Friday, April 24, 2009

Podunk Below the Masthead Thursday, April 23, 2009

Rehearsal time is almost over for local musicians, four years of fish plant work for local workers and if you follow the money, Mr. Briglio faces a haircut. Some of the items from Thursday's Daily News.

COMPLETELY PLUGGED' INTO THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE-- The rehearsals are all but done and anticipation is building for Sunday's music show dubbed "Completely Plugged" set for the Lester Centre of the Arts. Eight local bands will take to the stage starting at 3 pm, ready to entertain through until 6, offering up a variety of sounds and all completely plugged as they say.

The Daily News made the upcoming show the front page, headline story, providing some valuable advertising for the likes of the Undecideds, Men Who Listen, Spine, Ring System, X-Ray John's, AWL, Mermaide Cafe and Triple Bypass.

Off the arts beat, other items of interest included details on the recently completed four year contract between Canfisco and the UFAWU-CAW, which will secure employment for plant workers until 2013. In a move that runs counter to past negotiations, the Company asked to begin negotiations before the current deal came to an end.

The new deal could see more hours for local workers who have been hit hard in recent years, which have resulted in shorter seasons for workers and troubles for some in claiming EI at the end of the season.

With a new deal in place Cannfisco officials say that will now be looking to source out larger quantities of salmon which may result in a longer season for shoreworkers at the two plants the company operates in the city.

Workers will see a small wage increase for regular and probationary workers, while qualified trades workers will gain a 14 per cent increase in their wages.

The new deal will also bring the once lucrative herring fishery operations back to the north coast, as part of the new contract Canfisco will once again pop and grade herring, a process that was sent down south over the last decade.

If you provide the cash, there will be some serious appearance changes in store for some Rupertites next week.

Some famous names will be submitting their manes for a trim on April 30th, as a number of high profile Rupertites will lose their locks in a bid to help the fight against cancer. Haircuts will be the order of the day during Bluey Day at the Northern Savings offices on Third Avenue West, and ready to take your donations in exchange for their follicles will be Tony Briglio, Corey Kitchen, Larry Hope and Farley Stewart.

The hair won't fall however unless some targets are met, Mr Kitchen gets a trim at $2,424, Mr. Hope set $1,916 as his total while Mr. Stewart added another fifty bucks to the brass ring at $1,961. But by far, the one who loves his locks the most is Mr. Briglio, setting the bar rather high at $6,000, a target that should find more than a few residents ready to empty their piggy banks in the goal of a buzz cut for Briglio.

All proceeds from Thursday's haircut day will be donated towards the purchase of cancer diagnostic equipment for the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.

Swimming and Hockey were the featured items in the Thursday sports section, with reviews of the recently completed under 16 Best Ever tournament and a look at the results from the Rupert Rapids swim club recent trip to Prince George.

Total pages in Thursday's paper (16)

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