Skagit River Bridge that collapsed Thursday night. Photo: Courtesy King 5.

The four lane Washington I-5 bridge spanning the Skagit River near Mount Vernon, Wash. collapsed Friday evening, sending a number of cars into the river below.

One section of the Skagit River Bridge completely collapsed, cutting off traffic on both sides of the river.  The Washington I-5 bridge  collapse occurred at about 7 p.m.

So far, reports show that three people have been pulled from the water following the Washington I-5 bridge  collapse.  Whatcom County Emergency Response Specialist Marcus Deyerin says authorities are searching downstream by boat and helicopter for more victims.

There are no estimates on how many people are in the water or whether there are any injuries or deaths.

Calgary couple Erik Langberg and Janet Annesley are on vacation in Washington and narrowly missed the accident. Langberg says they travelled over the Skagit River Bridge Wednesday without incident and Thursday were travelling to Burlington, just four minutes north of Mount Vernon, and took the Riverside Bridge, which runs parallel to the collapsed Washington I-5 bridge.

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“Ironically we were in the train wreck pub when the waitress told us the news,” said Langberg. “The mood in the place turned sombre and we are happy that reports so far are that no one was hurt.

“It goes to underscore that anything can happen. Its going to make it incovenient for many people over the memorial day long weekend.”

Langberg says the couple is headed to Oregon Friday and plans take the Mukilteo ferry from nearby Whidbey Island to avoid the I-5, which will be busier than ever for the Memorial Day long weekend.

Xavier Grospe, a 62-year old man who lives near the river told the Associated Press he could see three cars in the river, each car carrying one person.  He added the vehicles were sitting still in the water and were partially submerged and partly above the water line.  Drivers were seen either sitting on top of their vehicles or on the edge of open windows.

“It doesn’t look like anybody’s in danger right now,” Grospe said.

Crowds of people came to the river to view the spectacle.

The Skagit River Bridge is located between neighbouring Burlington and Mount Vernon.  It is about 100 kms north of Seattle and approximately 130 kms south of Vancouver, BC.

The bridge was built in 1955 and according to bridgehunter.com, the deck condition was satisfactory while the superstructure condition was rated fair.  Its sufficiency rating was 57 out of 100.  Sufficiency ratings indicate a measure of the ability of a bridge to remain in service.

An average of 71,000 cars travel over the bridge every day.

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Sam’s World by Tony Blocker.

Sam’s World is a one-panel web comic featuring characters from the imagination of Calgary-based artist Tony Blocker. Tony shows life’s situations in a laid-back, wicked literal, and humorous approach. Visit Yelling Rabbit Artworks to learn more.

Sam’s World by Tony Blocker.

Sam’s World is a one-panel web comic featuring characters from the imagination of Calgary-based artist Tony Blocker. Tony shows life’s situations in a laid-back, wicked literal, and humorous approach. Visit Yelling Rabbit Artworks to learn more.

This weekend the family of Maddy Scott is hosting the Find Maddy Poker Ride at Hogsback Lake.

Family and friends of Maddy Scott, a missing 20-year old woman, are desperate to find the young woman who disappeared from a party at a lake near Vanderhoof on May 28, 2011.

On the evening of May 27, Maddy and a girlfriend were at a party at Hogsback Lake, located approximately 25 Km south of the town of Vanderhoof.  She was last seen by party goers at about 3 a.m., on Saturday.  The next day as people were cleaning up, they saw her tent pitched beside her truck, but did not see her.

The party continued for another night, but no one saw Maddy.  Her parents were concerned as they did not hear from her, but they felt she was responsible and did not report her missing.

On Sunday, May 29, Maddy’s parents trekked to the lake to find their daughter.  They located her truck and flattened tent.  Her purse was inside her truck, but there was no sign of her cell phone.  Her family contacted police and the official search for Maddy Scott began.

RCMP and search and rescue teams from Vanderhoof, Prince George, Burns Lake and Fort St. James scoured the area. Teams began grid searches of the area starting from the campsite.  Searchers used a helicopter to look for the missing woman and the lake was searched by boat and side searching sonar.

After a thorough search of the campsite and area around Hogsback Lake, police determined that Maddy likely left the campsite in a vehicle.

Investigators have interviewed the people who attended the party, even administered polygraph tests on some of the party goers, but to date, there are no suspects in the disappearance of Maddy Scott.

Police are continuing to investigate her disappearance.  Cpl. Dan Moskaluk of the RCMP says “We believe that someone has information concerning Maddy’s disappearance, and we continue to hope that they will come forward to help us determine what happened”.

This weekend, the On the Trail to Find Maddy Poker Ride is being hosted by the Scott family and the MBS Community Hall at Hogsback Lake.  Entrants are encouraged to enjoy the Poker Ride, and to also look for signs of Maddy.

Further information can be found on the Help Find Madison Scott Facebook page or by clicking here, as well as on the numerous event posters on display in the Vanderhoof and Prince George area.

Anyone with information concerning Maddy’s disappearance are asked to call the Vanderhoof RCMP detachment at 250-567-2222 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Rob Ford in action after a Toronto City Council meeting. Photo: Youtube screen capture.

Poor Rob Ford. The Toronto mayor can’t get no respect, not in Canada and not in the United States after comedian Jon Stewart eviscerated him on Tuesday’s The Daily Show.

I have to admit, it never gets old watching Ford walk into the lens of a TV camera. Here he comes, lumbering toward the camera, looking up and – Pow! – right between the eyes.

Ed. – Watch the Stewart clip at the end of this story.

Stewart played the clip over and over because, well, who wouldn’t? You couldn’t script that scene.

Then there’s the clip of Ford catching a football and awkwardly falling on his face at what appears to be an Argonauts game. Stewart showed that clip, too, to much hilarity.

I get it. The mayor’s pratfalls are pretty funny. The guy’s obese and top-heavy, so he tips over easy and he’s ungainly.

Canadian Oil Sands – The 21st Century Belongs to Canada. Read it today!

But laughing at the fat kid is mean-spirited and kind of un-Canadian. Are we really that spiteful? Sure, we expect an American like Stewart to mock Ford, but Rick Mercer wouldn’t stoop that low, right?

And yesterday Ford lost one of his life’s passions when the Don Bosco Catholic school of Etobicoke fired him as the head coach of its football team. School board authorities say the termination had nothing to do with recent reports of a video showing Ford smoking crack with drug dealers.

“This decision was based on what is best for our students, our school and the Don Bosco community,” said Bruce Rodrigues, the director of education.

Yeah, fat chance. (Oops, sorry for the pun)

Thanks to Stewart and the attention of the Canadian media, Ford’s personal and professional life is unravelling in public at warp speed and it’s not a pretty sight. The Mayor has refused to address the issue. Doug, also a GTA councillor, says he has been assured the crack smoking video is not credible and blames the media, particularly Rob Ford’s old nemesis The Star, for his brother’s problems.

One gets the feeling that more revelations are just around the corner. Judging by what’s come before, it promises to be ugly.

At this point, I’m feeling a tiny bit sorry for poor Rob Ford. He wouldn’t be the first hard working, public-spirited politician ruined because of a personal indiscretion or six.

Jesus said he who is without sin cast the first stone. Might even Rob Ford be worthy of redemption?

I spent some time on Youtube searching for the answer.

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How about the clip from Stewart’s show in which Ford yammers on in City Council chambers about the “Orientals?”

“Those Oriental people work like dogs. They work their hearts out. They are workers non-stop. They sleep beside their machines…The Oriental people, they’re slowly taking over.” How very un-politically correct of the mayor. The Orientals are taking over? Seriously?

Then there was the media scrum in which a reporter, quietly under his breath, called Ford an “asshole.” Ford went ballistic, chased the guy down a hallway, down the stairs and out into the parking lot, all the while screaming at him.

Or how about his ridiculous outbursts in Council? Or his reaction to Mary Walsh and her little “ambush” in the name of comedy outside his home for This Hour Has 22 Minutes?

You get the picture. And there are a lot of them on Youtube.

I’ve never met Rob Ford, but the video evidence that he’s a nasty bit of work is fairly compelling. My impression is that he’s a blowhard and a bully. Not someone I’d care to break bread with or share a pint at the local pub.

I didn’t arrive at my conclusion after reading Rob Ford screeds in The Star or some other “liberal” media. I watched him in action, listened to his words, the aggressive, bullying tone of voice. That was the most damning evidence available.

As Beacon columnist Bruce Stewart points out in today’s column, Ford has lost the moral authority to be mayor of Canada’s largest city.  

Maybe he lost his moral authority because he’s a jerk.

Tell us what you think of the Canadian oil sands by filling out this brief survey. $2 will be donated to breast cancer research for every completed survey. 

Port Alberni sexual assault under investigation by RCMP.

A 16-year old girl was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital after suffering serious injuries in a vicious sexual assault near Roger Creek Park in Port Alberni.

The attack occurred at around 5 p.m. yesterday near the railroad tracks in the area of Gertrude and Roger Streets.

The girl managed to call 9-1-1 after the attack.  When RCMP and BC Ambulance Services paramedics arrived at the scene, she was treated and then rushed to hospital.  From there she was quickly airlifted to Victoria General Hospital where it is believed she remains in serious condition.

Police are unsure if the victim knew her attacker, so at this time, police are urging citizens to be vigilant of their surroundings and to take extra precautions to ensure their personal safety.  Cst. Shelley Schedewitz of the Port Alberni RCMP says “Walk in groups, stick to well travelled routes and seek help immediately if you witness anything suspicious or concerning”.

The suspect is described as a First Nations Man in his early to mid 20′s.  He was wearing dark clothing, a red coloured ball cap and was carrying a back pack.

The Port Alberni RCMP have called in the Port Alberni Major Crime Unit, RCMP Forensic ID Section and the RCMP Police Dog Service.  The West Shore RCMP are assisting the Port Alberni investigators by offering support to the young victim.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Port Alberni RCMP at 250-723-2424 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Sam’s World by Tony Blocker.

Sam’s World is a one-panel web comic featuring characters from the imagination of Calgary-based artist Tony Blocker. Tony shows life’s situations in a laid-back, wicked literal, and humorous approach. Visit Yelling Rabbit Artworks to learn more.

Hope man charged after counterfeit currency passed off at Hope gas station.

Cory Burger, a 34-year old man from Hope has been arrested and is facing charges after allegedly passing off counterfeit currency at a business in Hope.

On May 1, Hope RCMP were called to the Flying J gas station on Flood Hope Road when staff discovered the alleged fake U.S. $10 bill.  Cory Burger was arrested and charged with possession and uttering counterfeit currency.

Cpl. D.J. Rennie of the Hope RCMP says the arrest led police to the execution of a search warrant at a location where police allegedly found computers and counterfeit money.  Investigators also allegedly found evidence relating to the production of counterfeit cash.

Rennie says “the fake bills were US $10 bills with a serial number of IE70080723A.

Cpl. Rennie adds “I would like to thank the business community for their assistance and cooperation into this investigation”.  He says “the phony US $10 bills were passed throughout businesses in Hope and the Fraser Valley”.

So far, Buger has been charged with possession and uttering counterfeit currency, but the police investigation into the matter continues.

Charges against Cory Burger have not been proven in a court of law.

Mackenzie collision has rocked the northern BC town.

A 12-year old girl is dead after a fatal rollover collision Friday on a forestry road near Mackenzie.  An 11-year old girl was driving the vehicle when it rolled.

Sgt. Sydney Lecky , the Mackenzie RCMP Detachment Commander says the collision occurred just before 7 p.m. on the Causeway Forest Service Road, located approximately 6 Km from Mackenzie.

When emergency responderes arrived at the scene, they discovered that the 12-year old girl had succumbed to injuries she suffered in the collision.  She was a passenger in the Jeep.

The 1994 Jeep YJ was being driven by an 11-year old girl who was being supervised by a 41-year old man.

Sgt. Lecky says the young girl lost control of the Jeep and it overturned.

All people involved in the collision are from the Mackenzie area.  ”The impact on the community and in our elementary and high schools has been significant. Investigators and RCMP Victim Assistance workers continue to work with the community in providing support to the affected families”, said Sgt. Sydney Lecky.

Investigators closed the roadway for approximately 10 hours to allow RCMP members to go over the scene.  The Mackenzie collision is being investigated by Mackenzie RCMP and the BC Coroners Service.

Mackenzie is located approximately 180 Km north of Prince George.

Senator Mike Duffy. Photo: Handout.

If the recent Senate expense scandals have taught Canadians anything, it’s that Parliament of Canada officials will take advantage of the rules to pad their pockets if they can.

Senator Mike Duffy has become the poster boy for Parliament of Canada abuse of expense guidelines but he’s hardly alone. Like Mike Duffy, former Conservative senators Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau are now sitting in disgrace as independents.

Will more senators join them before this mess is properly sorted?

And what about the misguided tweet from newbie Calgary Centre MP Joan Crockatt? Anyone who follows the former Calgary Herald editor, as I do, is familiar with Crockateer’s tenuous grasp of facts and logic. Like this whopper from Monday, in which she forgets there are three former Tory senators, not two, and bizarrely tries to spin the scandal enveloping the Red Chamber: ”Our govt has the highest ethical standards demonstrated by 3 resignations: 2 from Senate caucus & the PM chief of staff.”

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Crockatt’s now infamous tweet has inspired columns by national political pundits, outrage on social media networks, and plenty of head shaking by ordinary Canadians. What it hasn’t inspired is any indication from the Harper Government that substantive reform of the Senate’s free spending ways is on the horizon.

Vacuums have a way of being filled, which is why I wasn’t surprised to find a release from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation in today’s inbox. Director Gregory Thomas is calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to introduce an Accountability Act 2.0, “to put an end to expense fraud by Senators and restore the confidence of Canadians in Parliament.”

The CTF proposal has five parts:

• Mandatory online reporting of office, travel, and hospitality expenses for all MPs and Senators (including receipts),
• Annual random audits of MPs and Senators by the auditor general
• Applying the Access to Information Act to MPs and Senators
• Scrapping pension entitlements for those convicted of stealing from taxpayers
• Ability to recall parliamentarians

“When the Conservatives were elected in 2006 they brought in the first Accountability Act in response to the sponsorship scandal, now it’s time for the Accountability Act 2.0 to clean up the senate expense scandal,” said Thomas, who points out that as of this past fall Alberta requires all elected officials, political staff and senior bureaucrats to post expenses and receipts online.

Beacon reporter Christopher Walsh wrote in a February news story that Alison Redford’s government brought in the new rules partly because of lavish spending on the part of Alberta Health Services, which was using public money to buy Calgary Flames tickets, for instance.

Government, it seems, has become big business, but without the spending controls that usually accompany successul private enterprises. Thomas and the CTF say it’s time for the Canadian government to emulate the Prime Minister’s home province.

“Had these rules been in place for the Parliament of Canada two years ago, Senator Duffy’s receipts would have shown that he wasn’t spending much time in PEI while claiming a housing allowance,” said Thomas.

Thomas says Senators and MPs convicted of filing fraudulent expense claims should lose their generous pension entitlements, much like the law recently passed in Nova Scotia by the NDP government.

“There needs to be a cost associated with ripping off taxpayers,” said Thomas. “Otherwise this is never going to stop.”

Indeed.

And given the precedent of at least one province requiring online reporting of expenses, which demonstrates that it can be done without a lot of muss and fuss, the Canadian government should implement this program immediately for all Members of Parliament, senators, and deputy ministers.

Prime Minister Harper says he’s a fiscal conservative, let him behave like one.

Tell us what you think of the Canadian oil sands by filling out this brief survey. $2 will be donated to breast cancer research for every completed survey.