Front page photo.[...]

City council wielded a big 2010 budget axe yesterday, hacking a proposed 6.5% tax increase to 2.8%. That number could change because at least one potential big-ticket item still has to be debated, but right now, a 2.[...]

A study to plan future recreational uses in the Wapiti River corridor was supposed to be one of the smaller items on city council's budget table yesterday. But it became one of the most hotly-debated items of the day, exposing some frustrations with provincial funding cuts.[...]

More people from both inside and outside Alberta visited the area this year than last, but the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association is still facing some financial difficulties.[...]

It is, as the song suggests, beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the South Peace.[...]

The Youth Emergency Shelter Society hopes to attract attention and money for Sunrise House for the year, by spending some time on the positive at its fifth annual luncheon Tuesday.[...]

In a year of somewhat unusual circumstances, the Peace Wapiti Public School District approved its $66 million budget for the 2009-10 school year yesterday. Alberta Education recalculated school board grants to save $80 million with roughly $56 million taken from school boards.[...]

Having Miss Grande Prairie Stompede 2008 Britteny Foster win the title of Miss Rodeo Canada last week is a big deal, said Willie Kempin, president of the Grande Prairie Stompede board.[...]

Through music and First Nations stories, Jason Chamakese is hoping to open the minds of school-aged children to different cultures. The 34-year-old Cree from the Pelican Lake First Nation, about two hours north of Saskatoon, performed at the Robert W.[...]

Two days of education, relaxation and reflection for Peace Country farm women, the 2009 Farm Women's Conference at the Grande Prairie Inn drew rural women from around the Grande Prairie area yesterday.[...]

Children and youth will use lemons, oranges, limes, strawberries, potatoes and pennies to generate electricity and extract DNA through hands-on experiments this weekend.[...]

The County of Grande Prairie is not expecting any provincial money to deal with the mountain pine beetle on its lands, said the reeve.[...]

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Drunk drivers in Fort St. John are not getting the message despite ongoing police initiatives and enforcement to combat the problem, say RCMP. ''There is still an impaired driving problem in Fort St.[...]

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — An annual meeting of B.C.'s beef industry could be cancelled next year if participation by producers continues to decline.[...]

Two-time Olympic medallist Beckie Scott will join 60 to 70 aspiring young cross-country skiers and their coaches from northern Alberta at the Wapiti Nordic Ski Trails this weekend, as part of her Youth Ambassador program, made possible through the support of Statoil Canada Ltd.[...]

The Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves head into the most important series of their volleyball season today. Both the men's and women's teams host the NAIT Ooks at the GPRC gym in matches that will dictate both schools' paths to the provincial championships.[...]

The Grande Prairie Broncos look to complete the perfect season tomorrow. Again. The local bantam football team is on the verge of its second-straight Tier IV bantam football provincial championship. All that stands between the Broncos and a repeat are the Fort McMurray Ravens.[...]

Wolves coach Chris Nicol knows that there will not be an overabundance of opportunities for his team to sweep a series this season. This is one of them. The 1-7 Grand Prairie Regional College Wolves head to Camrose today to take on the 1-7 Augustana Vikings in ACAC basketball action.[...]

The Sexsmith Sabres are hosting the 2A girls northwest zone volleyball championships today and tomorrow, but it's the town 30 minutes north of them that is coming in on a roll. The Spirit River Renegades enter today's tournament fresh off a gold-medal performance in Peace River last weekend.[...]

There's snow in them thar hills. A lot of snow. Powder King Ski Resort has been open for two weeks now and the skiing has never been better for this time of year. "We opened Nov. 7 which was one day earlier than our earliest ever, so it's a record," said owner Jim Salisbury.[...]