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Friends of St. Joseph School Society supports St. Joseph School

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

By Heather CameronSouthern Alberta NewspapersLocal Journalism Initiative ReporterThe Friends of St. Joseph School Society is a group that supports St. Joseph School in Coaldale.“The purpose is to create an opportunity for parents to be involved in the school and their child’s education,” said Brent Christensen, Prinicipal of St. Joseph School in Coaldale. “They do this by working with administration at the school to identify needs at the school and organizing various fundraisers and service projects to help the school achieve these goals.”The society, Christensen says, meets at the school on a bi-monthly basis and typically, the meetings follow a parent council meeting, so they start at either 6:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., and typically, they are the last Thursday of the month.“It was created in order to provide the school with a fundraising group that is outside the mandate of what a parent council would be,” said Christensen. “Parents and staff saw a need to have increased parent engage...

Memorial Scout book box approved

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsThe 3rd Coaldale Scouts have been approved to set up a book box in memory of a scout.During Coaldale town council’s regular Dec. 11 meeting, representatives from a local scout group were on hand to discuss installing a new book box in town.The 3rd Coaldale Scouts want to install a memorial Book Box in the public right-of-way on the corner of 20 Avenue and 13 Street. Council had previously reviewed the request at their Nov. 27 meeting. However, as representatives of the scout troop were not in attendance at the meeting, council tabled discussion until representatives were able to attend in person.A Book Box, often referred to as Little Free Libraries is a community structure whose purpose is to provide users with access to literature, allowing people to either take or leave a book at the box, free of charge.“It’s really to promote literacy in, for the residents of Coaldale. It gives an opportunity for those who can’t afford to buy books to get books t...

Taking action on drought in Alberta

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

Water is one of Alberta’s most precious resources. We all use it, consume it, and rely on it. Most of the water that Albertans use to drink, grow crops, run our businesses and sustain our environment comes from rain and melting snow. The last three years have brought droughts and water shortages in various parts of our province, including most of Southern Alberta this summer. The world is also experiencing El Niño, a global phenomenon occurring for the first time in seven years. It’s causing less snow and rain, along with higher temperatures, around the world this winter. Recent forecasts indicate that there is a 62 percent chance that the unusually warm and dry conditions that we have experienced could continue until June 2024. Alberta has five stages in its water management plan. Ranging from Stage 1, which is a minor drought to Stage 5, which is a province-wide emergency. We are currently in Stage 4. Our government is now preparing for the possibility of a serious drought next ye...

Over half of Canadian housing markets severely unaffordable

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

The latest Demographia report on housing affordability in Canada reveals that over half of the 46 Canadian housing markets we assess are severely unaffordable. Vancouver and Toronto, in particular, stand out for their high housing costs, ranking as the third and 10th least affordable among the 94 major global markets included in our latest international housing affordability study.To evaluate housing costs, we utilize the “median multiple,” which divides the median house price within a given market (census metropolitan area) by its median household income. A multiple equal to or less than 3.0 is categorized as “affordable,” while anything exceeding 5.0 is labelled “severely unaffordable.”Among the major Canadian housing markets, Vancouver (with a median multiple of 12), Toronto (9.5), Montreal (5.4), and Ottawa-Gatineau (5.2) fall into the severely unaffordable category. Vancouver has maintained a high median multiple for several decades, while Toronto has been in this range for app...

DDS exploring new therapeutic experience with Sensory Room

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

By Heather CameronSouthern Alberta NewspapersLocal Journalism Initiative ReporterDorothy Dalgliesh School in Picture Butte recently established a Sensory Room within its walls.“Our goal was to create a calming and therapeutic space to help students relieve stress and promote positive learning experiences.” said Crystal McGregor, Prinicipal of Dorothy Dalgliesh School. “Sensory rooms are amazing. They are not just important for neurodiverse individuals, but for anyone who needs time to refocus, regroup, be mindful and self-regulate. We are so grateful to have the community support to provide such a useful and student-centred space at Dorothy Dalgliesh School.”McGregor says that the sensory room has been open for approximately a month and there have been overwhelmingly positive responses from all of our students with lots of kids coming by just to explore it and coming out with big smiles, asking to come back.“It’s an inviting place where students can come in and find peace. This mind...

Copperheads head into the break in third place in the South Division

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

By Garrett SimmonsSunny South NewsThe Coaldale Copperheads head into the Christmas break after a weekend that included a gift and a lump of coal.Friday’s gift was a 4-1 win over the Airdrie Thunder, in a game where the visiting Copperheads stormed back from an early deficit to score four unanswered goals.The lump of coal came Saturday via a 7-2 loss to the Okotoks Bisons, in a home-ice defeat where the visitors filled Santa’s sack with three goals in the first and second periods.Coaldale’s win over Airdrie was a complete victory that saw Airdrie strike first before Bill Houenagnon got Coaldale on the board with a goal assisted by Griffin McCulloch. Brinley Degenstein put the Copperheads up 2-1 before the first frame was up, as McCulloch added his second helper of the period.Landon Howg made it 3-1 with a goal in the second period, as Brandon Creighton and Rhett Klemen drew assists, before Caden Heins ended the scoring with a goal of his own. Creighton and Nathan Verloop picked up as...

Lethbridge Northern 4-H Beef Club make charity donations

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

Lethbridge Northern 4-H Beef ClubIt was a really exciting week for the Lethbridge Northern 4-H Beef Club as we hosted the awards banquet on Tuesday, December 6. Our dinner started at 6 p.m. and we had tasty roast beef on a bun with gravy made by Karen Dunsbergen. Our awesome club members’ families also made a bunch of salads and desserts, including fruit and vegetable trays.After dinner, we had a program where we thanked our trophy sponsors, donors, parents, and leaders for helping us all in our club. Then, we gave checks to the people we raised money for at our show and sale last June. Representatives from the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen and the Therapeutic Riding Association were there to accept the checks and tell us about their organizations. We raised a total of $83,650 and split it between them, giving $41,825 to each.Next, we gave out awards and trophies. Mrs. Rose Slingerland returned our record books, and we were excited to see our marks and note her suggestions. The rest of th...

Coaldale approves operating and capital budgets

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsFollowing weeks of discussion, Coaldale town council approved finalized budgets for the next year.Mayor Jack Van Rijn noted that the budget discussions taking place during the Dec. 11 council meeting were based on the Town “being made whole” by the province for the 30 per cent shortfall they are finding themselves in based on their federal contract. Van Rijn cautioned if they do not receive the funding by February or March 2024, they will have time to revisit the budget before setting their mill rates in May 2024. However, Van Rijn said they were told they would hear back by the end of the year.  Kyle Beauchamp told council they had the option of either passing finalized or interim budgets this meeting. The council meeting discussion would be their sixth budget meeting over the 2024-2026 Operating and 2024-2028 Capital Budgets.The Municipal Government Act mandates that municipalities must pass at least an interim budget for a calendar year before the...

Police place warning signs around Albany

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Message boards cautioning drivers to slow down and be on the lookout for pedestrians have been placed across Albany. The directive was spearheaded by Mayor Kathy Sheehan in response to the recent pedestrian fatalities. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Signs have been posted at the following locations:Western Ave. near Glenn Ave.Washington Ave. near the University of Albany, SUNYHenry Johnson Blvd. in front of Albany Police headquartersWashington Ave near. Dove St.Everett Road near Central Ave.New Scotland Ave. near Academy Rd.Washington Ave. near City School District of Albany’s Albany High School that were already displaying the speeds of vehicles.Mayor Sheehan says work will continue to improve walkability on Central Avenue, Frisbie Avenue, Manning Boulevard, and Brevator Street in 2024. The City of Albany is also working to reduce speed limits to 25 MPH on various streets.

New migrants face fear and loneliness. A town in Colorado has a storied support network.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:39:15 GMT

FORT MORGAN — Magdalena Simon’s only consolation after immigration officers handcuffed and led her husband away was the contents of his wallet, a few bills.The hopes that had pushed her to trudge thousands of miles from Guatemala in 2019, her son’s small frame clutched to her chest, ceded to despair and loneliness in Fort Morgan, a ranching outpost on Colorado’s eastern plains, where some locals stared at her too long and the wind howls so fiercely it once blew the doors half off a hotel.The pregnant Simon tried to mask the despair every morning when her toddlers asked, “Where’s papa?”To millions of migrants who have crossed the U.S. southern border in the past few years, stepping off greyhound buses in places across America, such feelings can be constant companions. What Simon would find in this unassuming city of a little more than 11,400, however, was a community that pulled her in, connecting her with legal council, charities, schools and soon friends, a unique support net...