Wade Laughlin has been committed to stand trial following his Preliminary Inquiry last week.
    Laughlin’s Preliminary Inquiry was held on May 29 and 30. He was charged in May 2011 after Austin Neil McMaster was found unconscious and beaten in the early morning of May 4, 2011.  McMaster was airlifted to Calgary where he was taken off life support and succumbed to his injuries.
    Laughlin elected to be tried in Court of Queen’s Bench and his Preliminary Inquiry was set for last week. It was heard in front of Judge L. Greive. There is a publication ban on evidence presented at the hearing.
    The inquiry wrapped up late Friday afternoon.  Judge Grieve ruled that Laughlin is committed to stand trial on charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault.
    He will be arraigned in Court of Queen’s Bench on July 24.

    Mayor Terry Yemen returned to the valley last week after observing elections in the Ukraine.
    Yemen was overseas for just under two weeks as the Ukrainian population went to the polls in the presidential election.
    This was the second time he has undertaken such an endeavour. This time he said it truly was an international mission with election observers from all over.
    “This time it was through “Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,” said Yemen. “There were people there from all over the world… my partner was a lady from just outside of Berlin.”
    Yemen and his counterpart were sent to Lviv, in the northern part of the Ukraine, close to the Polish border.
    While it has been a volatile time in the country, Yemen saw appreciation for the democratic process. During his travels, he saw the damage in the capital caused by clashes with protestors. In one area, all of the cobblestones on the street had been pulled up and stockpiled to be used as weapons. There were burned out cars and buildings. The protestors he saw were camped out and were peaceful.
    The region where he served as an observer however was far removed from these disputes.
    “We can take a lesson from them. While we take our democracy for granted, they are still struggling to have a democracy,” he said. “At one of the pecks (voting stations) I stayed at, the voter turnout was 84 per cent.”
    The result of the election was conclusive.  Yemen explains that often there needs to be a second run-off for a definitive result, which would have meant he would have to return.
    He said citizens of the Ukraine he met were grateful for the service of the team, and despite the long volunteer hours, Yemen said the experience was rewarding.
    “For them it showed that the world still cares. They don’t have the press we have, especially in these small villages. For us to be on the ground explaining who we are, it showed them that the world cares.”