Nov. 2
Cranbrook Air Search and Rescue took part in a training exercise, using the complete range of activities that would normally take place during a search for a missing aircraft.
Nov. 3
Legion places flags in advance of Nov. 11
Local members of the Royal Canadian Legion—Cranbrook Branch 24—honoured fallen comrades at the veterans section of the cemetery. Located just off Cobham Avenue, local veterans gathered and marked the headstones with Canadian flags as a local piper played the bagpipes.
Nov. 4
Cranbrook hosts mining conference
The mining industry gathered in Cranbrook for as the biennial Minerals South Conference and Trade Show hosted by the East Kootenay Chamber of Mines got underway.
Nov. 5
Elko station the last of its kind
An architectural and heritage gem of the East Kootenay has been through some tough times, but proved to be tough in its own right.
Nov. 6
B.C. SPCA celebrated millionth adoption
The B.C. SPCA hit a milestone later in the month of November. The organization hit it's one millionth adoption and celebrated by calling for photos of people with their adopted pets to post on the B.C. SPCA Facebook page.
Nov. 9
Canal Flats mill officially closed
The union decried the closing of the Canal Flats sawmill, which officially closed up after nearly 100 years of operation in the Columbia Valley in various forms.
Nov. 10
RDEK updated on Canal Flats mill closure
The Village of Canal Flats was about to transition into a new era as the Canfor sawmill closed on Monday, Nov. 9. The mill site, which was in operation in one form or another since the 1960s, had a shift reduction in May that cut over 80 jobs, before a permanent closure was announced in September.
Nov. 12
Kimberley to sign jail cell agreement with Cranbrook
For five years, rather than upgrade the jail cells in Kimberley at considerable price, prisoners of Kimberley RCMP are sent to Cranbrook RCMP cells, where they are housed for a cost. The city of Kimberley had signed a contract with the city of Cranbrook for the service, and that contract was up for renewal for another five-year term.
Nov. 13
Investigation continued into school rooftop fire
The investigation into a fire at Laurie Middle School continued, as school district staff shut down the building for repairs stemming from a rooftop blaze. Cranbrook RCMP along with Fire and Emergency Services responded to the fire, as fire fighters extinguished the blaze and police assisted with an investigation into the cause.
Nov. 16
City sought new CAO
The City of Cranbrook sought a new CAO, and Wayne Staudt planned to leave his position at the end of his contract. A posting on www.civicinfo.bc.ca said the City wanted to hire an experienced chief administrative officer for a competition that closed Dec. 14, 2015.
Nov. 17
MLAs heard from constituents on ALR changes
There were public meetings held this week to discuss an Agricultural Land Commission boundary review. Some landowners received letters stating that their land would removed from the Agricultural Land Reserve, while others had not.
Nov. 18
Cranbrook, Kimberley joined sales forces
From the moment Don McCormick started campaigning for mayor in 2014, one of the things he spoke most about was regional economic development. Which is why he was very keen to make a success of a new venture, the Cranbrook Kimberley Development Initiative.
Nov. 19
Teck shuttering Coal Mountain
Mining company Teck Resources Ltd. cut 1,000 jobs around the world through a combination of layoffs and attrition as part of a plan to reduce spending next year by $650 million.
Nov. 20
Childcare positions aren't being filled in the East Kootenay
Child care in the East Kootenays was lacking, according to a delegation that spoke to council. Katherine Bonnell and Mary Noble, from the East Kootenay Child Care Needs Assessment Advisory Committee, talked about child care needs in the area at a council meeting.
Nov. 23
Here comes the weather
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement in effect for much of the East Kootenay, including Invermere and Cranbrook. The statement issued Sunday said winter driving conditions had arrived.
Nov. 24
Cranbrook RCMP arrest man wanted by FBI
On Sunday, Cranbrook RCMP arrested a man that was wanted in the U.S by the FBI. Staff Sgt. Hector Lee said an off-duty officer spotted the wanted man near the 2100 block of Cranbrook Street North on Sunday afternoon.
Nov. 25
Slow down on the road, Mainroad urges
Winter had arrived so Mainroad reminded everyone to please drive safe especially when approaching a highway maintenance vehicle.
Nov. 26
Cranbrook got $25K for a community grant
Cranbrook received $25,138 from the provincial government as part of annual compensation for municipal property taxes through a grant-in-lieu program.
Nov. 27
Church group sponsoring Syrian refugee family
A Syrian refugee family could be coming to Cranbrook thanks to the efforts of a newly-formed group called the Cranbrook Hub for Refugees (CHR), a constituent
group of Christ Church Anglican, the oldest church in Cranbrook.
Nov. 28
Enrolment up in SD5
Enrolment was up at School District 5 as attendance has increased for the 2015/16 school year, according to enrolment numbers that were released at the Nov. 10 school board meeting.
Dec. 1
Ski hill opened early
It's the announcement every skier in Kimberley was waiting for — the Kimberley Alpine Resort opened early. Scheduled for an opening day of December 12, KAR announced they would open for a preview weekend on December 5 and 6, 2015.
Dec. 2
Council looked at downtown patio policy
Cranbrook city council looked at revisiting policies dealing with downtown outdoor patio seating. At the time, businesses downtown are not permitted outdoor patios. Past councils have looked at the policies and kept the status quo.
Dec. 3
New IHA CEO tours through Cranbrook
With only six weeks on the job, the new CEO of Interior Health stopped by the East Kootenay Regional Hospital as part of a listening tour throughout the jurisdiction.
Dec. 4
City warns of dangerous ice conditions at Idlewild
The ongoing fluctuations in the water levels at Idlewild Lake created extreme ice hazards and the city warned the public to recognize those dangers and stay off the ice.
Dec. 7
Court rejected Hopley's bid for shorter sentence
The B.C. Court of Appeal tossed out a bid for a shorter sentence by a man who abducted a three-year-old boy from his bedroom in September 2011.
Dec. 8
Family will need help after scoliosis surgery
The life of a young Cranbrook girl — a competitive gymnast — changed dramatically since she was diagnosed with a severe case of Scoliosis. Merrit, 12, will undergo the first of two surgeries at the end of the month, and the intensive care required after will put a great financial strain on the household.
Dec. 9
City council had a spirited discussion on hosting a Grand Slam of Curling event in 2017 at a regular meeting on Dec 7. The debate focused on the prudence of holding an expanded version of the event, by including a second tier of competition that would bump the event from 30 to 60 professional teams.
Dec. 10
Vanden Broek named Citizen of the Year
Frank Vanden Broek was named the 2015 Cranbrook Citizen of the year.
Dec. 11
Clocktower gets upgraded
A significant Cranbrook landmark underwent a significant upgrade as the streets of downtown were soothed by the sound of the Westminster chimes — or other appropriate music — once an hour, on the hour. As well, the clock in the clock tower in Spirit Square kept deadly accurate time, all the time.
Dec. 14
MLA addressed energy at Chamber meeting
Energy was on the mind of Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett as he addressed the Chamber of Commerce at a monthly luncheon. Bennett, the Minister of Energy and Mines, was the keynote speaker for the event, and spoke about British Columbia's leadership in energy conservation and climate action.
Dec. 15
Boxer-clad stalwarts braved the chill on Baker
The Cranbrook and District Community Foundation smashed their goal for the Miracle on Baker Street fundraiser, and raised over double the amount they hoped for. The event raised $55,463 that went towards the Salvation Army's efforts to build a 24/7 homeless shelter in Cranbrook.
Dec. 16
RCMP investigated uttering threats incident at high school
On Friday December 11, 2015, at around 11:30 a.m., the Cranbrook RCMP received a call from staff at Mount Baker Secondary School in regards to the discovery of conversations and texted communications between students that were threatening in nature.
Dec. 17
Locals pushed back against negative travel guide review
Nathan Siemens and Lee Tengum took exception to the description of Cranbrook —'A depressingly workaday town—in a review by Lonely Planet, and kicked off a unique awareness campaign with coffee mugs.
Dec. 18
McArthur wins gold at North American championship
When you're on the top, everyone guns for you. However, Gord McArthur brushed off the competition and climbed his way to a second consecutive
title at the North American Championships last weekend in Bozeman. Fellow Cranbrook athletes Noah Beek and Karlee Hall also climbed to third and second place, respectively.
Dec. 21
Concerns raised for welfare of loose cheetah
A cheetah on the loose in British Columbia's Interior was still unaccounted for after it was last spotted roaming a snowy highway in the Kootenay region a few days prior. Conservation officers urged people to phone in any tips or sightings of the big cat.
Dec. 22
Global circumnavigation
Markus Pukoneh was on a journey around the world and doing it in the most environmentally conscious way he can—without using any motorized transport.
Dec. 23
Urban deer translocation trial was set for this winter
After extensive planning and discussions, a trial project to translocate urban mule deer from four communities in the East Kootenay was set to begin later in 2016.
Dec. 24
Local ski-cross racer headed to Norway
A Cranbrook athlete won a spot at the Youth Olympic Games in Norway. Following in the footsteps of India Sherret, a local ski cross racer who went to the same event a few years ago, Zoe Chore notched the same achievement, and qualified for the latest edition of the same event in February 2016.