ARC

anniversary

The one-year anniversary of the revamped Abbotsford Recreation Centre, at 34690 Old Yale Rd., will be marked today (Saturday).

A free community open house will be staged in the building from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The ARC expansion was built as one of the three Plan A projects. The 59,000-square-foot facility opened to the public on Oct. 25 2008. Approximately 1,500 people visit the facility each day.

Phone ban

Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Kash Heed has introduced new

legislation to ban texting,

e-mailing and holding the phone to your head when driving. A fine of $167 will be enforced on Feb. 1, 2010 for “distracted driving” offences. Hands-free phone conversations will still be allowed, except for new drivers who have no calling privileges. Texting and typing while driving is more expensive. For that, the $167 ticket will also add three penalty points. Drivers in the graduated licensing program will also get three points plus the fine for any violation of the new mobile phone legislation.

JOHNS BUSTED

Abbotsford Police raked in 10

arrests during a two-day

prostitution sting downtown and along the Clearbrook

corridor. Const. Ian MacDonald said officers conducted the sting, titled Project Harvest Moon, Tuesday and Wednesday in an effort to target johns. The men arrested range in age from 25 to 76. One of the most

“disturbing” arrests involved officers seizing a starter pistol, a knife, zap straps and bear spray from one of the suspects, MacDonald said.

Those arrested will have an opportunity to attend a “John School” program through the John Howard Society that focuses on educating people about the victimization of women involved in the sex trade.