Whitehorse Daily Star

February 13, 2006

• Leaky roof, wet insulation greet Games centre users The roof of the city's brand-new, $45-million recreation facility is leaking.
• Guards' shifts called cruel punishment' For a single mom who wants to spend time with her kids, a work schedule of eight hours a day, seven days in a row just doesn't cut it.
• Generator caused latest power outages A failure with the fourth wheel hydro generator caused a power outage late last night, and again early this morning.
• Thousands watched 22 mushers start Quest FAIRBANKS The 1∫C weather here on Saturday attracted thousands of spectators to the starting line of the 23rd Yukon Quest.
• Early trail conditions were beautiful' for Questers ANGEL CREEK, Alaska The first teams arriving into Angel Creek on Saturday night were saying despite the unseasonably warm weather, the trail conditions were beautiful.
• Toe woe forces dog out NORTH POLE, Alaska Rookie musher Saul Turner stopped to drop a dog at North Pole on Saturday, only 53 kilometres into the Yukon Quest.
• Conditions were life-threatening: Gatt CENTRAL, Alaska The Yukon Quest trail turned from bad to worse for the dog teams as they scaled Eagle Summit and headed into Central, Alaska.
• Four mushers missing in horrendous conditions CENTRAL, Alaska Two Yukon Quest 300 mushers arrived in Central this morning in the same sled.
• Bell becomes major Rendezvous sponsor Bell Canada has committed $45,000 to support the annual Yukon Sourdough Festival.

February 10, 2006

• Offender had tried to flee RCMP officers A convicted sex offender deemed a long-term offender by the courts will head back to jail for breaking the terms of his release.
• The Colourful Five Per Centô Where is this Yukon bead work from? Do you know what area in the Yukon this type (style) of beadwork is from?
• Bookends Modern magic meets ancient magic in trilogy by Yolen Given the fantasy world's fondness for trilogies, it's no wonder that Jane Yolen's latest work for middle readers has been issued in three slender volumes.
• Murder for Art's Sake underway at MacBride Museum 'The number one reason I do murder mystery is to support the MacBird Museum first and foremost,' says CKRW journalist George Maratos, one of seven actors taking part in this year's dessert theatre fundraiser for the museum.
• Quest mushers line up for start FAIRBANKS It took four hours, but by the end of the Yukon Quest's starting banquet all mushers knew their place in the starting line.
• Man viciously attacked his mother in her home A Whitehorse man is spending four more months in jail and will serve an 18-month probation sentence for an attack on his mother last March 28. The jail term amounts to a total of 16 months, including the eight months' jail time while awaiting trial.
• Realtor grateful to have survived crash It would be difficult for anyone seriously injured in a violent head-on collision to find a silver lining in the months of healing and rehabilitation for the injuries that follow.
• Quest trail looks good, but more snow welcome FAIRBANKS The 23rd Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race will get underway tomorrow in this Alaska city.
• Drugs in jails are a fact of life: Justice official There are, and will likely continue to be, illegal drugs in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre (WCC), says a territorial Justice official.
• 2007 Games tent's capacity reduced In what's being described as a cost-saving measure, the 2007 Canada Games tent arena will have about 3,000 seats instead of 5,000, says Games manager Chris Morrissey.
• Project would benefit city: developer A private developer vows to continue to pursue his plans to develop 28 homes in a Porter Creek greenbelt.
• Delinquent taxpayers list compiled If delinquent ratepayers don't pay their 2005 taxes within 18 months, the city has the rarely-if-ever used authority to seize and sell residents' private property, city council heard Monday.
• Caller claims to be a chief, asks for money help Whitehorse RCMP are reminding all Yukon residents to be vigilant and exercise caution when receiving phone calls from an individual(s) soliciting money.
• Fortune teller off the mark In what can only be described as curious, a Whitehorse man has received a fortune telling offer from a 'renowned' psychic and one for a credit card with a $50,000-limit by a national bank nearly four months after his death.
• Dawson City man jailed for sex assaults A Dawson City man was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail last month for what territorial Judge Karen Ruddy described as 'disturbingly similar' sexual assaults on three women over the course of six months.
• There was nary a rumble nor a growl Dogs took over the Yukon Convention Centre last Sunday. More than 65 breeds and 80 dogs along with their owners staged a benched dog event.
• New challenges face departing priest Ed. note: this is the final part of a two-part retrospective.
• Native craft show makes a return to Rendezvous Working for the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Committee last year sparked very warm, tender memories of a native craft show I attended in the early '80s.

February 9, 2006

• Circumstances around officer's injuries are under investigation Whether RCMP Cpl. Ken Alderson was alone when his private vehicle left the road and crashed last week is a matter still under investigation, says Sgt. Guy Rook.
• Building boomed Whitehorse experienced nearly $2 million more in construction activities in December than the previous year.
• Purse snatcher robs woman A credit card found its way from downtown in its owner's purse to the Blue Moon Saloon where a woman tried to buy some off-sales liquor.
• Drugs seized from local inn Four men and two women were arrested at the Pioneer Inn Wednesday after Whitehorse RCMP found cocaine and marijuana in a hotel room there.
• Young musher begins a whole new ball game' The one goal rookie musher Kiara Adams has for this year's Yukon Quest is to be back in Whitehorse in time for her 19th birthday.
• Gruelling 160-km Arctic marathon to start in city SASKATOON (CP) Hauling an 18-kilogram sled full of gear, Michael Scherman plans to cover the distance of almost four full marathons in Arctic temperatures and blowing snow.
• Jail's illegal drugs are threat to guards: union The use of illegal drugs in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre (WCC) poses a threat to the health and safety of the corrections officers working there.
• Fishermen to receive questionnaires Close to 1,900 Yukon resident and non-resident anglers will be getting a questionnaire in the mail this week as part of a national initiative delivered locally by Environment Yukon's fisheries section.
• New waste haul permit available A new Special Waste Transportation Permit to help companies protect themselves and the environment, if an accident or mishap results in transported special waste ending up on the land or in waters, has been announced by Environment Minister Dennis Fentie.
• Sewage eduction rates fall as YTG backs off on ban DAWSON CITY Dawson residents using sewage eduction have been able to breathe a little easier since mid-January when the territorial government rescinded an order it had required the City of Dawson to enact.
• WCB launches new website The Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and Safety Board is now providing an online site for Yukoners to discuss messages from its 'Think about it' campaign promoting workplace safety.