It's that time of year again, and back-to-school can be made more enjoyable if you help set your kids up for success. Here are some tips for a productive school year:  Advice for all parents:   * Be interested in what your children are learning. Help relate what they are learning to the real world; * Stay involved. Be sure...

 Charges of aggravated assault have now been laid against Bruce Lajeunesse, 41, for striking his 24-year-old brother in the head with a large axe-like instrument.   The victim, who suffered two serious skull fractures, is at this point expected to recover. He remains in hospital at this time.   Lajeunesse remains in custody...

 A series of truly bizarre stories released by local RCMP continues with an “attempted murder” situation Aug. 19 in Castlegar. This, after a week of stories including one in which bears were thought to be guarding a million-dollar grow op near Christina Lake, another in Greenwood that saw a man with an explosive arsenal amassed...

 A public safety situation is getting Castlegar's normally-mild-mannered fire chief a little hot under the collar. Chief Gerry Rempel said the fire department has been dealing with a recent rash of abandoned camp fires – five just in the eight-day period between Aug. 15 and 23.   “It's a real problem – and it's odd that we're...

 Residents will be able to vote in a referendum Nov. 6 regarding a proposed $25-million expansion of the Castlegar and District Recreation Complex. Castlegar Mayor Lawrence Chernoff said the RDCK (Regional District of Central Kootenay) board of directors has to approve the referendum date at its regular meeting tomorrow night,...

 On Aug. 24, at approximately 5:50 a.m., Castlegar RCMP responded to a 9-1-1 call of a disturbance/assault in the 1700 block of Pass Creek Road.  Upon arrival, a 24-year-old male was noted to be bleeding heavily from the head. He had been struck by a heavy object. He was transported to Trail hospital and then on to Kelowna,...

 China's economy surpassed Japan's during the second quarter of 2010, and now is the second largest world economic power. China's economy already is larger than Japan's in the fourth quarter of most years, and many expect that the world's most populous country will soon cement its place as the world's second largest economy...

 The City of Castlegar will be undertaking a traffic study for the stretch of Columbia Avenue near First Street after an application for a temporary work permit opened a largely-unrelated can of worms. City councillor Kirk Duff said visibility issues along that thoroughfare have long been problematic, but the permit application...

 Airport manager (and fire chief) Gerry Rempel said residents need not be alarmed if they see flashing red lights on the mountainsides surrounding Castlegar. He said the lights will indicate the testing of the airport's new beacons, a million-dollar project that will soon, hopefully, allow for nighttime departures from the ...

 The saga of the City Centre Motel continues, as city council last night approved a recommendation that the city ask the B.C. Supreme Court for a stop-work order to prevent the motel owners from undertaking work without appropriate permits. City director of planning and development Phil Markin said the owners have apparently...