Weekly Roundup — Sept. 11

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• Leduc and district RCMP welcomed a new regional commander, Insp. Chuck Jackson, to the force Aug. 10.

• Local MPs are preparing for a possible fall federal election.

• Leduc County council will borrow $3.5 million from the province on behalf of the Leduc Foundation to finance their three-year affordable housing plan.

• The Leduc Public Library is offering an outreach service to the housebound.

• The City of Leduc is gathering feedback on changes to Leduc Assisted Transportation Services, including a possible fare reduction.

• A trial date has been set for an Edmonton man accused of stabbing a Co-op taxi driver in Nisku last month.

• Second Glance clothing has made a financial contribution to the upcoming Visualeyes Youth Conference, which aims to motivate local students and teach them about good decision making.

• In sports, the Chinese national curling teams have chosen Leduc as their training ground in the leadup to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver; the Red Deer Rebels and Edmonton Oil Kings played an exhibition game in Leduc last week; and a local track star placed fifth in his event at the recent Canada Games.

• Goofy Alberta musical comedy duo Lewis & Royal will play a free show in Leduc Sept. 19.

• Calmar is considering changing its water utilities bylaw to protect landlords whose tenants renege on their payments.

• A longtime employee of ATB Financial celebrated his retirement last week.

All this and more in the Sept. 11 issue of the Rep!

Weekly Roundup — August 21

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• The Kinsmen Alexandra Outdoor Pool is celebrating 40 years this week.

• Calmar's town manager is retiring after 21 years of dedicated service.

• Laura spoke to MLA George Rogers about his take on distracted drivers and whether the province will initiate legislation this fall to cut down on cell phone use and other distractions while driving.

• The first ever Santa's Big Biker Ride for Santa's Helpers Leduc, which was to take place Sept. 12, has been cancelled.

• A pedestrian who was struck and killed on Highway 2 last week may have been waiting for a ride back to Leduc after his friends left him, according to his family.

• Leduc County is offering free spraying to control weeds on certain types of county properties this fall.

• The Leduc Recreation Centre has received a generous funding boost from the federal government.

• It was a hot August night indeed last week at Castrol Raceway.

• A local used clothing store is working with ROMPS to get their new play space up and running by September.

• A Devon man who fled police and was subsequently bitten twice by a police dog received little sympathy from a provincial court judge last week.

• In sports, the Edmonton Oil Kings will play an exhibition game at the LRC on Sept. 5.

See this week's Rep for more!

A wish come true

As reporters, we spend a fair amount of time writing about sad or difficult subjects, so when we get the chance to cover something positive, it's a real joy and makes our job so much more fun.

Last Friday, I had just such an opportunity: covering the fulfillment of 8-year-old Kaelyn Halyk's wish for a hot tub.

Kaelyn is one of 55 children with life-threatening medical conditions who will have their wish granted this year by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A local volunteer made the day very special for Kaelyn by mobilizing members of the RCMP, Leduc Fire Services and a team of volunteers to march Kaelyn's hot tub to her house in a parade.

The parade assembled around the corner from Kaelyn's house and set out in a procession:


Cst. Jodi Heidinger turned the police cruiser's lights and sirens on, which was pretty exciting for Kaelyn:


Once everyone was in the backyard, Kendra presented Kaelyn with some other gifts, including a crown and wand and a Hannah Montana beach towel to dry off with after using her new hot tub. Courage the Fire Dog also gave her a special stuffed dalmatian puppy:


Even Leduc Mayor Greg Krischke showed up to congratulate Kaelyn on her wish fulfillment with a certificate commemorating the occasion:


While all this was going on, the staff of Beachcomber Hot Tubs installed Kaelyn's new tub:


The fire department members stuck around afterwards to fill the hot tub using the fire hose.

It was all very special and touching and I hope Kaelyn gets a lot of enjoyment from her new hot tub!

(Photos by Alex Pope)

Happy hour

Kelowna's own Malibu Knights, the world's first "adventure rock" band, played Burnsy O'Flannagans in Leduc last night. For lead vocalist Dan Harden, pictured above, it was a homecoming of sorts: Harden grew up here. Find out what "adventure rock" is — and why a band from Kelowna bills themselves as the Malibu Knights — in the July 17 issue of the Rep.

Below: Barefoot troubadour Shane Squires, the band's guitarist and harmony whiz, opened the show with a few solo covers.


Photos by Alex Pope.

Flagging down Canada Day

Waking up at five in the morning may not be one of my most favourite things to do, well actually it's not on the list at all, but doing it for a good cause this Canada Day made it worthwhile.

At 6 a.m. I headed down to Leduc to participate in some flag planting with a fellow Leduc Rep sales rep and Bob and Sharon Buttar. Bob is the owner of Coldwell Banker in Leduc and he and his company have been secretly putting tiny Canadian flags in the front of every house in Leduc for the past 15 years.

The cat's out of the bag so to speak. 

I'm sure people have begun to figure out who has been putting miniature Canadian Flags in their front yards every Canada Day for the past 15 years, but thanks to me (hopefully) people will know who the devious flag planters are by next Friday.

Walking front yard to front yard on a somewhat chilly Canada Day morning planting the flags I found that I was actually enjoying myself rather than trying to hopelessly stay awake. 

I have never really done anything special for Canada Day and I definitely found it interesting to hear Bob talk about how patriotic Americans are for Independence Day while Canadians are pretty passive when it comes to our day. It made me realize that maybe I take this country for granted sometimes. I always hear people complain about how terrible Canada is sometimes and when you think about it how can you complain? We've got so many advantages over so many other countries yet I know that all Canadians have complained about our country one time or another. 

This unselfish deed that employees from Coldwell Banker and helpers do every Canada Day is a great symbol to what Canadians are like. Some of the helpers woke up as early as four in the morning to help with the Canada Day flag planting, which is a real testament to the importance of this annual event. 

I'm sure when people woke up in the morning they either loved the little flag or did not care at all. It's the little joys in life that make life worth living and being a part of something like this was great.

Leduc Comp goes CAR-AZY!!

461 names were entered into the Leduc Composite High School's "Stay in School, Stay on Course" draw. Each time a student had perfect attendance for a whole month of the school year — no absences, no lates — they were entered into the draw. The prize? A souped-up 2007 Chevy Cobalt courtesy of Murray Chevrolet. Check out the video above for the winner's priceless reaction — and Laura's cameo!

And for full coverage of the draw event, check the June 19 issue of the Rep!

Happy birthday Laura!

Laura is the big 2-1 today. We got her a Marilyn Monroe phone.

A Diamond is forever

Jason Scott brought his tribute to Neil Diamond, "Diamond Forever," to the Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts on May 18. For more photos, see the May 22 Rep. (Photos by Alex Pope)

Weekly Roundup — May 8

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• Leduc County has issued a fire ban due to the extremely dry and windy conditions that have lingered in the area in the past few weeks. (I was really worried this story would be rendered irrelevant by the torrential downpour we had on Wednesday night, but as of today, the fire ban still stands.)

• STAR Catholic Schools are paving the way for more interactive education in three of their high schools. (More here.)

• STAR is also partnering with MedicAlert to increase student safety.

• Wetaskiwin and Camrose RCMP are coming to grips with the loss of one of their comrades following a fatal collision last week.

• Girls left their worries behind for a fun weekend of building self-esteem with the Boys and Girls Club.

• Badger, badger, badger, badger, badger (mushroom, mushroom!)

• County residents will be getting automated meters from FortisAlberta.

(Photo: Nine-year-old Jonah Bommassar was one of the many students who came out to enjoy the "Rodeo of Smiles" on April 30 to kick off the 40th annual Leduc Black Gold Pro Rodeo. Photo by Laura Ring.)

Rodeo magic

The 40th annual Leduc Black Gold Rodeo took place this past weekend, and from the performances to the parade to the parties, Laura and I were there with our cameras to capture the fun. Check out the May 8 Rep for full photo spreads.

(Photo: A young spectator tries to pop soap bubbles during the rodeo parade on May 2. Photo by Alex Pope.)

Weekly Roundup — April 24

Here's what's making news in Leduc and area this week:

• It was all about volunteers this week! The Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Authority held a special breakfast to recognize the contribution Leduc's hundreds of volunteers make to the community, and guest speaker Sandy McLeod called volunteers "the most powerful force on earth."

• Local emergency personnel are gearing up for a baseball tournament in support of Little Warriors.

• Blackgold Kennels are preparing for their busiest season by adding space for more lost and abandoned animals.

• The tragic death of a 10-year-old Calmar boy in an ATV rollover last weekend has prompted calls for more safety precautions.

• The City of Leduc is planning for future traffic headaches by highlighting areas for improvement on the city's roads.

• Stageworks is finishing off their season with three upcoming performances.

• In sports, a local team triumphed at a major pool tournament in Edmonton, the Leduc Drillers are preparing for their epic 200-km bike ride to raise funds for cancer research, and the Leduc StrayCats got their season off to a good start.

Check out our website or pick up a copy of the Rep for all this and more, including full coverage of what to expect at the 40th annual Black Gold Rodeo, which kicks off this Thursday!

(Photo: Magician Kent Wong demonstrated a little-known technique for relieving neck and head tension on Kaylee Dewar at the EDA's volunteer appreciation breakfast on April 21. Photo by Alex Pope.)

"This is why they call us hillbillies."

Joan Shackley, one of the co-ordinators of Extendicare's music program, entertained the crowd as "Cousin Minnie" at a special appreciation supper for Extendicare's many volunteers at the Royal Canadian Legion hall in Leduc on April 23. As one onlooker commented, "This is why they call us hillbillies!" (Photo by Alex Pope)

25 years young

The Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Authority (EDA) celebrated its 25th anniversary in grand style on March 20 with a gala at the Executive Royal Inn in Leduc.

Guests were treated to a sumptuous five-course dinner, including the "pomegranate granite" pictured at left, while local dignitaries and past EDA members shared their congratulations and recollections of this dynamic organization.

For photos and full coverage of the historic celebration, check out the March 27 issue of the Rep.