Whitehorse Daily Star

November 6, 2005

• IONE TO QUIT Yukon Commissioner Ione Christensen's intention to resign was announced today in the legislature by Government Leader Chris Pearson. Pearson, speaking with a voice near breaking, said he passed on the news with extreme regret.

November 4, 2005

• From Klondike Gold to the secrets of Da Vinci I have very few quibbles with this retelling of the Klondike story for the five- to 10-year-old age bracket.
• Conversations on work and well-being There are not many people out there who love to go to work. For those individuals who can hardly wait to get to the workplace each day, there is one commonality: they have employers who care about their well-being.
• Choral music to premiere Sunday The world premiere of choral music by local composer Daniel Janke will take place at 7:30 Sunday evening at Yukon Arts Centre Classical Territory 3.
• Gala de la francophonie takes stage Saturday The Gala de la francophonie is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Yukon Arts Centre.
• Angry, frustrated residents pack court to see accused Riverdale residents are frustrated and angry about the number of break and enters in their neighbourhood.
• Musician devastated' by bandmate's death Yukon blues musician Brandon Isaak was involved in a three-vehicle collision in British Columbia last weekend that claimed the life of his bassist.
• Centre expected to recoup many costs With the Canada Games Centre up and running, Whitehorse taxpayers will be paying $714,965 more this year for their new recreation facility.
• Drowning victims were intoxicated: coroner Two men who died in Fish Lake on Sept. 17 were intoxicated at the time of death, according to the Yukon Coroner's Office.
• Duo ordered to stand trial Two men charged with the second-degree murder of Carcross hotelier Robert Olson have been ordered to go to trial.
• In-school nutrition programs get new space The Department of Education is providing the Yukon Food for Learning Association with rent-free space at Whitehorse Elementary School and the Department of Health and Social Services has increased its support for the program to $41,750, up from $30,000 last year.
• Communities ponder project possibilities Yukon communities will soon be receiving a framework from the territorial government (YTG) to help them come up with sustainable projects to tap into federal gas tax funding.
• Mentorship program being instituted A new mentorship program for beginning teachers is being implemented in Yukon schools.
• Cold medications will be shifted Local pharmacists have voluntarily agreed to remove cold medications containing the ingredients used in making crystal meth from the open shelves and have them placed behind pharmacy counters.
• Yukoner given international award for animal devotion A Whitehorse woman has been chosen for an international award for her decades-long commitment to animal rights in the Yukon.
• Women still encountering trades barriers A recently released Yukon government report on women in the trades shows that the territory still has a long way to go in increasing women's participation in skilled trades training and employment.
• Justice ministers will meet in city Federal, provincial and territorial ministers of justice will meet in Whitehorse next week.
• Mankind has a very short memory' Beginning today, in recognition of the Year of the Veteran, the Star is publishing a series of six articles over the next week highlighting the experiences and sacrifices made by Yukoners over the last 65 years.
• NDP proposes law for safer communities The NDP is proposing legislation that promotes safe communities by shutting down buildings where illegal activities are occurring.
• Territory moves to ease heating costs The Department of Finance is looking into a program that could help offset the rising costs of heating fuel.
• ANWR battle isn't over, MP declares after vote Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) may be one step closer to becoming reality, but Yukon MP Larry Bagnell says Canada is 'not giving up the fight.'
• Opinions at loggerheads over forestry report There are mixed reviews about conclusions and observations made in a new report examining the viability of a forest industry in southeast Yukon. Jim Holt of the Watson Lake Chamber of Commerce said today that when he first read the report, he was discouraged about the outlook for the industry in the area.

November 3, 2005

• Students stayed inside during police operation Whitehorse RCMP asked that students at Holy Family Elementary School stay inside at lunch hour on Wednesday.
• Duncan spoiled my surprise': candidate The Yukon Party is 'committed to building a new school' in the Copper Ridge area, acting Education Minister Elaine Taylor said today.
• Dawson senses a new arena coming DAWSON CITY In the seemingly endless saga of recreation facilities for the City of Dawson, there may be a new wrinkle in the blueprints that very few people, including the town administration, were aware of.
• $400,000-gift overwhelms society There'll even more of a sparkle to this month's annual music festival hosted by the Blue Feather Music Society in Whitehorse.
• Two of three candidates attending house Two Copperbelt byelection candidates have been sitting in the legislative assembly's visitor's gallery every day for question period. Another has not. 'I'm getting some experience by watching,' says NDP candidate Maureen Stephens.
• Board's ruling on Dawson's bridge project to be delayed DAWSON CITY Hearings into the territorial government's application for a water use licence for the proposed bridge across the Yukon River in Dawson ended last Thursday.
• October's climate was pleasant The Yukon had a pretty nice October weather-wise, Environment Canada reports.
• ALASKAN FINED $5,000 FOR EXPORTING BEAR BLADDERS An Alaskan man of Korean descent who pleaded guilty Monday to illegally exporting 58 grizzly and black bear bladders from British Columbia was sentenced in Yukon territorial court to a day in jail and fined $5,000.