There is little doubt that a Canadian federal election is in the air as all three national opposition parties condemned the 2011 / 12 budget presented today by the Conservatives. Although both the Liberal and New Democratic (NDP) parties call for more support for Canadian families, less bonuses for corporations and criticized the Conservatives for […]

 In a referendum held Saturday, Egyptians voted overwhelmingly to amend the nation’s constitution immediately, moving Egypt closer to a democracy, according to results announced today. Electoral officials said 77% of voters endorsed a set of constitutional amendments that included limiting presidential terms, removing limitations on forming political parties, and holding a general election within six months. Many of the mostly secular protest leaders who headed the revolution leading […]

It’s been a long battle, but the City of Castlegar has finally cleared the various court cases and has the green light to tear down the City Centre Motel downtown.  In a decision released today (March 21), B.C. Court of Appeals upheld an earlier court decision empowering the city to proceed with demolition of the dilapidated City […]

A scroll through Yahoo the other morning left me rather confused over the priorities in which mainstream media use to line up our daily news feed. A headline speaking about the importance of getting some folks to safety in the aftermath of the tsunami seemed reasonable to me until I looked further into it.   “Twilight […]

It’s a good thing Premier Christy Clark announced increases to the minimum wage this week otherwise many people will not be able to put gas in their car or pay their electrical bills. It took over 10 years for the government to increase this rate, but the timing is good and bad.  Already small business […]

Cole Hoodicoff, the 11-year-old Castlegar boy who was paralyzed in a skiing accident Jan. 3, is really rolling through his recovery process lately – literally. Cole’s mom, Amy, said the past week has been a wonderful one, especially Tuesday.  “He got a new chair which is much slimmer and much easier for him to use. He won’t...

By Michael Jessen As the nuclear nightmare heats up in Japan, a question comes to mind. The question is not: Is nuclear power safe? Rather the question is: Is nuclear power necessary? The crippled nuclear reactors in Japan that could not withstand the double whammy of a 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami will hopefully signal […]

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig or Happy St Patrick's Day.St. Patrick's Day is the national holiday of Ireland. It’s a day of celebration, not only on that lovely, green rainsoaked island, but in every corner of the globe, where the more than 80 million people of Irish decent celebrate a common culture and history. As Molly Bloom...

Late last Friday night and into early Saturday morning, one of Rossland’s oldest continually operating businesses suffered a fire on its property. Paterson Pole ltd.–better known as the old Jones sawmill–had its planer room burn to the ground in the event. Terry Martin, the regional district’s fire chief, was the first to arrive on scene […]

Castlegar Council met in an emergency meeting today to approve a special donation to the Canadian Red Cross Society for Japan aid relief in recognition of Castlegar’s sister city Embetsu in Japan. Council approved a motion to send a dollar for every man, woman and child in Castlegar to the relief program.   “We are deeply concerned […]