More than 8,000 property owners in the Castlegar area can expect to receive their 2010 assessment notice in the next few days. Assessments are the estimate of a property’s market value as of July 1, 2009. This common valuation date ensures that all properties are assessed fairly and there is an equitable base for property […]

Castlegar police are reporting a relatively quiet holiday season, according to RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew. “I think the heavy snowfall must have been a deterrent (to impaired drivers). We were pleasantly surprised not to see a lot of drinking and driving New Year’s Eve,” she said. “Drunken disturbances were really the only issue.” What may […]

More than 300 people were on hand last night to hear School District 20 (SD 20) representatives discuss school closure options that have arisen due to declining enrollment and subsequent funding cuts. Provincial education funding is calculated on a per-student basis, and enrollment in the region over the past five years decreased by 789 students […]

An Alberta man in his 30s died in an avalanche near Rossland yesterday. RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said four men, two from B.C. and one from Alberta, all in their 30s, snomobiled into the area around Mnt. Mackie. “They snomobiled in to go downhill skiing,” he said. “At around 3:30 p.m., an avalanche struck. “Three […]

Wintertime in Grand Forks can mean anything from great skiing, to slippery roads but one of the greatest challenges on any winter day in the valley is the air quality. Winter brings a variety of weather patterns, but it is well-known to see inversions set in over the valley. Inversions sandwich warmer air up high […]

I was out and about in Castlegar, chatting with locals, being snoopy, asking questions and generally not minding my own business … you know, the usual … when I asked a fellow what he’s most excited about for 2010. “It’s not 2009,” he said. I take his point. Let’s face it, ’09 was not an […]

The New Year will include a move toward pesticide- and herbicide-free parks as Castlegar city council joins forces with the Kootenay Food Services Society to launch a pilot project exploring the city’s lanscaping care options. Councillor Russ Hearne, outgoing chair fo the Transportation and Civic Works committee, said the partnership seem an almost … well, […]

Zellstoff Celgar manager Al Hitzroth said it’s a relief for his organization to head into the New Year with some framework in place for resolving its tax dispute with the City of Castlegar – this, after Celgar, last night, made an almost-half-million-dollar payment to the city and committed to monthly payments to reduce the outstanding […]

The City of Castlegar got a stunning early Christmas present last night when they received the first real break in negotiations with the city’s primary rate payer, Celgar. The pulp mill has been in discussions with the city since July of this year, when Celgar declined to pay it’s $3.6-million municipal tax bill and filed […]

Environmental educators across the Columbia Basin are being given a special holiday gift courtesy of the Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) and the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT): the opportunity to apply for a professional development bursary of up to $500. A total of $5000 in bursaries will be available starting January 1, 2010 for […]