Whitehorse Daily Star

February 24, 2005

• Const. Monkman's guilt has been proved' RCMP Const. Jeffry Monkman was found guilty this morning of careless driving in the highway rollover that killed his prisoner, 38-year-old Heather Benson of Tagish.
• Downtown plan goes to B.C. firm UMA Engineering will be coming up with the city's downtown plan after all. After deferring the contract for the preparation of the plan, city council voted last week to award the contract to the Victoria-based company.
• I packed too much weight,' Little fumes MILE 101, Alaska It was not knowing what to pack that hurt Yukon Quest musher Jon Little out on Eagle Summit on Wednesday.
• Budget heartens Yukon politicians The Yukon's premier was pleased with what he heard in Ottawa when the federal government delivered its budget Wednesday afternoon.
• Graham could bring back smoking bylaw to council The councillor who first proposed an overall smoking ban for the city is considering bringing it back to council to reconsider.
• Mackey wins in his first Quest attempt Alaska musher Lance Mackey won the sprint to the finish to take the 22nd edition of the Yukon Quest.
• Mini-series crew did some filming in the Klondike DAWSON CITY There are big semis on the street by the Robert Service School, crew waiting to do something in the parking lot across the street, barriers across part of Third Avenue, and people with portable radios directing traffic away from the set.
• Physiotherapists regulations ready for public review A draft set of Yukon Physiotherapists Regulations is available for public review and comments, Community Services Minister Glenn Hart said recently.
• Caribou project to shift into high gear The most aggressive plan yet aimed at boosting the population of the transboundary Chisana caribou herd is scheduled to get underway in a little over a month.
• CAN'T COUNT HIS MONEY Alexander McDonald, king of the Klondike, not only is not insolvent but has so much money it is almost a hopeless task to compute it.

February 23, 2005

• No apologies needed for this reading DAWSON CITY Just before he came to be the latest Berton House writer-in-residence, Charles Wilkins was scheduled to be interviewed by Shelagh Rogers on CBC radio's Sounds Like Canada.
• Cirkus Inferno is a blast in more ways than one Too bad, folks, pack it in and go home; Cirkus Inferno has been cancelled. All we have to watch are two mischievous clowns, Lucky and Lady, who managed to sneak into the Yukon Arts Centre audience and make a huge mess.
• Ashtrays returned to some bar tables Mayor Ernie Bourassa says the city will likely wait until after the annual Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival to start fully enforcing the city's smoking bylaw despite a move by some bars to put ashtrays back on the tables.
• Mild weather making Quest a tough slog As of late this morning, Yukon Quest leader Hugh Neff of Skagway arrived at Mile 101 one minute ahead of Lance Mackey of Kasilof, Alaska.
• Filmmakers are sharing $12,500 The Yukon Filmmakers Fund has awarded a total of $12,500 to five Yukon filmmakers.
• Contributions to heritage honoured Four Yukoners were awarded top honours in heritage at the Yukon Historical and Museums Association's (YHMA's) annual heritage awards ceremony on Monday evening.
• Drug houses' presence irks residents Some residents' anger about downtown drug houses bubbled over at a meeting on the topic Tuesday evening.
• Banter with Bruno is part of Turner's race CENTRAL, Alaska A short and stout Frank Turner says Bruno Baureis, a fellow Yukon Quest musher, is his long-lost twin.
• Van's driver spoke to child A seven-year-old child walking alone along Lewes Boulevard at 10 a.m. last Saturday was asked to get into a gold-coloured van by the male driver who stopped near the child, RCMP said today.
• Life on the trail can be an endurance test EAGLE, Alaska 'Three hours on the trail can feel like three days,' says Tagish musher Ed Hopkins, who was the ninth Yukon Quest musher to reach Eagle.
• Filming may disrupt area Wood Street residents and those who use the artery for parking are being asked for patience.
• Leadership race gets third candidate A local realtor has taken the plunge into the Liberal leadership pool.
• Whitehorse-area musher plagued by sorry sled luck CENTRAL, Alaska Gerry Willomitzer, a former frontrunner in the Yukon Quest, has suffered a bout of bad luck.
• Liberals schedule leadership vote for June The Liberal party has set the date for its dance for the leadership crown. In a press release issued Monday, party president Ted Dean announced the Liberal party will hold its leadership vote on June 4 at the Gold Rush Inn.

February 22, 2005

• Councillor rails against athletes' village deal More options should have been considered for the 2007 Canada Winter Games athletes' village, a Whitehorse city councillor believes.
• Two positions on board still vacant Environment Minister Peter Jenkins isn't giving any indication when he'll fill two vacancies on the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board.
• New name sandwiches Ledwidge EAGLE, Alaska Thanks to this year's Yukon Quest, Dawson City's Peter Ledwidge will now be called Mr. Sub, says friend and fellow musher Ed Hopkins.
• Mackey, Neff lead pack into Circle EAGLE, Alaska Yukon Quest mushers Lance Mackey and Hugh Neff plowed their way into Circle City, Alaska early this morning, arriving around 2:00 Alaska time.
• MD shortage: We're doing our level best' The Yukon government and the territory's doctors want to try to fix the problem that many people don't have a family physician.
• RCMP warn about phone calls The RCMP are investigating complaints about telemarketers they've received over the past week.
• City's heritage buildings to open doors The Yukon Historical and Museums Association is inviting Yukoners and visitors to celebrate its heritage on Friday at the first-ever Doors Open Whitehorse event.
• YTG on pipeline hearings' agendas The Yukon government says it's intervening in two hearings to ensure the territory's interests are addressed in the application process for a Mackenzie gas project.
• March will kick off with film festival From March 1-6, the Available Light Film Festival, an annual presentation of the Yukon Film Society, will pack 19 films into six days.
• BY GAWD, YUKONERS WILL SURVIVE ANOTHER ONE! Canadian syndicated sports columnist Jim Coleman once gave a piece of advice to Yukoners about the Sourdough Rendezvous.