ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022 | OP-ED | A11
Fundraising swells for seniors
SENIORS HALL By Ruby McBeth
H
appy Easter to everyone. Let us hope that the year to come is a year of new beginnings for all of us.
RUBY MCBETH PHOTO
Wendy Clayson put up this poster to acknowledge all the donors to the GoFundMe campaign.
Cryptocurrency and sustainability By Ken Boon
L
ike it or not, it seems like cryptocurrency is here to stay. I personally don’t really see the need for yet another form of currency, but what do I know? There are those who proclaim it as a form of freedom from government oversight, which sounds perfect for criminals as well. Of course, many see it as an investment opportunity, like we needed more of those too. However, I don’t really care about all of that. What bothers me is the enormous waste of electricity required to do the blockchain mining. The statistics are staggering: “The average energy consumption for one single Bitcoin transaction in 2022 could equal several hundreds of thousands of VISA card transactions,” reads a report from Statista. Some of the energy consumption numbers given for cryptocurrency transactions are hard to believe, but suffice to say that they require lots of energy. While still in its infancy, total cryptocurrency power consumption is surpassing the total usage of various countries around the world. There is speculation that some of that may change with advances in technology, but that is by no means guaranteed at this time. The high demands of blockchain mining has resulted in a ‘gold rush’ search for large amounts of cheap power, preferably in cool climates, and B.C. has laid out the welcome mat for them. That is the part that really ticks me off. I suppose having had most of our farmland expropriated for the lie that Site C dam was needed to power “450,000 homes” makes me more sensitive than most to this new waste of electricity, but we should all be concerned. Despite decades of repeated predictions by BCH that demand would go up, consumption of electricity in B.C. has basically flatlined despite a growing population. Of course, those predictions were required to build a false business case for Site C, but the reality was that new efficiencies and the permanent closure of many mills cancelled out any increase in demand. So the B.C. government and BCH were giddy to see a new potential customer in cryptocur-
rency. Of course, those “mining” operations need cheap power to be profitable, so rest assured that you and I are subsidizing them with our higher residential rates. In response to climate change and smart economics, the switch to electrification is happening around the world. I have no doubt that B.C. will need additional electricity generation in the future, and all forms of generation do have an environmental and carbon footprint. Fortunately, the lowest footprint and cheapest cost is now from green renewables such as solar and wind. In fact, the absolutely lowest impact will come from distributed generation such as solar net-metering into the grid from homes and such. This can be done with virtually no additional grid distribution cost, and B.C. is well positioned to gain any foreseeable additional load from that. This would be a win-win for ratepayers and the utility, unlike the waste of money and environmental damage from megaprojects such as Site C. So that is the good news, but the bad news is how we are taking on a massive new load with little if any benefit to society. In a world that is switching to electrification, we need to be smarter on how we use it. It is reported that Tim BernersLee, credited as the inventor of the World Wide Web, has gone so far as to describe “Bitcoin mining” as “one of the most fundamentally pointless ways of using energy.” I think that pretty much sums it up. Ken Boon lives and writes at Bear Flat.
New kits at the library There is an interesting addition to the collection at your public library: Cognitive Care Kits. There are four boxes and each includes items that can be used to help stimulate brain activity in people whose mental processes are declining. I went into the library to check them out. Each of the boxes contains a variety of activities. Examples are a simple jigsaw puzzle, a word search, colouring pages with pencil crayons, a kit for making a flower arrangement, and a set of pictures of adult life around 60 years ago. This latter could be used to spark a conversation. If you have a friend who you think could benefit from one of these boxes you could borrow one to share with them. The library still runs a CLICK program to help seniors learn about computers. If your doctor has moved away and you are having trouble getting online to register for another doctor, the people at the library will help you. Zone 12 news The next meeting of the Zone
12 Senior Games is on April 20 at 1 p.m. in the Fort St. John Seniors Hall. The Senior Games people are looking for a registrar. The job involves entering the registration information into the computer. The registrar does not need to be attending the Games but it is helpful if they have attended in the past. Mary Wheat, who has done the job for years, is willing to help the new person learn the ropes. Phone Annette Reeder at 250-7934394 if you are interested. Seniors Club news The recent GoFundMe drive raised $10,000 for the Seniors Club lunch program. Donations came in from Fort St. John and rural area, all across Canada and all over the world. A donor wall has been put up to recognize and thank every donor. Thank you all. Learning the Lingo This week’s term is podcast. A podcast is a series of audio files. It is like having a serial story in a magazine with a new chapter each week. People enjoy following podcasts on their favourite topics. Many podcasts are free and available through podcast apps on your phone or computer. Quote of the week “Easter is very important to me. It’s a second chance.” (Reba McEntire) Ruby McBeth lives and writes in Fort St. John.
He is risen indeed
T
his Easter weekend, Christians around the world whose faith is rooted in history and an empty tomb will celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with these famous words “He is Risen – He is Risen indeed.” The greatest story ever told was preceded by the suffering in the last two days of Jesus’s life. It included the plot, the Last Supper, Garden of Gethsemane, arrest, mock trial, the Cross, Crucifixion, death, and burial. Jesus warned His disciples many times about His impending death but much later the Apostle Paul stated the obvious: “Christ, our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed.” Plot: It is interesting that the chief priests, Sadducees, along with the elders of the people, the Sanhedrin, the 70-member Supreme Jewish council who were usually at loggerheads, concocted a plot of secretly arresting Jesus to have Him killed. As it turned out a riot ensued. Last Supper: One of the world’s most recognized paintings is the Passover Seder that Jesus celebrated with His disciples. If you are ever in Israel on a Friday, traffic is slowing down around noon and by midafternoon a limited number of vehicles are around, and then you notice pedestrians walking with challah bread, wine, and flowers to their family homes to celebrate their Sabbath which begins at sundown. Garden of Gethsemane: The Garden located on the Mount of Olives is a beautiful ancient olive treed garden. Jesus took three of His disciples, Peter, James, and John into the deeper orchard with Him where He ultimately prayed to His (Our) Father: “Not as I will but as you will.” Every time I go to the Garden, I pray the same prayer but unlike Jesus despite good intentions I fail. Arrest: It was while He was in the Garden that Judas betrayed Him, and He was arrested. Jesus reminded His disciples with swords drawn that He had thousands of angels at His beck and call as He submitted to the arresting officials. He knew what lay ahead for Him, but He also knew that He had come to earth as the sacrificial lamb to take the sins of mankind.
Kangaroo court: Jesus was taken to a court ministered by Caiaphas, the high priest where they hurriedly got false witnesses to testify against Him. The Sadducees, Scribes, and Pharisees didn’t want innocent blood on their hands, so they took Him to Pilate as they wanted the Romans to kill Him as a pretender to the throne as King of the Jews. Carrying the Cross: Jesus was scourged, mocked and spit upon with a crown of thorns placed on His head and He was forced to carry the Cross to Calvary, but He was collapsing under its weight, so they had a bystander, Simon of Cyrene, to carry it for Him. Many of these same people had proclaimed Hosanna (blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord) just days earlier when He had entered Jerusalem. The Crucifixion: Essentially crucifixion is death by torture. It was a Roman custom to place a sign over the neck of the person being hung and in Jesus case it was “King of the Jews.” Jesus’ death: Jesus was dying on the cross when suddenly in a loud voice He uttered a direct quote from Psalm 21: “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” and then he died. He had taken the sins of the world once and for all. There was rejoicing in hell, but it was premature as there was an upcoming matter of the empty tomb. The Tomb: The priests and scribes remembered Jesus saying (interestingly not the disciples) “After 3 days I will rise again”, so they made arrangements with Pilate to have the tomb sealed and placed with a company of guards to ward off any grave robbers. Resurrection: The details of Jesus resurrection are detailed in scripture, but the Apostle Paul sums it up so wonderfully: “If Christ has not been raised our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Because of His Resurrection and as we submit to Him as Savior and Lord, He changes our lives so how can we not joyfully, emotionally and thankfully not declare “HE IS RISEN; HE IS RISEN INDEED.” John Grady lives and writes in Fort St John.
ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A12 | NEWS | THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022
100 Street closes for summer reconstruction
TOM SUMMER PHOTO
Construction crews begin tearing up 100 Street at 99 Avenue on Monday morning. 100 street will be closed between 99 and 101 avenues this construction season as phase three of its rebuild through downtown gets underway.
Locally-raised singer Kyle McKearney making name for himself in Alberta
the public from active construction zones, the city says. Construction will run until the fall, and this will be the third phase of the multiyear rebuild of 100 Street to replace underground water and sewer lines the city says were installed in the 1940s and 1950s. Knappett Industries, which built the first two phases between 96 and 99 avenues, has the $9.22-million tender for construction, approved by city council in March. City council approved a finalized plan for the 100 Street rebuild through downtown in 2019. Work is planned to continue up to 105 Avenue over the next several years.
North Peace SAR mourns founding member
Dave Luenberg sports@ahnfsj.ca A country music artist with Fort St. John roots is making inroads in Alberta’s music scene, placing second in a competition put on by a Calgary radio station and the province’s music industry association. Kyle McKearney, who is now based in Airdrie, was recently presented with a $75,000 cheque from Alberta Music in a contest known as Project Wild. “It’s an incubator program where 12 artists get selected from everyone who applies from around the province,” explains the 37-year-old raised in the Grandhaven neighbourhood of town. “(They) then go through a series of challenges where they have to do a bunch of work to accomplish goals and meet criteria that is on brand.” McKearney clarifies that ‘on brand’ is the singer’s identity, something that shows who they are as an artist, and gives them a foundation for the contest’s challenges. For McKearney, though, it wasn’t always country, who categorizes his current sound as Americana roots, comparing it to artists like Steve Earle and Chris Stapleton. In 2002, after graduating high school, the young 17-year-old moved to Nashville, but it was his move to Vancouver a year later that would set up a future path with the rock band Hard Honey, and the selftitled song Hard Honey that brought him notoriety. Project Wild, first established in 2016, but cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, had a series of challenges, outlines McKearney, including a charity challenge where the con-
The City of Fort St. John says work on the next phase of the 100 Street rebuild began last Sunday, April 10, and has prompted a closure between 99 and 101 avenues. Traffic will be again be detoured using 98 and 102 Streets, and the city says affected businesses will remain open, however, their access may be modified slightly. The downtown transit bus exchange in front of the North Peace Cultural Centre will also be temporarily relocated to 100 Street between 97 and 98 avenue as of Sunday. All transit routes will be rerouted until further notice. Sidewalks will remain open, with screened construction fencing separating
Kyle McKearney, who grew up in Fort St. John, was awarded $75,000 for placing second in a music competition. (Facebook/imkylemckearney)
testant had to partner with a non-profit group and a find a way to raise funds. “There was also a merchandise challenge and a collaboration project where we had to work with someone outside of the project to do a song or video, or some form of art, and an introduction video outlining who we were.” The NPSS grad, in essence, putting together a business proposal as if he were making a presentation to investors, and with a first-place prize of $100,953 that’s exactly what it was. Competitors, he says, were also required to turn in a 50 to 100-page report detailing how they carried out their challenges before completing the final task – a live showcase performance on stage, which accounted
for 40% of their grade. With the competition now over, and his proposal accepted by the judges, McKearney says the next step will be to put his plan into motion. “Making a new record, marketing it, promoting it, doing some videos, revamping the website,” just some of the things on his list. “The money goes pretty fast,” he admits. His first priority: to get words and music put together for a new album, a project still in the early stages. Besides writing, McKearney is hoping, with the easing of Covid restrictions, to get in some shows this summer. One confirmed date is here in the Peace, the Halfway River Rodeo in August.
North Peace Search and Rescue is mourning the loss of one of its founding members. Anthony Stones died March 11 at the age of 79, known as a mentor and friend to many after enjoying a 30-year career teaching SAR skills to students across the province. Brian Lamond, president of North Peace SAR, says Stones was a valued friend with a deep love of teaching and mentoring others, and often the first to volunteer for any kind of outreach effort or initiative. “He contributed greatly to the tracking community. He had a flair for tracking and that took him all over the province to teach search and rescue members,” said Lamond. “Just an all-around good guy, he put everything into it. I can’t say enough good things about him.” Stone was one the original founders of the North Peace
Anthony Stones
SAR, joining in 1985 and retiring around 2015, Lamond said. But he continued to be a part of the community. “He worked long past retirement and was always there. If there was a fundraising activity or providing security and first aid in town to different venues and events, Tony’s name was always on the list,” said Lamond.
RCMP investigating after shots fired at home Mounties say they are investigating what they believe was a targeted shooting at a Fort St. John home in Mathews Park last week. Officers were called to 92A Street and 89th Avenue around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, after receiving a report of what was believed to be bullet holes in a residence, according to Fort St. John RCMP. Frontline and plainclothes officers closed 92A Street for several hours to investigate. Investigators confirmed the multiple holes to be bullet holes, “and have reason to suspect this was a targeted incident,” police said. “No
one was located in the residence when police arrived and the property representative later stated no one was in the residence at the time the shooting was believed to have occurred,” RCMP said in a news release. RCMP believe the gunshots were fired sometime between the early hours of Monday, April 4, to approximately 6 a.m. on Tuesday. Police continue to investigate, and are looking for witnesses with home video surveillance footage showing suspicious activity in the area during the times in question, or anyone else who may have heard or witnessed the incident.
GO funds awarded
TOM SUMMER PHOTO
LOOKIN’ SHARP - The Hair Bin Salon and Barber Shop celebrated 36 years of being in business last week, a testament to their dedication to serving the community’s beauty needs in the North Peace. In celebration, a draw for a barbeque was held, going out to lucky winner and patron Matt Illenseer, pictured here with Hair Bin staff Rose Schneider and Rikki Langenhoff.
Some good news for two Fort St. John groups who applied for funding through B.C. Hydro’s ‘GO’ (Generate Opportunities) initiative. The Pentacostals of Fort St. John Society’s Grace House Project will receive $10,000 while the Fort St. John Public Library Association is being awarded just under $2,500. In a release, BC Hydro outlined the grant for the Grace House Project will help with renovations and furnishings of the operation, one that helps provide women at risk with a safe home during
their transition. The project, it says, also provides support for women recovering from addiction. The remaining funding announced Thursday is being awarded to the city’s downtown library for the purchase of a new public computer server to complement its free internet access service, used in part by the homeless and semi-homeless populations, and low-income families. Just over $585,000 has been awarded to 67 different projects since its inception in September 2016.