Calls for a safer campus and a new ice hall

Students in Luleå demand a safer campus as 2000 workers move into Aurora village. In Boden, hockey parents want politicians to build a new B-hall, and Jokkmokk municipality is planning a cold-storage facility despite a legal warning.

Students want a safer campus at Aurora village

At the turn of the year, 2,000 workers are expected to move into the Aurora village contractor housing development on Storporsön in Luleå. The area is just under a kilometre from Luleå University of Technology (LTU), and more than 600 students at the university have signed the petition “Move Aurora village”.

The initiative began after an information meeting on campus about partying responsibly, but which quickly turned into a discussion about the move-in. The Teknologkåren, the students’ union at LTU, is now calling for action: – We want it to feel safe to move around on campus even when the area gets more people, says union chair Emilia Takkinen. NSD

Piteå municipality introduces new system for facilities and grants

Piteå municipality is introducing the digital system Rbok, which is intended to make it easier to book municipal facilities, apply for grants and manage their details. From 19 October, associations can register in the system, which will be put into use at the turn of the year.

Rbok will become a shared service for the municipality’s activities within culture, parks and leisure, social services and education, with the aim of reducing administrative work for associations. – We want to make it easier for associations to stay in contact with the municipality, says Stina Ingvarsson, development strategist at the Department of Culture, Parks and Leisure. Piteå-Tidningen

Hockey parents demand a decision on a new B hall in Boden

Two weeks ago, the municipal council in Boden – the municipality's elected decision-making body – decided to postpone the question of a new ice rink, known as a B hall. This has sparked strong reactions among club members, who say that the current situation without a B hall limits activities for hundreds of children and young people.

The former balloon hall has long been the subject of discussion and was ruled out in the spring. The parents now warn that the shortage of ice surfaces could lead to children leaving both the sport and the municipality, and they want politicians to stop investigating and come up with a concrete solution. NSD

Jokkmokk bets on a cold-storage facility despite legal warning

Despite a legal warning, Jokkmokk municipality is planning a new industrial cold-storage facility after Kvickströms Charkuteri requested help with refrigerated storage. The municipal board's budget proposal includes 300,000 SEK for design work in 2027 and a net investment of 3 million SEK in 2028, labelled “Prioritised politics”.

In a legal memorandum from Advokatbyrån Kaiding, it is described how the Municipalities Act – the law governing what municipalities may do – does not permit individual support for private companies other than in exceptional circumstances. Municipal commissioner Roland Boman (FJK) says the plans have been changed into a facility for several food companies, while the Left Party questions the investment as the municipality is heading for a budget deficit of several million SEK. The processed-meat company's CEO Magnus Kvickström says the company is short of money following a 25 million SEK investment in the factory in Näsberg. SVT Nyheter Norrbotten

Sunpine turns 20 – without its head office in Piteå

Biodiesel producer Sunpine is turning 20, but just in time for the anniversary, the biorefinery no longer has its head office in Piteå. – It is clear that things will be different, says CEO David Öquist.

– For all the years I have been here, there has been some kind of crisis, he says. Öquist started work just over six years ago, and not long after that, the pandemic broke out and caused oil prices to fall. Some time later, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, causing the highest oil prices seen since the beginning of the century. Piteå-Tidningen

Accidents halted traffic on roads 97 and 94

Traffic on road 97 between N Bredåker and Krokbäcken in both directions is affected by an accident involving a passenger car, according to Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration, the government agency responsible for roads and railways.

On road 94 between Flurheden and Vistträsk, two vehicles collided. According to Trafikverket, the incident had a major impact on traffic, and one lane was blocked. The warning was sent out at 21.16 on Sunday, and traffic was expected to be affected until 22.16. NSD and Piteå-Tidningen

In brief

• Luleå municipality is proceeding with a detailed plan for up to 100 new homes in Sunderbyn, including 20 plots for detached houses in the first stage. Norrbottens-Kuriren
• A 33-year-old woman from Piteå wants to encourage more women to dare invest in the stock market and advises having ice in one's stomach and thinking long-term. SVT Nyheter Norrbotten
• A hotel in central Luleå donated its furnishings ahead of a renovation – according to the hotel's sales and conference director, around 200 people queued up before the doors opened. SVT Nyheter Norrbotten
• The Kuriren's Halloween competition ”Your best fright” was won by a story about a night shift at Sunderby Hospital in 2015. Norrbottens-Kuriren
• English club Sheffield Lasers won the Niclas Wallin Cup in Boden after a 3–0 victory over Boden Hockey in the final. Norrbottens-Kuriren
• Kimi Antonelli, 20, became the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history after finishing third in the Mexican Grand Prix. Piteå-Tidningen