News for the unnewsed

By Morgan Haigler

UBC students successfully lobby for reduced fees


The University of British Columbia Athletics and Recreation department and the Alma Mater Society announced recently that they would be significantly decreasing student fees for intramural and recreational activities. This comes after a strong rally by students to reduce the fees. The decrease was possible due to some sound business practices by the department in recent years, outgoing AMS president Michael Duncan said.





Missing teen found


A 16-year-old girl who was abducted from her front yard in Penhold last Thursday was found. The girl was reported missing late Thursday night after her parents realized she hadn’t returned from a trip to a local convenience store, but her truck with all of her belongings was parked in their driveway.


On Saturday, she called her dad to come and get her from Bower Mall in Red Deer, where she escaped. After talking to the girl, the police apprehended the kidnapping suspect and laid charges against him Monday. Gerard John Baumgarte, 56, has been charged with impersonating a peace officer, kidnapping with a firearm, sexual assault, aggravated assault and uttering threats, according to the RCMP.





Calgary mom and baby refused ride on bus


A Calgary Transit bus driver refused a ride to a mom and her baby last Thursday because she could not fold up her baby stroller.


Chelsey Iverson felt it wasn’t safe to manage her baby, shopping bags and the folded stroller, so she left the bus and waited in a bus shelter for 90 minutes in-30C degree wind chill until another bus came.


When Iverson complained to CT, she was told there was nothing they could do because of a bylaw stating that strollers and any other obstructions cannot be placed in the aisle of a transit bus. Iverson rode three other buses that day without incident.





U.S. refuses to participate in UN racism conference


The United States will not participate in a United Nations racism conference in April without changes to the final document of the conference. The pursued changes would drop all references to Israel and the criticism of religion.


This comes after both the U.S. and Israel walked out of the last UN racism conference in 2001 because of a draft resolution that equated Zionism to racism. Both Israel and Canada are boycotting the conference entirely.