This year's Shambhala a mixed bag, from a policing perspective
Shambhala Festival ended well in terms of crashes and accidents, but there were many arrests, according to West Kootenay TRaffic Services Sgt. John Ferguson. "The West Kootenay Traffic Services and Nelson IRSU are pleased to announce that during the week long Shambhala Festival no reported fatal or serious crashes occurred...
City CUPE workers serve 72-hour strike notice
The following is a press release issued by CUPE Local 2262: CUPE Local 2262 city workers have filed 72-hour strike notice with the BC Labour Board. The 34 workers have been without a contract since February 2013. This marks the first time in 60 years that the union has been forced to a strike in its contract negotiations with...
Veteran mediator Vince Ready agrees to help solve the teacher's dispute
Mediator Vince Ready is having a change of heart in the teachers dispute with the government. After declining to get involved earlier, the veteran mediator has decided to make himself available in an attempt to end the labour dispute between B.C. Teachers' Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association, the...
Slocan Park Wildfire now 80 percent contained
Fire crews continue to make headway on the Slocan Park Wildfire located approximately two kilometers north of Highway 6 in the Slocan Valley. The fire is now 80 percent contained, thanks in part to the hard work of the 81 firefighters and steady rains during the past few days. One one helicopters remains working on the fire....
UPDATED: Slocan Park Wildfire slightly smaller than originally thought — 20 percent contained
Fire crews completed the second half of a controlled burn on the Slocan Park Wildfire Wednesday said Southeast Fire Centre officials. The second part of this controlled burn focued on the south flank. Fire officials said the wildfire is 20 percent contained. Officials at the Southeast Fire Centre said new data reveals the...
OP/ED: On Robin Williams, mental health, and us
I’ve reached that truly crappy age when it seems like every day brings with it the death of another childhood icon – but that’s not so bad for me, as I’ve never been one to follow Hollywood buzz. Until recently, I thought a Kardashian was a fictional Star Trek species (and I remain unconvinced that I was far off base on that)....
Wearing my historian’s hat
“I am under no obligation to be the person I was five minutes ago.”--- Facebook poster ( no author ) Pessimism, the incidence of violence, and progress Is there evidence that humanity is on a historical course toward a progressive, better future? Every reader of this column by now understands I am a pessimist, I do not perceive...
BC Coroners Service confirms identity of person found by tourist near Nelson
The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a male who was found deceased on a rock ledge overlooking Kootenay Lake near Nelson on July 23 as Dana Nicholas Mitchell of Cranbrook. Mitchell went missing in the autumn of 2010 and is believed to have died at approximately that time. He would have been 22 years old...
No injuries in Bombi school bus crash
A school bus crash on Bombi Summit just after 1 p.m. yesterday afternoon proved nowhere near as dire as some onlookers supposed. Castlegar RCMP Const. Ron George said the school bus was, in fact, a decommissioned bus that had been converted into a makeshift RV with only one person inside at the time of the accident. “It went...
UPDATED: Crews continue to battle Slocan Park wildfire; evacuation alert remains
Unit crews and air support continue to battle the Slocan Park wildfire located approximately two kilometers north of Highway 6 Southeast Fire Officials said Monday. "Unit crews establish hose-lay on 3/4 of the west flank," the Southeast Fire Officials said. "They are continuing to work on the east and south flanks of the fire....