Whitehorse Daily Star

May 9, 2008

• Brothers' busy summer culminates in China Under the moniker Root Sellers, Whitehorse musicians Daniel and Galen Ashley have some busy times ahead.
• Concert showcased young Yukon talent ( REVIEW ) The Whitehorse All-City Band held its seasonal concert at the Yukon Arts Centre last Monday evening.
• Who cares about toxic waste killing ducks? The number hitting the media is 500 dead ducks found on the tar sands pond.
• Examining the lives of girls and women Lives of Girls and Women is an unusual work for Alice Munro in that it is almost a novel.
• Retiring teachers celebrated by department, peers Superintendent of Education David Sloan gave some very explicit instructions to the 13 teachers who attended the retirement social given by Yukon Education and the Yukon Teachers' Association (YTA) on April 25.
• Stories of Nepal: Bob and Kevin come to the rescue! So we're on this river called the Tamur. We had already paddled a 10-day river called the Sun-Koshi.
• Tourism business representatives brainstormed on eve of season The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) of the Yukon held its annual conference April 25-27 in Haines, Alaska.
• Newfoundland mummers heading to Homegrown Nakai Theatre's Homegrown Festival, a hodgepodge talent show of local material, is once again on the horizon and with it comes playwright Barry Jenkins' latest work, The Lost Mummers Play.
• Dancers spark enthusiastic audience response Partway through last night's Northern Lights School of Dance performance at the Yukon Arts Centre, right after the lights had turned off and a moment before the applause erupted, one audience member couldn't help but let out a loud, astonished "Wow!
• Documentary examines de-institutionalization An organization fighting for equal rights for those labelled with intellectual disabilities is currently in post-production for a feature-length documentary about de-institutionalization.
• Arts festival seeks First Avenue closure The city has been asked to close off a section of First Avenue for a week in June to make way for a first nations arts festival.
• Business takes reindeer farm owners to court The Yukon Supreme Court has issued a judgment ordering the owners of the Northern Splendor Reindeer Farm to pay $13,523.10 owed to an Alberta farm supply store.
• Minister, NDP mix it up over Liquor Act For the second day in a row, proposed amendments to the territory's Liquor Act caused contentious debate in the legislature Wednesday.
• House rejects petition part A portion of Klondike MLA Steve Nordick's petition urging the Yukon government to support Tibetans in their struggle was rejected by the legislature Monday.
• Have you glimpsed these wanted Yukoners? The public's assistance is requested in locating three Yukoners wanted as of noon Wednesday.
• Tenants need more protection: observers The current legislation governing housing in the Yukon needs to be updated, and is leaving marginalized and impoverished citizens exploited and victimized, says Eric Fairclough, the Liberal critic for community services.
• Legislature adopting a United Nations flavour The Yukon government sign still drapes the pole outside the legislature but sitting in the house over the last several weeks, one couldn't be blamed for thinking, during certain junctures, that they were at the United Nations.
• RCMP officers collar a trio Three adult males who are known offenders were arrested in separate incidents Thursday.
• Cost of housing project questioned There's yet to be a site selected or final plans for the proposed single-parent housing project in Whitehorse, but that didn't stop Porter Creek South MLA Don Inverarity from arguing about how much it will cost during question period Monday.
• Bicycle auction set for tomorrow The RCMP Citizens on Patrol (COP) invite the public to its annual bicycle auction.
• Lights could replace four way stop signs by the fall Drivers could be heading through a set of new traffic lights at the four-way stop of Quartz and Industrial Roads by autumn, if city council moves ahead with tendering reconstruction for the intersection.
• New Arkell neighbourhood closer to fruition After city council approves the concept for the expansion of the Arkell subdivision, work could begin on the design guidelines for the new neighbourhood.
• YTG accused of stalling tank farm development The minister responsible for lands in the Yukon is being accused of holding back a large private residential development on what is known as the old tank farm.
• Mitchell calls for a ban of 'Blow' A new powdered beverage supplement called Blow, which could be on Canadian shelves this summer, has Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell calling for its ban from the Yukon.
• Concerns resurface over Wheeler Street house Traffic in and out of a downtown house is raising concerns of nearby residents once again, as is the future of housing in the neighbourhood.

May 8, 2008

• Yukon Zinc Corp. endorses offer The board of directors for the Yukon Zinc Corp. is supporting a $113-millon purchase offer from a partnership of two Chinese companies.
• Dawson must have contingency plan for sewage treatment DAWSON CITY - The latest court hearing into Dawson's requirement to construct a secondary sewage treatment facility had to have been an occasion when Mayor John Steins would rather have been wrong.
• In rural Nepal, rafters and kayakers become the TV Ed. note: this is the second part of a three-part series created by longtime Whitehorse resident Bob Daffe, of Tatshenshini Expediting Ltd.
• Barbecue raised $1,440 A barbecue fundraiser the Mt.Lorne Garbage Management Society hosted last Sunday was a success, raising $1,440.
• City staffers get disability training A number of city staffers are spending this week learning how to communicate better with people with disabilities.
• Territory to seek GST exemption on heating fuel After some wrangling in the legislature Wednesday, MLAs voted in favour of lobbying Ottawa to remove the GST on home heating fuel, power generation and transportation of essential goods North of 60.
• Businessman donates $1 M to art society Rolf Hougen is intensely proud of the Yukon arts community.
• 'I can't begin to comprehend,' says shaken mom When a piece of debris from blasting at the Hamilton Boulevard construction site hit the roof of Susie Anne Bartsch's mobile home on Tuesday, she was sitting down at the dinner table with her three-year-old daughter, Jessie, and five other people.

May 7, 2008

• Taking in the sites in and around Haines Junction HAINES JUNCTION - On one of my sister-in-law's rare visits to the Yukon - the first visit, I believe - she became increasingly quiet as we drove home from the city.
• Eager readers entertained their peers It remains true that not everyone at last week's Young Authors' Conference wants to read their work aloud to their peers, teachers and mentors.
• FCM seeks new ways to fund municipal needs HAINES JUNCTION - The announcement that the federal government has made the gas tax program permanent pleases Gord Steeves a great deal.
• Man wants time to read transcripts A 71-year-old man who is appealing his assault conviction wants more time to review the transcripts of his trial before proceeding, the Yukon Supreme Court heard Monday.
• Stories of Nepal: starting a grand adventure Last October, 13 of us Yukoners went to Nepal to paddle some of the rivers and see the country.
• Blasted rocks leave residents shaken, their homes damaged A 25-pound rock ripped through the roof of Russ Carpenter's Lobird Park mobile home while he was watching TV at about 6:45 Tuesday evening.
• Money crunch forces NNBY layoffs Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon (NNBY) has fallen on hard times, with financial struggles resulting in the layoffs of six television employees.
• Canada Day to ring in higher tobacco taxes The Yukon government is going to reach a little deeper into the pockets of smokers as MLAs voted unanimously to increase the tax on cigarettes and loose tobacco.
• Teslin man's sentencing put off The sentencing of a 40-year-old Teslin man convicted of extortion and mischief has been delayed due to a breakdown in the relationship between the man and his lawyer, the Yukon Supreme Court heard last Thursday.
• Major garbage collection changes proposed Proposed changes to city garbage pickup would eliminate back alley collection and change how residents put their garbage out.
• Old Crow residents cope with snowmobile tragedy A 24-year-old man who was killed in a snowmobile accident Monday is being remembered as a popular member of his community in Old Crow.