Whitehorse Daily Star

June 23, 2006

• Bookends Poring over a pair of nighttime tales Discworld is a sprawling, adventurous place that resides somewhere in the mind of its creator, Terry Pratchett.
• A dozen Yukon artists receive $40,000 in grant money Twelve Yukon artists will share $40,000 in Advanced Artist Awards to assist with their artistic development, Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor said last Monday.
• Listening Post Folk icon Penny Lang delivers stunning new album Ed. note: this marks the debut of a CD review column in the Star, to be published on Fridays.
• Uffish Thoughts Bracing ourselves for the ring tones of change DAWSON CITY Change, some people tell us, is always good. Don't you believe it.
• Crews attack fire burning near Pelly Farm, Ft. Selkirk A flurry of public calls to the wildfire reporting number late Thursday afternoon reporting smoke near Ft. Selkirk and the Pelly Farm prompted quick action by Wildland Fire Management.
• Minister, wife told to plant spruce trees Yukon cabinet minister Archie Lang has been instructed to plant 30 spruce trees on Crown land where he and his wife, Karen, had trees cut down without the required permit.
• Referendum turnout proved to be dismal In what can only be described as a squeaker, Whitehorse electors voted in favour of adopting a new green space bylaw by a margin of 71 votes in Thursday's referendum.
• Construction firm fined A major Whitehorse construction and mining company has been ordered to hand over $2,500 to Environment Canada after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to comply with a federal environmental regulation.
• Queen returns her crown Four months after Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Queen Tanya Schmidt was crowned, she is passing on the throne to first princess Cecilia Twigge, the Rendezvous society announced recently.
• Ex-Yukon man is ordered extradited VANCOUVER (CP) Federal Justice Minister Vic Toews has ordered the extradition of a former Whitehorse man wanted in the U.S. for the murder of an aboriginal activist 30 years ago.
• City can't circumvent golf course project, report says City council has no right to deny the owners of the Meadow Lakes Golf and Country Club from turning a lease for a golf course extension into a residential subdivision, a city report states.
• Get ready for tax hikes, city councillors warn In line with the yes vote in Thursday's referendum, citizens of Whitehorse should brace themselves for a rate hike.
• Missing woman sought Fort St. John, B.C. RCMP are asking Yukoners, as well as residents of that province and Alberta, to help locate Shirley Lee Cletheroe.
• Van to put more rubber to the road The No Fixed Address Outreach Van will be running six nights a week again, but just when that will happen is still unknown.
• Salmon cam' installed at fish ladder People who love watching fish are in for a special treat.
• Arena is chock-full of Games athletes' beds Literally, like leaf cutter ants moving back and forth between the tree and the nest, 2007 Canada Winter Games staff and volunteers have stuffed the Stan McCowan Arena with 1,800 mattresses and frames.
• Veteran hospital boss discharges himself The Yukon is losing a well-respected medical helmsman.
• City's hospital is $1 M over its budget Thursday evening's annual public meeting for Whitehorse General Hospital was all cookies and tea until an abridged auditor's report revealed the hospital is nearly $1 million over its budget.
• Transition home given more money Kaushee's Place has received a nice dump of fresh cash from the Yukon government, but staffing is still an issue, attendees said at their society's annual general meeting Thursday.
• RCMP move into ex-Sears building The RCMP may be moving some staff across the main M division and local detachment, but not a whole lot will change for regular citizens coming into the station, says Sgt. Guy Rook.
• Bar association branch helps out youth society Sometimes lawyers hold onto the money they earn from clients and pass it on to someone who needs it.
• Soaring housing costs will pare low-priced units The number of low-priced housing units in the Falcon Ridge development project is likely to shrink due to skyrocketing construction costs, says the developer.
• Communities seek long term vision Three Yukon communities are teaming up with the federal Department of Agriculture and the Association of Yukon Communities (AYC) to develop a long-term vision for their communities.
• Mt. Lorne New Democrats acclaim MLA Steve Cardiff First-term MLA Steve Cardiff will represent the New Democratic Party in the riding of Mount Lorne in the territorial election expected this fall.
• Project creates disagreements NDP Leader Todd Hardy is angry that the Yukon government is spending time and money on a housing project that won't benefit the most needy.
• Right now it's divide and conquer' People seeking electoral reform in the territory are not some sort of radical fringe political group, says Kirk Cameron, a member of Yukon Citizens for Electoral Reform.
• Yukon College board chair chosen Clarence Timmons was elected chair of the Yukon College board earlier this month.
• Couple eyes lot expansion into protected treed area A Porter Creek couple has applied to extend their lot into a protected area.
• Gas, fuel prices spurred inflation Rising gasoline and heating fuel prices mean things in Whitehorse cost 2.5 per cent more this year than last year, according to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics.

June 22, 2006

• Ullyett, Hollingdale top summer solstice run Seventeen runners and three walkers took part in the Summer Solistice Run/Walk up Grey Mountain Wednesday, hosted by Athletics Yukon.
• The Big White premieres in Whitehorse The Yukon International Film Festival began Wednesday evening with a variety show of talented Yukon musicians and comedians followed by the feature presentation of The Big White.
• Fentie makes pitch to business representatives The Yukon is on the road to a prosperous future, Premier Dennis Fentie said this morning as he invited the Canadian business community to share in the territory's opportunities.
• Area resident eyes independent candidacy A Takhini Hot Springs Road resident wants to run as an independent in the next territorial election.
• Midnight bagpipe blow now a solstice tradition DAWSON CITY For Bill Jackson, Solstice Day wouldn't be proper without a good blow on the bagpipes at midnight.
• Capital conquers the Commuter Challenge Whitehorse won first place for its population category (10,000-49,000) again this year in the June 4-10 National Commuter Challenge.
• Yukon retail sales dropped Yukon retailers are selling fewer goods this year than they did last year, according to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics.
• Transit fund gives city free bus ride In a stroke of luck, a special public transit fund set up by the formal Liberal government will save the City of Whitehorse $430,000 and result in three free buses for city ratepayers.

June 21, 2006

• Officer didn't want to see a teenager die Saving a drowning teenager. Making an appearance as Safety Bear. Logging enough of the equivalent kilometres as part of Citizens on Patrol to make a round trip from Whitehorse to St. John's, Nfld. Protecting the public for 20, 25 and 35 years.
• Residents poised to vote on green space referendum Citizens of Whitehorse will likely know the outcome of the green space referendum before bed time Thursday evening.
• Visiting panel hears of water supply woes An independent panel of experts began a cross-Canada tour of native communities in Whitehorse on Tuesday, seeking input on new drinking water regulations.
• Bylaw interpretations Robert Fendrick, the city's director of administrative services: 'I believe this bylaw introduces a new set of processes that a person, or persons must undertake before development takes place. It's a process related to defining green space.'
• Films and gala herald start of film festival First nations films and a gala event marked the start of the Yukon International Film Festival today.
• Attaches find big smiles in Dawson City DAWSON CITY The day didn't look promising for the members of the 2006 International Military Tour as they woke up in Whitehorse last Friday morning.
• Minister plans second run at Laberge seat Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers is the first member of the Yukon Party cabinet to announce his intention to seek re-election.
• Placer miners start the season in cautiously optimistic mode DAWSON CITY The Yukon's placer mining industry has certainly been through its ups and downs over the last decade.
• Lower Bench area will be researched The city will hire a consultant to inventory any and all cultural artifacts located in the city's Porter Creek Lower Bench area.