Whitehorse Daily Star

May 8, 2006

• Ex-broker enters more guilty pleas A former insurance broker who issued fraudulent policies could be facing penitentiary time when she's sentenced in June.
• Giant chopper costs $20,000 hourly to rent The world's largest helicopter, en route from southern Russia to Yellowknife, stopped in Whitehorse on Friday evening to refuel before departing Saturday morning.
• YTG asked to fund drug dog program The Yukon government is being asked to spend $250,000 over the next three years on Porter Creek Secondary School.
• Swollen creek forces out residents DAWSON CITY Residents of Rock Creek hoping to get through the breakup season without flooding were doomed to disappointment as the creek, pushed by the stop and start movement of the Klondike River, flowed into the community around noon Saturday.
• Raven Recycling closes three days The Raven Recycling Society's recycling centre is closed for renovations from today through Wednesday.
• Voters weary of floor-crossers: NDP Bill 112 is all about voters' rights, says NDP Leader Todd Hardy.
• Long-term energy study due out soon A long-awaited study discussing the next 20 years of energy needs in the territory will likely be released in the next couple of weeks.

May 5, 2006

• Veteran Canadian rockers 54-40 are truly Easy to Love This weekend, one of Canada's most defining rock bands of the last 20 years will be in Whitehorse.
• Volunteers build a healthier community Volunteers of the Year from numerous organizations were honoured at a City of Whitehorse luncheon held last week.
• Bookends You've seen the movie V For Vendetta , now read the comic book The movie has come and gone. If you want to know more about that version of this story, there's a novelization of the Wachowski brothers' script as written by someone named Steve Moore that you can pick up.
• Berton House writer Phil Hall's latest book is nominated for Griffin prize DAWSON CITY Berton House writer-in-residence Phil Hall's latest book has been nominated for a major award, the Griffin Poetry Prize.
• Welcoming potluck was grand at Berton House DAWSON CITY It was 'potluck' in several senses of the word when members of Dawson's writing community gathered at Berton House to welcome Phil Hall, the most recent writer-in-residence.
• The Colourful Five Per Centô The moose's name was 'Clover' A big thank you to Debbie Sanders, the museum curatorñ- Klondike Gold Rush NHP, Skagway, Alaska for the following letter:
• Response to tragedy called too slow The RCMP and Yukon conservation officers took far too long to respond to last week's fatal bear mauling, says a local mineral exploration manager.
• Measures to safeguard infant found lacking 'The loss of Samara Sky Olson affects us all.'
• Act protects the innocent': Edzerza The Yukon has become the third jurisdiction in Canada to pass safer communities and neighbourhoods legislation.
• Locals gathered to remember late chum The late Jean-Francois Page was a treasure to hang out with. The type of man who exemplified the best of everything is how he was remembered during a memorial at a local pub Thursday afternoon.
• Francophones to meet this weekend Le Reseau de developpement economique et d'employabilite (RD…E) will be hosting two days of discussion aimed at enhancing the Yukon's francophone community.
• YTG meddled in local affairs, mayor says The territorial government (YTG) has overstepped its bounds by circumventing municipal zoning authority in Watson Lake. They permitted heavy industry to operate in an area not supported by council, according to town officials.
• Support growing for food bank concept Local service agencies say Whitehorse needs a food bank because current services can't meet the needs of people living in poverty on an ongoing basis.
• Plans proceeding well: aerospace firm WATSON LAKE An aerospace company destined for Watson Lake has secured cell phone service for its proposed float plane factory and hopes to be in production later this year, according to the company's owner.
• Child death review spurs 18 proposals Close to two years after six-week-old Samara Sky Olson was killed, the territory's Department of Health and Social Services has released a report reviewing the child's death.
• Games busing, TV screen ruled out WATSON LAKE Rural Yukoners will not have a giant TV screen to watch the 2007 Canada Winter Games.
• Roving MLAs would be a quandary: Mitchell 'At the end of the day, I don't know what I would do.'
• Green space hearing set for Monday Residents wishing to contact the City of Whitehorse about the preservation of green space must do so by Monday, Carole Bookless, the president of the Porter Creek Community Association, is reminding the public.
• Decision due on $800,000 contract City council is set to decide on an $800,000 shallow utilities contract next week.
• Memorable utterances from our esteemed MLAs The spring sitting of the legislative assembly is now 20 days in with 10 days to go.
• Silently, he pulled out Charlie's nugget Ed. note: the first parts of this short series on Yukon miner Charles Ethelbert Ross and his search for a huge nugget were published Wednesday.
• Support swells for tourism slogan The Tourism Industry Association is standing 100 per cent behind the territory's new brand and the slogan, Yukon Larger than Life, says the association's chief executive officer.

May 4, 2006

• Blunt MLAs clash over floor crossings Mayo-Tatchun MLA Eric Fairclough has served in the legislative assembly for more than a decade. He has also spent six years as the chief of the Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation.
• Man was talkative prior to his death, B.C. inquest told PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. (CP) About 90 minutes before he was found unconscious in his cell, Michael David Devillers was talkative and friendly and even high-fiving the constable who had just arrested him, a coroner's inquest heard Tuesday.
• Land development protocol urged for all communities WATSON LAKE The Yukon government should come up with a land development protocol with every municipality in the territory, not just Whitehorse.
• Groups share $1.16 million in CDF grants Territorial Community Development Fund money will provide up to $1.16 million to help with 13 major projects in seven communities, the Yukon government announced recently.
• Folders urge safe, sober driving Members of the Impaired Driving Prevention Coalition are offering free vinyl holders for driver's licences.
• Seventy are set to become citizens There will be more becoming Canadians in Whitehorse this summer than last summer.
• Bill undemocratic, some say Some MLAs are arguing the current status of the NDP-proposed legislation to eliminate floor crossing is undemocratic.
• Authors found honour in nomination Three Rivers: The Yukon's Great Boreal Wilderness didn't win its category at last weekend's B.C. Book Prizes.