Archive for February, 2012
Wednesday, Feb 29th
Wednesday, February 29th, 2012
A 21 year old woman from Brooks is facing charges after scalding a 15 year old girl with boiling water. Police were called to an apartment in Brooks on Glenbrook Drive late Monday night where they found the teen with extreme burns to her lower body. Investigators say the pair had been in an argument earlier that night and the 21 year old dumped a container of boiling water on the 15 year old as she slept. The victim was taken to hospital in Calgary where she’s been treated for third degree burns to her legs. The 21 year old was arrested and is facing aggravated assault charges.
A number of local non-profit organizations and amateur sports teams will be receiving funding from the City through the Provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative. Around 107 thousand dollars will be given to 21 different organizations for different projects. Among the recipients, the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede will receive 15 thousand dollars towards replacing a 70 year old water line and internet upgrades. Some of the other organizations that get funding include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity and Kidsport. More than 33 organizations requested almost 500 thousand dollars in funding—with the city making their decisions based on specific criteria.
City police are increasing their presence in school zones after numerous complaints about traffic and parking violations around area schools. According to police, they will be increasing enforcement of all traffic and parking laws in the area with a zero tolerance approach to infractions. Officers will be monitoring crosswalks, parking and speed in school and playground zones throughout the city. There haven’t been any major incidents in the past few weeks, however police have noticed an increase in violations around all schools—especially Mother Theresa, St. Patrick’s and George Davison schools.
RCMP are calling an explosion and fire at a Brooks home suspicious. Just after 6 last night fire crews were called out to the home. The owner was taken to hospital with minor injuries. It’s believed the home owner was opening the back door when an explosive gust of air sent him backwards. No other injuries have been reported.
Energy industry experts are warning that a 14 cent per litre spike in gas prices in Montreal is just a taste of what Canadians can expect in the coming months. The average pump price in Montreal was $1.44 Tuesday, compared with $1.30 a day earlier. By contrast, the Canadian average only rose a penny to $1.28. Experts are predicting that gas prices will be 12 to 15 percent higher by the end of April across the country. By summer we can expect to see prices increase to $1.45 to $1.50.
Tuesday, February 28th
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
Alberta-based TransCanada plans to build the most urgently needed portion of its controversial Keystone XL pipeline. The company says it has filed a proposal to build the southern leg between Oklahoma and refineries on the Gulf Coast. The project won’t need government approval, only a regulatory stamp because it won’t cross international borders. The pipeline company said the southern leg should be in service by mid to late 2013. TransCanada also announced it will re-file its application to build the northern portion of the pipeline to transport crude from the oilsands to the Gulf Coast.
The Fraser Institute has published its annual rankings of schools in Medicine Hat. The report card shows the majority of local schools and students are either performing higher or at about the same levels as they were five years ago. The top rated elementary school in the Gas City is Mother Theresa School which scored 7.5 out of 10. River Heights and Vincent Massey came in 2nd and 3rd. The top high school was Eagle Butte which scored a 7.4. Results are based on student scores on curriculum based exams.
Animal lovers from across the country have come forward in hopes of adopting the dog that killed a newborn baby boy in Airdrie. At least a dozen people have made requests through the city of Airdrie and many more have sent messages to the baby’s parents. The two-day old baby boy was bitten by the family husky on February 15th. He died later that night in hospital. No decision has been made yet on the fate of the female husky, which is being held at a Calgary facility. Consultation is set to take place later this week between the family and a dog behavior specialist. If the family decides it doesn’t’ want the dog destroyed, the matter will be heard by a judge on March 15th.
ROCK 105.3 SPORTS….
The Edmonton Oilers scored four times in the 3rd to rally past the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 last night. Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist in the win. Elsewhere, the Calgary Flames fell 3-1 to St. Louis. The Blues move into a tie with Detroit for top spot in the Central Division with the win.
The Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators were among the busiest teams as the NHL trade deadline came and went. The Canucks shipped Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer to the Buffalo Sabers for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani (GRUH-na-nee) and also acquired Sami Phalssson from Columbus. The Predators acquired Andrei Kostitsyn (kaws-TIHT-sihn) from Montreal and Paul Gaustad (GAW-stad )from the Sabres.
The Medicine Hat Tigers are in Prince George for back to back games against the Cougars this week. The Tigers are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over Kelowna on the weekend. The puck drops tonight at 8pm in Prince George.
Matt Kenseth won his second Daytona 500. It was one of the most bizarre races in Nascar history after rain postponed the race for the first time in its 54 year history from Sunday to Monday. There was also a two hour delay after Juan Pablo Montoya hit a safety truck sparking a huge fuel fire on the track.
Monday, February 27th
Monday, February 27th, 2012
A 45 year old man is facing drunk driving charges after crashing his truck into two houses and three vehicles. City police say they were called out to the hit and runs in the north east part of Medicine Hat this morning. Police found a 2010 blue Dodge pickup truck with extensive damage at 11th Street and 4th Avenue northeast. The driver was located and arrested for impaired driving, driving over .08, dangerous driving and hit and run. Total damage is estimated at 100 thousand dollars.
At least 70 people—mostly children– were taken to hospital in BC after what health officials are calling a “chlorine incident” at a swimming pool. The accident took place at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex in Williams Lake. A town official said a hockey game and a swim meet were taking place at the time of the incident. The victims-41 children, 23 adults and 6 others whose ages aren’t known were treated and released. A swim coach said most of the kids in the pool were under the age of 12 and were warming up for a swim event when they were told to evacuate. Investigators are looking into the incident, although no cause has been pinpointed.
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board have recovered the black box from a locomotive that flew off the tracks in Burlington Ontario—killing three people and injuring 46. The three people killed were locomotive engineers—one was a trainee. Seventy five people were on board the train which was heading to Toronto from Niagara Falls. The black box was removed from the train in damaged condition. Investigators have taken the black box to be downloaded and it should tell them exactly what was happening on the train in the moments leading up to the crash. The investigation could take up to nine months.
RCMP believe the death of an Airdrie woman is connected to the suicide of a bodybuilder. The man, in his 40’s, took his own life at an undisclosed Nanton business Saturday afternoon. According to RCMP, the murdered woman had been in a relationship with the man. An autopsy is schedule for today.
Silent film The Artist was the big winner at last night’s Oscars—taking home five trophies including Best Picture, best actor and director. The Artist is the first silent film to take home Hollywood’s highest honors since the original Oscar ceremony 83 years ago. Other top winners last night—Meryl Streep won for best actress in the Iron Lady, Octavia Spencer took home best supporting actress for the Help and Christopher Plummer won best supporting actor for Beginners. Martin Scorsese’s Hugo also had a huge night—taking home five Oscars.
ROCK 105.3 SPORTS…
Alberta’s Heather Nedohin is the new Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion. Her Edmonton rink edged BC’s Kelly Scott 7-6 in Sundays’ final in Red Deer. It’s the first time Alberta has won the Scotties since 1998. Team Nedohin will represent Canada at the Ford World Curling Championships in Lethbridge next month.
Today is NHL trade deadline day—several big names could still be moved. The deadline is 1 this afternoon. NHL last night—Dallas got past Vancouver 3-2 in overtime—their 4th win in a row. Elsewhere, Ottawa defeated the Islanders 5-2, and Florida doubled up Montreal 4-2. Tonight—Edmonton is in Winnipeg to face the Jets and Calgary is home to St. Louis.
The Medicine Hat Tigers open up a 3 game road swing tomorrow night in Prince George. The Tigers face the Cougars tomorrow and Wednesday before heading to Vancouver to take on the Giants on Friday.
Friday, February 24th
Friday, February 24th, 2012
ome scary moments yesterday morning after a collision between a train and tractor-trailer near Redcliff. It happened just after 8am at an uncontrolled railway crossing 2 kilometers west of Redcliff. The train hit the transport on the truck causing extensive damage to both it and the train. Both the semi driver and train operator were not hurt in the incident. The truck’s cargo that included a 60 thousand dollar piece of oilfield machinery and a flatbed trailer were both a write off. The locomotive sustained heavy damage and the rail line was put out of commission for three hours. The 52 year old semi driver from Grande Prairie was issued a ticket for not proceeding safely at a train crossing.
The parents of a baby boy who was killed by their pet husky last week in Airdrie are calling the incident an unthinkable, tragic accident. The Fradette family issued a statement saying they will never know why their pet attacked their son. The two-day old boy was mauled by the dog on February 15th. He was rushed to Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, but died later than night. The family thanked emergency responders and hospital staff in the statement. The family owns a number of Siberian huskies and operates a supply business for dogsledders. The statement also said all the dogs in the family have gone through numerous obedience classes and that the family will never know why their pet attacked the baby. The fate of the dog will be determined at a court hearing next month following a behavioral assessment.
New numbers from Stats Canada show the average Albertan employee is making 1 thousand 60 dollars a week. That’s a five percent increase in the last year. Albertans have the highest earnings of workers in any province in Canada. The closest province in Newfoundland and Labrador—employees there make $150 a week less than Alberta employees.
The city is looking to increase revenue and trim costs at the Esplanade. The Esplanade Gift shop will hold a close-out sale next week and then the city will seek proposals for a private operator. The centre will also be looking for a private operator of the café—which will close its doors on stat holidays and Sundays when there are no events booked. The Esplanade will save 41 thousand dollars in wages and interdepartmental costs by closing some Sundays and holidays. Box office staff will also be reduced in an effort to reduce operating expenses.
The province has given the go ahead for two big transmission lines to be built between Edmonton and Calgary. The two north-south transmission lines will proceed as recommended last week by the Critical Transmission Review Committee. The government said provincial demand for power is forecasted to nearly double over the next 20 years. Current estimates of the cost of developing the lines are $3 a month for residential consumers and $3.75 per megawatt hour for industrial consumers. The Alberta Utilities Commission will reduce the cost impact to consumers.
ROCK 105.3 SPORTS….
Six Medicine Hat athletes will enter the cage tonight for School of Hard Knocks 20 at the Cypress Centre—two will participate in title fights. The pro and amateur MMA action starts tonight at 7pm.
NHL, the Calgary Flames fell 4-3 to Phoenix in a shootout last night. Edmonton meanwhile, shut out Philadelphia 2-0. Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle tallied for the Oilers while Devan Dubynk made 35 saves in net. Elsewhere, the Vancouver Canucks snapped Detroit’s 23 game home winning streak with a 4-3 win, San Jose defeated Toronto 2-1, and Winnipeg got past Tampa 4-3.
Team Bunz beat Team Etem 17-13 at last night’s Medicine Hat Tigers skill competition at the Arena. Emerson Etem was the fastest skater, Cole Grbavac hat the most accurate shot while Dylan Busenius had the hardest shot at 93 miles per hour. Over 7 grand was raised for the MS Society at last night’s skills comp. The Tigers are home to the Kelowna Rockets tomorrow night. The puck drops at 7:30pm.
Thursday, February 23rd
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
Medicine Hat’s volunteer centre could be closing its doors for good next week. City council voted down a 54 thousand dollar funding grant appeal by the Volunteer Centre on Tuesday. Alderman argued that they couldn’t justify allocating money to cover a large portion of another organization’s staffing costs. The Volunteer Centre is hoping to get some last minute assistance and a nod of approval from the city. A special board meeting will be held on Monday to decide on the agency’s future. The volunteer centre registered 115 new volunteers in the last year and provides more than 2700 hours of volunteer service in the community.
Border officials have seized a large stash of guns and weapons at the Coutts crossing in southern Alberta. Officers found 75 firearms including 48 handguns stowed inside a pickup truck at the crossing on Tuesday. It’s the largest weapons seizure in the port’s history. The driver of the truck told officers he was travelling to Alaska and wasn’t carrying any firearms. 54 year old George Foster of Florida faces 10 charges and will be in court in Lethbridge today.
Health minister Fred Horne says a public inquiry into problems with the health care system will go ahead even though an expert panel says it has done the work. Horne says the province will proceed with an inquiry in some form because Premier Redford promised one. The Health Quality Council is reporting widespread disillusionment, mismanagement and substandard patient care in Alberta. The council found that the amalgamation of health care into one super-board several years ago led to widespread problems. The panel says while there are concerns with doctors being intimidated and bullied it makes more sense to put money towards solving the problem rather than holding a public inquiry.
Disgraced former hockey coach Graham James apologized to the players he sexually abused in a Winnipeg courtroom yesterday—saying he’s full of regret. James read from a prepared statement at his sentencing hearing offering a soft-spoken apology for the horrors he inflicted on several of his former players. James pleaded guilty last December to sexually abusing former NHL star Theoren Fleury and former junior player Todd Holt. Provincial court Judge Carena Roller has reserved her sentencing decision until March 20th after hearing nearly seven hours of submissions. The Crown is seeking a six year sentence for James—who was previously sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty in 1997 for sexual assaults against three other former players.
Rock 105.3 Sports…
The Medicine Hat Tigers fell 5-3 to the Calgary Hitmen last night—their second loss in a row. Scoring for the Tigers were Chad Labelle, Curtis Valk and Riley Sheen. With the win, the Hitmen move within two points of Tigers for 3rd in the Eastern Conference. Tonight the Tigers will host a skills competition at the Arena. Tickets are just 5 bucks and all proceeds will be donated to the MS Society. The skills comp gets underway at 7pm. The Tigers will host the Kelowna Rockets Saturday night.
NHL, Erik Karlsson had three points as the Ottawa Senators defeated Washington 5-2 last night. Elsewhere, Tim Thomas stopped 30 shots as the Bruins doubled up the Blues 4-2 and it was Colorado over Los Angeles 4-1. Tonight, the Flames are home to Phoenix while Edmonton hosts Philly.
Wednesday, Feb 22nd
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
A Redcliff teacher is facing sexual assault charges after police found the 32 year old in suspicious circumstances in a car with a 14 year old girl at a park on Friday. Police say Parkside School teacher Bradley Mastel was with the girl in a secluded area of a city park during a routine patrol Friday night. Mastel is charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual exploitation, sexual touching and unlawful confinement. He’s been released from custody on a number of conditions and will be back in court again March 6th. Mastel has been a teacher in the Prairie Rose School Division for the past nine years—he’s currently a grade 8/9 science teacher and is involved in coaching sports.
City council has voted to move ahead with phase 2 of the proposed events centre—to be built in Box Springs. Council voted unanimously to create a process to obtain competitive bids to design and build the replacement for the 42 year old Medicine Hat Arena. MHPM Project Managers have been hired for 1.3 million to facilitate the request for proposal process. That money will come from the interest that has already been accrued in money set aside for the project. Phase Two is estimated to take nine months to complete. The move doesn’t ensure the Event Centre will be built—council still has to approve a funding model and give the final go ahead with construction.
City Council also approved their three year budget plan last night. The budget includes a 4.9 percent property tax increase for 2012 with a 5.5 percent rate hike for 2013 and 2014. The tax increases will help support a 110 million dollar capital project plan along with an additional 10 million in city operating spending. Council also discussed the possibility of money for a fourth fire hall in the capital budget—that was turned down by a vote of 5-3.
A 27 year old Chilean man is dead after being hit by a train near Banff. It happened around 4:30 Tuesday afternoon just east of the Banff train station. RCMP say it’s believed the man was walking along the tracks with a toque and headphones on and didn’t hear the train. It’s the third time in the last month a similar deadly collision has been recorded in Canada.
ROCK 105.3 SPORTS…
The Medicine Hat Tigers take on the Hitmen tonight in Calgary—the final meeting between the two teams this season. The Tigers have a 4-1 record against the Hitmen. Faceoff tonight is at 7pm in Calgary. Next home action for the Tigers is this Saturday when they take on the Kelowna Rockets at the Arena.
NHL, the Edmonton Oilers stunned the Calgary Flames 6-1 in the Battle of Alberta last night. Going into the game, the Flames had won 10 straight at home against the Oilers and had beaten Edmonton in 16 of the last 17 meetings. Elsewhere in the NHL last night, Nashville defeated Vancouver 3-1, Philly got past Winnipeg 5-4 in overtime, Dallas shut out Montreal 3-0, and it was New Jersey over Toronto 4-3 in overtime.
Tuesday, Feb 21st
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
There were some scary moments for some children selling door-to-door candy on the Southeast Hill on Sunday. Three children had their proceeds of their candy drive stolen by two older teenagers at the corner of Third Street and Aberdeen Street. Police are investigating the incident that took place around 1 Sunday afternoon. The children were not hurt and only about 40 dollars was taken from them. The male teens are described as being 18 to 20 years old. One was wearing a blue hoodie, a ball cap and had long brown hair. The other wore a black sweater and had blonde hair. Police say even though the incident doesn’t involve much money, the act is being taken very seriously.
For the second time in as many weeks, RCMP are investigating an alleged home invasion at the same residence in Brooks. Police say four men broke into a home around 4:30am Monday and were confronted by the homeowner. A number of weapons were seized at the scene. Police say it’s an isolated incident and was likely a targeted attack that is related to an incident from two weeks ago. The investigation continues.
A new report from the University of Alberta says Albertans work longer hours and spend less time with their families than anyone else in Canada. According to the survey Albertans have an average of five hours of leisure time per day compared to the national average of 5.55 hours per day. On an annual scale that means Albertans have 182 hours less of leisure time than the average Canadian.
After more than 12 hours of talks, the countries that use the euro have reached an agreement to give Greece $170 billion US in additional bailout loans to save it from potentially disastrous default next month and secure the euro currency. The eurozone hope the new program will eventually put Greece back into a position where it can survive without external support and secure its place in the euro currency. On top of the new rescue loans, Athens will also ask banks and other investment funds to forgive it some 107 billion euros in debt, with the European Central Bank and other national central banks in the eurozone will forgo profits on their holdings.
Rock 105.3 Sports…
The Medicine Hat Tigers had an early lead, but couldn’t hold on as they fell 5-4 in a shootout to the Edmonton Oil Kings yesterday. James Bettauer had 3 points in the game with a goal and two assists. The Tigers fall to 36-20-2-3 on the season, sitting 3rd in the Eastern Conference. The Tigers return to action tomorrow as they face the Hitmen in Calgary.
NHL, Craig Anderson made 28 saves as the Ottawa Senators shut out the New York Islanders 6-0. It was the Senators 3rd straight win, moving them within two points of first place Boston in the Northeast Division and one point behind Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Elsewhere, Eric Staal had a two goals and an assist as Carolina routed Washington 5-0. Tonight in the NHL, it’s the battle of Alberta as the Calgary Flames host Edmonton. The puck drops at 7pm.
Friday, Feb 17th
Friday, February 17th, 2012
Alberta justice officials have launched a full investigation into the work of a former Calgary forensic pathologist. The review comes after concerns about the accuracy of conclusions in at least four autopsies. The pathologist handled over 400 death investigations over the course of a year. Officials won’t confirm if any of the three Medicine Hat homicides over that period of time are part of the 13 southern Alberta criminal cases now under review.
A newborn baby boy from Airdrie has died after he was attacked by a family pet. The Siberian husky attacked the baby Wednesday morning. The baby was rushed to Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, but succumbed to his injuries later that night. The dog has been quarantined and a decision is being made by the family and bylaw officers on what to do with the animal. The family told police they have never had issues with the dog in the past. They also have a two year old child and have never seen any aggression before. The family owns a number of huskies and operates a dogsled gear business. Police are not considering laying any criminal charges.
Medicine Hat Stampede officials are looking for past memorabilia to gear up for the 125 anniversary of the Stampede this summer. They’re looking for the public to drop off Stampede posters from before the year 2000. The plan is to mount al the past posters in frames for a permanent display on the Stampede grounds to celebrate the 125th anniversary. Anyone who drops posters off can enter to win a Special Stampede Anniversary package. Cut off for submissions is 4:30 on March 20th.
emergency care treatment after the province fell short on a target for wait times. Health Minister Fred Horne says that the province wanted to have hospitals treat patients within eight hours of them checking in at the ER, but due to an increased patient load that isn’t the case. Horne says most hospitals in Calgary and Edmonton won’t meet that target at all. In Medicine Hat the average person waits around 4.2 hours to get admitted in the ER. The province hopes that investments in long term beds and continuing care will help ease pressure on emergency rooms.
The first person has been sentenced in Vancouver’s 2011 Stanley Cup riot. Ryan Dickinson will spend 17 months in jail for throwing a newspaper box onto a police car windshield and smashing a store window. Dickenson, who was 20 at the time of the incident, was on bail in connection with an assault charge at the time of the riot. The sentence for his involvement in the riot was 16 months and BC provincial court added one more month for breach of bail conditions. Dickinson was given 3.5 months credit for his time in pretrial custody. To date a total of 350 charges have been recommended against 125 accused in the riots. The Crown has approved 141 criminal charges against 52 of the suspected rioters.
ROCK 105.3 SPORTS….
The Medicine Hat Tigers look to get back in the win column tonight as they take on the Warriors in Moose Jaw. The Tigers are coming off a 3-1 loss to Regina on Wednesday. The puck drops tonight at 6 in Moose Jaw. Tomorrow the Tigers host the Warriors at the Arena.
NHL, Mike Ribeiro scored the overtime winner as the Dallas Stars beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 last night. The Flames have 63 points, two more than Dallas as the teams try to climb into the top 8 in the Western Conference. Elsewhere in the NHL, Evander Kane had had two goals in regulation and the shootout winner as the Winnipeg Jets got past Minnesota 4-3. Tonight, the Oilers are home to Colorado.
Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter has died at the age of 57. The former Montreal Expos star was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last may. The 11 time all-star was the first player to go into the Hall of Fame with an Expos cap on his plaque.
Thursday, Feb 16th
Thursday, February 16th, 2012
RCMP have made another significant drug seizure in Redcliff. Two people are facing charges after police found 198 grams of cocaine, 2.27 kilograms of pot, 15 grams of cannabis resin and more than 18 thousand dollars in cash. The estimated street value of the drugs is estimated at 47 thousand dollars. 34 year old Mark Allan Schaffer and 25 year old Stephanie Bugbee face numerous drug charges. They’ll both be in court at the end of the month.
The City of Medicine Hat is hoping to host Hockey Day in Canada next year. The public services committee has given its approval to proceed with a bid to host the 3 or 4 day event being held next February. If we were to host the event it would feature a WHL game that would be the backdrop for Hockey Night host Ron MacLean and analysts Don Cherry and Tiger alum Kelly Hrudey. The city will have to set aside 60 thousand dollars for the bid, which will compete against Lloydminster in the all-Alberta competition. The bid is due at the end of March, with the winning bid being announced in May.
A family living along Highway 24 in southern Alberta had quite the rude awakening yesterday. Around 6:15 yesterday morning two massive semi truck wheels came crashing through the front of the family’s rural home between Strathmore and Calgary. The owners were home at the time but no one was injured. The wheels, which weigh around 400 pounds combined, came off a passing truck, blew through a fence, struck a power pole and plowed in the home leaving the front door flat on the floor and wreaking thousands of dollars in damage. A driver from a rural area southeast of Calgary heard the news and noticed he’d lost wheels. RCMP are investigating to ensure the vehicle has been properly maintained.
The City of Medicine Hat has finalized a 48.6 million dollar deal to purchase oil producing properties near Manyberries. The deal contains oil-producing properties with a reserve life index of approximately 14 years. The land is home to 256 wells, with about 122 of them sitting idle right now. The land was paid for through a gas depletion reserve fund. The acquisition will create 10 new employment opportunities—hiring five technical staff, four field staff and one administrative position.
Half of Canadian adults polled say they were bullied as children or teens. That’s according to a new survey released by Big Brother Big Sisters of Canada. 85 percent of those polled believe providing youngsters who bully others with a volunteer mentor is an effective way to reduce bullying. The poll also found that 89 percent of respondents believe bullying poses a serious threat to the long term well-being of children and teens. Nearly a third of those polled say they think the abuse they suffered had a lasting harmful effect.
Federal Conservatives are celebrating after finally securing House of Commons approval to scrap the controversial long gun registry. The Harper government used its majority to pass the bill by a vote of 159-130. Abolishing the registry has been a longtime promise of the Conservative party, although past attempts to do so have failed due to their minority status up until 2011. MPs had several parties planned to celebrate.
Rock 105.3 Sports….
The Regina Pats snapped the Medicine Hat Tigers 5 game winning streak with a 3-1 win last night at the Arena. Kenny Cameron was between the pipes for the Tigers—making his first start in goal since back in December. Cameron turned away 24 shots in the loss, falling to 1-5 on the season. Trevor Cox was the lone goal scorer for the Tigers who fall to 35-19-2-2 on the season. The Tigers are back in action tomorrow night in Moose Jaw as they open up a home and home series with the Warriors.
The Toronto Maple leafs snapped a four game slide with a 4-3 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers last night. Elsewhere in the NHL, Tyler Seguin has the only goal in the shootout as the Boston Bruins came back to beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2, Vancouver defeated Colorado 3-1, Anaheim snapped Pittsburgh’s six game home winning streak with a 2-1 win and Craig Anderson made 42 saves as the Senators routed the Panthers 6-2.
Wednesday, Feb 15th
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
The Harper government has introduced legislation that would increase online surveillance of Canadians. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews says the “Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act” will make it easier for law enforcement to conduct electronic surveillance and will slow down the proliferation of child pornography. The Opposition says the bill will allow the government to spy on ordinary Canadians’ online activities. The bill will give police and intelligence agencies new power to access Canadians’ electronic communications and get data without a warrant.
RCMP have found the black Chevy Silverado they were looking for in connection with the shootings of two officers near Killam. Police also seized a 50 calibre sniper rifle that was hidden inside the vehicle. The rifle was not loaded and there was no ammunition in the vehicle, but a short distance away a police dog spotted a loaded 50 calibre magazine. Police found the vehicle in a rural farm yard about 10 km southeast of Killam. The truck was hidden among several other vehicles and equipment on the property. The truck was towed to Red Deer for a forensic investigation. Sawyer Clarke Robison faces two counts of attempted murder in connection wit the shootings of Constables Sid Gaudette and Sheldon Shah last week.
The Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay makes its way to Medicine Hat today—without Rick Hansen. Thirty seven medal bearers will take part in a local relay assisted by high school cross country teams from Hat High and Eagle Butte. A reception will take place at the Dunmore Road McDonald’s at noon with the relay starting at 1—heading north on Dunmore. The entourage will hit City Hall at 3pm and the Leisure Centre at 4pm. The relay team will also attend the Tigers game at the Arena tonight. The 12 thousand kilometer journey across Canada will wrap up in Vancouver in May.
Separate investigations have been launched in Alberta and Ontario after two people were struck and killed by freight trains on Monday while wearing headphones. Police say a 16 year old boy was killed in Oshawa when he tried to cross a rail line as a freight train was making is way through the city. Witnesses say the boy was texting with his phone and listening to music when he was hit. Hours later a 19 year old man was killed by a freight train in Leduc. Daniel McPherson was walking between the rails of the train tracks when he was struck by a southbound train. A spokesman for Canadian Pacific Railway said the train crew sounded the whistle and applied the emergency brake, but were unable to stop in time.
At least 272 people have been killed after a fire swept through a prison in Honduras. Dozens of inmates were trapped in their cells and officials are still counting the dead. Many prisoners were trapped because the guard who had the key to their cells could not be found in time. Local reports say the prison, which held 800 inmates was destroyed by flames. There are fears that many of the inmates who survived the fire have since escaped. It’s not clear what started the fire. According to reports, a riot broke out around midnight Tuesday which sparked the blaze. The head of the national prison system said it’s also possible the fire was triggered by an electrical short circuit.
Rock 105.3 Sports…
The Detroit Red Wings won an NHL record 21st straight home game—beating Dallas 3-1 last night. The Red Wings broke the single-season mark of 20 set by Boston in the 1929-30 season and matched by Philadelphia in 1976. Elsewhere in the NHL, Miikka Kiprusoff made 41 saves as the Calgary Flames defeated Toronto 5-1, the Islanders beat the Jets 3-1 and Ottawa blanked Tampa 4-0.
The Medicine Hat Tigers take on the Regina Pats tonight at the Arena. The Tigers are looking for their 6th win in a row. The puck drops at 7pm.
The CFL free agency period gets underway today will plenty of free names set to hit the market. The biggest prize is Canadian receiver Andy Fantuz. Bombers guard Brendon LaBatte and Safety Ian Logan are also set to test the free agent waters Argonauts centre Dominic Picard, Calgary punter Burke Dales, and Montreal’s Mark Estelle are also set to become free agents. There’s also an abundance of veteran running back talent available after Joffrey Reynolds, Avon Cobourne and Wes Cates were all set loose.
