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News Briefs: Friday, February 1, 2013
Van Tighem to head utilities board
Former mayor Gord Van Tighem has been named chairperson of the Public Utilities Board.
The new appointments to the board were announced Wednesday by Glen Abernethy, minister Responsible for the Public Utilities Board. Van Tighem has been outspoken in the past about rising power rates and expressed concern as mayor over proposed rate increases by the NWT Power Corporation and the rate review process.
- Thandiwe Vela
Uptown thief sentenced
A 35-year-old Yellowknife man was sentenced to 30 months in jail on Thursday for nine charges that occurred between June and September 2012.
Shane Elanik is guilty of assault, two breaches of court conditions, one possession of a break-in instrument, three break and enters and two thefts. The break and enters and theft incidents occurred at uptown businesses, including the Old Airport Road Extra Foods, Sears, the Super 8 Motel, Acme Analytical Labs Ltd., the Monkey Tree Gas Bar and Staples.
He has already served 143 days in custody since his arrest in September, and has a little more than two years left to serve.
- Katherine Hudson
Extreme cold power outage
A power outage struck the city early Wednesday morning as temperatures dropped below -40 C.
According to Northwest Territories Power Corp. spokesperson Bob Kelly, the system went offline at about 3:20 a.m. after a piece of equipment malfunctioned at the Snare hydro substation due to the cold.
Power was returned by sections of the city with the first customers back up about 23 minutes after the outage, which lasted one hour and eight minutes. The last total system outage was on Oct. 19.
- Thandiwe Vela
Mushers at Quest
The annual Yukon Quest sled dog race is set to begin tomorrow and Yellowknife will have representation.
Dyan Bergen of Walk About Kennels is set to take off from Whitehorse at some point between 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. PST. This year's race will see Bergen and the other 25 mushers hit 14 checkpoints on their way to the finish line in Fairbanks, Alaska, which should take approximately 10 days to navigate based on race times from 2011.
- James McCarthy
News Briefs: Thursday, January 31, 2013
Prairie Creek Mine public hearing planned
The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board is holding a public hearing in the Deh Cho this week.
The hearing on Canadian Zinc Corporation's two type-A land use permits and type-A water licence for Prairie Creek Mine began in Fort Simpson on Jan. 29. Presenters were scheduled to include Canadian Zinc, the Nahanni Butte Dene Band, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and three federal government departments.
Following the three-day hearing in Fort Simpson, a one-day hearing was scheduled for Nahanni Butte on Feb. 1. Only Canadian Zinc and Parks Canada were expected to present in that community.
Basketball tournament
There will be competition on the basketball courts this weekend in Fort Simpson.
Thomas Simpson School is hosting its annual Wolfpack Invitational Basketball Tournament. The event will take place Feb. 1 to 2.
Fifteen teams are expected to attend, making it one of the tournament's largest turnout. There will be junior boys, senior boys and girls' divisions.
Fort Simpson will be fielding five teams, including three school teams and two open men's teams. Teams are also expected from Fort Nelson, Hay River, Yellowknife and Tulita.
Hockey tournament cancelled
There will not be women's hockey tournament in the Deh Cho this year. The Moosehide Mammas are cancelling the Chicks with Sticks Tournament which was scheduled to be held in Fort Simpson from Feb. 8 to 10.
"We're very disappointed," said team captain Laurie Ozmun.
The tournament was cancelled because none of the six teams invited were able to attend for a number of reasons, including having earlier engagements. Ozmun said the Mammas will continue to practise for the tournament in Hay River, scheduled from March 1 to 3.
Athlete speaking to youth
A well-known Northern athlete will be visiting three Deh Cho communities.
Sharon Firth, an Olympic skier in the 1970s and 1980s, is doing an inspirational youth tour in the region next month. Firth will be visiting Nahanni Butte on Feb. 19, Wrigley on Feb. 20 and Trout Lake on Feb. 21.
In each community Firth will be speaking with students and going cross-country skiing with them.
The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is organizing the tour in co-ordination with the Dehcho Divisional Education Council and the respective schools.
Hoops this weekend
The annual Beaufort Delta Education Council five-on-five basketball tournament is on tap for this weekend at the East 3 High School in Inuvik.
The tournament is open to adults as well as boys and girls in the under-19 division, the ages 13-15 division and the ages 10-12 division.
It's the ninth edition of the tournament, which is sanctioned by Basketball NWT.
Contact Lorne Guy for more information.
Economic panel comes to Inuvik
The NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy Advisory Panel were scheduled to be in Inuvik today for a public consultation session.
The panel, commissioned by the GNWT, will meet with town officials and the Inuvik Chamber of Commerce during a lunch meeting before holding a public consultation in the evening.
The public meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Mackenzie Hotel.
Highway on agenda
Premier Bob McLeod is heading an NWT delegation to Ottawa this week for a series of meetings and events with federal ministers.
The delegation includes the entire cabinet as well as MLAs, aboriginal leaders, deputy ministers and businesspeople.
Meetings with federal officials, scheduled for Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, are to focus on governance, regulatory reform, environmental stewardship, the Mackenzie Valley highway, hydroelectric projects, the Mackenzie fibre link project and sustainable housing.
RCMP seek info
The Inuvik RCMP detachment is appealing to the public for assistance in solving two dangerous crimes.
On Sept. 8, 2012, someone set fire to a camper and other miscellaneous items at the Aurora College campus.
Later the same day, an Inuvik hotel told police its gas lines were damaged, which is being regarded as suspicious.
The RCMP said that was a particularly dangerous situation since it could have caused an explosion strong enough to severely damage property and cause loss of life.
If you have information on these crimes, please contact the Inuvik RCMP detachment, the RCMP Operation Communications Centre, or Crimestoppers.
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