Third memorandum signed this year
Canadian Zinc and the Nahanni Butte Dene Band have reached a memorandum of understanding about the Prairie Creek Mine.

Running out of time
Bertha Landry doesn't want to lose her home because her husband is getting his education.

Fort of the Forks opens for business
A solemn fire-feeding ceremony held under the falling snow started the first day of business for the Fort of the Forks.

Hockey players wanted
With only a few tables and a smattering of goods the annual equipment swap in Fort Simpson last weekend was a pale shadow of what it used to be.

Think before you throw
Although darts is still commonly thought of as something to play in a bar between drinks the Fort Simpson Darts Society is working to change that perception.

Two ferries close for season
This year's season ended within a space of four days for two ferries in the Deh Cho.

Deh Cho represented on administrators' board

The Deh Cho has a strong representation on the board of directors for the Local Government Administrators of the NWT (LGANT).

Tom Matus, the senior administrative officer for the village of Fort Simpson, was elected to his third term as president of the organization during the group's annual general meeting held in Yellowknife from Oct. 28 to 30.

John McKee, the senior administrative officer of the hamlet of Fort Liard, was elected as vice-president.

Other elected members include Tammy Neal, the band manager for Jean Marie River First Nation, Ruby Jumbo, the band manager for Sambaa Ke First Nation, and Evelyn Storr, the senior administrative officer for Aklavik.

Loose dogs in Simpson

Dogs were once again a topic of discussion for the Fort Simpson village council.

Coun. Bob Hanna raised the issue of roaming canines during the council meeting on Nov. 3. After being fined because his family's dog was loose, Hanna said he was annoyed to see five loose dogs in front of Fort Simpson Beverages.

Coun. Candy Brown said she also received calls this week from residents complaining about roaming dogs.

The dogs are a safety issues because drivers on the street are swerving to avoid them, said Coun. Tom Wilson.

Forming ice

Staff at the Fort Simpson recreation centre are preparing to start the process of making the ice surface in the arena. Temperatures in the evening are starting to drop to the necessary levels, said Dan Deschamps, the recreation director.

Staff hope to start the process on Nov. 10. In a best case scenario the ice will be ready for Dec. 17, which would probably be the earliest opening to date, said Deschamps.

The ice schedule has already been set and registration for ice sports including hockey, broomball, speed skating, figure skating and junior curling are being coordinated by the recreation centre.

Friday night coffee

The Open Sky Creative Society is welcoming people to come out and participate in the First Friday Coffeehouse for November.

The event will be held on Nov. 7 starting at 7 p.m. in the Fort Simpson recreation centre. Musicians are encouraged to bring along their instruments, said Michael Blyth the artistic director for the society.

Running dogs

Ka'a'gee Tu/Kakisa

The three oldest students at the Kakisa Lake school are moving forward with their sled dog project.

Dalton Simba, Joey Lacorne and Waylon Simba each built a doghouse to help house the five members of the school's team. The next step is to get sleds and harnesses for the dogs.

Fiddle instructor Andrea Bettger is coming to the school on Nov. 6 to teach the students.

November babies

Tthek'ehdeli/Jean Marie River

A Halloween party hosted in the community gym by the band and the youth co-ordinator was well attended on Oct. 31.

Belated birthday wishes go out to Winston Norwegian on Nov. 1. Erma Norwegian will be celebrating her birthday on Nov. 11 followed by Esmeralda Grossetete on Nov. 12.

Waiting for solid ground

Sambaa K'e/Trout Lake

Some soft spots around the community are preventing residents from snowmobiling very far. Once the areas freeze up trappers are expected to start harvesting.

Making the best of snow

Pehdzeh Ki/Wrigley

Many residents in the community have had their snowmobiles tuned up and are taking advantage of the fresh snow. Some trappers have already been out on their lines harvesting martins.

The Pehdzeh Ki First Nation is taking advantage of the ferry closure to hold a band council meeting this week while all the councillors are in the community. As of Nov. 3 the date of the meeting hadn't been set.

Learning to grieve

Deh Gah Got'ie Koe/Fort Providence

The Zhahti Koe Friendship Centre will be hosting a family grief and loss workshop from Nov. 21 to 23. Anyone who's interested in attending the workshop can contact the centre. Participants will be responsible for their travel, meals and accommodations.

Running for office

Acho Dene Koe/Fort Liard

The Dechita Society is holding elections for president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and six other board members on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.

Aurora College held an open house in the community on Nov. 5.

 More Northern News in Web and PDF format