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Year in Review: A look back at Revelstoke's headlines of July 2024

July
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Devyn Gale died while fighting a fire near Revelstoke. (Instagram)

With the start the new year, the Revelstoke Review is taking this time to share some of the stories that made headlines throughout 2024.

July

On June, 27 Revelstoke Secondary School (RSS) graduates celebrated to the tune of honking horns, balloons and blown-up baby photos. Family and friends decorated their vehicles and cruised down the street as the graduates lined up on the sidewalk leading to Begbie View Elementary School adjacent to RSS. Some vehicles threw candy at the graduates, while others provided sparklers. The graduates walked across the stage on June, 28 to collect their hard-earned diplomas.

Revelstoke came out to celebrate long-time primary care paramedic, Kellie Christie. After nearly 34 years serving Revelstoke in various capacities in the health-care field, Christie decided it was time to spend more time with her grandchildren. The celebration included a final sign-off. Christie’s service was recently recognized when she was presented with an Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal. 

While the failure of BC Transit to provide three new buses to the Revelstoke Transit System sparked debate and resulted in a special council meeting, a report from Steve Black, Director of Infrastructure and Public Works was accepted by city councillors at the June 25 regular council meeting Black reported that ridership for the winter of 2023-24 was approximately 89,620, up from 76,250 in the same period in the previous year. Revenues were also up from $87,500 the previous year to $94,300 in 2023-24.

On July, 24, 2023, Nora Magnolia Anley was born stillborn to parents Kaitlin McNeish and Sean Anley. While McNeish was amazed at how compassionate the hospital staff were as nurses prepared tiny casts of her feet and took pictures of her baby, McNeish later learned she could have had a little more time to take in her little girl and to say goodbye. After finding online support online from B.C. organization, Butterfly Run, McNeish learned about a device called the CuddleCot, manufactured in the U.K. These special devices bring a body’s temperature down to a cooler level which helps with preservation. In honour of Nora, McNeish organized a fundraiser so other families in Revelstoke could have more time should they find themselves in their situation. The fundraiser was so successful that not only was a CuddleCot purchased for Revelstoke, the fundraiser was kept open so an additional CuddleCot can be purchased for another hospital in the B.C. Interior. 

Perhaps the bear was just trying to beat the heat and look for a place to cool down when it broke into a home on CP Hill in Revelstoke. The bear entered the home on July 10 and, according to a Facebook post by Revelstoke Bear Aware, conservation officers were called to the residence and a warning was put out to those in the neighbourhood to, “keep their ground-level windows and doors closed for the remainder of the day.” Maggie Spizzirri, community coordinator of Revelstoke Bear Aware, explained that when a bear breaks into a home it is often linked to the bear having access to garbage over a prolonged period of time. 

Revelstoke’s water sport enthusiasts sat perched on the rocks along the Illecillewaet River to watch their favourite paddlers make their way down. The second Revy Paddle Fest took place on July 19-21. Saturday began with the class II Silly Illy race and ended with the advanced class IV whitewater kayaking slalom race down the White Mile rapid of the Illecillewaet River.

A year after firefighter, Devyn Gale from Revelstoke lost her life while working with the BC Wildfire Service on a small fire near Hiren Creek, northwest of her hometown, on July 13, 2023, crews laid down their tools to honour her life. Members of the BC Wildfire Service and their partners in the field, put down their tools to observe a moment of silence to remember Gale on July 13, 2024. “The tragic loss of Devyn Gale continues to be heartbreaking for family, friends, colleagues and all British Columbians. This remains a tremendous loss for everyone involved with the BC Wildfire Service and Ministry of Forests,” said Minister of Forests, Bruce Ralston.

 



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