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 ...

Friday saw Castlegar RCMP executing a search warrant on a residence in Blueberry, where they seized just under 600 marijuana plants, “in various stages of growth”, according to RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew. She said the entire basement had been converted to accomodate the grow operation. “For this area, it’s quite a big operation, and a fairly sophisticated […]

An unexpected turn of events took the wind out of the sails of the many people prepared to continue the fight for the survival of their small school. At School District 51’s meeting of the Board of Trustees last Tuesday, May 11, trustees unanimously voted to stop the Beaverdell school closure consultation process, but voted […]

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...

The site of the former Woodland Park school, where fire razed an abandoned primary school last month, is now fenced, and the owners are accepting quotes to have the debris cleaned up and removed, said city director of development services Phil Markin in an interview Tuesday. Leo Bottos, project manager for Twin River Estates...