Wildfires, AI and bears, oh my

And a $20,000 harp joins the orchestra and axe-throwing on offer at the drive-in

I’ve had my first “there’s a bear just over there” warning of the year while out on a dog walk so it’s officially keep your garbage secure season, not that that ever ended. The real question, I guess, is this going to be a normal year or was last year’s huge number of urban bear sightings a sign of things to come? Either way, this footage is adorable:

More troubling is the fact we saw our first evacuation alert of the season issued yesterday, for the Endako area, as 7 new wildfires were sparked in the central Interior. Taken on their own, none of these are a big deal — relatively small, under control, etc. But in the context of there still being very little precipitation, underlying dry conditions and the fact that it is only April, this is a good reminder to be ready and be aware of the fact that anything that can spark a fire should be treated with caution — operating of machinery, ATVing in the backcountry and, of course, things like campfires, smoking, etc. It’s also as good a time as any to re-up this guide on how to get information about wildfires that I wrote a few years ago and ported over to this newsletter last year on May 6 — three weeks later than is necessary this year :(

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AI is on Facebook now

And finally, since so much of this city runs on Facebook it feels like it should be noted that Meta, the parent company that runs Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Threads has replaced the search funcion with a non-disabable AI chatbot which I absolutely hate. My take on AI as it currently stands is less “this is going to replace our jobs and force us to serve computer overlords” and more “this is going to make the internet that much less reliable.” Since it’s here, you should read this post on how it works and really internalize the message of not trusting it. Also, if anyone sees it responding in local Facebook groups, like it has here in Sherwood Park, Alberta, email me screenshot and a link at northerncapitalnews@gmail.com. I am morbidly curious to see how it interacts with people in Hell Yeah PG .

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Prince George Symphony Orchestra Brings Concert Harp to the City

This is just a press release from the PGSO but I find it pretty fascinating:

The Prince George Symphony Orchestra has purchased a concert grand pedal harp – the first such instrument to reside in the city in decades - and audiences can hear it this month. The instrument is a Salvi Daphne SE 47-string concert harp made in Italy and worth over $20,000. 

“At first, you might think it’s surprising that a harp costs about as much as a car,” commented Ken Hall, Executive Director of the PGSO, “but it starts to make sense when you realize it has just as many moving parts as that car and is largely hand crafted.” 

The harp was purchased through the generosity of Fred & Daniella van der Post and supported by a grant from the Prince George Community Foundation. 

“The Prince George Community Foundation is pleased to support the purchase of this new harp through our Fall 2023 grant cycle to not only support the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, but further support encouraging young artists to pursue musical instruments with the PG Conservatory of Music,” said Stephanie Deol, Prince George Community Foundation Vice-President & Grants Committee Chair. 

Between symphony concerts, the harp will be housed at the Prince George Conservatory of Music, providing opportunities for harpists at the Conservatory to learn the instrument. The Conservatory has an active student harpist community, but until now they have all played on smaller “lever” harps. 

“Having a harp in the city opens up so many possibilities for the symphony,” said PGSO Music Director Michael Hall. “It allows us to present some of the greatest works of the orchestral repertoire as they were intended by the composer - without having to ship a large delicate instrument back and forth from Vancouver. It also allows us to support local harpists in a very practical and exciting way. We’re very grateful that Fred and the PGCF are allowing us to support the wonderful musicians of our community in this way.” 

You can see it an open house and recital this coming Saturday and it will be featured in the symphony’s final production of the season on May 5.

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News roundup:

• Some praise for the city’s efforts at keeping bike lanes clear of gravel. I biked this weekend and noticed it, too!

• The Park Drive-In theatre has added axe throwing and archery to its offerings, alongside mini-golf, go-karting and, of course, drive-in movies.

• Police say a missing 62-year-old man has been found dead at a rest area near Purden Lake. His death is being investigated as a homicide.

• Walmart has reopened after it was smashed into Friday morning, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.

• The 420 street party received high praise from those who turned out (as reported by MyPGNow and CKPG) but the part I found notable is how the out-of-town folks were pretty pleased to have a city that doesn’t seem hostile to the market as they’ve encountered in their hometowns.

• Tickets to the Prince George Cougars home playoff games against Portland went on sale Saturday morning and sold out within hours. This is deepest playoff run the team has had since 2006-07.

• A multi-month interruption is looming for recycling drop off at Fraser-Fort George Regional District transfer stations as the service is about to go through a major revamp.

• Owner talks about the aftermath of a fire that swept up the back wall of her downtown Prince George store, Niche Clothing & Trading Co., on Tuesday, April 9. “You know what? That’s somebody’s kid you’re talking about,” Young said. “That’s somebody’s auntie or son – they are somebody’s family member and they have been tossed aside by society. And they need to be looked after. It breaks my heart to see them like this.”

• Eight months after a natural gas explosion and fire demolished the former Achillion Greek Cuisine restaurant and injured three people in downtown Prince George, the pile of wreckage left behind has finally been cleaned up.

  Commonwealth Campus Corporation, which owns the property at 422 Dominion St., paid the more than $100,000 cleanup cost to have the eyesore removed, after months of wait for the insurance company, Lloyd’s of London, to complete the claims process and cover the cost.

• Granddaughter convinced Show Home winners to buy tickets.

• 18 year old Westside Academy student Antonia Tannert Von Baer is this year’s Royal Canadian Legion National Youth Remembrance Contest.

• And a reminder — big city council meeting tonight.

• Today’s song:

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Send feedback by emailing northerncapitalnews@gmail.com. Find me online at akurjata.ca.