NEWS: Winterfest Plans
NEWS: Police Report
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015
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Hunting guide fined $20,425 By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
SNOW Scramble
Jackie Lieuwen/Houston Today
Over two feet of snow fell over the course of three days, January 4 to 6. Houston Chief Administrative Officer Michael Glavin says six employees and six pieces of equipment were out clearing snow, several working overtime to get the snow under control. “We appreciate the public patience and the cooperation we received while trying to keep the roads open and clearing the side streets,” Glavin said.
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Granisle Hunting Guide Outfitter Stewart Berg is facing a total of $20,425 fine for hunting violations. Sentenced in Smithers court January 6, Berg was found guilty for guiding a client to shoot a grizzly in the wrong management area in the fall of 2011. “He received a number of letters from the Wildlife Branch saying his quota had changed, indicating that he was no longer able to harvest grizzly bears in a particular m a n a g e m e n t unit,” said Kevin Nixon, Sergeant of Conservation Services in the Bulkley-Stikine Zone. “For whatever reason, he continued to hunt there and had a client harvest a grizzly bear in an area where he was told he could not harvest a grizzly bear anymore.”
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Mexican client shot grizzly outside of guide area
- CO Sgt. Kevin Nixon
The grizzly was shot by a Mexican client on the east side of Babine Lake, part of region seven near the border to region six, said Sgt. Nixon. Berg was sentenced guilty for three violations by the Honourable Judge Christine Birnie. With two years to pay, Berg was fined $15,000 for the grizzly shot outside his management area, as well as $2,000 for incomplete guide declarations and $2,000 for late guide submissions. See HUNT on Page 3
Houston residential assessment values drop in 2015 By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
Houston property values are among the few to drop in the northwest area in 2015. A BC Assessment report says the total value of residential properties in Houston dropped 1.7 percent
in 2015, from $159,963,000 in 2014 to $157,184,000 in 2015. But even with this drop overall, BC Assessment reports that the average value of homes in Houston is the same. The value of an average single family dwelling was estimated
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surprised by the busy market. Last year “actually ended up being one the busiest years I’ve had, which is surprising because of the mill closure,” she said. “It was a very good year. It started in June, and it’s been very steady.” Even now, during
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2014 was “one of the busiest years I’ve had,”
$140,000 in 2015, the same as it was valued in 2014. The total value of
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businesses in Houston has actually gone up 0.6 percent, from $56,771,000 in 2014 to
$57,102,000 in 2015. Those numbers are based on information collected July 2014 and local real estate agencies agree they are still accurate. Remax owner Lia Long says overall property values are “pretty much the same” this year as last year and she’s been
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the season when real estate is normally pretty quiet, Long is still keeping busy. She says Remax sold 63 properties in Houston and five in Topley in 2014 and now she feels like they’re almost short on listings. See HOME on Page 2
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