, and are brittle and fall unpredictably. It is the employer’s responsibility to prepare the planting site and ensure it is safe. Crew transportation is also a common problem on treeplanting sites, he said. One company was using an old 12-passenger van to transport 16 people. “Everyone should be properly seated, have seat belts, and planting equipment shouldn’t be floating around. A lot of the injuries we get into are objects flying around in vehicles,” said Rowe. Safety concerns particularly relevant to treeplanting sites include proper clothing to avoid sunburn and hypothermia, snags and dead trees left standing, bears, evacuation procedures, periodic checks on workers, and allergy kits for bee stings. The WCB is also taking over inspections of tree-planter camp conditions for the health ministry, Rowe said. Because of the large number of camps and a lack of staff in the Health Ministry to check them all, the living conditions, health and sanitation in the camps is checked by occupational safety officers. Safety officers visit a work site unannounced, identify themselves to the supervisor and conduct the inspection. An employee is also encouraged to come along, and the officer tries to speak to some of the workers, to see if they can answer questions such as who the first-aid attendant is and how that person can be contacted. Pulp mill planned in Terrace VANCOUVER (CP) — Orenda Forest Products Ltd. has filed documents with the provincial government detailing plans for construction of a chlorine-free pulp mill near Terrace. The company said if the plan is approved, the mill will be the first in Canada to make chlorine-free pulp using a Finnish design. Six similar mills have been built in the U.S. since 1981. Public hearings must still be held. Water used at the mill would be treated and recycled through a closed-loop system with no discharge into the environment. The mill would cost $365 million and employ 143 full-time workers. Tourist alert VANCOUVER (CP) — Tourist Alert issued Friday by the RCMP. The following people, believed travelling in British Columbia, are asked to call the person named for an urgent personal message: Michael Wyman of Quebec, call James Wyman. Bruce and Laura Grist of Port Moody, B.C., call Mark Grist. Sandra Day of Seattle, call Shannie Day. Ian and Wilma Hyslop of Prince George, B.C., call Loeke Affourtit. jlease News Release News Release News Release News AIRLINE TICKET OFFICE CLOSES Travel Agency Picks Up Slack Sewett Seat 'I'uz vel AIR /RAIL /CRUISE TICKETS HOLIDAY PACKAGES TRAVELLERS CHEQUES FULL SERVICE BUSINESS TRAVEL HOLIDAY TRAVEL: DOWNTOWN 1557 THIRD AVE PARKWOOD: 1548 - 15th AVE. (Open Sundays) PINE CENTRE: 3101 MASSEY DRIVE BUSINESS TRAVEL: DOWNTOWN: 1557 THIRD AVE 564-7000 564-8700 564-9700 564-1900 "OVER 1500 OFFICES WORLDWIDE" FACSIMILE LINE 5(1-0070 cJiCSI/] Travel Service ® Representative After hours reservations may be made (6:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.) directly with the airline. For ticket issuance simply call the Seven Seas Travel office nearest you! No worries Prince George! Don’t leave home without us! Weather Immediate Prince George area: Both sunny and cloudy periods arc expected today along with a chance of afternoon showers or thunder showers. Tonight we can expect clear skies for the most part, with a few cloudy periods. Sunny skies with some cloudy periods are expected Sunday. The high today is expected to be 19 and the low tonight 6. The weather office says these temperatures are “bang-on normal” for this time of year. A high of 20 is predicted for Sunday. Overnight we had a low of 5.1 and a high of 20 Friday. Chances of precipitation are 40 per cent today, 10 per cent tonight and 10 per cent Sunday. The three-day outlook through Wednesday is for cloudy with some some sunny periods, with highs near 20 and lows near 8. We had no rain in the 24-hour period to 4 a.m. and 11 hours of sunshine. A year ago today the high was 16 and the overnight low -2. There was no rain and 7.9 hours of sunshine. Sunset today is at 8:22 p.m. and sunrise Sunday is at 6:06 a.m. The sun sets Sunday at 8:19 p.m. and rises Monday at 6:08 p.m. Chilcotin: Today cloudy with sunny periods. High 19. Tonight a few clouds. Low 5. Sunday sunny with cloudy periods. High 21. Probability of precipitation 20 per cent today, 10 tonight and Sunday. Cariboo: Today cloudy with sunny periods. Chance of showers or afternoon thundershowers. High 19. Tonight a few clouds. Low 6. Sunday sunny with cloudy periods. High 21. Probability of precipitation 40 per cent today, 10 tonight and Sunday. Parsnip: Today sunny with cloudy periods. Slight chance of showers or afternoon thundershowers. High 17. Tonight a few clouds. Low 3. Sunday sunny with cloudy periods. High 19. Probability of precipitation 30 per cent today, 10 tonight and Sunday. Greater Vancouver: Today cloudy with sunny periods. Slight chance of showers. High 20. Tonight a few clouds. Low 11. Sunday sunny with cloudy periods. High 22. Probability of precipitation 30 per cent today, 10 tonight and Sunday. Greater Victoria: Today cloudy with sunny periods. Slight chance of showers. High 21. Tonight a few clouds. Low 10. Sunday sunny with cloudy periods. High 21. Probability of precipitation 30 per cent today, 10 tonight and Sunday. Representative No One Knows Travel Better. fOffiYOUR SHOPPING CONVENIENCE 1303 ROGERS CUSTOM MEATS 3rd Avenue 563-2387 ^563 ■1671 1801 -1st Avenue 11:00 a. m. to 5 p.m. 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CHOW TOWN Extra Foods 1617 Victoria Street Pine Centre Mall Redwood Square 564-4163 Your Discount Pet Food Supermarket Sunday Bourn 11 A.M. • S p.n. Suti-Ko WOODWARD'S Landscape Parkwood Mall Supply Ltd 12:00-5:00 p.m. 501 Richard Rd. 564-6650 Canada If you wish to be Safeway part of this Now 2 Stores to seme you promotion 3300 Massey Drive phone 564-1434 The Priuec George Parkwood Mall Citizen 563-4669 562-2441 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. »