Leader-Post: Underage voters cast ballots, study politics in mock election

 Winston Knoll Collegiate Grade 10 student Courtney Sukenik isn't of legal voting age, but she has the chance to learn what it will be like when she turns 18.

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Sydney Mcwilliams, (from left) Rachel Benroth, Jason Pasetka
and Courtney Sukenik take part in a mock election at
WinstonKnoll Collegiate on Friday. The students will take
part in Student Vote Days later this week.

Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Regina Leader-Post



 

Student Vote

 

 

Local schools take pre-emptive measures against voter apathy 

(Prince Albert Daily Herald)

 

 

2011 Saskatchewan Election Resources (and results when posted)

Leader-Post: Halloween safety a priority

With ghosts and ghouls running around tonight, Halloween safety is a priority.

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Halloween hazards

Leader-Post: Moose Jaw single-vehicle collision causes $75,000 damage

 

A semi truck carrying ethanol mash cattle feed crashed in Moose Jaw on

Thursday, causing $75,000 in damages.

 

Photograph by: Ray Francis, Handout, Moose Jaw and District EMS



A single-vehicle collision in Moose Jaw Thursday caused an estimated $75,000 damage, according to the Moose Jaw Police Service.

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A semi truck carrying ethanol mash cattle feed crashed in Moose Jaw on

Thursday, causing $75,000 in damages.

 

Photograph by: Ray Francis, Handout, Moose Jaw

 

 

 

 

 

See more photos on leaderpost.com

Leader-Post: Century-old Saskatchewan hotel burns to the ground



The King George Hotel and Bar in Stenen, Sask., located
80 kilometres north of Yorkton, was destroyed by fire on
Oct. 26, 2011.

Photograph by: Trudy Scebenski, Handout



Black smoke billowed from the King George Hotel and Bar in Stenen as many residents watched it succumb to flames Wednesday morning.Read more

 

 

Additional comments

 

"It was our last functioning business to burn down," said Adeline Watson, a resident of Stenen who was born and raised in the community. "It was a very popular bar and people would come from as far as Yorkton...it's going to be missed big time."

The King George Hotel and Bar in Stenen, Sask., located
80 kilometres north of Yorkton, was destroyed by fire on
Oct. 26, 2011.

Photograph by: Trudy Scebenski, Handout

She said even her daughter from Calgary said the bar was part of the atmosphere of the town.

 

"It's just heartbreaking because I grew up here. It was a bar my dad went in," said Watson. "I never managed to go into it until I came back from Alberta because I was underage.

 

"When I came back, the first year and a half when I came back from Alberta, I worked there part-time. It was someplace we went for wings quite often because it was the best and cheapest (wings) you were going to find around within a 100 mile radius."

 

Watson herself couldn't believe how fast the building burned to the ground because in a matter of three hours, it was gone.

 

The King George Hotel and Bar in Stenen, Sask., located
80 kilometres north of Yorkton, was destroyed by fire on
Oct. 26, 2011.

Photograph by: Trudy Scebenski, Handout

"It went so fast, I think, because of the age of the building number one and the insulations they had those shadings," she said. "That might've as well been a fuel because those shadings reflected an ignitor. It just went."

 

Watson lives right across from where the hotel stood in an alley and she said the whole village was lucky there was no wind that day or other houses likely would've caught fire.

 

"We thank God for that," said Watson. "I had to move my boat and motor home because I had that right against the frence and hot ambers were falling on top."

 

The King George Hotel and Bar in Stenen, Sask., located
80 kilometres north of Yorkton, was destroyed by fire on
Oct. 26, 2011.

Photograph by: Trudy Scebenski, Handout

"After a few hours, (I) came back to the house and my house smelled," said Watson. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to get rid of it or not." 

Leader-Post: Regina's homicide rate high in 2010

According to Statistics Canada, Regina has one of the
highest annual murder rates in the country.

Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Regina Leader-Post files

Saskatchewan's two largest cities were tied for the second highest murder rate in Canada in 2010, according to a report released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.
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Regina Police Chief Troy Hagen also said a main highlight of the numbers presented to the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 26 was the theft from motor vehicles rate. There were 23 fewer vehicle thefts in September 2011 compared to that month in 2010. Compared to the first nine months of the year, vehicle thefts are down 18.4 per cent.

But he added the numbers are not yet low enough.      

                   

“We’re continuing to see more activity than we’d like to see in the area of theft from autos, valuables being stolen from vehicles,” said Hagen. “Once again, we encourage the public to secure their vehicle, lock their vehicle, keep it in a well lit area, keep valuables out of sight of people, put them in the trunk or better yet remove them from the vehicle.”

The board chair, Shelley Lavallee, added some new numbers are included in this month’s report, such as the Report Impaired Drivers program. For the year 2011, 1245 phone calls have been received for the program with 151 for September. The warning tickets for the use of cell phones are down 50 per cent over the past nine months.

Leader-Post: Collecting Christmas cards for troops overseas

Christmas may be a little more than eight weeks away, but Christmas cards are being collected for Canadian troops overseas who can't come home for Christmas.

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Operation Christmas Card website

 

 

Comments from the Operation Christmas Card website from American troops:

 

"Dear OCC,
Thanks so much for the thoughtful Christmas cards! I've been handing them out to soldiers while they wait in line for chow. They have brought many warm smiles in this cold and dreary place so far from home. It may seem like a small thing, but it warms the heart to know people back home are remembering us this Christmas!
Blessings,
SPC Link"

"I received a package from you recently and wanted to say THANK YOU. First and foremost I would like to thank you for your support, it means a great deal to us that are deployed. Your package helped my team and I make up Christmas baggies for some of the 3000 people we support. A little about us is that we are a 4 person team in charge of 5 different areas in Southern Afghanistan. We travel often and it means a great deal to the service members that we can provide some essentials they are in need of. You made my job better and that gives me a sense of accomplishment. I would like to share this with you. You have brightened the days of many and your thoughtfulness has been widely received. We thank you.
Sincerely,
Team Ramrod"

Leader-Post: Sask. woman honoured for volunteer work



Growing up in a small town has made Amber Fletcher understand the role of rural women in modern society.

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Amber Fletcher has been awarded the 2011
Governor General's Persons Award for Youth.
The award recognizes individuals who have
helped to advance equality for women in
Canada.

Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Regina Leader-Post



 

University of Regina alumna receives prestigious Governor General's Award 

(University of Regina External Relations release)

 

 

 

Six Outstanding Women Receive Governor General's Persons Award

(Status of Women Canada release)

 

 

 

Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case Photo Gallery

(Source: The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General)

 

 

Leader-Post: Royal Canadian Humane Association rewards acts of bravery in Regina

There were no second thoughts running through RCMP Const. Elizabeth Kooiman’s mind when she dove into freezing waters to rescue a 14-year-old girl from drowning.

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Royal Canadian Humane Association

Leader-Post: Stoll shares his story of losing a friend

Shayne Stoll has never been the same ever since he lost his best friend in his Grade 12 year because of a drinking and driving accident.

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Students Against Drinking and Driving Conference Schedule

SADD website

Leader-Post: Libyans celebrate Gadhafi's death

Libyan nationals in Malta embrace after hearing news
that Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi has been killed in
Sirte.

Photograph by: Darrina Zammit Lupi, Reuters

With the death of ex-Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi on Thursday, Libyans living in Regina are celebrating.


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Leader-Post Moammar Gadhafi special

 

Gallery: Libyans celebrate Gadhafi's death

 

Libya Conflict Timeline

Leader-Post: Regina RCMP detachment relocating to Emerald Park

After 10 years of lobbying by the Rural Municipality of Edenwold and the communities within, the RCMP is moving the detachment that patrols rural areas around Regina from the city to Emerald Park.

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Rural Municipality of Edenwold

Leader-Post: Author visiting Sask. weighs in on Occupy movement



Author and journalist Linda McQuaig will soon be visiting

Saskatchewan for her upcoming book tour.



As the Occupy protests take place across Canada and North America, journalist and author Linda McQuaig is making a timely visit to Saskatchewan to discuss her latest book.

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An excerpt from The Trouble with Billionaires by Linda McQuaig:
 
 
Imagine this: you are given one dollar every second.
 
At that rate, after one minute, you would have 60 dollars. After twelve days, you would be a millionaire – something beyond the wildest dreams of most people on Earth.
 
But how long would it take to become a billionaire?
 
Well, at that rate, it would take almost 32 years.
 
Being a billionaire isn't just beyond the wildest dreams of most people on Earth, it's likely beyond their comprehension.
 
Another way to grasp the sheer size of the fortunes of billionaires is to imagine how long it would take Bill Gates, generally considered the world's richest man, to count his $53 billion fortune. If he counted it at the same rate – one dollar every second – and he counted non-stop day and night, he would have it all counted in 1,680 years.
 
Or another way to look at it: if Bill Gates had started counting his fortune at that rate back in 330 AD – the same year the Roman emperor Constantine had his wife boiled alive and chose Byzantium as the Empire's new capital – he would just be finishing up now.

 

 

Linda McQuaig's website

 

Life and Taxes: Neil Brooks Interviewed

 

Osgoode Hall Law School 

Leader-Post: University of Regina library getting $300,000 donation

A bequest from a past University of Regina employee will make the book collection at the Dr. John Archer Library bigger.

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Donor Relations information from the University of Regina

Walter Raff's obituary

Leader-Post: Healing Through Humour

Whether it be stand-up, sketch or songs, people living with mental illnesses have a chance to learn the art of comedy.


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There is also a student at the University of Regina who is doing a documentary about the group Healing Through Humour.

Ian Morrison, the facilitator of the group, said in more detail what the purpose of the group is.

"It’s to break down stigmas surrounding mental illness through public performance by people living with mental illness or mental issues or anxieities," said Morrison. "It’s there to make people see that the illness is like any other illness and it’s just something that’s a part of life and that it doesn’t make the people who have it any less capable or any less functional than anybody else in the world.



Ian Morrison is the facilitator
of Healing Through Humour.

Photograph by: Don Healy,
Regina Leader-Post



"We may do things a bit differently because of our illnesses, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not an important part of society," he said. "A lot of people have said that they don’t even have a mental illness and they can’t even get up on stage and tell a joke because of the fear and it’s just a way of breaking down people’s ignorance concerning mental illness.”

Anita Hopfauf, the executive director at the Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan, also had a few comments about the use of laughter as therapy.

"It’s always good to use laughter when you’re going through stressful situations so that’s also really, I think, effective with the program," said Hopfauf. "Sometimes it’s really good to use laughter as kind of a means to kind of lighten things up a little bit and just to help you to deal with stress.

"(It helps) to kind of do something that’s not necessarily also focusing on your mental illness, but something totally different with the comedy and laughing," she said. "I think it’s healthy for people to laugh and to kind of joke around a little bit and take some of that seriousness out of a difficult situation you might be going through, just to make it a little easier."

She also mentioned how good it feels to hear laughter coming from the boardroom where classes are held and how proud she is of the performers.

"I’m proud of the people that are doing it, getting up and having the courage to get up on the stage and do the stand-up," said Hopfauf.

Healing Through Humour website

Leader-Post: Communities in Bloom recognized in Sask.

Five communities across Saskatchewan have blossomed this year for improving their area in a competitive program.

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Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association Communities in Bloom website

Communities in Bloom national program

Leader-Post: Uncertainty of what Regina protesters want

More than one hundred people gathered for an Occupy Regina
protest in Victoria Park in Regina, Sask. on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011.

Photograph by: Michael Bell, Regina Leader-Post

 

 

 

After three days of protesting, the Occupy Regina movement is showing no signs of disappearing anytime soon, even though many people aren’t sure what demonstrators are protesting.

 
Read more

 

 

Occupy Regina Facebook page

Leader-Post: New Regina Public Library branch opens its doors

 

Children and workers from Jean Vanier School check out
the newest branch of the Regina Public Library, which
opened on Oct. 17, 2011. The Branch is part of the
Core Ritchie Neighbourhood Centre.

Photograph by: Bryan Schlosser, Regina Leader-Post



Although it was chilly in the air Monday morning, workers and volunteers with the Regina Public Library had a reason to celebrate.

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More information on the Prince of Wales branch history:

"The Prince of Wales Branch remains one of the oldest Regina Public Library locations that has contributed to the growth and education of the community by providing access to information for cultural, economic, educational, and recreational development.

Formally called the Eastern Branch, it opened in 1913, under that name, in a small wooden building on Halifax Street and 11th Avenue.

The newest branch opened on Oct. 17, 2011. The Branch
is part of the Core Ritchie Neighbourhood Centre.

Photograph by: Bryan Schlosser, Regina Leader-Post

The Eastern Branch was renamed Prince of Wales Branch in 1920, but not before moving to a new location on the corner of Winnipeg Street and 13th Avenue in 1920.

The Branch name, Prince of Wales, was picked through a competition amongst school children who were invited to suggest a name. It is believed that their choice was influenced by the Prince of Wales' visit to Regina in 1919.

In 1929, Prince of Wales Branch moved again, so that St. Mary's Church could be built.

The small wooden building came to rest on the corner of Broder Street and 14th Avenue, and the original structure still resides at that location.

In 1978, a major fire swept through the Branch, destroying everything inside. The community rallied together to keep Prince of Wales Branch going and a year later, the Branch re-opened with a new look.

In 2010, construction began on a new location for Prince of Wales Branch, adjacent to the Core Ritchie Neighbourhood Centre at 445-14th Avenue. The new Branch was the first major Library project to be funded completely by community support, through the RPL Home Lottery, rather than by taxpayer dollars.

Mayor Pat Fiacco, Regina Public Library Board ChairDarlene Hincks
Joehnck and Library Director Jeff Barbercut the ribbon in the
grand opening of the new library branch on Oct. 17, 2011.

Photograph by: Lisa Goudy

Prince of Wales re-opened in its current location at the Core Ritchie Neighbourhood Centre in September, 2011. The new Branch includes a number of innovative special features, including two self-check machines and RPL’s first 24-hour curbside bookdrop, as well as an easy-to-browse collection and dedicated spaces for children, teens and adults. "

Source: Regina Public Library website

More photos from the grand opening ceremony of the branch

Leader-Post: Bicyclist, 25, killed in Estevan collision

A 25-year-old man from Toronto was killed in a collision on the west side of Estevan on Thursday night.

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Leader-Post: Food flows in as legal dispute continues

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) CEO Greg Stewart drives a tractor
loaded with donated food in east Regina as part of the FCC's
Drive Away Hunger program on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011.

Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Regina Leader-Post

By Heather Polischuk and Lisa Goudy

As tractors rolled through the city collecting donations for the Regina Food Bank, a lawyer for the food bank appeared before a Court of Queen's Bench judge asking for an order that would, if imposed, alleviate some financial pressure on the organization.

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FCC Drive Away Hunger

 

Regina Food Bank

 

Independent's Choice Distribution Ltd. (ICD)

Leader-Post: Garbage conversion to be done by fall 2012

If everything goes according to plan, the City of Regina will have the automated cart system for garbage collection fully implemented by fall 2012.

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City of Regina's information page on Roll Out Garbage Carts

 

Residential Rear Alley Garbage Collection - Cart Conversion Service Change

Residential Rear Alley Garbage Collection - Cart Conversion Service Change (City of Regina)