CBC Newfoundland Morning

January has been a disheartening month for many snow lovers, but there was good news today. Marble Mountain ski hill was scheduled to open in the morning. It's taken a lot of work and perseverance to get the hill ready. Bruce Hollett is executive chair of the board of directors of Marble Mountain.

It's a hard time of year for many people in this province. The cost of everything is rising -- from groceries to utilities, and money is getting tighter. On top of that, it's mid-January and many people are dealing with paying off the expense of the holiday season. A recent poll found out that almost 50 percent of Atlantic Canadians are two-hundred dollars or less away from being unable to pay their monthly bills. The survey was conducted by the company Ipsos and by a consulting firm called MNP Ltd. Lauren Holwell is executive director of Credit Counselling Newfoundland and Labrador.

After more than 50 years in operation, the Bank of Montreal is closing its branch in Port au Choix on July 25th. The announcement was made earlier this week and took many residents of the area by surprise. The BMO branch will close Donald Spence is mayor of Port au Choix.

On Monday, Donald Trump will be inaugurated for his second term as United States President. The invitation list includes several billionaires, podcasters, and of course political leaders, including our own Premier Andrew Furey. Furey says he'll attend, along with other Canadian premiers. Provincial Progressive Conservative leader Tony Wakeham wonders why Furey really needs to be there.

It's been a devastating couple of days for the St. Anthony Boys and Girls Club. A historic building that was their home was destroyed by fire on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the board of directors held an emergency meeting, and executive director Carmella Rose told us about it.

It was a terrible night last night in St. Anthony, as a fire broke out at and destroyed a historic building. The building was home to the St. Anthony Boys and Girls Club., but the structure dates back to the days of the Grenfell Mission. Everyone was able to get out of the building, but the Boys and Girls Club is a total loss. Krista Lynn Howell is MHA for the district of St. Barbe-L'Anse aux Meadows and provincial education minister. She's also a former mayor of St. Anthony.

Experts studying the education system in this province say changes are needed. Last week, the NL government released the interim education accord. It's a plan to tackle the problems of low student engagement, chronic absenteeism and increasing violence in schools. It also outlined a need to help students make the switch to post secondary education. The CBC’s Amy Feehan visited Grenfell Campus, Memorial University to see if post-secondary students feel their education had prepared them for success.

People in Fox Island River-Point au Mal say there's little to show for all the government money that's gone into fixing up their road. The community is about 25 minutes drive from Stephenville, and the only road to it runs right along by the ocean. Storm surges and coastal erosion have been taking their toll for more than a decade. Provincial government contracts awarded to fix the road since 2022 were valued at 1.9 million dollars, but after a recent storm, Yve LeRoy of Fox Island River posted a video that shows just how bad the road still is. Tony Wakeham is MHA for the area, representing the district of Stephenville-Port au Port, as well as Opposition Leader.

While we do have a little snow on the ground in most parts of the island, the winter so far has been pretty mild. If you’ve been out for a walk lately, you might have noticed more squirrels and birds and other animals than you normally would this time of year. Animals are also noticing the changes in the winter weather. Michael Peers is an ecologist and researcher at Memorial University. He studies how climate change is impacting wildlife in our forests.

We have some information to share that could help save lives, maybe the life of someone you know. It's about reducing the harm from drug use and preventing drug overdoses. Jessica Rex is with the Safe Works Access Program of the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador. That organization provides safe supplies for people who use drugs and also provides Naloxone kits. Jessica is the program manager for Corner Brook/Western.