Whitehorse Daily Star

June 10, 2005

• Drawing room adventures in an alternate world It's not that I'm anti-Harry Potter, but I am tired of the bandwagon advertising effect that seems to have accumulated around J.K. Rowling's highly successful creation.
• Delegation of Yukon filmmakers pitch new products in Banff A delegation of Yukon filmmakers will be pitching new projects to national and international telecasters and production companies at the Banff World Television Festival, which will start Sunday and end Thursday.
• Tobacco prevention project proved popular Following the success of Smoke Screening last year, the Departments of Health and Social Services of the Governments of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut provided students with the opportunity to participate in Smoke Screening II in 2005.
• Recycling program reaches new highs Northwestel Inc. is donating more than $11,000 to Yukon schools that participated in the company's annual telephone directory recycling program.
• The leak: It's got everybody baffled' Almost $70,000 later and it's back to square one in the search for an underground source of diesel fuel that's contaminating the subsurface in a downtown area.
• Quit as committee chair, MLA told The Yukon Party government is showing a lack of leadership regarding the review of the Workers' Compensation Act, Jim Brohman, chair of the workers advisory committee, said today.
• Summer romance' blossoming on game farm A friendship of different sorts is being kindled at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve north of Whitehorse.
• Latest vandalism spree disheartens rail buffs Every time the Miles Canyon Railway Society takes a step forward, it has to take two steps back to repair vandalism, says society chair Richard Jamieson.
• Graduate overcame trials, tribulations Members of the Gates family of Whitehorse are celebrating daughter Megan's graduation in a very unique way.
• N.W.T. Mountie charged with assault FORT SMITH, N.W.T. (CP) A northern Mountie has been charged with assaulting a man while in police custody, but remains on duty while waiting to answer the charge.
• Spot fire doused; officials urge care City of Whitehorse firefighters and a territorial forest fire initial attack crew responded to a small spot fire in the escarpment at the end of Main Street Monday afternoon.
• High water impacting ferry The Dempster Highway is closed at the Peel River, Northwest Territories. The Peel River ferry is out of service due to high water and floating debris. When it will be returned to the water was not immediately clear today.
• Always be confident,' grads advised When Boris Hoefs walked into Porter Creek Secondary School to start Grade 8, he and his classmates had come to high school each being 'the king' of their respective elementary schools.
• Temporary contracts justified: department Using contracts for educational assistants makes sense in the Yukon, says Colin Kelly, the Department of Education's superintendent of schools.
• White Pass steams toward another record SKAGWAY More than 404,000 people rode the White Pass and Yukon Route railway last summer. This year, the most popular shore excursion in Alaska is expected to top 425,000 passengers.
• Jobs program is available in French Yukon francophones will soon be able to access businesses start-up services in their own language.
• Substance abuse summit productive: minister The Yukon's first ever substance abuse summit wrapped up Tuesday.
• Trains back on rails ANCHORAGE (AP) Alaska trains are back on track between Anchorage and Fairbanks after crews removed tons of fallen rocks from the Moody Tunnel north of Denali National Park.

June 9, 2005

• Canoeist did all things wrong, but lived anyway Ron Moyen was just stopping to stretch his legs and have a bite to eat while on the way to Faro Tuesday evening when he saw a splash in the water of Little Salmon Lake.
• Tuberculosis case confirmed A case of tuberculosis has been confirmed to be in the territory.
• Charges stayed against officers Two Whitehorse RCMP officers were charged with assault causing bodily harm last month.
• Lawyer hopes RCMP will alter conduct A lawyer for Kieran Daunt hopes the RCMP will change their conduct after a Yukon Supreme Court justice ruled that their conduct was inappropriate.
• Hoary marmot pursued an incredible' descent The presence of a hoary marmot holed up at a Valleyview home Tuesday night astonished conservation officers.
• Crews put out campground fire A fire at the Fox Lake campground last night was extinguished, but not before property was destroyed.
• Literacy award announced As a member of the Council of the Federation, the Yukon government announced the first Council of the Federation Literacy Award late last month.
• Downtown plan sessions slated The latest open house and workshop on the city's downtown plan will focus on preliminary planning strategies for the downtown plan.
• Cantung mine to reopen North American Tungsten announced today it will reopen its Cantung mine.
• Dawson elder is skeptical on bridge flooding safety DAWSON CITY When it comes to the engineer's reassurances about the proposed bridge across the Yukon River here, Jack Fraser is less than convinced.
• Caribou documentary airs In a defence of the environmental issues surrounding proposed oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, CBC's The Nature of Things is airing Being Caribou, a two-part documentary from the National Film Board.
• Pair of workshops will teach earthen building The coming summer will offer two chances to learn earthen building skills near Whitehorse: one at the Mount Lorne Community Centre, the other at Wheaton River Gardens, both on Annie Lake Road.
• Territory is financing community projects The territorial Community Development Fund is contributing $358,000 toward four projects approved under Tier 3 criteria.
• Weather records toppled in May May featured record average temperatures throughout the Yukon, where Watson Lake had the warmest May since 1998 and Old Crow enjoyed the warmest May since 1993.
• Local students hosting Ottawa guests The Takhini Elementary School Grade 7 class is hosting a group of Grades 7 and 8 students from Elizabeth Park Public School in Ottawa.
• Northwestel hosts meetings on new service ambitions Northwestel Inc. has recently held meetings in the Kluane area to update residents on its plans to extend basic telephone service along the Haines Road and in Silver City.
• Yukon company recognized as a leader in safety Arctic Power and Communication Systems Ltd. of Whitehorse has become the first Yukon company to receive a Certificate of Recognition (COR) after the successful completion of an audit of its safety program.
• TUTSHI TRIP HITS THE SPOT More than one hundred Whitehorse residents and friends enjoyed a perfect weekend excursion to Ben-My-Chree from Carcross on board the steamer Tutshi last Saturday and Sunday, under the sponsorship of the local branch of the Engineering Institute of Canada.

June 8, 2005

• RCMP questioned Daunt in shower 'Forget about the legal schmegal bull-t,' Whitehorse RCMP Cpl. Tracy Phillips told George Kieran Daunt during a police interrogation.
• Late climber was full of energy, life' The 22-year-old Calgary woman who died last week on Mount Logan became the youngest climber to ever summit Canada's highest peaks when she reached the top five years ago at the age of 17.
• Exhausted pair save canoeist in Faro region Two Whitehorse residents rescued a man from the frigid waters of Little Salmon Lake near Faro last night, likely saving his life, RCMP Cpl. Ken Alderson said in an interview this morning.
• Convention bodes well for Grits: ex-MLAs The Yukon Liberal Party leadership convention showed the party to be the only one in the territory that's growing, says Sue Edelman, a cabinet minister in Pat Duncan's former government.
• Silent layoffs' rankle teachers' union Approximately 20 per cent of the educators in the Yukon's school systems will be facing a 'silent layoff' in the next few weeks, Ian Oostindie, president of the Yukon Teachers' Association, said Tuesday.
• Kenyon met colleagues Economic Development Minister Jim Kenyon reports that progress was made on improving the existing Internal Trade agreement at Monday's meeting with the Committee of federal-provincial-territorial ministers responsible for Internal Trade.
• Climber meets daughter for first time following rescue VANCOUVER (CP) A climber who was recently rescued from Mount Logan in the Yukon has met a daughter he feared he would never see.
• Cultural space finally arrives on Main Street Once again, the Hougen group has done something great for the city of Whitehorse.
• Band brought sounds to towns Nineteen Grades 8 to 12 students from St. Elias Community School in Haines Junction hit the road for their annual communities band tour last week.
• Power to the Pole' raises funds, hype Organizers of the third annual Atlin Arts & Music Festival held a fundraiser last Friday to generate money to have electricity permanently installed at the festival site in Atlin.
• Weekend of musical bliss draws near This weekend, music fans will be twice as lucky in Haines Junction, as the town gets ready for two music festivals: the Alsek Music Festival, held outdoors on the banks of the Dezadeash River, and the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival, held indoors at the St. Elias Convention Centre, just a short walk away.
• Old Crow is busy and getting good weather OLD CROW Old Crow weather is good since first of April.