ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

By Amber Wood Hello Fort St. John and surrounding area. We are now in the second month of our summer break, and with it comes one of the best times of year to celebrate the community! Last month at this year’s Canada Day celebrations in Centennial Park, the Northern Winds Community Band played on stage as the parade made its way into the park, finishing with everyone coming together to sing O Canada, which is a moment that truly captures what community music is all about an

A couple of Charlie Lake firefighters are away from home for the next two weeks, after the department answered a request from the BC Wildfire Service for some extra help with the wildfire response around Merritt. Lt. Chris Pelley and Lt. Miranda Moineau stand with Tactical Tender 1 prior to deploying to the Merritt area in support of BC Wildfire Service response efforts. Photo from Peace River Regional District Lt. Chris Pelley and Lt. Miranda Moineau left Aug. 8 with Tactica

By Karla MarshSpecial to the AHN In 1942, young Alex Wagner got a job blazing trail for a new military highway to Alaska. The road was to be built through largely unmapped territory, creating a demand for men to guide the highway builders into a vast northern wilderness. Alex Wagner is second from left in this photo (plaid shirt). With 10 years experience in the Peace Country and having worked at an isolated trading post on the Halfway River, Alex Wagner qualified as one of

Some days I get lost in the closet. Other days, I go kayaking with friends and find my way! As part of my Orientation and Mobility training, I am required to problem-solve when I am out in the wild. (Wild AKA walking on the streets of FSJ.) To be certified to travel a route independently, I must not only be able to travel the route, but I must also be ready and able to navigate unexpected obstacles or find my way if I become disoriented. The past few weeks have found me navig

People across the Peace River Regional District are being asked what concerns them when it comes to hazards in their own communities, with another round of public engagement getting underway this month as work continues on a new regional Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability Analysis. submitted photo From Aug. 11 through Aug. 23, the PRRD and its municipal partners will be holding community events in different parts of the region, while an online survey will also be available for pe

Music, local vendors and a little bit of chalk art took over Centennial Park on Aug. 6, as Music in the Park returned for another summer evening bringing people together around some of the talent found here in the Peace. Submitted Photo. The free outdoor concert ran from 6 to 9 p.m., with Joseph te Bulte, Locust and Honey and Kimberley MacGregor taking the stage throughout the evening, alongside an artisan market featuring local makers and a beer garden. There was also someth

Brian Surerus has spent more than five decades building his business and supporting the community he calls home, and on July 30, Fort St. John recognized some of that work by presenting him with the Freedom of the City. Photo from the City of Fort St. John The presentation came during a special evening surrounded by family, friends, community leaders and members of council, with the recognition not only looking back at what Surerus has accomplished in business, but the suppor

Local taxpayers are once again footing the bill after another stretch of vandalism at Kin Park including repeated fires, damaged public property and many calls for emergency crews have now led the City of Fort St. John to install surveillance cameras throughout the park. According to a recent media release from the City firefighters have responded to garbage cans set on fire, RCMP have investigated reports of vandalism, and City staff have repeatedly been sent back to repair

By Kim Rose Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about pickleball. Submitted photos It seems like everywhere you turn, someone is talking about it, playing it, or convincing a friend to give it a try. And with National Pickleball Day being celebrated this Saturday, Aug. 8, I thought there was no better time to learn more about the local club helping fuel that excitement right here in the North Peace. Founded in 2019, the Peace Country Pickleball Assoc

Three local organizations will have the opportunity to share their stories with the community this September, with one of them set to receive what could be more than $10,000 after members cast their votes at the latest 100 Women Who Care Fort St. John giving event. Provided photo of March 2026 Winner - Mens Shed 100 Women Who Care Fort St. John has announced Nenan Dane Zaa Deh Zona Family Services Society, Stage North Theatre Society and the Fort St. John & District Palliativ

RCMP officers remained at a northeast Fort St. John neighbourhood Thursday after shots were fired near the 9700 block and 108 Avenue, with councillor Trevor Bolin saying up to three homes and one vehicle were hit during what has been described as a targeted shooting. Bolin said no injuries have been reported while RCMP officers continue investigating the incident, adding that council has been in communication with police as officers remain on scene gathering information. "Thi

The World’s Invitational Gold Panning Championships returned to Taylor from July 31 to August 2, with competitors gathering for the annual long weekend tradition and a full schedule of gold panning and other competitions planned at Peace Island Park. Trina Barrette finished first in Class A, followed by Mike Barrette in second and Frankie Barrette in third, with Frankie Barrette also taking Fine, Alicia Scott taking Speed and Tyson Gejdos taking Skill. William Sloane finish

By Karla MarshSpecial to the AHN After almost 50 years, Anne Callison still remembers the rough and tumble trip she made to Fort Nelson in January of 1943. She was a young girl of about 20, on her way to a job at the Trading Post at old Fort Nelson. (l-r) Frank Senz, Anne Callison and John Callison at a North Peace Pioneers event in 1975. Anne had arranged a ride up the recently constructed Alaska Highway with a Public Roads Administration truck. “We drove all night,” she rec

Some friends come into our lives for a brief moment. Some friends stay for a few years or chapters. I have a friend of a lifetime. We have been friends for most of our adult lives. I first met her two weeks after she moved her family across the country from Newfoundland. We have laughed together, cried together and shared some of life’s biggest moments. My friend Gloria was amongst family that stayed with me during the five months in the hospital recovering from heart transp

Prince George family celebrates another Calgary Stampede triumph while preserving a way of life Winning at the Calgary Stampede is something most people in the draft horse world spend a lifetime chasing. This summer, Zane and Diane Pickering found themselves back at the top once again after winning the Lightweight class, another milestone for a Prince George family that's spent years building one of the strongest draft horse programs in the country. The Prince George family

The steady buzz of a tattoo machine fills Soulfire Tattoo as Olivia "Liv" Desor leans over another piece, carefully wiping away fresh ink before studying the lines one more time. For the Fort St. John artist, tattooing may still be new, but creating art certainly isn't. Long before she picked up a tattoo machine, Liv spent years sketching, painting and experimenting with everything from acrylics and oils to alcohol-based markers. Art was always part of who she was. Tattooing

Walk through any bookstore and you'll find thousands of stories waiting on the shelves, but every once in a while you get the chance to meet the person who wrote one and hear how it all began. That was the case Saturday afternoon at Coles in Totem Mall, where Fort St. John author Emily Fehr spent the afternoon meeting readers, signing books and sharing the story behind her first children's book, I Like Killer Whales the Best! Like many good ideas, this one started at home. Fe

It doesn't take long after a rodeo wraps up before somebody around the North Peace is asking how Jake Gardner made out. With the season the Fort St. John bull rider has been putting together, it's really no surprise. Supplied photo Gardner has spent much of the year riding against some of the best bull riders in the world, putting together a string of solid rides and keeping himself firmly in the conversation for a trip to his first National Finals Rodeo. His biggest payday

A quilt might catch your eye but at Peace Gallery North, it might also inspire a story. Earlier this month, Peace Gallery North announced the winners of its latest ekphrastic writing competition where local writers were invited to create original stories and poems inspired by artwork featured in the gallery. Now as the Fort St. John Country Quilters' exhibition winds down after spending July on display, another collection of artwork is giving local writers plenty to think abo

Most of us probably don't give a second thought to the gear firefighters pull on before they climb into a truck and head out the door. For the men and women at the Charlie Lake Fire Department, though, what they're wearing matters just as much after the call as it does during it. Photo from media release The new gear was rolled out following a department training session on July 9, bringing to an end months of planning, funding, ordering the gear and getting everybody fitted