Axe attacker found guilty
The man charged in connection with three axe-wielding road rage incidents in the Courtenay area was found guilty on all by one count in April.
Lucus Morine was found guilty on three weapons charges and one charge of assault with a weapon, but not guilty on one count of uttering threats.
Morine pleaded guilty to the three weapons charges. In one incident, following a near collision, he said the other driver came over and punched his window before he took his axe and damaged the other driver’s truck. Shortly after, he came across a driver for a gravel operation, with which he said he had previously had disputes over land, adding the driver had tampered with his car’s fuel line. In the third case, he misidentified a vehicle he thought was linked to other people from the gravel company.
Morine was arrested and held in custody following the third incident, which took place in the Superstore parking lot, near the Comox Valley RCMP detachment.
Mt. Washington fire hall approved
The Comox Valley Regional District applied the Alternative Approval Process (AAP) to garner public support for a new fire hall on Mount Washington.
Area C director Edwin Grieve noted some “near misses” and plenty of lost property due to fires over the years at the mountain.
“We’ve been fortunate in that we have not, touch wood, lost any lives,” Grieve said. “I know it’s a small service area. Fire departments cost a lot of money. It’s my hope that by establishing the fire department up there, we can bring some relief around insurance, and for the homeowners.”
Snowbirds arrive
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds arrived for spring training in April, but the show wasn’t as crisp as locals have come to expect.
Exceptional issues during the winter, including bad weather, and COVID-19 restrictions on personnel, put them behind schedule. Therefore, the squadron conducted exercises at an earlier phase in their training and pilots did not perform some of the more complicated maneuvers.
The bad weather continued to hamper their training while they were here, with rain grounding the planes for many days of their scheduled three-week training agenda.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Filberg lineup announced
The 2022 Filberg Festival announced its entertainment lineup, which featured Canadian music mainstays the Odds, as well as The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer. Local additions included Sue Medley and Friends, and a newly created Steely Dan tribute band named Stealing Dan.
Atlas Cafe on the tube
The Atlas Café was featured on the Food Network Canada’s show, Big Food Bucket List, in April.
The host of the Food Network Canada staple, John Catucci, was only too happy to come to the area to taste what the Comox Valley has to offer. He and the crew were here for a couple of days to feature chef Slone Romano and his team at the Atlas.
“Working with Slone and everyone there was a great experience,” Catucci said. “You can’t help but have a great meal…. It was such a great vibe.”
SPORTS
Hayes sets deadlift mark
Courtenay strongman Sean Hayes made a huge impact at the 2022 King/Queen of the Throne competition in Surrey on April 2.
He completed a 560-kilogram (1,235 lb) lift in the silver dollar deadlift event, setting a world record in the process. The previous world record was 550 kg.