A huge community potluck picnic is in the works as plans come together for the 10th annual Blueberry Community School Hub picnic. School coordinator Bev George said last year drew 163 people - and they're hoping for even more this year. "The picnic is to get members of the community together, celebrating being a part of our...

With a turn-out of more than 500 people, the first annual Garden and Nature Festival is officially a success. The event, held last Saturday at Millennium Park, featured roughly 50 booths showcasing everything from plants to water conservation to wildlife preservation.Heather McSwan, chair of the festival committee, said...

Given what I do for a living (I'm a computer tech), I probably download more files (primarily software) in an average day than most non-geeks will in the average month. That doesn't change the fact that we all run into situations where we'redownloading large files - software, large PowerPoint presentations, movies, etc. And,...

The Selkirk College Fine Woodworking students will be presenting their 17th annual year end show, Form and Balance, at the end of May—presenting an ideal opportunity to meet talented builders of furniture and experience their unique abilities. This year’s group of dedicated students is excited to invite everyone to see the ...

Residents who heard shots fired this afternoon in the vicinity of the fire hall actually heard the ending of a sad story replayed too many times in communities like ours each  year. The shots were the end result of a bear that had wandered into town and been shoo-ed away from the fire hall by an off-duty conservation officer...

Spring is blooming in the Basin, and with the extra sunshine and greener lawns, residents are also beginning to see some other familiar sites outside – bears. While most residents enjoy the Basin’s beautiful wildlife, they don't want bears in their backyards. That is one of the reasons the Bear Aware program was established...

The Castlegar fire department was at risk of losing all its picnic baskets when Yogi's Kootenay counterpart came snffing around the local fire hall at around 9:30 this morning. Fire chief Gerry Rempel said a citizen came in to notify firefighters that a large brown bear was dumpster diving in a garbage container behind the ...

Castlegar authorities are gearing up for a tradition unique to the Kootenays ... "gate night." Castlegar fire chief Gerry Rempel says tonight ("gate night") and tomorrow night (Hallowe'en), are traditionally busy ones for local emergency services - but non-locals may not understand why. "We'll be out doing patrols," he said....

The CPR Holiday Train will be steaming into Castlegar once again, this time on Dec. 13, to offer family fun and entertainment while raising money for local food banks and service organizations.Those who remember the Holiday Train's first stop in Castlegar, winter before last, will understand just how exciting the visit can ...

In case you think working a police beat is routine: On Aug. 28 at about 12:50 a.m., “Castlegar RCMP were requested to assist Emergency Health Services with dealing with an intoxicated male who required medical attention,” said Cpl. Mike Mysko. “Upon police arrival, one of the ambulance attendants indicated that a female had...