Regional fire update
The Southeast Fire Centre is reporting 46 new fires in the region since Thursday, all but two of which were lightning caused (the Rock Creek fire is believed to be human caused, but that is under investigation right now). There was also significant lightning last night and the night before, and fire centre information officer...
Environment Canada/IHA issue smoke advisory for Kootenays
The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority, has issued a smoky skies advisory for the southern areas of the Okanagan, Boundary and Kootenay regions, spanning the communities of: Oliver, Osoyoos, Rock Creek, Grand Forks, Castlegar and Creston. These areas are affected by local and transboundary...
No more angling in South Kootenays
The Government of B.C. is suspending angling for the southern Kootenays due to ongoing warm water temperatures and low flows. Effective Aug. 15 through Sept. 15, 2015, virtually all angling in streams and rivers in Wildlife Management Units 4-3 through 4-9 is suspended. The closure has been put in place to protect fish stocks...
UPDATE: Thunderstorm watch ends for Boundary/West Kootenay
The thunderstorm watch for the West Kootenay, Boundary, Slocan Lake, Arrow Lakes regions has been removed by Environment Canada. The storm passed through the region Saturday morning dropping rain and sending lightning. A few showers will continue through the morning, with clouds filling the sky and a 60 percent chance of rain...
Ex-Saints star Cody Fidgett lands pro deal with Quad City of ECHL
Former Selkirk Saints sniper Cody Fidgett inked a deal Thursday with the Quad City Mallards of the ECHL. Fidgett, 24, played two seasons in Castlegar with the Saints, leading the Sunflower City squad to the BC Intercollegiate Hockey League Championship in 2013 and 2014. In 43 games with Selkirk, Fidgett scored 32 goals while...
Ash/smoke in valley being funneled up from U.S.
The rain of falling ash and haze of smoke on the region right now is not caused by local fires, but rather by blazes south of the border, according to Southeast Fire Centre fire information officer Karlie Shaughnessy. “There is a very small fire in the Big Sheep Creek area west of Rossland – it’s just 3.3 hectares and very ...
RCMP report no major accidents but numerous drug seizures involving Shambhala Music Festival patrons
Sergeant John Ferguson of the West Kootenay Traffic Services said police are happy to report that there were no major accidents involving patrons attending last week’s Shambhala Music Festival near Salmo. Ferguson said the WKTS and Integrated Road Safety Unit worked long hours to ensure the motoring public arrived to their ...
Pot left on stove blamed for smoke filling downtown Nelson apartment
A pot left on a stove-top element was blamed for smoke filling an apartment on Ward Street Wednesday morning in Nelson. Nelson Fire Department dispatched the day crew to a call at 10:49 a.m. Wednesday of the smell of smoke in a commercial business. When the on-duty members arrived with an engine, it was determined that the ...
Nelson's Don Kurylko dream sailboat begins maiden voyage
Don Kurylko’s sailboat, that took years to build inside a shed on his property, no longer rests at 1300 block of Stanley Street in Nelson. The 34-foot hand-built sailboat is on its way to the Pacific Ocean, near Richmond. A truck came to pick up the sailboat following a brief, but special, ceremony Saturday in Nelson near...
West Kootenay gets online Neighbourhood Watch
The West Kootenay now has its own Neighbourhood Watch community on Facebook. It was originally just Castlegar Neighbourhood Watch, but the page creator changed the name to provide a wider range and more resources for those using the page – and it already has 375 followers, 336 of whom joined the page just in the past week. ...
