David Douglas Botanical Garden Society will have to look elsewhere to finance a bridge and pay for operating costs -- city council turned down a request Monday night for $40,000 worth of help.Council voted 7-2 to deny the request rather than consider it during budget discussions in February. Coun. Debora Munoz and Coun. Dave Wilbur voted against the motion, arguing it should be considered in the ...

A 1,200-name petition calling for formal designation of a off-leash dog parks was presented to city council on Monday night.Speaking on behalf of those who signed, Annie Booth told council dogs are commonly off-leash at Ginter's Field and Moore's Meadow but they're mixed-use parks and conflicts are increasing.She said the areas should be confirmed as "true dog parks in which the primary use is ...

My dog ran away on Halloween night because she was scared of all the fireworks. She was returned home the following day a little shaky, but unharmed. I just want to send a special thank you out to both families with warm hearts that found her and helped return her home safely. I also want to thank everyone that helped look for her. It is nice to know that there are still people out there that ...

An endowment bursary created in memory of college student, the late Dillon Adey, has been boosted to more than $27,000 with a $5,000 donation from CN Rail.Adey died June 1 when his motorcycle ran into the back of an SUV on Tabor Boulevard near Otway Road in Prince George.Since the death of the 21-year-old, the community has rallied around his family, holding several fundraising events with all ...

Zenaida Finger anxiously watched her e-mail and listened for her phone Monday, hoping for some word from her sister in the Philippines after the fourth deadly storm in two months barrelled into the battered south Asian island chain over the weekend.The BBC reported that Typhoon Mirinae struck the eastern coastal province of Quezon Friday, bringing with it 150 km/h winds and heavy rain that ...

The Prince George Air Improvement Roundtable is asking the public to help identify idling hotspots.Anyone wanting to report an idling vehicle can go to www.pgairquality.com and use a mapping tool, identified as the "idling hotspot map."Every time someone reports an idling vehicle, the roundtable's idle-free ambassador will receive an automatic e-mail.As Prince George ...

It’s a big jump from the B.C. Major Midget League to the B.C. Hockey League.Junior A players are bigger and stronger, the game is faster, and it’s harder to score on the goalies.But after seeing Lyndon Martell in action Saturday patrolling the left wing for the Prince George Spruce Kings in his fourth BCHL game, it becomes immediately apparent the 16-year-old has made a smooth transition.“He’s ...

Looking dapper, dressed in black from head to toe, eight-year-old Justin Hampole couldn’t wait to slice the ice at the Williston figure skating meet.It was the first competition of his young career and with nothing to compare it to, Hampole was simply incomparable. The Spruce City Skating Club athlete executed his moves with precision, performed all his leaps according to plan, and left the ...

A residential building project in the Westgate area may soon have a date with the wrecking ball.City council voted 8-1 Monday night to give the owner of the site at 6713 Westmount Drive 30 days to level the building, which city building inspector found on the verge of collapse in early October.If the the Dec. 3 deadline, the city can bring in an contractor to do the work and forward the bill to ...

The main message from a top Canadian cancer official is that research is leading the way to victory over the disease that touches everyone.Michael Wosnick, scientific director and Vice-president of Research of the Canadian Cancer Society scientific, said there are many who question the value of the major research funds earned annually."They say the Canadian Cancer Society has been around for 70 ...

The final legislative hurdle has been cleared for establishing a two-per-cent tax on the rates visitors pay to stay in the city's hotel and motel rooms.The provincial government passed an order in council on Oct. 22 approving the tax, which is to come into effect on Jan. 1. Revenue from the tax is expected to add up to $480,000 in 2010 and, along with the city's annual $327,000 to tourism ...

A newly-formed company, which includes local investors, announced today it has reached a six-month agreement with Worthington Mackenzie Ltd. that allows it to take possession of the Mackenzie pulp mill.The Mackenzie Pulp Mill Development Corp. also has an exclusive option to purchase the mill, but stresses it will not be operating the mill. The corporation will be spearheading the hunt for a new ...

With over 1,200 signatures on a petition pet owners are hoping for the city's first off-leash dog park. There are currently three multi-use parks in the city that dogs can be off leash. Annie Booth, dog owner and foster care coordinator at the SPCA, said the areas aren't ideal for sharing. Booth said owners are also asking council to consider an off-leash park accessible for seniors. Council ...

Following the provincial government's approval plans are in place for the city's new hotel tax that goes Jan. 1.Funds raised through the 2 per cent tax will be used to promote tourism opportunities. A Prince George Tourism Society is being developed. Katherine Scouten of Initiatives Prince George said the society's board of directors will include tourism stakeholders. Directors will be charged ...

City Council approved phase one of the Mayor's Task Force on the Downtown report. It looks at ways to reduce crime, while improving housing and cultural options. RCMP Superintendent Brenda Butterworth-Carr said the new downtown enforcement unit will make the core more safe. The new unit will meet with downtown business owners Tuesday to discuss its plans for the downtown. The report offers more ...

Elected officials will examine the possibility of staff reductions through attrition as they prepare for budget talks in February. Councillor Cameron Stolz, who sits on the finance committee, said a four percent increase for Fire and RCMP means that money needs to come from somewhere else. Council will also look at cutting things like flower boxes and decorative street boxes.

A river boat and a trailer were stolen early Sunday morning from a yard in the Hart area off Austin Road.The boat is a 16-foot Outlaw make, Tuchodi Special. Outlaw is written on both sides of the boat. The top half of the boat is white in colour, the bottom half is silver.The boat trailer is an EZ loader with B.C. license plate ULA51N.Anyone with information regarding this theft is requested to ...

RCMP responded to a robbery near the Greyhound Bus depot.An employee of the nearby Save On Foods store had approached a male who had shoplifted items from the grocery store. The male produced a metal baton and held it up in a threatening manner.The male then fled on foot. He dropped the items he had stolen.The male was described as six feet tall and medium build. He had short red hair, a ...

More than 60 recommendations produced by the mayor's task force for a better downtown were approved in principle by city council Monday.Also given the greenlight were a slate of actions to be implemented immediately, many of which are a call to develop the item to be implemented.For example, the council's endorsement gives the task force the go-ahead to develop an implementation model that ...

Cheryl Ann Bouey hanged herself to death on June 26, 2008 inside women's cell No. 5 at the Prince George RCMP detachment. Everyone who attended the coroner's inquest into her death watched it happen on a surreal video recording of the cell. A coroner's inquest heard from RCMP Const. Jane Harnoi that she made a mistake during the search of Bouey. The drawstring in her pants should have been taken ...