Whitehorse Daily Star

February 17, 2015

• Sports complex raises questions from council A rezoning application is leaving city council members wondering if municipal taxpayers could some day be on the hook for the operating costs of a proposed outdoor sports complex.
• Court to hear of alleged human rights violations A correctional officer at the Whitehorse jail says that in the nearly two years he’s worked there,
• IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE Brent Sass enjoys a mirthful moment late Monday night after winning the Yukon Quest
• ‘I’m real proud of those 12 dogs down there’ After a roller-coaster final few days that saw him nearly lose his grip on the race
• A CLASS ACT Brent Sass (left), the winner of the Yukon Quest, confers with second-place finisher Allen Moore
• Chinese New Year 2015 Year of the Sheep

February 16, 2015

• Frontrunners begin their sprint to the finish line Early this afternoon found Allen Moore and Brent Sass resting, fewer than two hours away from embarking on the final 72-kilometre sprint to the Yukon Quest finish line in Fairbanks.
• ‘I pretty much cried the whole way back here’ Two high-ranking prospects scratched from the Yukon Quest on Saturday
• Digital evidence wasn’t tampered with: expert witness In the case of the Crown versus Mark McDiarmid, the accused’s defence rests on his contention that the RCMP have faked and falsified the evidence
• HONOURING THE FLAG Members of the Royal Canadian Legion who served under the Red Ensign fold the flag Sunday
• YUKONERS MARK FLAG’S ANNIVERSARY Red Grossinger salutes Commissioner Doug Phillips after handing over the Red Ensign
• Zoning changes pass first reading The city has taken one of the first steps toward creating more accessible parking spots around town.
• LNG facility will cost more than originally planned The new LNG facility is running at $6.4 million above the estimate provided to the Yukon Utilities Board, Yukon Energy president Andrew Hall confirmed Friday.
• Moore makes significant gain on sleeping Sass A long nap may have cost Brent Sass the Yukon Quest.

February 13, 2015

• Valentine’s and Zero Waste events set This Valentine’s weekend will be a very busy time at the Canada Games Centre.
• Jury shown photos of damaged RCMP vehicle In preparing a photographic record of the scene and evidence from the events of Oct.19-20, 2011, RCMP Sgt. Douglas Spencer shot a total of 947 photographs, a Yukon Supreme Court jury trial heard Wednesday.
• DamNation film shines light on generation The Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) is sponsoring the film DamNation to be shown at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Available Light Film Festival.
• National chief to hold public meeting “The chief is our federal voice. If we went to Parliament Hill, screaming and yodelling, nobody would hear us,” a Saskatechewan elder once said.
• Recipients to receive top honours in heritage The Yukon Historical & Museums Association (YHMA) has announced the winners of the 31st annual Yukon Heritage Awards, to be presented Monday evening.
• Arts Fund supports professional development Four Yukon arts groups are receiving funding for professional development workshops through the latest intake of the Arts Fund.
• Sign language program extended by three years The territory’s deaf and hard-of-hearing communities will have access to interpretation services for another three years.
• Sustainable Communities Awards presented The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) recognized the 2015 Sustainable Communities Awards winners Wednesday evening
• City adopts its new bylaw on procedures policies City council members are now mandated, through their own bylaw, to be respectful of each other, city staff and citizens.
• Sass holds 60-km lead as race continues Yukon Quest veteran Brent Sass was 60 kilometres ahead and gaining ground on two-time champion Allen Moore as of noon today.
• Keeping track of who is who part of the vet’s job Lori Walker says there’s at least one digital job that trail veterinarians like her have to tackle on the Yukon Quest
• ‘It’s been really awesome and pretty chilly’ Brian Wilmshurst, a longtime resident of Dawson City, mushed into his hometown Wednesday night, with local residents out in force to welcome their fatigued neighbour.
• City seeks $500,000 for alleged contract breaches The City of Whitehorse is suing a construction company and an insurance firm for work on a water pump station it alleges was deficient, defective and not completed on time.
• THE NUMBERS WORK Rose Heisz, right, presents a cheque for $11,564 to Jack Kobayashi and Jane Wilson with Karen’s Fund on Thursday evening at Baked Café.
• Selkirk students take on challenge of the Quest It’s a challenge not for the faint of heart, offering life skills and a learning experience like no other.
• Program gathers data on courts’ treatment of female victims Reem Girgrah and her small army of volunteers take turns sitting on the hard, wooden court benches, a binder on their laps and pen in hand, jotting down notes as they watch bail hearings, domestic violence treatment court, trials and sentencings.
• City to maintain airport water and sewer system The territory will have a $10,000 water and sewer bill from the city each year for the next three years.
• ATV, snowmobile bylaws amended to close gaps The message from city council to snow machine and ATV operators is loud and clear: keep the helmet on.
• Gov’t. rings in with cell phone case appeal The question of “hands-free” phone use could once again take centre stage in a Whitehorse courtroom.
• Correction A story in Thursday’s edition
• Elk wreaking havoc for area farmer A farmer along the Takhini River Road says something has to change with how the government manages the elk it introduced to the Yukon.
• ‘I came around the corner and there he was!’ For the second year in a row, Brent Sass confronted a moose on the Yukon Quest trail in a potentially violent showdown that saw his dogs barking like banshies and the musher himself brandishing a ski pole for self-defence.