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Airline passengers in Yellowknife will soon have a shortcut to Ottawa, after Air North begins its new direct route linking the NWT, Yukon and Canadian capital cities on Feb. 6.

"We're going to operate eastbound on Sundays and westbound on Mondays, and on Thursdays we are going to go eastbound and westbound on the same day," said Joe Sparling, president of the Yukon-based airline.

Flights between Yellowknife and Ottawa take about four hours, but the return trip takes an extra 20 minutes due to headwinds, he added. Flights between Yellowknife and Whitehorse take about an hour and 20 minutes.

Fares and reservation information will be posted on the airline's website by today, according to Sparling.

- Daron Letts

Christmas assembly online

Sir John Franklin High School will once again be streaming one of its big events online. The Christmas assembly will be available for relatives and friends to view via a link found on the high school's website.

The assembly starts today at 10:50 a.m.

- Candace Thomson

Molly Milligan in action

Yellowknife's Molly Milligan will look to help her chances of qualifying for the 2014 Winter Olympics this weekend in Copper, Colorado.

Milligan will be competing in the U.S. Grand Prix women's slope-style snowboarding event, which is also a World Cup event and the third Olympic qualification event.

Today will see Milligan in the qualification round. If she finishes in the top eight, she will advance to the finals on Sunday afternoon.

- James McCarthy

Free bus rides

Yellowknife Transit is offering free bus service from Dec. 23 to Jan 3. Buses will run on the Christmas schedule over the holidays, route 3 begins at 6:50 a.m. until 6:50 p.m. Buses will come every half hour until 10:10 a.m., then every hour until 2:50 p.m. when half-hour service resumes until 6:50 p.m. Buses will not run Dec. 25, 26 and Jan. 1, due to statutory holidays.

- Daniel Campbell

Wolf problem lessens in Wrigley

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the trouble wolves had been causing in Wrigley seems to have

subsided.

Neither the staff at the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation band office nor Wes Pellissey, who's dogs were attacked by wolves on Dec. 1, have reported any further trouble with wolves, said Carl Lafferty, the department's regional superintendent.

Lafferty said he also spoke to some community members who haven't seen any wolves since the attack on Pellissey's dogs that left one wolf dead.

The department had been planning to send a wildlife officer to Wrigley on Dec. 9 or 10, but didn't because there no longer seemed to be any urgency, he said.

The department will continue to monitor the situation, said Lafferty.

Christmas decorating contest in Fort Simpson

Fort Simpson residents are being encouraged to decorate their homes for Christmas.

The Beavertail Jamboree committee, Dezoa Gogha and Liidlii Kue Support Services have launched a best decorated house contest.

Judging for the contest will take place on Dec. 22 after 6 p.m.

Houses that have been registered have the chance to win $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third.

Registration open for walking challenge

Teams can begin to register for an annual challenge.

The NWT Recreation and Parks Association is once again holding the Walk to Tuk challenge. Community members, schools and workplaces are encouraged to form teams and collectively walk the 1,658 km between Fort Providence and Tuktoyaktuk along the Mackenzie River between Jan. 6 and March 3.

Last year, 70 teams from 17 communities participated in the challenge. There will be weekly prize draws and prizes for team captains and photos and stories that are submitted.

New service directory

The territorial government has launched a new service directory.

The directory, which is available from the government's main web page, was designed to give residents and businesses a more efficient way to find the government services they require. The directory includes information on more than 375 territorial government services, everything from applying for an NWT archeologists' permit to a free timber-cutting permit.

Fitness walk to Tuk

The Mackenzie River Challenge will be back in January.

Sponsored by the NWT Recreation and Parks Association, the walking challenge will see teams of people competing to walk the length of the Mackenzie River.

To be clear, participants aren't intended to actually walk the river ... although in some places that's likely to be possible.

Instead, the teams will combine to cover the equivalent distance of 1,658 kilometres from Fort Good Hope to Tuktoyaktuk. One hour of walking is equal to travelling five kilometres.

So far, at least one team will be fielded from Inuvik. It is led by Janet Boxwell, who is recruiting members via word of mouth and Facebook.

Angel Tree and hot meal underway

The annual Angel Tree campaign is now underway, as is the Santa's Elves program.

The Angel Tree can be found at the Inuvik NorthMart store. Anyone wishing to help the less fortunate by buying a gift for a child in town can go to the tree and select a card.

NorthMart manager Matthew Clark said it's one way to ensure that everyone in town will have a "real Christmas."

Santa's Elves is also looking for help. It's being operated out of Ingamo Hall and seeks donations for a Christmas hamper program to benefit families in need.

NorthMart, is also sponsoring and organizing a community Christmas meal aimed at serving the homeless on Dec. 25.

"It's not really a stop, grab and go. More of a come, have a hot drink, hot cup of soup, sandwich, sweet, that kind of thing. It is really about people that have nothing getting something," he said.

The current plan is to hold the event in front of the NorthMart store from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., but Clark said he's looking at finding an indoor venue, possibly at the Anglican church hall.

Road to Tuk not open

Despite the heavy volume of traffic being seen on the river, the winter road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk has not opened for the season yet.

The Aklavik ice road opened to light traffic Dec. 12, but it is only the 86-km strip from the hamlet to the Inuvik junction that is open.

That effectively makes the Aklavik ice road a dead-end highway until the connecting road to Tuktoyaktuk opens, Department of Transportation spokesperson Earl Blacklock said. Construction work is continuing on the road to Tuk.

Anyone driving on that section of road at the moment is risking being charged for driving on a closed road, with a fine of more than $800, said RCMP Staff Sgt. Dennis McLeod.