Castlegar man charged with possession of child pornography and sexual interference
On Sept. 1, the Castlegar RCMP detachment received a complaint that a 24-year-old Castlegar male had taken photos of a 14-year-old female and sent them to her Facebook account. The photos were discovered by family members, who then contacted police. Officers from the Castlegar detachment obtained and executed a search warrant at the home of […]
59 bears destroyed in record-breaking bad season
Fifty-nine bears have been destroyed in the region so far this year; a year Conservation Officer Ben Beetlestone says has been a record-breaking one for bears in Castlegar (15 have been destroyed in the greater Castlegar area). “There’s no increase in the bear population, I don’t think, but there have been more issues with (bear/human […]
TECH TALK: Back to school: choosing computers for kids
I talked to someone yesterday who came in with her son and a list of specifications for a new back-to-school computer. I started running through it and realized that we were talking about a HIGH end computer. I warned her that she was looking at a $5,000-6,000 and asked what it was for. Her son […]
RCMP continue to seek help to find Owen Rooney
RCMP are again calling for the public’s assistance in locating Owen Kiernan Rooney last seen in Grand Forks, B.C. Rooney has been missing since Saturday, Aug. 14, and his family has added their plea for help. Family members have flown in from Australia to assist in the search. Rooney, a 24-year-old Australian, is 5-feet-9-inches (175 […]
Bears will not be shot: Minister of Environment; and the Bear Dude talks
For 3,794 people who are linked into the ‘Help save the B.C. Black bears’ Facebook site, and Allen Piche, the man responsible for feeding them, word that the bears at Christina Lake are not facing imminent destruction will be a relief. Barry Penner, Minister of the Environment for B.C., said the suspects who were feeding […]
OP/ED: MLA supports Waneta project but pans province's structure
Word that the Waneta Expansion Project will go ahead is great news for residents of the Kootenays, providing many jobs and a boost to the local economy, but the B.C. Liberals made a bad deal for the long-term health of the region, say New Democrats. “I’ve been saying for a long time that this project […]
OP/ED: The Element defended after Saturday's brawl
When Florio Vassilakakis of the Element Night Club called me, upset about a story we ran (Brawl involves 40 to 50 people outside Element Saturday night), my initial response was deep annoyance. Oh God, I thought, Another prima donna businessman cheesed off at me for doing my job – not because my coverage was […]
Waneta expansion project finally to move forward
Columbia Power Corporation (CPC) and Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) have reached an agreement in principle with Fortis Inc. (Fortis) to further the advancement of the Waneta Expansion Project. “As the only government MLA for the Kootenays, it is important to me that this project proceeds. The project brings approximately 400 jobs and $200 million in […]
RCMP: Another seizure of dynamite at a grow op in Boundary
The Boundary is now the dynamite capital of Southern B.C. as local RCMP, looking for a grow op, came across the second house in a week loaded with firearms and explosives. On Sunday Aug. 22, the Grand Forks RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence on Dupee Road, outside of Christina Lake. Police located 113 plants, inside of […]
Brawl involves 40 to 50 people outside Element Saturday night
Police have not yet charged anyone, but the investigation continues into a brawl involving as many as 40 or 50 people outside the Element Night Club Saturday night, after a much-publicized “foam party” at the venue. Castlegar RCMP Cpl. Deb Postnikoff said the call came in at about 2:40 a.m. “I guess this had […]