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News Briefs: Friday, August 9, 2013
Double stabbing in YK
A man and a woman each received non-life-threatening injuries after stabbing each other on 43rd street yesterday around 5:50 a.m., according to Yellowknife RCMP.
Both victims are in custody. The man and the woman are in a domestic relationship and alcohol was a factor in the assault. RCMP are asking anyone with information related to the incident to call the Yellowknife detachment or Crime Stoppers.
- Daniel Campbell
Fire ban ordered
An open air burning ban is in effect until further notice for the City of Yellowknife and the North Slave Region.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources implemented the ban Wednesday. Darcy Hernblad, Yellowknife's fire chief, said due to very dry conditions and no signs of rain, no open air burning will be allowed, including approved fire pits. Environment Canada forecasts warm and sunny conditions for the next week, with temperatures reaching highs in the mid-20s.
- Daniel Campbell
Monitor malfunctions
Two air quality monitors at the Giant Mine site have malfunctioned in the last few weeks.
A backup monitor at the site was experiencing problems in late July and was being replaced when another unit began malfunctioning between July 22-27, according to Adrian Paradis, project spokesperson. In an e-mail, Paradis stated the monitors experience occasional technical challenges but public safety hasn't been compromised.
The malfunctioning unit has been operational since July 29. A new backup monitor is on order.
- Daniel Campbell
Store rebranding
The Extra Foods store in Yk Centre mall downtown is scheduled to close tomorrow and reopen on Wednesday as a Your Independent Grocer store, which is part of Loblaws Inc.
The Extra Foods store on Old Airport Road will follow suit with the rebranding in mid-to-late Setember, according to an e-mail from Loblaw Companies Ltd.
Public relations vice-president Julija Hunter, adds the store and pharmacy will remain open during the renovations.
- Daron Letts
News Briefs: Thursday, August 8, 2013
Forest fires keep park closed
The closure of a territorial park is stretching into its third week.
Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park was closed on July 19 due to nearby forest fires. The park was still closed as of Aug. 6, according to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
The Deh Cho has had 70 forest fires so far this season, 29 of which were still burning on Aug. 5. The fires have covered 186,589 hectares, making the Deh Cho the most affected region in the territory. The South Slave has had 103 fires, but 73,748 fewer affected hectares, according to information from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Swim meet cancelled
The Mackenzie Regional Swim Meet has been cancelled.
The annual youth meet was scheduled to take place in Fort Liard on Aug. 13. The decision to cancel was jointly made by the Mackenzie Recreation Association and the Hamlet of Fort Liard's wellness and recreation department.
All of the communities in the Mackenzie region that were contacted said they weren't attending except for one that said it might come, said Roslyn Gardner Firth, the manager of the hamlet's department.
Major golf tournament in Fort Simpson
The Seven Spruce Golf Course is preparing for a big weekend.
The Canadian Zinc Open, which is normally the largest tournament in the club's season, is being held from Aug. 10 to 11. Last year's tournament, with 82 golfers, was the largest the club has ever had.
Golfers can register for this year's event at the club house in Fort Simpson. Options include registering as a complete four-person team or joining one of the Canadian Zinc staff members who will also be playing. There will be morning and afternoon tee-off times on both days.
Wide load convoys on highways 1 and 3
NWT motorists are being cautioned about convoys of wide load vehicles that will be travelling highways 1 and 3 in August and September.
Convoys of three or more slow-moving vehicles are expected to take place two to three times per week from Aug. 1 into September. The convoys will travel on Highway 1 from the Alberta border to the junction with Highway 3, and then onto Yellowknife, according to the Department of Transportation.
Motorists can find information about the next scheduled convoy on the department's website. The convoys will provide regular opportunities for vehicles approaching them from behind to safely pass.
Slo-pitch tourney deemed big success
The Midnight Sun Slo-Pitch tournament was a big success over the holiday weekend.
Ten teams played in the round-robin format, with Amirco and Rockin' Robin eventually facing off in the final.
Amirco came out on top at the end of a wild 13-12 game.
On Saturday what spectators were calling a spectacular crash between two players trying to field a ball caused both to be taken to the hospital, but there was no official word on their condition by press time.
Benchwarmers at nationals
There was no official word at deadline as to how the Inuvik Benchwarmers Women's Slo-Pitch team fared at the National Championships in Kelowna, British Columbia.
The ladies were entered in the C division and were scheduled to play four games over the course of two days in the round-robin on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3. If the team fared well enough, the players would also have taken to the field for at least one playoff game on Aug. 4.
Nutrition North to be audited
The Nutrition North program is under the microscope.
The federal government will be auditing the program, which has been the source of controversy in recent months.
While a concrete date has yet to be set for the audit, the auditor general's office plans to present its findings in the fall of 2014. The auditor general's office will not release information on the scope of the audit until the Speaker of the House of Commons has been informed of what the audit entails, which is approximately one month before findings are presented to Parliament.
The Nutrition North Program provides subsidies to retailers for certain food items. These savings are supposed to be directly passed on to customers, however, some are concerned about the lack of enforcement and accountability of the system.
– Lyndsay Herman
Church still struggling
Inuvik's famous Igloo Church is still struggling on how to adapt to the rising energy costs in town.
The church council has been meeting to discuss the issue, which saw a bill of $3,000 for the month of March, council member Miki O'Kane said recently.
One option the council is considering is the drastic decision to close the church for the winter, but O'Kane said other options are under consideration as well.
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