Whitehorse Daily Star

March 14, 2006

• Impaired driver left a trail of havoc A local man who pleaded guilty to charges of impaired driving, assaulting a police officer and dangerous operation of a vehicle says he acknowledges what he did and is glad no one was hurt in last July's incident.
• Graham's financial concerns are waning Past concerns that the 2007 Canada Winter Games would bust the city's bank have been alleviated, says city councillor Doug Graham.
• NDP plans forum on land use The Yukon NDP will host a public forum on land disposition Thursday evening.
• Canadians favour changing slogan The idea of potentially changing Canada's national motto from 'From Sea to Sea' to what the premiers of Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories propose be 'From Sea to Sea to Sea' so as to include the Arctic Ocean is strongly endorsed among those Canadians who have an opinion about this issue.
• Final trekkers arrive in Dawson after braving gruelling weather DAWSON CITY Chilly riders from the third Trek Over the Top were grateful to arrive in Dawson last Thursday afternoon after having endured whiteout conditions and brisk winds along the route from Tok, Alaska.
• Wildlife regulation changes proposed The Yukon government is encouraging public review and comment on proposed Wildlife Act regulations that would allow big game outfitters to have one guide for two hunters under certain circumstances.
• Games near 600 volunteers After nearly three weeks of pounding the pavement, the Canada Games Host Society has added nearly 600 volunteers to their ranks.
• Games funding bid won't affect signing The deadline for signing the multiparty agreement (MPA) between the Canada Games Host Society and the federal, municipal and territorial governments will not be affected by an as-yet-to-be-answered $7-million funding request from Ottawa.
• Request for money still up in the air' An answer to a $5-million to $7-million funding request to Ottawa from the Canada Games Host Society that was expected this month may not be coming.
• Zoning bylaw's passage put off City council has delayed passage of its new zoning bylaw pending a meeting with the Kwanlin Dun First Nation (KDFN).
• Musher King holds firm Iditarod lead KOYUK, Alaska (AP) Jeff King's sled dog team trotted into the hillside town of Koyuk, tails wagging, as the three-time Iditarod winner held a firm lead Monday after crossing kilometres of unsheltered ice in unusually calm weather.

March 13, 2006

• Poker champ flying high' A Whitehorse man has won $250,000 playing poker in Alberta.
• Rings stolen from video store Centennial Video owner Francine Girouard says she's grateful no one was working at the store overnight when the glass door was smashed and 10- and 14-karat gold rings were stolen.
• Caribou enhancement plans firmed up The fourth and final year in the attempt to turn around the decline of the Chisana caribou herd is set to get underway March 20.
• Don't mix drinking and snowmobiles, campaign urges Have fun while you're snowmobiling, but stay away from alcohol until you're done riding.
• Party turmoil delaying sitting, premier joshes In a sarcastic but humourous dig, Premier Dennis Fentie says he can't recall the legislature until the opposition parties figure out which MLAs belong to which party.
• Motorist looking for driver who hit her Ford Explorer After forgetting to exchange insurance information after a traffic accident, a Whitehorse woman is searching for the driver of the compact car that hit her.
• Workshop to explore development issues In the wake of the development and planning woes being experienced in Whitehorse, city officials, along with members of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., (CMHC) will host a public workshop Wednesday evening on the need to balance green space and development.
• Case set for April trial A man accused of aggravated assault will stand trial next month.
• Studies done already: school council chair While parents of students at Porter Creek Secondary School make plans to lobby MLAs over staffing issues at the school, the territorial Department of Education is preparing for yet another study.

March 10, 2006

• Bookends Mystery and adventure books with a supernatural twist The recent success of stories which introduce a supernatural element into an otherwise everyday sort of reality has prompted a number of writers to experiment with this format of storytelling.
• Fireweeds, the musical, blooms again in Toronto DAWSON CITY Fireweed, as Yukoners know, blooms eternal in the wilderness.
• Berton House writer Bruce McDougall loves to tell stories DAWSON CITY Bruce McDougall has always wanted to write fiction, but finding the time and the financial freedom to pursue his dream hasn't always been easy.
• Uffish Thoughts Writer feeling wired 24-7 in the communications world DAWSON CITY Having spent a bit of time on the streets of Toronto over the last three summers, I am left paralyzed with fear at the notion that the entire downtown area is going to be wired for 'Wi-Fi' Internet access.
• Games security requires a year's planning Let the planning begin.
• Rollover claimed Yukoner's life A potlatch was held Wednesday in Whitehorse to honour the life of Joshua Robert Behn, who died in a vehicle rollover in Fort Nelson, B.C., on March 1.
• Councillor raps territory's land consultation process The Yukon government's (YTG's) consultation process on the Porter Creek land debacle lacks openness and transparency.
• Local store receives trial date A local store will stand trial next month on a charge of selling cigarettes to a minor.
• Taxidermist has trial date A local taxidermist will have to wait more than four months to have his day in court.
• DeWolfe race gets $10,000-donation for prizes DAWSON CITY The Percy DeWolfe Race Committee is pleased to announce that the race will have a purse this year after all.
• Injunction freezes disposal of land parcel A temporary court injunction has been issued to halt any steps by the Yukon government to privatize a grazing lease bordering Shallow Bay on Lake Laberge north of Whitehorse.
• NWTel introduces new customer care number Northwestel has a new toll-free phone number for customer service and billing inquiries.
• The Colourful Five Per Centô This fellow is one of The Colourful Five Per Cent This colourful individual lived in the Yukon from the early 1940s to 1977, when he passed away.
• Territory's mace has colourful history The Yukon was created by an Act of Parliament in 1898 and has had a wholly-elected body to represent the population since 1909.
• ANWR drilling put back on track FAIRBANKS (AP) New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg has put oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge back on the same legislative track that derailed last year.
• Tibetans struggle to regain their nation The writer is a Yukon teacher who is studying, volunteering and travelling in India and Nepal.
• City ponders Guild Hall lease After a year of operating under a month-to-month tenancy agreement, city council will soon decide on whether to grant the Guild Hall Society a 10-year lease for its theatre operations in Porter Creek.
• Some stores resist the recycling challenge Talk of garbage disposal bins full of recyclable cardboard and paper materials behind downtown Whitehorse businesses comes as no surprise to Johanna Martin, the Raven Recycling Society's education co-ordinator.
• Staples defends its disposal practices In a game of he said she said, one of Whitehorse's biggest big box stores may be dumping tons of recyclable material into the city's landfill every year.
• Ontario determines store's climate The thermostat in the Staples store in Whitehorse is controlled from an office in Ontario.