ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

Skaters, coaches and families from around British Columbia descended on Fort St. John last weekend for a busy and action-packed BC Speedskating Championships on home ice. Athletes pose with their medals following competition at the B.C. Speed Skating Championships in Fort St. John. Hosted by Fort St. John, this year’s provincial championship showcased speedskaters of all ages darting around the oval, accompanied by the community spirit of a North Peace crowd.  Numerous volunt

Discover wool in all its artistic glory at Peace Gallery North’s new exhibit celebrating the woolly arts. A well-attended opening reception was held January 9 for ‘The Art of Wooly Wonders’ at Peace Gallery North and will be up for the rest of the month. The medium of wool allows for limitless expression using a fiber commonly associated with warmth, tradition and hard work.  Texture and technique come together in this exhibit, showcasing how wool can transform into wonderful

The local police are currently conducting an investigation into the devastating fire which fully engulfed the Blueberry River First Nation School recently. photo from Fort St. John RCMP The Fort St. John RCMP responded on January 17, not long after 6am, after someone reported a school fire on the Blueberry River First Nation according to the press release. The local Fire department and the police rushed to the scene where they discovered the school had been fully engulfed in

North Peace Museum curator/Manager Heather Sjoblom is being honoured this month for her 15 years of service to the community.  Raymond Ensz of the Fort St. John’s Trappers Association and Heather Sjoblom, curator of the North Peace Museum during one of the many educational programs the museum holds throughout the year. She has been applauded for her steadfast commitment to preserving our North Peace history. For many years she has provided stability and answers for not only t

B.C.’s Health Minister Josie Osborne announced Tuesday that the province will not be extending its drug decriminalization pilot, saying bluntly that it has not met government’s expectations. “The toxic-drug crisis continues to take lives and cause tremendous pain across British Columbia. Families, communities, first responders and service providers are all feeling the impact. This is a deeply complex public-health emergency, and there is no single solution that can fix it,” O

The City of Fort St. John is one step closer to building a new pool after releasing its design concept for public consultation as part of a new engagement process to determine next steps. Map showing the design and layout for the future pool (City of Fort St. John) Developing a replacement for the North Peace Leisure Pool started in 2018 with the creation of a regional steering committee made up of Fort St. John, Peace River Regional District and the District of Taylor. The C

British Columbia’s 2025 Winter Impaired Driving Campaign resulted in fewer impaired drivers being taken off BC’s highways than last year’s initiative but results varied greatly throughout the province. Photo of a checkstop from the BC Highway Patrol media release BC Highway Patrol reported that 240 drivers were removed from BC roadways in December 2025 for alcohol and drug related driving prohibitions according to a media release , a decrease from the 267 prohibitions served

The local police swiftly responded on January 6, to a collision which involved multiple vehicles on Highway 97.   The RCMP and the Fort St. John Fire Department were quickly on scene following the two-vehicle collision on Highway 97, which resulted in traffic being closed in both directions for roughly 5 hours. "The 5 occupants in a 2 vehicle collision escaped serious injury in collision on Highway 97," said Cpl. Shawn Ingham Fort St. John RCMP in a media release. Two individ

A Fort St. John man will now face multiple criminal charges relating to a double fatal collision in Chetwynd, which occurred in 2024. Crime scene markers and debris scattered across Highway 97 from the multi-vehicle collision - (RCMP Media Release) 21-year-old Jaden Christopher Cardinal  will now face four criminal charges including two counts of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death, and two counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death. The ch

Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s leadership has been surrounded by allegations of electoral fraud, political persecution, and gross economic mismanagement since the beginning.  US Military, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were arrested last weekend in his own country and flown to the United States to face federal criminal charges including narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons charges.   The military operation which took pl

Aries (March 21 – April 19) Your energy is high this week, but so is your impatience. Take a breath before reacting, especially in line at the grocery store or while scraping frost off your windshield. A small delay now saves a bigger headache later. Taurus (April 20 – May 20) Comfort is calling, and you’re answering. This is a good week to slow down, cook something warm, and enjoy the simple things. A practical decision made midweek pays off by the weekend. Gemini (May 21 –

The local RCMP have issued a Public Service Announcement reminding residents to lock the doors of their vehicle if idling to warm up. An SUV was stolen from outside of a liquor store, while it was warming up on December 30, just after 11pm according to the release. Shortly after, around 1am on December 31, RCMP said a vehicle was stolen from outside a restaurant while idling to keep warm.   “It is our experience in winter that when a vehicle was stolen while running, the owne

Humanity is preparing to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time in over half a century, carrying these individuals farther from Earth than any crewed mission in decades and reigniting a sense of possibility which was once defined by the Space Age. Photo credit: Nasa website Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission in its Artemis program and will send four astronauts on a journey around the Moon, marking humanity’s return to deep-space exploration beyond low Eart

A familiar name with roots in northern Alberta has been tapped for a key international role. Photo credit: Chrystia Freeland Facebook Former Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, who hails from Peace River, has been appointed as Ukraine’s new economic development advisor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the appointment early Monday, praising Freeland’s background and experience. In a statement, Zelenskyy said Freeland brings extensive expertise i

The snowmobiling and backcountry community near Tumbler Ridge are grieving the death of one of their own after Avalanche Canada announced that one person was killed by an avalanche while riding near Tumbler Ridge in the Bullmoose area. Photo of right hand side of the avalanche taken the day after the incident - Photo credit Avalanche Canada One individual has lost their life to an avalanche in northeastern British Columbia, about 35km southwest of Tumbler Ridge, which was tri

Where did 2025 go? As I look back, I am truly celebrating all of the wins much like new parents do with their child’s first few years.  This past year I passed some great milestones that included: *First solo 5 km walk *First solo trip to mall and nail spa *First participation as a speaker  in a panel at a  UBC Conference *First time making all my own travel arrangements. *First solo trip via plane complete with gate changes to connecting flights *Taught a winter solstice kun

North Peace residents can now donate to the Fort St. John Association for Community Living (FSJACL) when you recycle using the Return-It App. Supplied photo The FSJACL is collaborating with the Return-It App to raise money to support people with developmental disabilities and complex needs in Fort St. John. This initiative allows residents who use the Return-It App to direct their refunds back to FSJACL, turning your empty beverage containers into support for a good cause. “M

Fort St. John RCMP are asking for the public’s help in locating a middle-aged man wanted on multiple warrants, including two counts of sexual assault. Photo from the RCMP media release Local police have requested the publics assistance to locate Ralph Junior Achla, a 43-year-old who is currently wanted in relation to several warrants. These warrants include two counts of Sexual Assault, Obstruction of a Peace Officer, Uttering Threats, Impaired Operation of a Vehicle, and the

The local police have reached out to the public for help locating Taylor Lepine, a 32 year old woman who is currently wanted in relation to warrant for Theft Under $5000. Photo from the RCMP media release The RCMP describe Lepine as: 5 feet 4 inches tall (162 cm), 128 lbs (58 kg), Caucasian female, Green eyes, Blonde dyed hair, Has a tattoo of lips on the right side of her neck.   Fort St. John RCMP have asked anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Lepine to con

Bear Flat Dispatch.  January 1, 2026 "There have been a lot of changes in the Peace River Valley in the last decade.  Here is an opinion piece that I wrote on January 1, 2016 about our New Year’s Eve celebration on the banks of the Peace River at historic Rocky Mountain Fort" - Ken Boon Supplied Photo On the south bank of the Peace River, just a short distance upstream from the mouth of the Moberly River, is the site of historic Rocky Mountain Fort in Northeast BC.  It was es