Thursday, December 2, 1993

MURDER TRIAL:  Kris Warkentin yesterday pleaded guilty to a manslaughter
charge in the January 1 killing of David Zaharchuk in Engineering 1.  He
was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.  The court was told that alcohol
was a major feature in the beating death of Zaharchuk.  Warkentin,
although not usually a heavy drinker, had consumed as much as a litre of
champagne and half a bottle of scotch on New Year's Eve.  Around 1:30
a.m. he had walked away from his wife, at their home in the Married
Student Apartments, and gone to the engineering buildings seeking to play
computer games, which were one of his enthusiasms.  Annoyed because no one
would let him borrow a userid, and apprehensive about the work term he was
about to start in Alberta, he walked through Engineering 1 smashing things.
He was surprised by Zaharchuk in a corridor and beat him to death with a 
wrench.  Warkentin had only "vague and troubling" recollections of the 
affair the next morning, the court was also told.  The judge said he was 
confident Warkentin could be completely rehabilitated and become a 
contributing member of society again.

OPTOMETRY EVENT:  Tonight at 7, UW's school of optometry will unveil its
renovated and computerized dispensary, to be called the Lloyd L. Uhrig
Memorial Dispensary.  Uhrig was the late founder of K-W Optical Ltd., which
along with its suppliers has donated $105,000 for the clinic renovation.

ALSO TODAY:  Experts on rivers meet at UW today for a one-day symposium on
"river ecology use, planning and management", under the auspices of the
Heritage Resources Centre in the faculty of environmental studies.

Continuing in the Davis Centre lounge is the bookstore's Holiday Fair,
with "a special showcase of gifts" including UNICEF Christmas cards.  The
fair runs from 9 to 5 today and 9 to 3:30 tomorrow.

RADIO STATIONS:  The news bureau says it has added UW's student-run radio
station, CKMS-FM, to the list of stations that will be notified if UW is
to close because of a winter storm.  CKMS broadcasts at 100.3 mHz.  Snow
closings are officially announced by the news bureau through whichever radio
stations are carrying such announcements on a winter morning.  As previously
listed, commercial stations that can be expected to carry announcements from
UW include CKGL (570), CKKW (1090), CHYM (96.7) and CFCA (105.3).

Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs
credmond@watserv1    ext. 3004