Northern geologist dies

Well-known geologist Doug Bryan died Wednesday morning after a battling with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Bryan played a major role in the staking, discovery and subsequent development of the Diavik diamond mine. He was also a director of the Chamber of Mines for many years, Tom Hoefer, executive director for the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, said in an e-mail.

A memorial service and reception for Doug is planned for Monday at the Great Slave Helicopters hangar at 3 p.m.

- Sarah Ferguson

Yellowknives candidates

Seventeen people have thrown their hats into the race for the June 27 Yellowknives Dene First Nation election to decide who will represent Ndilo and Dettah on council. Five positions are up for grabs for each community.

The candidates for Dettah are: Liza Pieper, Alfred Baillargeon, Jonas Sangris, Mary Rose Sundberg, Peter D. Sangris, and Nuni Sanspariel. The candidates for Ndilo are: Philip Liske, Napoleon Mackenzie, Shirley Tsetta, Bob Turner, Peter John Goulet, Christine Goulet, Paul Betsina, Lena Ann Black, Cecelie Beaulieu, Lisa Colas, and Roy Erasmus Sr.

There is a Dettah all-candidates forum scheduled for June 22 at 7 p.m. at the Chief Drygeese Conference Centre, and one in Ndilo on June 23 at 7 p.m. at the Ndilo Gym.

- Kevin Allerston

Public meeting on housing development

Two meetings will be held today by NPR Limited Partnership, formally Northern Properties REIT, to discuss the possible redevelopment of the area surrounding Shaganappy and Ptarmigan apartments.

NPR is proposing 58 more units - a 28-unit apartment building and five six-plexes. Meetings will be held at Northern United Place, one from noon to 2 p.m. and another at 6 p.m.

- Nicole Veerman

45-minute power outage

An almost 45-minute power outage in the Frame Lake area on Thursday morning was caused by problems with a feeder line, according to Mike Bradshaw, director of corporate communications with the NWT Power Corporation. The power went out at 7:15 a.m. on Thursday.

Power was restored at 7:52 a.m.

- Sarah Ferguson

Dehcho assembly

Dehcho First Nations has released the schedule for this year's annual assembly.

Pehdzeh Ki First Nation is hosting the assembly in Wrigley. June 27 is the travel date for delegates and the assembly will start the following day and run until June 30.

Topics scheduled to be discussed include the Dehcho Land Use Plan, the Edehzhie protected area strategy, devolution and the Mackenzie Gas Project. The guest speaker will be an elder from Poplar River First Nation in Manitoba who will speak about their land use plan.

To accommodate people travelling to the assembly, the Department of Transportation will be extending the hours of the Johnny Berens ferry. From June 27 to July 1 the ferry will run from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 11 p.m.

Acho Dene Koe election

Members of the Acho Dene Koe First Nation will soon be going to the polls.

The elections for chief and council of the First Nation are taking place on June 23 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the band office boardroom.

Three people are running for chief and 14 for councillors.

Funding for youth centres

Through its Youth Centres Initiative funding, the territorial government is providing financial support to youth centres in almost every NWT community.

A total of 35 youth centres received $14,285 to assist with their operating costs. The government provided $500,000 in funding to allow the centres to focus on developing quality programs.

In the Deh Cho, youth centres in the communities of Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte, Trout Lake, Wrigley and Fort Providence were among the recipients of the funding.

Canoeing the Mackenzie

A group of students from the Deh Cho is paddling the Mackenzie River.

The group of 12 people including leaders left Fort Providence on June 6 in a 30 foot war canoe and two 16 foot tandem canoes. The canoeists are expected to reach Wrigley, their destination, on June 16.

The participants in the trip are in the first year of the Keepers Program.

Golf event postponed

The Deh Cho Open Golf Tournament has been postponed.

The tournament, which was originally scheduled to take place on June 18, will now be held on June 25 at the Seven Spruce Golf Course in Fort Simpson. The annual tournament that the Deh Cho Friendship Centre organizes will follow a two person best ball format.

Registration will begin at 11 a.m. and tee off will be an hour later.

Dental mission to Zambia

The Royal Canadian Legion will host a fundraising BBQ for a dental mission to Zambia this weekend.

On Saturday June 18 at 6:30 p.m., people can enjoy a steak dinner and help raise money for the Healthy Smiles Society.

The organization started in Inuvik and will have three dentists travel to Mongu, the capital of Western Zambia to give dental care to people who seldom get it.

They will travel from July 8 to 23.

Relay For Life

This past week Relay for Life teams kicked into action with numerous fundraisers competing for attention.

Barbecues, bake sales, car washes and garage sales all clamoured for the attention and money of Inuvik residents for the event, which raises money for cancer research.

Relay for Life will take place on the evening of June 25 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on June 26.

Online, Inuvik has raised over $32,000 with two weeks left to go.

Funding for youth centre

Two youth centres in Inuvik will benefit from funding from the GNWT this year.

Both the Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre and Inuvik Youth Centre Society will receive $14,285 to help with operating costs.

The funding is part of a $500,000 investment the GNWT makes each year. A total of 35 youth centres will receive funding for the 2011-2012 year.

Slo-pitch starts

Looking for something to occupy your sunny evenings?

Head down to the ball diamond across from the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex to watch as the slo-pitch season unfolds.

Games started on June 5 and will continue on until the playoffs in August. This year 12 teams have signed up for the season, and will play on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights. Expect a couple of tournaments to happen throughout the season as well.

Elder Abuse Awareness Week

NWT Elder Abuse Awareness Week will run from June 12 to June 18.

The Department of Health and Social Services wants residents of the NWT to be aware of the different types of abuse against older adults, such as financial, emotional or physical.

The campaign this year focuses on stopping elder abuse and encouraging residents to speak up about abuse.

Seniors and elders are the fastest growing population in the NWT.