ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

Thank-you FSJ! My heart smiles and melts each time I go out. I would like to share some great experiences I have had that explain the benefits of community!  One of the social determinants of health is community. I go out more for social interaction than anything else.  Fort St. John, you do not disappoint. The more I find myself out the more I experience people getting used to the idea that I am a person first and the blindness is something need only be accommodated on occas

Nine lives were stolen from their families during a school shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, marking the darkest day in the community’s history Victims photos from RCMP media release. Tumbler Ridge RCMP were alerted to the active shooter at the school just after 1 p.m. on February 10 according to a media release and issued a public alert while responding. Officers from Tumbler Ridge RCMP responded to the school within minutes of the call, where there was active gunf

An Agricultural Emergency Response Plan that outlines how to prepare and respond to emergencies has been released by the Peace River Regional District for farmers, producers and processors within the region. The regional agricultural emergency response plan will help local farmers during all phases of an emergency from preparedness, response and recovery. It also describes how emergency management functions in B.C. and highlights roles, responsibilities and contact informatio

A group of North Peace residents gathered Sunday afternoon in Fort St. John to remember and raise awareness for Kiara Agnew, the Dawson Creek woman was vacationing with her boyfriend Ryan Friesen in 2023 when she was tragically murdered.  Agnew’s body was discovered beaten to death in a laundry room while Friesen was asleep beside her.People at the gathering held signs with photos and details surrounding this tragedy, speaking with one another and urging justice for Agnew. Fr

Three individuals have been charged in relation to a Dawson Creek murder that took place just over two years ago. Photo of victim 37-year-old Robert Eric Douglas Girbav from the RCMP media release. RCMP responded to 17th Street and 116th Avenue in Dawson Creek on December 31, 2023, after receiving a report of a suspicious vehicle. Upon their arrival, police located a man inside of a red Dodge Calibre. The man, who was later identified as 37-year-old Robert Eric Douglas Girbav

FSJ RCMP officers Caitlyn Rissanen and Chad Neustaeter attended Prince George Cougars hockey games Jan. 23 to 25 to speak with fans and encourage them to consider careers in Indigenous Policing. The two officers, both part of Fort St. John’s Indigenous Policing Services (IPS) unit, partnered with IPS officers from Prince Rupert, Burns Lake and Chetwynd this past weekend for a regional Indigenous policing recruitment initiative. “The RCMP has over 150 different career speciali

Multiple search warrants were executed on January 23, stretching between Fort St. John, Cecil Lake, Charlie Lake resulting in eight arrests being made and their seizure of more than 50 firearms. Photo credit: Fort St. John RCMP Local RCMP were busy conducting search warrants in northern BC on January 23, including five in Fort St. John, one in Charlie and one in Cecil Lake. An investigation regarding local organized crime and

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

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

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

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

With winter weather conditions worsening across the Peace Region, Fort St. John RCMP are reminding drivers to slow down and be prepared. Police say the combination of snowfall, blowing snow and colder temperatures has already seen an increase in weather-related collisions across the detachment area. With much more winter weather in the forecast, officers including Police Service Dog Mako and his handler are patrolling and responding to incidents. December is one of the most d

The days are getting shorter and for some people that might mean sinking deeper into winter blues, but for the rest of us in Fort St. John it means outdoor ice rinks are back. A number of outdoor rinks around town opened over the last couple of weeks and with that came the familiar sounds of sticks clacking on boards, skates on ice, and kids wrapped from head to toe, learning how to not fall over.  This sort of energy and activity can make even the coldest weather feel a litt

A familiar face around the council table in Taylor is being celebrated for a big milestone. - Photo from the District of Taylor's Facebook Councillor Ponto has reached 20 years of service on council, marking two decades on the municipal stage which included participating in important discussions, decisions, and events that have made up life in the District of Taylor over that time.  From local issues and concerns to long-term plans as the community has evolved, she has had a

Bear Flat Dispatch November 13, 2025 I am pleased to hear that the BC Government has essentially shut down any opportunity for future cryptocurrency mining operations from connecting to the BC Hydro grid. There has been a temporary halt to new projects for the last few years, but now that has been made permanent. I have previously ranted on the madness of anything to do with crypto, so I will spare you those details now. Suffice to say that thankfully, not one more additional

Houston, we have a model. You don't need the northern lights to find artistic 'space ...the final frontier' in Mile Zero, Dawson Creek. Nick Proach with Alan Bean at his residence in Houston, Texas with the actual hammer Alan used on his pair of moon walks during the Apollo 12 mission in November, 1969 - Proach Models Open the pod bay doors HAL, because a love for the discovery and wonder of the space program has led Dawson Creek's Nick Proach to become a full-time business

The SPARK Women’s conference held in Fort St. John in October is something to be very proud of.  The organizers have truly brought a sustainable world class women’s leadership conference to the north! I was very privileged to be the recipient of a gift of attendance by Sharron Hammond. Sharron is the local Seniors Community Connector. She had a scheduling conflict and graciously gifted her tickets to me! This gift sparked my courage to say yes to the opportunities put before

Dawson Creek Fire Crews were responding to a single motor vehicle incident just before      8 am near the Groundbirch area on Highway 97 South in bad weather, when Captain Brooks Gower was struck by a passing vehicle. Photo from media release Gower was immediately transported to the Chetwynd Hospital before needing to be flown to Prince George to receive further treatment according to a Dawson Creek Fire Fighters Association’s Facebook post. “Brooks is currently stable, had a

In a time of grief and growing concern across the Peace Region, one mother’s pain speaks to the heart of a community seeking peace and healing. The 29 year old Jesse Twain from Edmonton, Alberta, has been identified as the victim in a recent homicide close to Dawson Creek, amidst a spike in gang related crime in the Peace Region. Twain’s mother told Alaska Highway News that police asked for her DNA after a body was found in a burned car in the Kiskatinaw area earlier this mon