ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

Peace Gallery North held the grand opening for their most recent exhibit, showcasing a unique collection of art. The newest exhibit to grace the walls of Peace Gallery North is ‘Pretty Expiry’, which is an amazing collection that was painted by local artist Celina Forbes.   The well attended grand opening was held on April 10, where Forbes and her family spent the evening interacting with guests while giving the odd guided tour of the show.   Forbes was chosen as the 2025 Art

The building of dreams: By Karla Marsh   In 1942, young Ernie Scanlon left his jos at an aircraft manufacturing plant in Ontario and signed on with a construction company contracted to work on the Alaska Highway. With the company paying the travel expenses, Ernie boarded a train for a long trip across Canada. He met other men on the train destined to labor on the great road and together they arrived at Dawson Creek, the end of the railhead, on July 8, 1942.   Ernie was first

Spring Stage Race is a total points series of five different cycling events from Apr 2 to 9, 2026. This is the 41st running of this event. Spring Series Stage 1 - The weather gods decided to grant the Blizzards with the gift of sunshine, which made the first race of the season a warmer than expected experience. Four riders headed out from Baldonnel school for the first time trial of the season. Pat Ferris came first in the 8km distance, which left Kristine Bock, Tim Ferris an

The North Peace spring tradition was once again bringing folks together under one roof as guests came throughout the weekend, whether it was to browse vendors or spend time with their families and friends. For more than half a century now, the Fort St. John Trade Show has been a spring tradition here in the North Peace and what started as a 20-booth show has grown to roughly 300. The trade show is one of the regions largest annual events and draws in people and businesses fro

Spring in the North is here… kind of. Expect a little bit of everything, just like your week. Photo of the northern lights in Pink Mountain, taken and submitted by Tristan Dille from the Pink Mountain Store. Aries (March 21 – April 19) You’re full of energy, but like a melting snowbank, it’s going everywhere at once. Focus it before you flood your own plans. Taurus (April 20 – May 20) You’re craving stability, but this week’s about as predictable as April weather. Roll with i

By Karla Marsh Ruby Schubert had one of the most interesting jobs a soldier could have on the Alaska Highway. He spent his days on the Trail of ’42 working as a photographer. Although born in Canada, Rudy travelled to the United States to join the U.S. Army. He had tried to enlist in the Canadian Army, but was refused by an officer who objected to Schubert’s German heritage. But it wasn’t long before Rudy returned to Canada. His regiment, the 341 st  Engineers, received order

Jake Gardner is currently sitting at the top of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association  (PRCA) standings for bull riding, making the North Peace proud through boots, grit, and glory. Jake Gardner shows off his championship buckle after winning the bull riding title at RodeoHouston, turning a last-minute opportunity into a career defining moment. - Jake Gardner's Facebook Gardner wasn’t originally scheduled to compete at RodeoHouston but got the call to be a replacement ri

The future is so bright I’ve got to wear shades. Why would a blind woman with no light perception feel she needs to wear shades?  Good question.  Let’s dive into the answer. Although I still have great conversational etiquette, I sometimes have difficulty making eye contact during a conversation. The sunglasses help remove this awkward barrier for the sighted person who is used to eye contact when conversing. Glasses also protect my eyes when navigating in the wild. I am sure

By Margaret Cavers May As spring inches its way into the North Peace, for young performing artists in the region, that means one thing; it’s festival time! After learning and polishing their performances for many months, it is time for hundreds of musicians, singers, dancers and speech artists to hit the stage at the North Peace Cultural Centre to show off the fruits of their hard work to audiences and adjudicators. The festival, in one form or another, has been a part of thi

An incident Sunday morning in Fort St. John is being investigated by Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) after an officer discharged their firearm and left one man with life threatening injuries during a traffic stop. The tense situation unfolded around 3:15 a.m. when local RCMP pulled over a black Ford near 86 Street and 97 Avenue, across from North Peace Senior Secondary.   Local RCMP said one of the people in the vehicle was believed to have outstanding warrant

For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are getting ready to head back toward the Moon onboard the Orion spacecraft. Photo of the ship during final preperations, before taking four of the bravest astronaughts on a journey around the moon and back from NASA.gov NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch April 1, and if everything lines up, tomorrow four astronauts will be heading farther from Earth than any crew has gone in decades. It’s the kind of thing we hav

Emergency services were called to an area near the high school in Fort St. John early this morning following reports of gunshots. Witnesses report an ambulance arriving around 3:30 a.m., with one person transported to hospital. Early, unconfirmed reports suggested the incident involved a shooting and a black Ford vehicle. In an update, Fort St. John RCMP say the incident occurred at approximately 3:15 a.m. in the 9700 block of 86th Street. Police conducted a traffic stop invo

Bear Flat Dispatch. March 26, 2026 Every year the Canada Geese will consistently start showing up here at Bear Flat around March 15th give or take a couple days. That always worked out for them because even if the weather was nasty, they always had open water on the river. That changed with the flooding of the reservoir as it is now all frozen over. However, I guess old habits are hard to kick because the geese are still showing up here at the same time as before. Last year,

A wareness isn’t just about understanding a diagnosis, it’s about seeing the person and celebrating their life while creating a world where everyone belongs.   Bensyn Buck during his admission at BC Children's Hospital. There are moments in life which will shape your journey in ways you don’t fully understand at the time, for our family, that moment came when we learned Benny would be born with Down Syndrome. It didn’t change our love for him, not even for a second, but it di

By Karla Marsh   Oil exploration was just beginning in the Peace country when the Americans arrived to build the Alaska Highway. It was 1942 and the derrick of the first drilling rig had been raised into the sky between Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. Photo of Rosie and Nels Westergaard, Fort St. John North Peace Museum. Rosie Westergaard was a cook for the first oil rig crew. She was busy turning out three square meals a day for oilmen when another crew stopped at the camp t

A group of young warriors recently made a trip from Halfway River to Edmonton, Alberta to compete in a large taekwondo tournament which marked another milestone for a growing program that began just two years ago. Front row, Kash Hunter- silver in sparring, Dalton Souvie - gold in patterns, Jerome Field- bronze in patterns, Zachary Souvie - bronze in patterns and bronze in sparring, Weston Hunter - bronze in sparring, Kaitlyn Gladue. Back row, assistant instructor Brooklyn Jo

North Peace locals gathered at the Lido Theatre on March 10 for the 12 th semi-annual 100 Woman Who Care event, which successfully raised more than $10,000 for the Fort St. John Men's Shed . Twice a year, once in March and once in September, this amazing initiative brings woman from the community together to help make a difference for one of three nominated local organizations. The event gives the nominees several minutes each to introduce and represent their cause while exp

The Tse’k’wa National Historic Site has been recognized at the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Conference, taking home the Indigenous Operator or Experience Award during an event which was held in Kelowna. President Garry Oker (left), Laura Webb (centre), executive director Alyssa Currie (far right). Photograph by Aspen Films for BC Tourism Industry Conference 2026. Board members from the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society traveled to Kelowna to accept the Indigenous Operator or Experience A

Bear Flat Dispatch. March 14, 2026. Occasionally my mind will wander somewhat as I wonder about things. This may prompt me to voice my curiosity or reflection with a somewhat rhetorical question such as “With all of this snow, I wonder what the spring melt and runoff will be like?” Ah yes, rhetorical questions, where there may not be an actual answer required. AI gave me this definition: “A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point rather than to receive an a

There was a heavy RCMP presence at the southern Charlie Lake boat launch on March 14 after an individual lost their life during an altercation the night before. Local RCMP search for evidence close to the vehicle which was involved in an altercation on Friday Night at a Charlie Lake boat launch.   Local RCMP were at the scene collecting evidence and conducting their investigation early on the morning of March 14, blocking off the frontage road leading to the boat launch for s