Families in the Columbia Basin will soon have more child care options, and children will have better and safer places where they can play, build new skills, grow their imaginations and run about as they develop their bodies and minds. That’s because over 80 child care facilities in about two dozen communities are adding to ...

Readers will have seen a news item about a couple who crossed the border after getting medical services in the United States, and were accused of not following required procedures, and were issued a fine for $3,450 for their “non-compliance.”  But there is much more to that story, and readers should know what really happened...

The City of Castlegar is inviting the community to help clean-up the City April 18-26 as part of 2021 PITCH-IN week. This is the 54th annual PITCH-IN community clean-up across Canada. In 2020, over 1 million Canadians participated in the program, cleaning up over 5 million pounds of litter.  PITCH-IN is the largest environmental...

For the last eight months, St Andrew’s United Church in Rossland has been undergoing major development works as part of a $344,000 renovation project funded by a Built Heritage Columbia Basin Trust grant.  Having been unsuccessful in its latest grant bid to finish off the works, it is calling on its community to dig deep and...

A two-vehicle head-on collision on Highway 1 seven kilometers east of Sicamous has claimed two lives, according to BC Highway Patrol Sgt. Chad Badry. "On April 6, 2021, just after 1 p.m., BC RCMP frontline members from Sicamous Detachment and RCMP Traffic Services responded to a report of a serious two vehicle head-on collision...

The BC Wildfire Service will be supporting the Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative, in conducting a prescribed burn covering up to 150-hectares within the Ponderosa FSR area to help reduce wildfire threats and restore ecosystem health and resiliency. The burn site is about eight kilometres south of Slocan and ten kilometres...

British Columbia’s ground search and rescue (GSAR) groups have just wrapped up the busiest year in B.C. GSAR history. As COVID-19 restrictions pushed people to explore outdoors, it also drew GSAR groups out to a record number of requests to assist the public. “Our search and rescue volunteers in B.C. are world class, and...

Over the last week, construction has continued to progress quickly, and they are nearly finished in the area between 18th and 21st and will soon start working in the zone between 21st and 24th. In the next week, you will expect to see: No work over the long weekend. The construction area is getting cleaned and trench patches...

NDP MLA Katrine Conroy says funding for Kootenay West airports will help them stay open so people can travel for essential purposes and access the services they need. This support will ensure these companies are able to weather the challenges due to decreased ridership brought on by the COVID-19 and help them plan for a...

Construction activities progressed well over the past week.  Starting March 29, the community can expect to see: Crews out during regular hours (6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.) with minimal evening work; Patching of pavement over utility trenches from 18th – 21st Street; Storm main installation and tie-in near 18th Street; Water main...