Domestic dispute turns violent

A Monday morning domestic dispute led to an hour-long standoff with police in which a man threatened to injure himself after barricading him inside his home.

Around 11 a.m., a downstairs tenant in a two-storey house on the 8000 block of Spires Road alerted police to a domestic dispute involving the upstairs tenants.

When police arrived, a female victim suffering from cuts and bruises ran out of the house and her husband barricaded himself in a bedroom, claiming he was carrying a shotgun.

Police cordoned off the street, alerted the Emergency Response Team and evacuated immediate neighbours.

But negotiations with the 34-year-old suspect, who is known to police, were successful and the ERT team did not have to be deployed.

Initially the man did not answer his phone, but police were able to communicate through the front door.

Looking through the front door, police saw that the man had a hunting knife but no gun. Officers eventually kicked open the door and confronted the suspect, who held a knife to his own midsection for some time until he eventually surrendered himself to the police without incident.

The suspect was taken to Richmond General Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Police are continuing their investigation.

Roadblock nets green gains

Police were hoping to put the clamps down on impaired driving, but instead got something they weren't expecting on the weekend.

During a Saturday night roadblock at No. 2 Road and River Road, police observed a car turning around before the roadblock.

The vehicle was stopped at River Road and Hollybridge and the police officer noted the smell of marijuana emanating from it, police said.

Inside they discovered one pound of marijuana.

One woman was arrested and is facing a charge of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Driver injured

A 22-year-old Richmond woman had to be taken to hospital following an early Friday morning crash on the 9500 block of Francis Road.

The woman was driving a 1993 Mazda east on Francis around 4:30 a.m. when she lost control of her vehicle and it struck a 1997 Dodge van parked on the north side of the road.

The driver is expected to make a full recovery.

Police are continuing their investigation.

New GVRD boss welcomed

A change at the top of the Greater Vancouver Regional District's board of directors should not create any roadblocks for Richmond, says Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.

Brodie was reacting to the election Friday of Surrey councillor Marvin Hunt as the GVRD's new chairman.

"I think that we've been able to work well with chair Hunt in the past, and believe we largely agree on regional issues," he said, adding the most pressing item for Richmond at the GVRD table is the question of rapid transit.

Hunt, who replaces defeated Vancouver councillor George Puil, is a veteran Surrey councillor. He defeated Derek Corrigan, mayor of Burnaby, and Jon Kingsbury, mayor of Coquitlam for the GVRD's top job. The GVRD delivers core services to its 21 member municipalities.

City announces banner contest winners

The winners of this year's street banner competition were unveiled Monday at Richmond City Hall.

Based on the theme "Celebration of the culture and landscape of Richmond," more than 200 entries were recieved for this year's contest, creating a difficult challenge for the panel of volunteer judges.

Eight winning banners, designed by nine local artists, were chosen.

The winners are Carly Chan ("Five Flowers"), Bud Sakamoto and Serena Singh ("Fresh Water Island"), Natasha Lakos ("Berries in the field"), Tina Chen ("Island Trails"), Steve Bridger ("Farm Fields"), Ksenia Cheinan ("Watergardens"), Kenneth Chow ("Cranberry Farm") and Phil Fakaro ("The Interurban Tram").

Carly Chan has this year's distinction as the youngest winner. The Grade 3 Grauer Elementary student' "Five Flowers" is reminiscent of the wildflowers that adorn Richmond's trail system.

Chen and Cheinan are high school students.

Each winner recieves $200 and a copy of a banner with their design.

The banners will go up early next year and remain up until February 2004.

New hovercraft a rowboat, says MP

Federal Fisheries and Oceans bought a rowboat when the Coast Guard needed a lifeboat, charges John Cummins, Canadian Alliance MP for Delta-South Richmond.

The vessel in question in a 12-year-old passenger ferry, the Freedom 90, a hovercraft smaller than those currently in use by the Coast Guard at its airport base. The engines on the Freedom 90 have between 30 and 50 per cent less horsepower than the existing 400 series hovercraft.

Cummins said the Coast Guard's Statement of Operational Requirements for the new hovercraft indicate that it's not merely a spare. The Freedom 90 is expected to be the primary search and rescue hovercraft for about 30 per cent of the time.

"It is therefore likely that on many occasions the used British hovercraft will be the only search and rescue hovercraft available should there be an emergency at the airport or elsewhere."

Cummins notes that according to the same documents, the new craft may not be able to sail during 30 per cent of the time in fall and winter as it may not be able to navigate seas with waves over 1.5 metres.

"The Minister of Fisheries does not have a plan to provide rescue capability when the refurbished passenger ferry is unavailable due to weather conditions. What is the airport to do when an airport emergency arises and the refurbished passenger ferry cannot venture out of its hanger due to the weather? Reschedule emergencies to warm sunny days in the summer?"

Joe petition hits Ottawa

A petition calling for Richmond MP Joe Peschisolido to resign and force a byelection was presented in the House of Commons in Ottawa Thursday.

Federal MPs Ted White (Canadian Alliance-North Vancouver) and Svend Robinson (NDP-Burnaby-Douglas) presented the petition containing 4,100 signatures.

"The petitioners call upon Parliament to enact legislation which would require all members of Parliament who wish to change their official party designation in the House of Commons to resign and run in a byelection," Robinson said.

Peschisolido crossed the floor from the Alliance to the Liberals in January. Shortly after, a group of residents formed Defend Democracy Richmond and began collecting signatures on a petition.

Group member Adrian Wade doubts any action of parliament would be retroactive, and eject Peschisolido, but said he'd be happy if they manage to change the system.

Peschisolido said it's time to move on. He announced $170,000 grant to SUCCESS Friday for an entrepreneurial program.

"That's a story," he said. "Not this thing. It's the same individuals with their own political agendas."

Wade said Peschisolido will be defeated in the next election, regardless of the goodies he brings from Ottawa.

"This legislation could be his only legacy, basically." -- by Chris Bryan