The first local news of 2022 came 20 minutes into the new year.
Shayna Box and Jordan McCormick welcomed six-pound, six-ounce Jarod Tyler McCormick into their lives at 12:20 a.m. on Jan. 1 – a little brother for six-year-old Shayla Monk and three-year-old Jasper McCormick.
Jarod was the first baby born in the Comox Valley in 2022.
Busy start to the year for CVSAR
Comox Valley Search and Rescue kicked off 2022 with two simultaneous searches in Strathcona Park that started New Year’s Day and stretched into Sunday, Jan. 2.
The first callout came around 11:25 p.m. Saturday for three overdue split-boarders and their two dogs. Teams could not search overnight due to extreme avalanche conditions, but were able to conduct a risk assessment. CVSAR members launched from Raven Lodge at first light on a snowmobile and skis.
Shortly thereafter, CVSAR received a call from RCMP about the activation of an emergency location beacon in the Marble Meadows area of the park for two snowshoers in distress.
Searchers located the three split-boarders and their dogs at a small cabin at Diver’s Lake, where the boarders had found shelter from what Berry called a “raging storm” the previous afternoon. The two snowshoers were located near the ranger cabin in Marble Meadows.
Simultaneous raids net drugs, guns
Three residents from the Comox Valley were arrested in January, following a year-long investigation into alleged drug trafficking activities of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club operating on Vancouver Island.
A total of four search warrants were executed on the residents in the Comox Valley and Campbell River areas in the early morning hours of Jan. 13. The searches resulted in the CFSEU-BC seizing approximately 3.5 kg of cocaine; approximately $160,000 in Canadian cash; several firearms, including a handgun, a semi-automatic gun, sawed-off shotguns, long guns, and ammunition; one vehicle as offence-related property and Hells Angels paraphernalia.
Final mission for Buffalo
The iconic CC-115 Buffalo flew its final 442 Squadron mission at CFB Comox on Saturday, Jan. 15.
Its ‘final flight’ was a routine practice session over the skies of the Comox Valley and along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island.
Training included search and rescue technician parachute jumps and parachuting of emergency equipment as the aircraft visited locations around Vancouver Island.
ENTERTAINMENT
MusicFest lineup announcements
Vancouver Island MusicFest executive producer Doug Cox made the first lineup announcements for the annual festival at the Comox valley Exhibition Grounds, naming Canadian folk legend Ferron, New Orleans jazz/blues/gospel vocalist John Boutté, Edmonton country-punk staples Jr. Gone Wild and Nigerian Afrobeat musician Femi Kuti and his band, The Positive Force as performers.
SPORTS
Curling rink wins provincial crown
Team Richards was crowned Under-18 provincial curling champions Jan. 2 in Delta.
The team — which includes Courtenay’s Gracelyn Richards (skip) and Keelie Duncan of Comox (third) — beat Team Bowles of Royal City/Delta 6-3 in the final. Adam Duncan coaches the team, which also includes Grace McCusker (second) of North Vancouver and Duncan’s Carley Hardie (lead).
Sharpe siblings Olympics-bound
Comox Valley freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe was named to the Canadian freestyle skiing team for the Beijing Games, while younger brother Darcy was also named an Olympian, with the Canadian slopestyle/big air snowboarding team.
“We were so lucky and blessed to experience the first one (Winter Olympics) with Cassie being there,” said Don Sharpe, their father. “Now to have both of them there, it’s pretty amazing for us (wife Chantal and I) to be able to experience that as parents.”
Cassie won the gold medal at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.