December
2 – Despite some backlash, Fruitvale council decided to open up its seniors-only gym to younger people. Hours are set for non-senior use, and the facility is no longer free effective Jan. 2020.
3 – The latest report from the Trail Health and Environment Committee shows that the average blood lead level in children tested is the lowest to date.
5 – A government-run cannabis store opened in the Waneta Plaza. It’s the 10th government store in the province and the fifth cannabis outlet in the Greater Trail area.
9 – Trail council approves a concept design for Groutage Ave., which will include infrastructure, enhanced lighting, signs and better landscaping between the Skywalk and Jubilee Park.
10 – The Village of Warfield has joined other West Kootenay communities to aim for a 100 per cent renewable energy transition over the next 30 years.
12 – A $920,000 grant to the Skills Centre in Trail and Grand Forks will provide training opportunities for workers 55-and-over who wish to build skills for a new career.
18 – Trail’s “Serenader of Song” Jack Vellutini turned 100 years-old.
19 – Four fires in East Trail were confirmed as arson by police. A few days later a suspect was arrested.
19 – A Castlegar woman in her 30s died in an accident on the Paulson Pass when her car was reported to have been struck by a semi during a winter storm.
21 – In an online poll, Trail Times readers select “crime increase” as the top local story from 2019. Tearing down the Union Hotel was ranked second followed by construction at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, the federal election and the climate change issue.
