ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

By Karla MarshSpecial to the AHN Before the surveyors and trailblazers could cut a line marking the right-of-way for the Alaska Highway, the road first needed to be “located.” The highway was to connect the existing airbases at Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Big Delta and Fairbanks, known together as the Northwest Staging Route. However, although It was known which towns and villages the route would connect, the actual location of the road between th

Halfway River First Nation welcomed NHL defenceman Ethan Bear to the community last Saturday, giving local youth and families a chance to hear from him, meet him and take home an autograph. Photo supplied of of Riley Rivey, Kaizyn Tsakoza, Ethan Bear, Kirk and Nikki, and Lenasia Bear. Bear was at the Halfway River Arbour on July 11 for a community event that included a presentation and autograph signing. Among those who made the trip out was Alaska Highway News junior repor

There are a lot of ways to tell the story of the Peace Region, and this month at Peace Gallery North, members of the Fort St. John Country Quilters are doing it with fabric, thread and plenty of hours behind a sewing machine. ‘Seasons In The Peace’ is currently on display at the gallery, bringing together quilts from guild members who were asked to show what the seasons of the Peace River area mean to them. It is a pretty fitting theme for this part of the province. Around he

By Kim Rose Photo credit: Kyle (James) Wolf Forty-three years. Think about that for a moment. For more than four decades, the Fort St. John Petroleum Association Trap Shoot has brought together people from across our region for a weekend that has become about far more than breaking clay targets. It's become a tradition. This year's event was another reminder that while companies, careers, and even entire industries evolve over time, community has a remarkable way of staying r

Premier David Eby made his way through the Peace Region this week, spending time in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek where his visit included meetings with local governments, a stop at Northern Lights College and tours of the John Horgan Dam and Dawson Creek's new hospital. Photos supplied While in Fort St. John Eby toured the recently renamed John Horgan Dam which is his first visit to the facility since the name change, giving him a closer look at the dam and generating stati

The smell of barbecue took over Centennial Park for three days over the weekend, as Rotary Ribfest returned to Fort St. John with plenty of ribs, live music and people making their way through the park. Presented by Surerus, the annual fundraising event ran from July 10 to 12, bringing three rib vendors to town alongside food trucks, local entertainment and several community groups helping throughout the weekend. Mayor Lilia Hansen was among those who stopped by Ribfest, sa

There is usually something happening in the arts community around the North Peace, and recently another group of local residents spent an evening painting together at Knux Gallery. Supplied photo of the artists who attended the workshop, holding their magnificent creations. The latest ‘Be Inspired’ paint night was hosted at Tyson “Graphicsman” Mowat's gallery, with Suzon Anne leading an evening inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe. The paint nights have become a popular e

The Peace Region Motorsports Association brought AutoX racing back to the Home Hardware parking lot recently, giving local drivers a chance to test themselves and their vehicles on a cone-lined course in Fort St. John. While out making the rounds that Sunday morning, the Alaska Highway News spotted a parking lot full of pylons, cars and spectators gathered around what turned out to be another PRMA AutoX event, making it well worth pulling over to see what was happening. PRMA

By Karla Marsh Special to the AHN Photo of Bill McDonald supplied by the North Peace Museum Bill McDonald was just a boy of eight in the summer of 1942. His older brother had joined the army the summer before and he suspects his family was concerned about events overseas. But to Bill, “the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the war seemed like another world.” Bill’s mother had taught school at Moberly Lake that year and when she and young Bill returned to Fort St. John at the

Charlie Lake is a place most people in the North Peace know well, whether it's for fishing, paddling or simply driving past, but a new exhibit at the Fort St. John North Peace Museum is encouraging visitors to take a closer look. Science is All Around Us, created by the Charlie Lake Conservation Society, officially opened last week and explores the plants, animals and ecosystems that make Charlie Lake what it is, while showing how everyday observations can contribute to scien

Firefighters from First Nations across British Columbia were in Fort St. John last week for the 41st Annual B.C. Indigenous Firefighter Competition, bringing teams from across the province to the North Peace for three days of training, teamwork and competition. Photos by Richard Olak The event, hosted by the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society, has been running for more than four decades and gives Indigenous fire departments a chance to train together, learn from one an

Five people were injured recently after a dump truck collided with three vehicles at the intersection of 100th Street and Highway 97 in Fort St. John on the afternoon of June 24. Local RCMP responded to the collision around 3:30 in the afternoon, with members from multiple units responding alongside the BC Conservation Officer Service, which assisted with traffic control as emergency crews worked at the scene. BC Emergency Health Services and the Fort St. John Fire Department

The School District 60 band program is heading into summer on a high note after students earned a string of medals at music festivals across Western Canada, capping off another busy year of performances, travel and countless hours of practice. Supplied photo Among the highlights was the Grade 8 and 9 Junior Concert Band, which brought home a silver award for its performance and a gold medal in sight reading at MusicFest Canada Nationals in Niagara Falls, one of the country's

A 37-year-old Fort St. John man was arrested after RCMP executed a search warrant on 105 Avenue June 18 as part of a drug trafficking investigation. Photo from Fort St. John RCMP media release According to police, members of the Fort St. John Street Enforcement Team uncovered what they describe as a 3D-printed firearm manufacturing operation during the search. RCMP say roughly 20 firearms were found, some completed and others still being assembled. Sergeant Ian Rissanen, comm

By Karla Marsh Life could be pretty wild and woolly in the Peace Country in 1942 and 43, according to Ernie Jarvis. Ernie moved camps for the Public Road Administration and although he spent a lot of his time in the bush, he did have opportunities to travel the new Alaska Highway and to observe town busting at the seams with soldiers. This photo is of Ernie Jarvis, Clarence Crook and Julius Stokke when they came to the Peace Region in 1928. From what Ernie saw, things were

June is Filipino Heritage Month across Canada, and one of the ways Fort St. John is marking the occasion is through the 8th Annual Filipino Canadian Art and Photography Exhibit currently on display at Peace Gallery North. Curated by Ovvian Castrillo Hill and co-curated by Nixxio Castrillo, the exhibit brings together artists from Fort St. John's Filipino-Canadian community and offers visitors a chance to learn a little more about their neighbours through their work. One of

BlindScentz #34 Edwina Nearhood In September 2022, I had a heart transplant. When I woke twelve days later, I discovered that my optic nerve had been permanently damaged during the transplant due to low blood flow for an extended period. I would never again see the light of day. Do not get me wrong as I tell this story. I have navigated a huge adjustment that included grief and learning how to move through the world as a blind person. My recovery was arduous, and I spent an e

Between the music, the market and the giant prints being rolled out in the parking lot, there was no shortage of reasons to stop by Bright Nights in June. Artists prepare and apply ink using rollers before being its layed out for a construction roller to make the final roll, successfully creating wonderful prints on Big Print Day in thew North Peace. The annual three-day event was held at the North Peace Cultural Centre and drew a strong turnout throughout the weekend. Art St

For many families in the Peace, the cadet program has become a family tradition, with multiple generations passing through the same organization over the past 80 years. Supplied photo - 2276 RCACC receives the Freedom of the City Proclamation. Current and former cadets, volunteers, officers and supporters all came together in Fort St. John recently to celebrate 80 years of a program that has been part of the community for generations. The celebrations brought together current

Athletes from the Halfway River First Nations Taekwondo program were back on the road at the end of May, travelling to Red Deer, Alberta to compete in the Champions Challenge tournament and take part in a training seminar led by a world-class coach. Back row: Kaitlyn Gladue bronze- poomsae, silver-sparring, Zachary Souvie gold -poomsae silver-sparring Coach Brooklyn Jodoin