As a wise and departed friend once said to me, “I feel a letter coming on”. A Bear Banger is a very loud explosive that is launched from a hand held cylinder. They are meant for use in remote areas to ward off aggressive bears for fear of one’s safety. Hikers, wilderness campers, wildlife photographers and the like often carry...

With yet another season of drought facing many B.C. residents, the need to manage our water wisely is greater than ever. Fortunately, the evolving freshwater movement in British Columbia is primed for a breakthrough on protecting this most precious resource, which could serve as a model for the rest of the country. Across...

Eileen Delehanty Pearkes has been researching and writing about the history and politics of water in the upper Columbia Basin since 2005.  Her book on the Columbia River Treaty, A River Captured, is expected to be released in a few months.  Recently, her travelling exhibit on the Columbia River Treaty, curated for Touchstones...

The next round of public consultation meetings on school closures in Kootenay Lake School District 8, which considers putting the lock on the doors at six West Kootenay schools, including one in Nelson, begins Monday in Winlaw. Nelson’s Trafalgar Middle School, Winlaw Elementary School, Salmo Elementary School, Jewett Elementary School, Yahk Elementary School and the […]

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the loss of Tracy Barabonoff who passed on Saturday, June 4th, 2016 in Castlegar, BC. Tracy was born on August 20th, 1981 in Castlegar BC. She is survived by parents Clarence and Liane, sisters Carrie (Allen) and Michelle, stepfamily Donna, Caroline, and Rayann, as well as many […]

Government biologists will present a comprehensive plan to guide the recovery of Kootenay Lake’s Kokanee stocks at a public meeting Thursday, June 16 at the Balfour Community Hall in Balfour the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said in a media release. The media release said the Kootenay Lake Action...

The City of Trail is asking residents to be aware of water service interruptions and lane closures to be aware of in the next two days: Water Service: This notice is to inform the residents in East Trail of the following water service interruptions: From Thursday, June 9, at 10 p.m. to Friday, June 10 […]

Of the 55 fentanyl-detected overdose deaths recorded in the past two-and-a-quarter years in the Interior Region, two have been in Castlegar, one in Nelson, and one in Trail, according to a report released today by the BC Coroner Service (the data is from Jan.1, 2014 to April 30, 2016). In the two years prior, 2012 […]

Mine rescue teams from across British Columbia gathered last weekend to compete in the 61st annual Provincial Mine Rescue and First Aid Competition, becoming part of the rich history of B.C. mine rescue competitions that date back to 1915. More than 100 years after the first mine rescue competition took place in B.C., mine ...

Concerns by the local residents, environmental groups and the Okanagan First Nation that proposed logging above Summit Lake Provincial Park could crush hundreds of blue-listed toads while destroying their habitat has resulted in logging being stopped until winter said Valhalla Wilderness Society (VWS) in a media release...