St. Albert news

• Keep your pets indoors: Extreme cold to continue through the weekend

  29-12-2017 23:42 via edmontonjournal.com
  After repeatedly coming close during this week’s extreme cold weather, Albertans have set a power-consumption record.
  The province used 11,473 megawatts of electricity between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, surpassing the record 11,458 megawatts reached December 16, 2016, the Alberta Electricity System Operator (AESO) reported Friday.
  Power consumption is at its highest typically between 5 p,m. and 7 p.m., when people returning home from work turn on lights and appliances.
  The AESO
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: Dogged determination makes for memorable photo

  29-12-2017 23:39 via edmontonjournal.com
  Buddy the rescue dog, 3, with his handler Jaimie Jackson of the Canadian Search and Rescue Dog Association held training sessions on a big pile of rubble at a recycling depot in Sherwood Park on April 30, 2017, for dogs they send abroad to conduct rescues after natural disasters. 
  What I tried to do in this picture was to show what a victim might see if they were trapped in the rubble, a worm’s-eye view of Buddy the rescue dog approaching the victim. By good fortune he showed me his d
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: Larry Wong's top photos and video of 2017

  29-12-2017 23:34 via edmontonjournal.com
  A traffic accident that hospitalized one woman and caused the death of three others was one of the most tragic events in 2017 that I had to report on. I was assigned to photograph a church service in memory of the victims.
  As the service progressed, congregation members were overcome with grief, some collapsing to the floor in anguish. I discreetly tried to record the emotional event as its unfolded. An ambulance was called to the church to treat some of the distraught members. Tragic events suc
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: Ian Kucerak's top photos and video of 2017

  29-12-2017 23:31 via edmontonjournal.com
  Sports played a big role in my year in photography and for Edmonton. From covering an explosive Oilers team competing in its first playoff games in a decade, to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival and more, this city provided, as it always does, a diverse tapestry to mine for photographic storytelling.
  Visitors take in a light tunnel during Zoominescence, the Festival of Light, at the Edmonton Valley Zoo  on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. 
  Prince George’
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Year in Review: Shaughn Butts’s top photos and video of 2017

  29-12-2017 23:25 via edmontonjournal.com
  Below are some of my favourite images from the past 12 months, which is getting more difficult as the newspaper industry evolves. When I started at the Edmonton Journal 23 years ago, it was fair to say, by some rudimentary calculations, that I would easily shoot over 100,000 images a year, but today it’s about 10 percent of that number. The switch from film to digital imaging reduced that number by at least half, but now, with the emphasis on video, photography has become far more selectiv
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: David Bloom's top photos and video from 2017

  29-12-2017 23:24 via edmontonjournal.com
  Barry Pendrak flies his aerobatic biplane upside down near the Villeneuve Airport, prior to the start of the Edmonton Airshow, Friday, Aug. 18, 2017.
  This photo of Barry Pendrak flying his aerobatic biplane upside down near the Villeneuve Airport was selected as my favourite shot of year because the act of making it scared the heck out of me.
  That morning’s assignment was actually just to document reporter Claire Theobald’s ride in a Second World War-era plane as part of a previ
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: You can leave the country, but it never leaves you, says Fish Griwkowsky

  29-12-2017 23:22 via edmontonjournal.com
  Thanks to two of the biggest names in country music (plus a couple of its newest stars), a spark in the dark turned into a bush party bonfire.
  For 13 years, I leaped into the mud, mayhem and cross-eyed hangovers of Big Valley Jamboree. But as my fetishes leaned more toward art and film, I’d pulled away, giving BVJ a miss for five years.
  But then Garth Brooks played Edmonton nine times. I went to three of those yelling circuses — after getting to meet the man and his wife, Tricia
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: Trevor Robb reflects on the Oilers 2017 playoff run

  29-12-2017 23:20 via edmontonjournal.com
  All the way back in April, the Edmonton Oilers were marching their way to the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
  Obviously, we wanted to reach out to Oilers fans to gauge their excitement. But rather than speaking with fans who could regale us all with their tales of the Oilers during the glory days of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr, I felt it pertinent to speak with the younger generation of fans who only knew of the fairytale 2006 Stanley Cup run and st
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Year in Review: Juris Graney reflects on rehab for men

  29-12-2017 23:17 via edmontonjournal.com
  It’s becoming increasingly rare to get unfettered access to anything these days, which is why telling the story of Our House was such a pleasure to write.
  There were no overzealous communications specialists or meddling media managers for this story, just a group of people who wanted to tell their story — warts and all. 
  Our House executive director Laurie de Grace and the whole team were candid about their clients, their challenges with addictions and the stresses and pres
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: Emma Graney on Derek Fildebrandt's AirBnB rental

  29-12-2017 23:17 via edmontonjournal.com
  The world of politics is rife with rumour.
  Sometimes, it’s about who might cross the floor or run for leader of a party. That was especially true in 2017, with Alberta’s post-unity-vote shuffle and four party leaderships up for grabs.
  Sometimes, rumours float about that an MLA is doing something he or she probably shouldn’t. So it was that I heard Strathmore-Brooks United Conservative Party MLA Derek Fildebrandt was renting out his taxpayer-funded apartment on AirBnB.
  The
  
  Read more

• Keep your pets indoor: Extreme cold to continue through the weekend

  29-12-2017 21:56 via edmontonjournal.com
  The extreme cold is prompting attractions around Edmonton to close or cut hours and services. 
  The weather outside has truly been frightful. Friday’s temperature is expected to peak at -274C, with winds moving up to 15 kilometers per hour to bring the windchill to -44. The overnight low is forecast to be -34C.
  Saturday’s high will be -28C,with a low of – 30C and a windchill of -46. An Environment Canada extreme cold warning remains in effect.
  Rabbit Hill Ski Resort wi
  
  Read more

• Dining Out: Vegetarian doesn't forego flavour at new An Chay on Jasper Avenue

  29-12-2017 21:45 via edmontonjournal.com
  Edmonton already boasts at least a half-dozen strictly vegetarian and vegan restaurants, if not more, each one an institution with a devoted following. Think Padmanadi, Cafe Mosaics, and The Buckingham, to name just a handful. And now there’s one more.
  An Chay (literally “eat vegetarian”) recently opened up in a space along Jasper Avenue that has proven difficult for businesses to find success, for a variety of reasons, in the past few years.
  The room is open and bright, thanks
  
  Read more

• Bakeries and award winning restaurants elevate the culinary experience

  29-12-2017 21:42 via edmontonjournal.com
  If there were three words to describe the food scene in 2017, the words are “baked goods bonanza.”
  Granted, the phrase may conjure up those gigantic Costco muffins, or row upon row of tasteless pap occupying the bread shelf at the local gas station, or even the guilty pleasure of a maple doughnut, preserved for all time behind plastic doors at the supermarket.
  But in 2017, the definition of baked goods in Edmonton expanded deliciously to include a plethora of mouth-meltingly decadent
  
  Read more

• Alberta election commissioner search begins

  29-12-2017 21:40 via edmontonjournal.com
  Alberta has started its hunt for an election commissioner, who will be tasked with investigating and enforcing political fundraising and advertising rules. 
  The position was created with the fall passing of Bill 32, which zeroed in on so-called political “dark money.” It frees up Alberta’s chief electoral officer to concentrate on the ins and outs of elections and democracy education.
  The commissioner will be responsible for fully investigating complaints, levying administ
  
  Read more

• Our reviewers look back at Edmonton's 2017 concerts

  29-12-2017 21:39 via edmontonjournal.com
  In terms of sheer volume, 2017 was one of the busiest major concert years in Edmonton history.
  A number of festival producers noted they struggled to compete with the barrage of entertainment at Rogers Place, which boasted 60-odd shows, including nine alone by Garth Brooks in January. Metal dominated Commonwealth Stadium, notably with ear-shattering visits from Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Interstellar Rodeo and Big Valley Jamboree all had impressive acts,
  
  Read more

• Edmonton police remain mum on mystery homicide

  29-12-2017 21:22 via edmontonjournal.com
  City police say they will release details about a death quietly added to Edmonton’s 2017 homicide count earlier this month “when and if” charges are laid.
  On Friday, Edmonton police spokeswoman Cheryl Voordenhout said an investigation into the mysterious homicide is still ongoing. Police have been particularly tight-lipped about the death, refusing to reveal anything, including the date or location of the homicide, or any identifying information about the victim. 
  Voo
  
  Read more

• Close to 50 people arrested in pre-Christmas Red Deer warrant round-up

  29-12-2017 21:15 via edmontonjournal.com
  Prolific property crime and domestic violence offenders, repeat traffic lawbreakers and people active in identity, mail and credit card theft were targeted in a pre-Christmas warrant round-up by Red Deer RCMP.
  Mounties arrested 45 people over a five-day period on Dec. 15 and between Dec. 19 and 22, clearing a total of 142 charges, said police in a Friday news release.
  They even found cause to lay several new charges when suspects were found to be breaking laws at the time of their arre
  
  Read more

• What's your home worth? City sending out property assessment notices next week

  29-12-2017 21:05 via edmontonjournal.com
  Edmonton homeowners will soon have an updated estimate of the value of their properties as the city begins mailing out about 390,000 assessment notices.
  Assessors take a snapshot each July 1 of the selling price of houses in each neighbourhood, later going back to include changes that might increase or decrease their value, such as a basement suite or garage.
  Last year average values dropped 2.7 per cent, the first decline in five years. The average home was worth $397,000.
  This value is used to
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: Jim Matheson finally gets to write about Clare Drake entering the Hockey Hall of Fame

  29-12-2017 20:47 via edmontonjournal.com
  Clare Drake finally getting the reward he so richly deserved, a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame, was the story I wanted to write for years.
  So many of Coach Drake’s current disciples — NHL head coaches Ken Hitchcock, Mike Babcock, Barry Trotz, and others who had been behind NHL benches at one time — had banged the drum for the former U of Alberta Golden Bears wizard for so long as a hockey builder.
  Finally, on June 26, Drake got the call he should have gotten years before.
  I&rs
  
  Read more

• A city of White Walkers: Edmonton Reddit users give bewildered American tips for surviving extreme cold

  29-12-2017 20:13 via edmontonjournal.com
  It is cold in Edmonton right now, like really really cold. It is so cold in fact that people in other countries are looking to us for advice on how to cope.
  On Thursday, Reddit user Throwaway4philly1 posted on the Edmonton subreddit seeking survival advice.
  “I live in Philadelphia and I noticed that you guys are always around -1 or less in Fahrenheit (-18C). Its 21 (-6C) in philly today and we hate it” the user wrote.
  “How the heck do you guys survive out there?”
  Doz
  
  Read more

• Two men face string of charges after armed 2016 rural bank heists

  29-12-2017 19:28 via edmontonjournal.com
  Two men are facing a total of 35 charges after two Edmonton area bank heists in 2016, say RCMP.
  The first robbery dates back to April 15, 2016, when Redwater RCMP were called around 2 p.m. to the Alberta Treasury Branch in the hamlet of Radway, about 52 kilometers north of Edmonton. Police at the time said the two masked robbers fled with cash after one of the men pulled what appeared to be a handgun. The pair then fled in a truck, which investigators found burned out before they disco
  
  Read more

• Jasper National Park campground reservations open Jan. 9

  29-12-2017 18:56 via edmontonjournal.com
  With subzero temperatures currently enveloping the province the idea of camping is probably the furthest thing from people’s minds right now.
  But for those dreaming about roasting marshmallows over an open campfire, the time is nigh to start making your summer plans.
  Camping reservations for Jasper National Park open Jan. 9 and if previous years are anything to go by, spots at Jasper, Whistler and its sister campground Wapiti, will be quickly snapped up. 
  In the first three
  
  Read more

• Plug in your car: How to cope with extreme cold in Edmonton

  29-12-2017 15:45 via edmontonjournal.com
  Edmonton’s deep freeze is only set to worsen due to a surge of cold Arctic air.
  Environment Canada issued an extreme cold warning Thursday for Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park as temperatures were expected to hit a low of -33 C Thursday night, with an extreme wind chill of -41.
  Friday is forecast to see a high of -29 C and an extreme wind chill of -45, with winds reaching up to 15 km/h.
  An extreme cold warning is issued by Environment Canada when the temperature or wind chill is
  
  Read more

• Mounties investigate attack on woman outside Edson home

  29-12-2017 15:37 via edmontonjournal.com
  Mounties are investigating the circumstances surrounding the assault of a woman by up to two attackers in Edson in the early hours of Thursday morning.
  The woman was attacked between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. when she left her residence and went out to her vehicle that was parked in the 900 block of 52 Street.
  Police said that up to two people attacked the woman from behind and dragged her a short distance to a nearby secluded area where they continued to attack her until she was unconscious.
  The wo
  
  Read more

• Good morning Edmonton, it's -30C outside and getting colder

  29-12-2017 15:24 via edmontonjournal.com
  Another freezing day is upon us as an extreme-cold warning remains in effect. 
  It is -30C as of 7:15 a.m. Friday, and the temperature is expected to rise only marginally to -29C.
  With winds up to 15 kilometres per hour, the windchill is forecast to be -44.
  Tonight’s low is -34C with a windchill of -44.
  Tomorrow, the high will be -28C, with a low of – 30C and a windchill of -46.
  Here’s how the extreme cold is impacting daily life in Edmonton.
  
  Read more

• Top stories of 2017 in Edmonton #2: The rise of Jason Kenney

  29-12-2017 14:45 via edmontonjournal.com
  Every year, a few stories stand out as the most important in Edmonton — stories that get us talking around the proverbial water cooler and resonate deeply in our city. The Journal is counting down our picks for the Top 5 stories of 2017.
  Story #3: The rise of Jason Kenney
  Alberta politics has been nothing if not interesting the last few years. And in 2017, as the NDP passed the halfway point of its mandate, the province’s political landscape saw some historic chan
  
  Read more

• Edmonton's Christmas Day homicide victim identified

  29-12-2017 14:35 via edmontonjournal.com
  Edmonton’s latest homicide victim, found dead on Christmas Day inside a home in the Avonmore neighbourhood, has been identified as Eddie Eugene Melenka, court documents show. 
  City police responded to a call for assistance to a home near 73 Avenue and 77 Street around 3:30 a.m. Monday. 
  An autopsy completed Thursday concluded Melenka died as a result of a stab wound. Stephan Hendrick Kody, 22, is charged with second-degree murder and possession of an offensive weapon.
  I
  
  Read more

• New year, new charges: Fees, taxes and employment changes for 2018

  29-12-2017 14:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  As the calendar rolls over to 2018, Albertans can expect a bump in fees and charges, and some changes to employment laws. 
  The largest change for most will be the increase in the provincial carbon tax rate. It rises from $20 to $30 per tonne on Jan. 1, adding 2.24 cents to each litre of gasoline, 2.68 cents to each litre of diesel, and half a cent per gigajoule of natural gas. 
  As the tax climbs, so to do the rebates going to two-thirds of Albertans. 
  For those receiving the full
  
  Read more

• Year in Review: Education Minister David Eggen 'won't apologize' for ambitious agenda

  29-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Education Minister David Eggen’s agenda was jammed this year as he visited about 100 schools across Alberta and met with dozens of school boards. In the summer, he was also tasked with talking to cultural groups across the province as part of the premier’s push to tackle racism in Alberta.
  In the legislature, a bill to protect the privacy of students in gay-straight alliances (GSAs) kindled emotions inside and outside the chamber, and legislation to amend the School Act official
  
  Read more

• Graham Thomson: Who said it? Take the 2017 Alberta politics year-in-quotes quiz

  29-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  With 2017 coming to a close, let’s take a peek over our shoulders in this year-in-quotes quiz. I’ll provide the quotes — one per month — and you figure out who said it and why.
  Answers are below (no peeking).
  QUOTES:“I guess the lesson is we shouldn’t be fooled by good-looking Liberals.”
  “It was the best summer job I ever had.”
  “I do, however, believe parents have a right to know what’s going on with their kids in the schools unle
  
  Read more

• Edmonton student entrepreneurs position their colleagues for work

  29-12-2017 14:00 via edmontonjournal.com
  Three Alberta business students are helping fellow scholars pay for their education one house cleaning appointment, photography assignment or graphic design contract at a time.
  The trio launched the StudentHire website in Edmonton last spring to link people offering one-off jobs with post-secondary students looking for extra income or experience in their field.
  “I always wanted to own my own business, but also do something that could make a difference,” says company co-founder Richar
  
  Read more

• 8 signals that the Edmonton Oilers will be ready to battle the Chicago Blackhawks

  29-12-2017 07:58 via edmontonjournal.com
  Game Day 38 Oilers vs Blackhawks
  It’s still too early trust the Edmonton Oilers. This is a team, after all, that lacked a consistently strong work ethic in its first 23 games of the year, something that only changed when Oilers coach Todd McLellan not coincidentally balanced out his lines with three strong centres spread over his top three lines.
  But it’s never too late for the Oilers to revert back to the team that put out a stinker game every fourth or fifth match in October and No
  
  Read more

• Paramedic dies in crash on his way to work in Bonnyville

  29-12-2017 05:30 via edmontonjournal.com
  A paramedic was killed in a crash while on his way to work Wednesday in Bonnyville, according to a news release from the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA).
  “Cameron Griffiths was traveling to work in Bonnyville from his home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and was involved in a head-on collision near Lea Park,” the news release said Thursday.
  Griffiths, 41, was driving a northbound SUV that lost control and collided with a southbound pickup truck on Highway 897, an RCMP news rele
  
  Read more

• Edmonton Oilers bolster thin organizational depth at centre, sign over-age junior sniper Cameron Hebig

  29-12-2017 03:08 via edmontonjournal.com
  With the roster freeze lifted this morning, Edmonton Oilers got straight to work, announcing the signing of an undrafted free agent Cameron Hebig, an over-age centre who has been filling the net for Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. Hebig turns 21 next month, a few days after Connor McDavid does the same, just to put a little harsh perspective on the matter. In some ways his advanced age is a good thing, given the organizational void that exists at the “scoring centre” position. Not
  
  Read more

• Photos: Shumka's Nutcracker

  29-12-2017 02:01 via edmontonjournal.com
  Shumka’s Nutcracker, featuring the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers and special guests Citie Ballet, Viter Ukrainian Folk Choir and members of the Kyiv and Virsky Ballet companies, runs Dec. 29 and 30 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
  Jeff Mortenson takes part in a media photo call for Shumka’s Nutcracker at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017.
  Ukrainian Shumka Dancers take part in a media photo call at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
  
  Read more

• Deep freeze puts Edmonton homeless shelters under pressure

  29-12-2017 01:24 via edmontonjournal.com
  As Edmonton braces for another bitterly cold weekend, the city’s homeless must focus on survival.
  “It’s just basically not freezing and not being hungry,” a member of Hope Mission’s addiction recovery program said Thursday. Formerly homeless, the man asked to remain anonymous.
  He says people on the streets seek out “anywhere there’s warmth” and will take risks to find it.
  “People will even jump the train without fare and risk getting a $250 f
  
  Read more

• Edmonton firefighters switch focus to combating opioid crisis in 2017

  29-12-2017 00:14 via edmontonjournal.com
  While fire calls were down in 2017, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services worked to save lives from new emerging threats.
  “The opioid epidemic certainly caught a lot of news this year, and fire rescue trained all of our operational firefighters in the delivery of naloxone,” Edmonton fire Chief Ken Block said in a recent interview. “We’ve responded and administered naloxone 95 times since.”
  Opioid epidemic
  In the first nine months of 2017, 482 fatal drug overdoses related to
  
  Read more

• Faulty car exhaust system blamed for death of two Drayton Valley teens

  29-12-2017 00:07 via edmontonjournal.com
  Two teens who died after they were found passed out inside a running car Dec. 21 were likely killed by a leaky exhaust system, investigators said Thursday.
  A mechanical inspection conducted by the RCMP found the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta had a faulty exhaust system component that could have caused exhaust fumes to seep into the cabin, an RCMP news release said.
  Gage Bogart, 17, and Shaina Lynn Ridenour, 16, were found unconscious by Mounties responding to an unrelated call near 54 Street and 24
  
  Read more

Follow @StAlbertNews on Twitter!