Back in 1970, about the same time rumours began circulating that the provincial government was considering changing the location of the Kootenay Lake ferry terminal in Balfour, Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell penned the hit single, Big Yellow Taxi. A verse in the song made referenced to paving paradise in favour of...

Last year our area had deeper snow in the hills, to the delight of skiers and others who play in the snow.  In March, our snowpack was 7% above the historical "normal" level.  And yet, it melted away very quickly in the warm spring; just one month later, our snowpack was only 69% of normal for that time.  So far we've been ...

Emotions ran high and the tension inside the building could be cut with knife as the Kootenay Lake Board hosted a public meeting to discuss the potential closure of Winlaw Elementary School Monday evening in the Slocan Valley. The meeting was yet another in a long line of similar events that have taken place during the last...

Interior Health has begun implementing measures in emergency departments to improve overdose surveillance and arm those at risk with naloxone, a life-saving drug that can reduce the risk of brain damage or death, from future opioid overdoses.     Emergency departments in Castlegar, Kamloops, Kaslo, Kelowna, Nakusp, New Denver...

The federal New Democrats used its opposition time Monday in the House of Parliament to petition the Liberal government to decriminalize pot before it is legalized. Kootenay/Columbia MP Wayne Stetski said the Liberals have flip-flopped on the issue since winning the election last year and now is the time to make move forward...

To The Editor: Open letter to Minister of Education Mike Bernier   Dear Minister Bernier,   We are writing to bring your attention to the financial struggle rural school districts face in this province.  In our constituencies of Nelson-Creston and Kootenay West, rural schools are facing closure and districts are charging...

With yet another season of drought facing many B.C. residents, the need to manage our water wisely is greater than ever. Fortunately, the evolving freshwater movement in British Columbia is primed for a breakthrough on protecting this most precious resource, which could serve as a model for the rest of the country. Across...

Eileen Delehanty Pearkes has been researching and writing about the history and politics of water in the upper Columbia Basin since 2005.  Her book on the Columbia River Treaty, A River Captured, is expected to be released in a few months.  Recently, her travelling exhibit on the Columbia River Treaty, curated for Touchstones...

Government biologists will present a comprehensive plan to guide the recovery of Kootenay Lake’s Kokanee stocks at a public meeting Thursday, June 16 at the Balfour Community Hall in Balfour the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said in a media release. The media release said the Kootenay Lake Action...

Mine rescue teams from across British Columbia gathered last weekend to compete in the 61st annual Provincial Mine Rescue and First Aid Competition, becoming part of the rich history of B.C. mine rescue competitions that date back to 1915. More than 100 years after the first mine rescue competition took place in B.C., mine ...