There’s a battle of the books going on over at MacLean elementary school these days as a group of fourth and fifth grade readers duke it with fists of fiction over whose chosen book is best.  Sparked by an idea that was sparked by an idea, the genesis of MacLean Reads lies in CBC’s Canada Reads competition. Canada Reads sees...

I often lament that there simply is not enough heavy metal music in the Kootenays, yet I certainly don’t want anyone thinking there is no quality music around here, or any talent of equal calibre as some of the Finnish power metal I enjoy so much. Joe Hill Coffee House on January 16 might not have had any metal in it, but it...

On February 5, 1981, the lives of 300 MacLean Elementary School students changed forever when a fire tore through the building and completely razed it. I remember this incident very well because I was a student at MacLean at the time, and I can say for certain that this fire, even though I was only six at the time, really did...

Rossland is gearing up to party like its 1897 as the biggest winter weekend of the year gets set to kick off in the Golden City. 114 years after ol’ Olaus kicked things off, the Rossland Winter Carnival has grown leaps and bounds into a weekend where the biggest challenge is scheduling yourself to hit and participate in as ...

When you’re sitting down and typing out e-mails to friends, have you ever “Hmmm, this story could make a great book?” Lisa McGonigle didn’t have that thought while writing, but through a series of fortunate events, five years of her life history as it happened in the Kootenays and written in e-mails is being released this...

Bigger, better and louder. There’s going to need to be some serious avalanche control starting this Saturday as a blizzard of beats rolls in and buries the town in a class five avalanche of music. Yes, Rossland’s own home-grown music festival is growing up and this toddler is celebrating its fifth birthday party with more...

This Sunday, January 16th, sees the first Joe Hill Coffee House of 2011, and to bring in the new year of this monthly event held at the Miner’s Hall there is a well-known name on the list of performers.   For the first time, BC Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko will be singing and playing guitar at the coffee house, partnered...

Here in the lifestyle bubble that is Rossland, one can often feel like they're part of some sort of large scale reality show full of wacky characters. The Golden City sports a culture that is truly one of a kind. It has been said by many folks that Rossland is one of the last true ski towns with an active, non-artificial ski...

A red tide has been rising, slowly and steadily in our mountain city over the last few years and recently it took another passion-fueled surge forward. Instead of an invasion of single-celled phytoplankton killing fish and wildlife in its path, Rossland’s own red tide has been floating the arts scene in town. Claude Stormes...

We’ve all heard of Tom Jones, right?  Welsh-born crooner, swoon-inducing songster famous for 1970s hits like “She’s a Lady”? He’s actually a bit before my time, but his Wikipedia page makes for some interesting reading if you’re into salacious Hollywood soap-opera type stuff.  The Mountain Kingdom has its own Tom Jones, and...