EDITION

July 3 Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman and some members of council made it clear they aren't interested in changing the city's anti-harm reduction bylaws unless Fraser Health provides more detox services to the community.

July 5 Ron Sweeney Sr. and Ron Price were both named Citizen of the Year on Canada Day. Both also received the Order of Abbotsford earlier this year.

July 10 Health Minister and MLA Mike de Jong announced $2 million for a provincial coupon program, which will allow people to purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy or nuts at farmers' markets.

July 12 Thousands of First Nations peoples celebrated the opening of the 36th annual Elders Gathering at Tradex. Lt.-Gov. Steven Point and his wife Gwendolyn were in attendance.

July 17 Abbotsford firefighters put out a fire following an explosion in a grain silo at the Ritchie Smith Feeds on Enterprise Avenue. It's believed a welder doing repairs to the side of a silo heated materials clinging to the wall that turned into embers, which then ignited combustible dust in the air causing the blast.

July 19 Two members of the United Nations

Gang caught in an undercover sting have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine. Former Kelowna resident Donald Edward Vanalstine, 52, and Abbotsford's Daryl Robert Johnson, 33, entered the pleas in Vancouver Supreme Court.

July 24 Municipal government matters, primarily water, have replaced crime as the number one issue on the minds of Abbotsford residents, according to the latest citizen satisfaction survey.

July 26 Abbotsford and Mission diners now have

the option of bringing their own bottle of wine to their favourite restaurant with a new change to provincial liquor regulations. Restaurants choosing to participate in the BYOW plan can charge patrons a corkage fee for the service.

July 31 An Abbotsford beekeeper has been stung by the sophisticated theft of his stock and honey from 50 hives at a rural property on Zero Avenue. The beekeeper is estimating 8,000 pounds of honey and up to 500,000 bees were taken, valued at about $100,000.