Whitehorse Daily Star

December 27, 2006

• Mechanical woes paralyze Sima operations It's a voice message no Whitehorse skier or snowboarder wants to hear: 'Mount Sima will be closed until further notice due to mechanical problems on the chair.'
• Pelly fire kills man One person is dead after a blaze that destroyed a home in Pelly Crossing on Christmas evening.
• Company to help finance power line work Substantial progress on an agreement to supply power to the Minto-area copper-gold mine has been announced by Yukon Energy and the Sherwood Copper Corp.
• Dawson art students learn of an ancient technology DAWSON CITY The Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture's School of Visual Arts was the setting for an unusual workshop this month as nine men and women gathered to begin learning the art of making bows.
• Government distributes money for several literacy projects More than $40,000 has been awarded to six groups operating literacy initiatives throughout the Yukon.
• Historic unemployment trend continues: bureau The Yukon is continuing to maintain historic lows in unemployment. According to recently-released unadjusted employment figures from the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, the territory's unemployment rate stayed at 3.8 per cent in November.

December 22, 2006

• Crews readying arenas for Games Ed. note: this is one of a series of articles tracing the planning for the 2007 Canada Winter Games.
• Hardy confined to hospital for holidays Due to complications relating to his stem cell transplant, NDP Leader Todd Hardy will be spending Christmas in the hospital.
• Retailers report super shopping season It's been a year on the move for many Whitehorse retailers; that's translating into a successful holiday season for many.
• Premier wants Senate seat filled swiftly Premier Dennis Fentie says the territory will approach the federal government to determine if there is any way to appoint a Yukon senator as soon as possible.
• Heavy snow killed power to Klondike DAWSON CITY A heavy snow load on the Mayo-to-Dawson transmission line was the cause of not one, but two, power outages in the Klondike capital last Monday.
• Yukoners helping fund education in Swaziland Many Yukon students are enjoying their Christmas break away from the classroom. In other parts of the world, students and their families wonder if there will be enough money to pay for their education.
• First nation marks historic swearing-in Thursday's swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected chief and deputy chief of the Ta'an Kwach'an Council was described as another historic event for the people of Lake Laberge.
• Tingling tidings from our esteemed MLAs 'Twas less than a week until Christmas,' And all through the house, The legislature had fallen quiet, After 12 days of fuss.
• City takes delivery of new buses Whitehorse has officially received four new wheelchair-accessible buses, helped by $1.24 million in federal funding.
• A northern rhyme... with apologies to Clement Moore DAWSON CITY I'm well aware that current events and poetry don't usually go together.
• Always be wary of hypothermia What might surprise most outdoors people is that hypothermia happens in a lot of cases between the temperatures of one degree and 10 degrees Celsius.
• Nanaimo author Yardley looks back at territory Among Joyce Yardley's earliest memories are those of Christmas, making this book a lovely gift to find in one's stocking.
• Maple Leaf Forever celebrates great Canadian symbols If it did nothing else, Dan Brown's novel The DaVinci Code probably went a long way toward sensitizing us to the importance of symbols in our individual and cultural lives.
• Student art featured at Dawson City's ODD gallery So far, however, the only other arranged exhibition is in the Kidz Art Gallery of the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse, slated to open March 12 and run to April 8.
• Longest Night brings the promise of longer days 'For northerners, the solstice is an important event,' says Brian Fiddler, artistic director of Longest Night, an annual event of music, film, art and theatre.

December 21, 2006

• It's a good field, a good variety' The regular entry period for the 2007 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race has closed with 33 mushers signed up for the 1,600-kilometre trail. 'The field is so diverse,' Stephen Reynolds, the Quest's manager on the Canadian side, said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.
• FASSY to start 2007 with help from Santa Despite a busy December schedule, it seems Santa has found time to make a couple of visits to the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society of the Yukon.
• Salvation Army to keep doors open at Christmas Thanks to the Salvation Army, all Whitehorse residents will have warm shelter throughout all of Christmas Day.
• United Way passes $1 M in fundraising Yukoners raised more than $121,287 during the United Way's most recent fundraising campaign, the organization said Monday.
• Leak search came up empty After $200,000 in expenses, the territorial Department of Environment is shelving its 18-month search for the source of a mysterious underground fuel leak.
• Tourism interactive contract is awarded Communication agency Outcrop Yukon has won a $600,000-contract to overhaul Tourism Yukon's websites and online marketing over the next 2 1/2 years.
• Mayo-area first nation suing its former chief The First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun is suing a former chief who has also worked for the first nation.