Ed Note: See bottom of letter for information about Facebook group supporting urban chickens in Castlegar. I'm baffled by the arguments Castlegar City Council is using to prohibit backyard chickens in small numbers. If the concerns really relate to noise, excrement, and attraction of pests - then why do we allow citizens to...

What has 34 legs, speaks Russian but has no teacher?  The soon-to-be Grade 3 Russian Bilingual (RB) class.   Unfortunately, it is the intention of school administration to split this class between two schools: 13 children will remain at Castlegar Primary in a split Grade 2-3 RB class, while four children will be sent to a...

Anya Soroka is a local actress with a Russian flare. The 28 year-old was raised in Grand Forks but has a distinct overseas connection: her mom is from Russia and Soroka also has a degree from there. After graduating from the Victoria Motion Picture School, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting from the Boris Shukin...

Not even the weather experts are able to remain blase about the prodigious precipitation plaguing our region - Chris Cowan at the Southeast Fire Centre says rainfall levels are, "astronomical". He said the area usually averages roughly 60 mm of rainfall in June, compared to this month's ballpark of 180 mm ... and the rain is...

Ed Note: the following is a press release issued by Castlegar RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew:   Charges have now been filed in the Mohawk robbery incident which occurred on Feb 27, 2011.    Robert Leggett, 40, of Trail, has been charged with Robbery, and Disguising Face with Intent to Commit an Indictable offence. Leggett appeared in […]

Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) is partnering with BC Ideas to provide five $10,000 cash awards to reward innovative solutions addressing issues which will improve the lives of residents in the Columbia Basin region. BC Ideas: Solutions for Stronger Communities is an online competition seeking to identify solutions to deal with challenges facing BC communities now […]

One of my good friends is turning 30 this month, so I thought I would dedicate this column to her and lay out certain things that she can expect this coming year. I have been 30 for a total of eight months now, so I thought it was only right for me to share my […]

Castlegar mayor Lawrence Chernoff said letters are coming in fast and furious from across the region in support of the West Kootenay Regional Airport’s bid to entice WestJet to Castlegar … with some glaring omissions. “We’ve received letters from most communities – not all, but most – and we’re getting them from residents, businesses, everyone. […]

Contention between Castlegar city councillors that was once about poultry is now about process, after a motion was passed Monday night to end the debate about allowing chicken husbandry within city limits ... and ruffling more than a few feathers along the way. The divide, in this case, runs along gender lines, with councillors...

‘Tis the season for weddings, and I have two friends getting ready to walk down the aisle this summer. It is so much fun….the preparing, the planning, and the decorating. But it is also so much work. The decision-making; the color-scheming; the guest list … On top of all that, you need to make all […]