Whitehorse Daily Star

April 29, 2004

• MLA resigns from caucus The Yukon Party has now made public what role the MLA facing criminal charges will have within its caucus none.
• YTG buildings to be upgraded More than $1.1 million will be invested to rehabilitate and maintain the buildings that house the territorial government's critical transportation services and equipment.
• Seating irks Duncan The seating arrangement of the Yukon's newest independent MLA has one party leader upset over how it will look.
• City adopts transportation study City councillor Yvonne Harris is pleased the city's transportation study, adopted by council Monday night, considers alternative forms of transportation such as walking.
• Teen trapped in hotel room for five hours A justice of the peace agreed to give a young man a chance at escaping a criminal record after the 19-year-old helped trap a younger teen in a hotel room for nearly five hours.
• City to acquire two park lots The latest property owners in the Porter Creek and MacPherson subdivisions are city taxpayers.
• Bureau receives $43,000 The territorial government has given the Yukon Convention Bureau $43,000 to help take advantage of two growing tourism sectors.
• A roadblock on the way to progress DAWSON CITY Queen Street traffic patterns have been a little broken recently as the foundation work began on the old liquor store at the corner of Queen and Third Avenue.
• Watson Lake targeted for new weigh station A new weigh station will be constructed in Watson Lake this year, Highways and Public Works Minister Glenn Hart and Premier Dennis Fentie said last Friday.
• Some will see enriched welfare rates The Yukon government is looking at boosting social assistance rates for some but not all of the people on welfare.
• YTG announces appointments Four members have been appointed to the Yukon Arts Advisory Council by Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor.
• Skateboard ramp stolen A Riverdale youngster is without a skateboard ramp after it was stolen from the family's yard Wednesday.
• MURDER With Murder in his Heart Robert Whittier Blows Out His Own Brains After Attempting to Murder Ida Williams.

April 28, 2004

• A change of pace dripping into spring DAWSON CITY One of the nicest things about the arrival of spring is the opportunity it affords to get out of the house a bit.
• Artist Melody Hazel sees work adorn phone directories The work of Whitehorse artist Melody Hazel is featured on the cover of the 2004-05 Northwestel Inc. telephone directories for the Yukon and northern British Columbia.
• Schizophrenic unfit for trial, judge rules A schizophrenic charged with assaulting a stranger and several police officers who tried to arrest him has been declared unfit to stand trial. At the same time he made the finding, Judge Heino Lilles commended jail staff and government officials for their work to expedite matters for Marlon Hugh Arscott, 44.
• MLA plans to plead not guilty The territorial MLA charged with sex crimes that date back more than 30 years is taking his matter to trial.
• Building expansion approved The Franco-Yukonnaise Centre is one step closer to expansion. On Monday evening, city council approved the first two readings of a bylaw to permit the building expansion to encroach on the Strickland Street right-of-way.
• Driver taken to hospital A pair of left turns led to a drunk driving charge for a local woman late last night.
• Buildings to be upgraded More than $1.3 million will be invested in publicly-owned buildings this year to increase their lifespan and energy efficiency and reduce operating and maintenance costs, Highways and Public Works Minister Glenn Hart said last Wednesday.
• Duncan questions Liquor Act review plans Changing the Liquor Act is not a priority for the territorial government. In question period in the legislature Tuesday, Liberal Leader Pat Duncan asked the government what it plans to do with the review of the act her party's regime completed prior to the 2002 election.
• Teenagers in court after break-in A pair of local teens is in court today on charges related a break-in to a Takhini trailer last month that left a woman's home in a shambles.
• Progress made on placer file, Lang says In the next 10 days or so, Yukoners will be able to assess what government and industry have been doing with regard to developing a new management regime for placer miners, says Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Archie Lang.
• Government still pondering MLA's fate The Yukon government is still being quiet on what it's doing with the MLA facing criminal charges, while he's planning on pleading not guilty.
• City plans spruce-up spree Whitehorse may be a cleaner city by the time the 2007 Canada Winter Games come to town.

April 27, 2004

• Birthday featured encounter with stardom The Hilderman family's dinner Monday evening turned into a meeting with the stars of The Big White.
• Travel costs approved Five of the city's seven council members will travel to Haines Junction next month for the Association of Yukon Communities' (AYC's) annual general meeting.
• Top court asked to study case The Supreme Court of Canada has been asked to wade into the controversial debate over mining claims inside the proposed Tombstone Territorial Park.
• Ceremony, flags to honour deceased, injured workers April 28 is the annual Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job.
• Discussions are continuing' on MLA's fate The Yukon Party is keeping in caucus its MLA who is facing criminal charges.
• Arntzen remaining silent on his plight The embattled Yukon Party MLA facing criminal charges won't comment about his situation but remains the representative for the people of Copperbelt.
• Judge tracks accused's psychiatric assessment The boss of Yukon corrections has been ordered to make a court appearance today in order to tell the judge whether a charged man's psychiatric assessment has been arranged at a B.C. hospital.
• Siblings face assault counts Two Old Crow brothers are awaiting their next court date for charges of assault against each other.
• He could have killed us all,' motorist says Drunk and feeling hopeless, a young man spotted a probation officer's white SUV parked at the Whitehorse probation office and proceeded to steal it.
• Guides dynamo is volunteer of the year Jennifer Moorlag has been named the 2003 City of Whitehorse Volunteer of the Year.
• Minister's response was a reindeer lecture The Liberal leader believes the acting minister of the Environment belittled the owners of a reindeer farm with his responses in the legislature.
• Temperature breaks into double-digits We finally did it! The Whitehorse airport finally reported the first double-digit plus temperature of the year on Sunday.
• Commercial Flying Came to Yukon in 1927 Commercial flying is another mark of progress in Yukon. At 9:35 Tuesday morning, October 25, the Queen of the Yukon, the first machine put into service by the Yukon Airways and Exploration Company Limited, made a pretty landing on the aviation field at Whitehorse.