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[] | 2016-08-26T12:50:30 | null | 2016-08-26T12:32:12 | There are no bomb blasts or collisions with burly linemen in Susan Contreras' past. Her headaches, memory loss and bouts of confused thinking were a mystery until doctors suggested a probable cause: domestic violence. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Ffists-not-football-brain-injuries-seen-in-domestic-assaults.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870304956_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472214099686 | en | null | Fists not football: Brain injuries seen in domestic assaults | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | CHICAGO -- There are no bomb blasts or collisions with burly linemen in Susan Contreras' past. Her headaches, memory loss and bouts of confused thinking were a mystery until doctors suggested a probable cause: domestic violence.
A former partner repeatedly beat her, she says.
"He would hit me mainly in the head so that nobody would see the injuries. He'd hit me in the back of the head so the bruises wouldn't show," the Phoenix woman said.
The abuse from her ex-partner took a heavy emotional toll, Contreras says. But even though he sometimes knocked her out, she hadn't considered that her brain might have been as damaged as her psyche.
"Honestly, there's so many holes in my memory, thinking problems," she said. "My memory is really gone."
Brain trauma in domestic violence survivors has been overshadowed by concerns about injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan war vets, and by effects of repeated head blows in football players. Experts believe many cases go undetected and untreated in abused women, making them vulnerable to problems with thinking, mood and behaviour.
Advocates say the injuries leave some survivors so impaired that they can't manage their jobs and lives. Some even end up homeless.
About one-quarter of U.S. women and 14% of men have experienced severe physical assaults by a partner in their lifetime, including hitting, punching, being slammed against something hard or pushed down stairs, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Head and neck injuries are among the most common, and data suggest that domestic assaults may cause traumatic brain injuries in at least 60 per cent of survivors, according to a research review published this year in the journal Family & Community Health.
Traumatic brain injuries can result from even a single sudden blow to the head. The symptoms may be short-term or long-lasting, and repeated assaults increase chances for permanent neurological damage. Whether that damage can cause the downward spiral that domestic violence survivors sometimes get caught in is unproven, but studies have found these brain injuries are more common in homeless people than in the general population. And there's no dispute that they can cause life-changing disabilities.
"This population is not unlike that of our athletes," said Dr. Javier Cardenas, director of a brain injury program at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. He's a trauma consultant for the National Football League and also treats domestic violence survivors.
Cardenas cited Baltimore Ravens' running back Ray Rice's 2014 attack on his then-fiancee, caught on an elevator video camera. Much of the public discussion about the incident was about whether brain injuries in football players may be linked to violent behaviour off the field. It overlooked a far more obvious injury.
"When Janay Rice was knocked out cold in the elevator, attention was all about how Ray Rice had previous concussions. Nobody mentioned that the woman in the elevator suffered a brain injury right in front of everybody's eyes," Cardenas said.
Traumatic brain injuries include concussions and don't always cause loss of consciousness or damage that can be detected on imaging scans. Symptoms may not occur immediately but can develop over time, making it difficult sometimes to link them with previous abuse.
The brain isn't a hard, fixed organ. It's more like jello, surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid that works like a shock absorber when the head is hit. A violent blow -- from colliding with a linebacker's helmet, from blast pressure after an explosion, or from a partner's angry fist -- can damage brain cells at the point of impact and slam the brain against the skull, sometimes bruising tissue, tearing nerve fibers, or causing bleeding.
Repeated blows have been linked with a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE first made headlines several years ago when it was found in the brains of retired NFL players who had killed themselves. Research linking domestic violence with suicide is sparse, although several small studies have suggested that suicide attempts are much more common among battered women than among those who have not experienced partner abuse.
CTE is linked with memory loss, confusion, mood changes including depression and eventually dementia. Some scientists think domestic violence survivors might be at risk.
"I have no doubt that there are many women who have been abused enough that some of them probably have CTE," said Dr. Robert Cantu, a leading expert on football-related brain injuries and co-director of Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy.
He said medical literature contains just one published case about probable CTE linked with domestic violence -- a 1990 Lancet report about an autopsy on an abused 76-year-old British woman who had developed dementia. Her brain showed abnormalities resembling those seen in the brains of "punch-drunk" boxers.
Survivors often don't seek immediate medical attention, or when they do, they often fear disclosing what caused their injuries. Some wait years, when troublesome symptoms persist or emerge, and then, many victims and doctors don't connect the problems with domestic abuse, said researcher Jacquelyn Campbell, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
Many physician groups recommend that doctors screen women for domestic violence in emergency rooms or doctor offices, and the Affordable Care Act says insurance plans should cover the screening with no copays. But when screening occurs, questions often don't address traumatic brain injuries, and symptoms are sometimes thought to be a psychological reaction to abuse, so doctors don't probe further, Campbell said.
Jennifer Kershaw, a Columbus, Ohio-area school teacher who won a court victory last year in an abuse lawsuit against her ex-husband, says she doesn't remember doctors ever mentioning traumatic brain injury after her 2013 beating, despite her symptoms.
"He put me in a headlock and punched me in the face I don't know how many times," she said. "Then he kneed me in the face." She said she went to the emergency room with a black eye, broken cheekbone, nausea and dizziness, and still has difficulty concentrating.
Though it's not clear if she did have a concussion or other brain injury, her symptoms are among those many experts say should lead doctors to investigate further.
"If a woman comes in with a black eye" or is otherwise being assessed for domestic violence, "we need to provide some good neurological workups like the help that is being provided to our veterans with traumatic brain injury," Campbell said.
That includes detailed questions about symptoms, physical and mental exams, and sometimes imaging scans if more severe brain injury is suspected.
Susan Contreras, 47, didn't get that kind of exam until almost 10 years after her final beating, after she landed in a Phoenix homeless shelter. A therapist there was concerned about her symptoms and sent her last December to the Barrow institute. The neurological centre has established an unusual program offering an array of free treatment to homeless domestic violence survivors.
Social worker Ashley Bridwell helped create the program after working with homeless shelters and noticing many women with suspected brain injuries.
Many were hit in the head dozens of times, Bridwell said. "Some were slammed into a wall or down a flight of stairs. These women have lived pretty hard lives," and their brain damage can make it hard to navigate out of homelessness, she said.
Sometimes imaging tests show brain scarring that, in a strange way, can be comforting to survivors.
"They feel a sense of relief knowing there is a physical or medical reason for their problems," Dr. Cardenas said. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/25/fists-not-football-brain-injuries-seen-in-domestic-assaults | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/c62e835954a25431203658745b5d733e25ff76c456c0f7f1ab513cdb0c48de9f.json |
[
"Lorne"
] | 2016-08-26T12:57:49 | null | 2016-08-26T12:45:27 | Thank god the NDP weren’t able to pull off their plan to return all medical testing to the public sector. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Fgunter-dynalife-ahs-sign-five-year-extension--no-thanks-to-the-ndp.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297627931514_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472173344470 | en | null | Gunter: Dynalife, AHS sign five-year extension ... no thanks to the NDP | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Thank god the NDP weren’t able to pull off their plan to return all medical testing to the public sector.
On Thursday, Alberta Health Services CEO Verna Yiu announced that AHS had signed a five-year extension with Dynalife, the private company that provides most non-hospital medical tests in the Edmonton region.
The two-year path from AHS putting out a call for bids under the Tories for a new centralized lab contract to Thursday’s announcement that Dynalife would remain in charge until 2022 is as steep and tortuous as a mountain switchback.
And in the end, despite the expensive process, AHS and taxpayers have ended up exactly where they started.
Dynalife and its predecessor companies have had the contract to perform most medical tests ordered by doctors in the city and area for more than a decade.
Nearly two years ago, the provincial Health department and AHS agreed what was needed was one company to do all the in-hospital and doctor-ordered testing. And that company needed a new, larger, more modern central lab than Dynalife’s downtown Edmonton facility.
A call for bids was put out and in a rather controversial decision, AHS chose Sonic Healthcare, an Australian company, to replace Dynalife for the 15-year, $3-billion contract.
Then the NDP came to power.
Shortly after being sworn in, Health Minister Sarah Hoffman let it be known the NDP government would be reviewing whether to go ahead with the new contract. It would prefer to move as quickly as possible to repatriate all testing to government labs.
It was the NDP’s desire to shut private companies out completely. Like all socialists, they had it in their minds that the public sector could provide services more efficiently, and that government’s motives are purer than the private sector’s.
Publicly, the NDP tried to sow seeds of doubt in Dynalife, Sonic and other private companies that collect samples and conduct tests. Profits are evil, the NDP reasoned. They add to the total cost of testing. Bringing testing into the public fold would mean costs could be contained.
What is more likely to have happened under the NDP’s dream scenario is that costs would have soared and waits for results would have lengthened.
Imagine the post office being put in charge of testing or a school board or any other large bureaucracy. Then you’ll have some sense of what would have occurred had Hoffman and the Notley government been able to pull off its plan to socialize testing.
The only winners would have been the NDP’s buddies in the public-sector unions who would have been handed thousands of new members and millions in new annual dues.
Middle-level health care managers might have benefited, too. There are already more than 2,000 of them in AHS who do very little of real value. Adding lab testing to AHS’s mandate would likely have pushed those numbers way up, too.
Patients and their care would have suffered, though, had unionized, government labs been given a monopoly over testing.
Thankfully, Albertans dodged that bullet because, as an AHS insider admitted to me, the NDP finally had to admit the logistics of switching millions of annual tests from private lab companies to government employees simply could not be pulled off in such a short amount of time.
The government is still hoping to socialize all testing after the extension with Dynalife runs out in 2022. They have not given up on their fairy tale belief that the public sector is more moral and more efficient.
But with any luck, the NDP will be out of office by then. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/25/gunter-dynalife-ahs-sign-five-year-extension--no-thanks-to-the-ndp | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/bb30235d2a5b48d6b62d666dc4cba1af19a5e26e9ac949b787ee75682d406d95.json |
[
"Ameya Charnalia"
] | 2016-08-28T04:46:11 | null | 2016-08-28T03:58:30 | Anti-photo radar activists mobilized Sunday to warn drivers across Edmonton of imminent radar trucks. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fgroup-of-edmontonians-take-to-the-streets-to-fight-back-against-photo-radar.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871176557_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472357207485 | en | null | Group of Edmontonians take to the streets to fight back against photo radar | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Anti-photo radar activists mobilized Saturday to warn drivers across Edmonton of imminent radar trucks.
Participants fanned out to each corner of the city in 24 cars for the Cash Cow Extravaganza, said Jack Shultz, founder of the Edmonton Cash Cows group which advocates for the abolishment of photo radars in the city.
For the past four months, Shultz has criss-crossed Edmonton, scouring the city to locate, document and warn drivers of photo radar trucks, which he believes are ineffective in stopping crime.
"The danger doesn’t necessarily come from the speeders," said Shultz, who was charged with stunting while warning motorists of radars earlier this year and has opted to contest the ticket at a trial in November.
"The danger comes mostly from the distracted drivers; people not paying attention ... those are the danger, not the people that are doing five, 10 km an hour over the limit."
Most drivers honked, waved, and gave volunteers thumbs up throughout the day, said Jordan Hopfner, a team leader in Saturday's event who warned people of photo radar trucks along Whitemud Drive.
“We know that it has nothing to do with safety the way it’s currently deployed," he said. “There’s a high potential for abuse with this and that’s what were seeing right now and that’s why I think a lot people are getting upset."
A good replacement for photo radars, Shultz said, would be a bigger police presence to deter impaired drivers and others committing crimes.
“What we're doing is way safer than what the city will ever do."
Prior to the event, organizers set up guidelines to respect laws and had a legal team at hand, said Shultz, adding that it was the biggest event the group had organized to date, but certainly not the last.
“We plan on doing more and we plan on them being bigger and bigger.” | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/group-of-edmontonians-take-to-the-streets-to-fight-back-against-photo-radar | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/2f2eafbefff5942a0a74866262e1a2bca783c65111bdc9f6f8585991eb9e1331.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:46:01 | null | 2016-08-26T22:15:47 | Mounties have released surveillance
video of the most Canadian of thefts. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Frcmp-release-video-of-goalie-thief.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870796639_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | RCMP release video of goalie thief | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Russell RCMP are searching for two suspects, one of whom dressed in full hockey goalie gear, in connection with a beer store robbery in the Manitoba town on Aug. 15, 2016. (SCREENGRAB OF RCMP VIDEO)
Russell RCMP are searching for two suspects, one of whom dressed in full hockey goalie gear, in connection with a beer store robbery in the Manitoba town on Aug. 15, 2016. (SCREENGRAB OF RCMP VIDEO)
Russell RCMP are searching for two suspects, one of whom dressed in full hockey goalie gear, in connection with a beer store robbery in the Manitoba town on Aug. 15, 2016. (SCREENGRAB OF RCMP VIDEO)
Russell RCMP are searching for two suspects, one of whom dressed in full hockey goalie gear, in connection with a beer store robbery in the Manitoba town on Aug. 15, 2016. (SCREENGRAB OF RCMP VIDEO)
Russell RCMP are searching for two suspects, one of whom dressed in full hockey goalie gear, in connection with a beer store robbery in the Manitoba town on Aug. 15, 2016. (SCREENGRAB OF RCMP VIDEO)
Russell RCMP are searching for two suspects, one of whom dressed in full hockey goalie gear, in connection with a beer store robbery in the Manitoba town on Aug. 15, 2016. (SCREENGRAB OF RCMP VIDEO)
Mounties have released surveillance video of the most Canadian of thefts.
As reported in Thursday’s Winnipeg Sun, the theft occurred Aug. 15 in Russell, Man., when two men broke into and robbed a beer store. The surveillance video shows a man wearing mitts or gloves, a large coat, and ball cap running across a parking lot and shattering the store’s door, then crawling inside and stealing a couple cases of beer before bolting.
Here’s the uber-Canadian part of the story: the second suspect, trailing behind his cohort, was dressed in goaltender gear, complete with a goalie stick.
“However, he may have been a defenceman or forward in disguise as he was wearing jersey #17 — a non-traditional number for goalies,” RCMP said in a release, clearly enjoying the comedic outfit used by the suspect. “He is described as having a medium build, wearing a blocker, trapper, and carrying a goalie stick.”
RCMP ask that with anyone with information about the theft or who has played a goalie matching this description to call them. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/rcmp-release-video-of-goalie-thief | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/0261be2fc801b0958bc8b53bc062f79c30edf61527e3aa4e69225a6b37ee49f5.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T16:46:40 | null | 2016-08-30T16:46:10 | Canadian IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe is taking a lap around the dance floor. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fcanadian-indycar-driver-james-hinchcliffe-taking-a-spin-on-dancing-with-the-stars.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871865645_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472572167759 | en | null | Canadian IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe taking a spin on 'Dancing with the Sta | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | TORONTO -- Canadian IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe is taking a lap around the dance floor.
The 29-year-old Oakville, Ont., native will appear on the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars."
"Oh boy, we are really doing this!" the star driver tweeted Tuesday. "Trading Stop n Go boots for dance shoes!"
Oh boy, we are really doing this! Trading Stop n Go boots for dance shoes! Any tips, @h3lio? @DancingABC #DWTS https://t.co/XN9bIkp74r — James Hinchcliffe (@Hinchtown) August 30, 2016
ABC says Hinchcliffe's partner will be Sharna Burgess.
Other stars on the roster this season include controversial American swimmer Ryan Lochte, former NFL receiver Calvin Johnson Jr., former "Brady Bunch" star Maureen McCormick, former Texas governor Rick Perry and rapper Vanilla Ice.
The season premieres Sept. 12.
Hinchcliffe was the 2011 IndyCar Series rookie of the year and has four victories over six seasons. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/canadian-indycar-driver-james-hinchcliffe-taking-a-spin-on-dancing-with-the-stars | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/41944f6f77ad6c6252905062e57998f5a449c664d8ab708beaf690d2a3aea995.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T14:46:38 | null | 2016-08-30T14:15:43 | Don and Jonna Bradway recently cashed out of the stock market and invested in gold and silver. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fguns-blast-proof-bunkers-gardening-preparing-for-the-end-of-the-world.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871828594_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472563639917 | en | null | Preparing for the end of the world in Idah | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Don Bradway, shown at his home in Hayden, Idaho, moved from California five years ago to join the American Redoubt, among the most motivated of a broader survivalist movement that advocates preparedness and self-reliance. (Matt McClain, The Washington Post)
Chris Walsh of Revolutionary Realty stands in the cellar of an unfinished home for sale in Spirit Lake, Idaho. (Matt McClain, The Washington Post)
Don and Jonna Bradway go for a walk with their dog, Moose, near their home in Hayden, Idaho. (Matt McClain, The Washington Post)
This sign is seen on a property that is for sale in Athol, Idaho. (Matt McClain, The Washington Post)
Todd Savage, a retired Marine who moved to north Idaho from San Francisco and opened American Redoubt Realty, displays a firearm that he routinely carries with him in Sandpoint, Idaho. (Matt McClain, The Washington Post)
Jacob Clad, 22, performs a flip into Lake Pend Oreille near a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Sandpoint, Idaho. (Matt McClain, The Washington Post)
HAYDEN, Idaho - Don and Jonna Bradway recently cashed out of the stock market and invested in gold and silver. They have stockpiled food and ammunition in the event of a total economic collapse or some other calamity commonly known around here as "The End of the World As We Know It" or "SHTF" - the day something hits the fan.
The Bradways fled California, a state they said is run by "leftists and non-Constitutionalists and anti-freedom people," and settled on several wooded acres of north Idaho five years ago. They live among like-minded conservative neighbours, host Monday night Bible study around their fire pit, hike in the mountains and fish from their boat. They melt lead to make their own bullets for sport shooting and hunting - or to defend themselves against marauders in a world-ending cataclysm.
"I'm not paranoid, I'm really not," said Bradway, 68, a cheerful Army veteran with a bushy handlebar moustache who favours Hawaiian shirts. "But we're prepared. Anybody who knows us knows that Don and Jonna are prepared if and when it hits the fan."
The Bradways are among the vanguard moving to an area of the Pacific Northwest known as the American Redoubt, a term coined in 2011 by survivalist author and blogger James Wesley, Rawles (the comma is deliberate) to describe a settlement of the God-fearing in a lightly populated territory that includes Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the eastern parts of Washington and Oregon.
Those migrating to the Redoubt are some of the most motivated members of what is known as the prepper movement, which advocates readiness and self-reliance in man-made or natural disasters that could create instability for years. It's scenario-planning that is gaining adherents and becoming mainstream in what Redoubt preppers described as an era of fear and uncertainty.
They are anxious about recent terrorist attacks from Paris to San Bernardino, Calif., to Orlando, Fla.; pandemics such as Ebola in West Africa; potential nuclear attacks from increasingly provocative countries such as North Korea or Iran; and the growing political, economic and racial polarization in the United States that has deepened during the 2016 presidential election.
Across the U.S., dozens of online prepper suppliers report an increase in sales of items from water purifiers to hand-cranked radios to solar-powered washing machines. Harvest Right, a Utah company that invented a US$3,000 portable freeze dryer to preserve food, has seen sales grow from about 80 a month two years ago to more than 900 a month now, said spokesman Stephanie Barlow.
Clyde Scott, owner of Rising S Bunkers, said pre-made, blast-proof underground steel bunkers are in big demand, including his most popular model, which sleeps six to eight people and sells for up to $150,000.
"Anybody with a peanut-sized brain," he said, can see that the U.S. economy is in perilous shape because of the national debt, the decline of American manufacturing and the size of the welfare rolls.
Some people worry about hurricanes, earthquakes or forest fires. Others fear a nuclear attack or solar flare that creates an electromagnetic pulse that knocks out the nation's electric grid and all computers, sending the country into darkness and chaos - perhaps forever.
"The list is long; the concerns are many," said Glenn Martin, who lives in north Idaho and runs Prepper Broadcasting Network, an online radio station. "Imagine a societal collapse and trying to buy a loaf of bread in Los Angeles or New York and stores are closed down."
Martin's programming emphasizes gardening, farming and how-to shows about sustainable living more than "doom and gloom," he said, and his audience has grown from 50,000 listeners a month two years ago to about 250,000 a month now.
Online interest in prepper and American Redoubt websites is increasing. Tools that measure online readership show that monthly search traffic to Rawles' survivalblog.com has doubled since 2011; an estimate from SimilarWeb, a Web analytics firm, shows that the site had about 862,000 total visits last month.
Rawles's guidebook, How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It, and his post-apocalyptic survival novel, Patriots, have sold about 350,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan. They are among hundreds of available survivalist books.
In response to all the uncertainty, more and more preppers are not simply stocking up at home. They are moving their homes - to the Redoubt, a seldom-used term for stronghold or fortress.
It is impossible to know exactly how many people have come over the past few years, but newcomers, real estate agents, local officials and others said it was in the hundreds, or perhaps even a few thousand, across all five states.
Here, they live in a pristine place of abundant water and fertile soil, far from urban crime, free from most natural disasters and populated predominantly by conservative, mostly Christian people with a live-and-let-live ethos and local governments with a light regulatory touch and friendly gun laws.
The hearty and adventurous, or those seeking an escape from modernity's leading edge, have long made a new life for themselves in Idaho; Ernest Hemingway came here to live and to die.
The locals regard the newest transplants as benign if odd, several said in interviews.
"The mainstream folks kind of roll their eyes," said state Sen. Shawn Keough, a 20-year veteran Republican legislator who represents north Idaho.
Many drawn to the Redoubt are former police, firefighters and military. Most said they would vote for Donald Trump as the "lesser of two evils," and they said Hillary Clinton would make an already bloated and ineffective government even bigger.
"I don't want to be one of the guys waiting for help," said Patrick Devine, 54, a former paramedic in Los Angeles who moved two years ago at a friend's urging.
Devine said he had firsthand knowledge of chaos and government failure, earned from working numerous shootings and earthquakes, particularly in Haiti in 2010.
"I can't stop it. But I can prepare myself to the best of my ability for anything that does come and be helpful to other people," said Devine, who works at a local gun range and wears a 9mm pistol on his hip.
"I love this place," said Chris Walsh, as he buzzed low over sparkling Lake Coeur d'Alene in his mustard-coloured Beechcraft Bonanza airplane.
A Detroit native, Walsh, 53, runs Revolutionary Realty, which specializes in selling real estate to those moving to the American Redoubt. He said he has sold hundreds of properties in the last five years.
He lives off the grid in a house high on a hill overlooking a lake, producing his own electricity from 100 solar panels. But he is also a few miles from restaurants and shopping in Coeur d'Alene, a popular tourist destination.
Walsh said most of the prepper properties he sells generally have key features: at least two sources of water, solar panels or another alternative energy source, ample secure storage space for a few years' worth of supplies, and a defensible location away from main roads and city centres.
Such amenities don't come cheap; the average property sells for between $250,000 and $550,000, he said, but some go for more than $2 million. Walsh said a basic solar array can cost around $15,000, while more elaborate systems can cost 10 times that.
Walsh said most of his clients regard moving to safer territory as a prudent step against a reasonable fear. But just as important, he said, they get to live a simpler life in a safe, beautiful place.
"What they are doing when they come here is relearning things that their great-great-great-grandfathers and mothers already knew," Walsh said. "What's going on here is a pioneering spirit."
Much of the Redoubt migration is motivated by fears that President Barack Obama - and his potential successor, Hillary Clinton - want to scrap the Second Amendment, as part of what transplants see as a dangerous and anti-constitutionalist movement toward government that is too intrusive and hostile to personal liberties.
"This is a bastion of freedom," said Todd Savage, 45, a retired Marine who moved to north Idaho from "the urban crime-scape" of San Francisco and opened American Redoubt Realty after meeting Rawles a few years ago.
"The bottom line is that our clients are tired of living around folks that have no moral values," Savage said. "They choose to flee tyranny and leave behind all the attributes of the big city that have turned them away."
Savage spoke as he drove his Chevrolet Suburban with an AR-15 rifle tucked next to the driver's seat, a handgun between the front seats, and body armour and more than 200 rounds of extra ammunition in the back - along with a chain saw to move fallen trees and two medical kits, just in case.
"You have GEICO; I have an AR-15," Savage said.
Trevor Treller, 44, who carries a small Smith & Wesson pistol on his hip, moved to north Idaho last year from Long Beach, Calif., and recently paid a little less than $400,000 for a defensible three-bedroom house on five wooded acres.
Treller, a sommelier at a local resort, said Obama was a key factor in his decision. He said the president has inflamed racial tensions in America, presided over a dangerous expansion of the national debt, been "hostile" to Second Amendment rights and failed to curtail the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran.
Treller said any one of those factors could lead to crippling chaos, so he and his wife have laid in food, weapons and ammunition and are installing an iron gate across their long gravel driveway.
"I think there's a very good chance that these things won't happen in my lifetime, but I also think there's a chance that they will," Treller said. "It's extreme collective hubris to think that we're exempt from everything that happened to every single society before us throughout history."
Treller said he settled on Coeur d'Alene after scouring city-data.com, a website where he looked for his ideal mix: conservative election results, low crime rates, solid incomes, low population density, affordable house prices - and few illegal immigrants, because he said they erode "American culture."
Utah is about 83% white, and its three northernmost counties are more than 90 percent white, according to Census Bureau data. Those interviewed in the American Redoubt insisted they are not trying to segregate themselves by race. And while the Aryan Nations white supremacist group was headquartered near Hayden Lake in the 1980s and 1990s, Rawles has described the Redoubt movement as "anti-racist" and said like-minded folks of all races are welcome.
Walsh, the real estate agent, said he saw far more racism in Detroit, where he was raised, than in north Idaho.
"Here, a black person, they're a novelty," Walsh said. "You'll see people walk up to black people here sometimes and just talk to them because they've never spoken to a black person before. In terms of them walking around [saying racist things], you never see it."
Treller's wife, Christina Treller, 38, a critical care nurse at a local hospital, said she initially resisted her husband's proposal to move to Idaho. Now she loves their new Victorian-style house in the woods, with its fresh well water and clean air, and fruit and nut trees that they recently planted.
Having lived through the 1992 riots after Los Angeles police were acquitted in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, she said she views society as more fragile than most people realize.
"I'm being wise," she said.
In north Idaho, the narrow panhandle that stretches to the Canadian border, many people on the streets of pretty towns such as Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry have never heard of the American Redoubt.
That's mainly because of the prepper ethos of privacy - most don't even tell their neighbours they have years' worth of food in a safe room.
Several locals did express unease about their new ammo-stockpiling neighbours.
"I don't have a problem with preppers, but it's the extremists people don't want around - the fringe, the radicals. That's the concern I hear from people," said Mike Peterson, a real estate agent in Bonners Ferry and retired Los Angeles firefighter and EMT.
Keough, the state senator, recently fought off a tough GOP primary challenge in which she was labelled a "progressive traitor" by Alex Barron, a blogger who calls himself the Bard of the American Redoubt.
"We're certainly not oblivious to the turmoil in the world and not oblivious to the huge challenges we have at the national level," Keough said. "But those who subscribe to the 'world is coming to an end' theory, people tend to shake their heads at those folks. They come across as paranoid."
State Rep. Heather Scott, a Republican who represents north Idaho, said the newcomers have adapted smoothly.
"I have met many people, especially recently, who have moved here after being inspired by the idea of the American Redoubt," she said. "I haven't heard any of them speak about the 'end of the world' but rather the appreciation for a simpler and safer life."
Scott said preparing for a natural or man-made disaster was "simply prudent," because, "Economic experts are consistently saying that global markets are at risk, and they are telling people to take precautions to weather through an economic crisis."
Don Bradway dug into a plate of homemade enchiladas in the kitchen of the cozy house he and Jonna bought for $259,000in 2010.
What they have looks like an idyllic retirement experience: his and hers recliners in front of a big-screen TV, a "side-by-side" all-terrain vehicle in the barn, an art studio for retired nurse Jonna, a carpentry and machine shop for retired firefighter and EMT Don, and a sweet-natured dog named Moose.
Their 30-year-old son, who moved to Idaho with them, lives nearby.
Don, who's a member of the GOP Central Committee of Kootenai County, won't say exactly how much food and supplies they have on hand.
"There are some things you don't talk about," he said. "But the Bradway motto is that it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."
As Don sees it, you need look no further than the economic chaos in Venezuela, with its hungry people storming grocery stores, to see that a society-ending economic collapse could easily happen anywhere.
"We pray to God that it never happens," he said, finishing his refried beans.
But if it does, he said his "fellow thinkers" in the American Redoubt are prepared.
"They know they can depend on the Bradways to help them," he said. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/guns-blast-proof-bunkers-gardening-preparing-for-the-end-of-the-world | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/f29348895b3f6b7dffa948425daee4636293ceee3ffaf4ae2ed13e38445c9ee9.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T20:46:31 | null | 2016-08-29T20:32:35 | Police say they've finally captured an elusive Chinese serial killer who killed 11 women and girls who were all targeted because they wore the colour red. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fchinas-jack-the-ripper-targeted-women-who-wore-red.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871599957_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472499369087 | en | null | China's 'Jack the Ripper' targeted women who wore red | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Police say they've finally captured an elusive Chinese serial killer who killed 11 women and girls who were all targeted because they wore the colour red.
The killings all happened between 1988 and 2002 in northern China. The youngest victim was eight years old.
Police say the killer would find a woman dressed in red, follow her home, rape her and then kill her, often by slitting her throat.
He often mutilated the bodies -- disembowelling some of his victims, or cutting off various body parts -- earning him the reputation as China's Jack the Ripper.
"The suspect has a sexual perversion and hates women. He's reclusive and unsociable, but patient," police said in 2004, the first time police had linked all the killings to the same suspect.
Gao Chengyong, 52, was arrested Friday in a grocery store in Baiyin, home to nine of the killings.
A new round of DNA testing using modern techniques reportedly allowed police to re-examine their evidence and list of suspects.
The China Daily newspaper reports Chengyong confessed to all 11 murders.
Neighbours and friends were shocked to learn the quiet father of two is suspected of being the monster that had women fearing to walk the streets alone at night.
Gao's youngest son told the South China Morning Post that he was shocked, but that his father experienced "bitter suffering" when he couldn't train to be a pilot in his youth due to "political reasons."
The sister of one victims -- Cui Jinping, who was stabbed 22 times, her throat cut and her hands cut off -- told China Daily she'd feared her sister's killer would never be found.
Cui Xiangping said her mother couldn't stop trying upon hearing of Goa's arrest.
He now faces 11 murder charges, each punishable by death if found guilty. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/chinas-jack-the-ripper-targeted-women-who-wore-red | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/3d9be8f0659f4eea95082b8689bcd56522f70fa3852ae78517f67506dd325962.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T18:46:47 | null | 2016-08-30T18:15:49 | Canada's insatiable appetite for the Tragically Hip sent the rock band's entire discography back onto the Billboard charts last week. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fall-17-tragically-hip-albums-land-on-billboards-canadian-albums-chart.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871947431_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472578590710 | en | null | All 17 Tragically Hip albums land on Billboard's Canadian albums chart | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | TORONTO -- Canada's insatiable appetite for the Tragically Hip sent the rock band's entire discography back onto the Billboard charts last week.
All 17 Hip albums, ranging from their debut EP to their most recent "Man Machine Poem," found spots on the Billboard Canadian Albums in the wake of the much-anticipated national broadcast of their final tour stop in Kingston, Ont.
Topping the list was the band's 2005 release "Yer Favourites," a greatest hits compilation that was chosen by their fans through a vote on the band's website. The album saw its total consumption rise 238%, pushing it up a spot from second place a week earlier.
Also finding positions in the Top 10 were this year's "Man Machine Poem," holding steady at No. 6, 1992's "Fully Completely," which climbed to eight from 39, and 1989's "Up To Here," which shifted to ninth place from 28 last week.
The Hip's other albums, which include a number of live concert recordings, also found spots on the chart.
Billboard's Canadian album chart is tallied by Nielsen Music and based on album sales, digital song sales and audio on-demand streams.
Interest in the Hip skyrocketed earlier this year when frontman Gord Downie revealed he has terminal brain cancer, but planned to launch a tour across much of the country anyway.
Tickets to the shows sold out almost immediately, leading to CBC picking up a national broadcast of the final tour stop in Kingston. The concert quickly became a major event as fans made plans to host viewing parties and some local communities organized their own public screenings.
CBC's broadcast of the concert averaged just over four million viewers, according to the network.
Overall, the band's total album sales rose 157% from the previous week, Nielsen Music reported, while digital song sales were up 342% and online streams are up 185%. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/all-17-tragically-hip-albums-land-on-billboards-canadian-albums-chart | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/dbdb43bd049963f8337fb2b43cf159a0960b93f19d8a44fd7191671937195a22.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T20:46:03 | null | 2016-08-26T19:45:32 | A deranged al Qaida terrorist in Syria called the mother of an enemy soldier he just beheaded to boast of his evil deed. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fi-severed-your-sons-head-terrorist-calls-mother-of-soldier-he-just-beheaded.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870800752_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472238943738 | en | null | 'I severed your son's head': Terrorist calls mother of soldier he just beheaded | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | A deranged al Qaida terrorist in Syria called the mother of an enemy soldier he just beheaded to boast of his evil deed.
"I severed your son's head, you traitorous bitch," the man told the woman after picking the victim's cellphone out of his pocket, according to the Daily Mail.
According to the transcript obtained by the newspaper, the al Qaida thug introduced himself as a fellow soldier who had found the phone and was trying to locate its owner.
The mother had told him the last she'd heard about the location of her son was that he was on the front lines of Allepo -- a city that continues to be under siege in Syria's bloody civil war.
That's when the terrorist re-introduced himself as Saqr Rahman Al-Ansari of Jabhat Al-Nusra -- an affiliate al Qaida group fighting in Syria. And he bragged he just cut her son's head off.
"I beheaded your son today and this is his mobile, and I wanted to call and let you know, and we're coming to get you, God willing, you dogs of Aleppo. You who betrayed the Syrian people," he said, according to the transcript. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/i-severed-your-sons-head-terrorist-calls-mother-of-soldier-he-just-beheaded | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/2192fe2a6d0ef6c70d7f4ffd630ce8d3185a8dfabc85c72a1af60e24f55be842.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T02:46:42 | null | 2016-08-31T02:31:21 | Embattled star Chris Brown was arrested late Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fchris-brown-under-investigation-for-threatening-woman-with-gun-report.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297651061837_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472606528981 | en | null | Chris Brown arrested on on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Embattled star Chris Brown was arrested late Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
Police Lt. Chris Ramirez confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that the Forever singer is currently in custody at a police station in downtown Los Angeles, following a lengthy search at Brown’s Tarzana, California home.
The drama began early Tuesday, when beauty queen Baylee Curran called the police and accused the singer of pulling a gun on her during a heated argument at his Tarzana house.
She told TMZ.com Brown flew into a rage after noticing her admiring a piece of jewellery. She and a friend managed to escape unharmed, and when cops arrived on the scene to investigate, they were denied entry into Brown’s mansion to look for the alleged weapon.
Detectives filed papers for a search warrant, which was granted hours later, allowing them to enter the R&B star’s home around 1pm local time, following a stand-off Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Bob Green described as “long and protracted”.
At least six members of the star’s entourage exited the property as cops gained entry, and Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos, arrived just before the warrant was served, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The 27-year-old eventually surrendered peacefully and was spotted talking to authorities outside his home, and hours later, Brown was officially taken into LAPD custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, which is a felony.
Brown, who took to Instagram prior to his arrest to insist he had done nothing wrong, has had a myriad of legal troubles over the years.
Among the long list of charges is his infamous conviction of felony assault in 2009 after violently attacking then-girlfriend Rihanna.
He received five years probation, which finally ended in 2015 after a number of violations for drugs and altercations prompted officials to extend the sentence. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/chris-brown-under-investigation-for-threatening-woman-with-gun-report | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/26ee790edb33b0b9e1d7e3e1fdf6b1602c65854f8907f80757ddc21822b4a323.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T14:46:08 | null | 2016-08-27T13:45:30 | Police in Bangladesh killed three suspected
militants Saturday, including a man they
identified as a Canadian accused of
masterminding a deadly attack on a cafe in
Dhaka last month. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fbangladesh-police-kill-3-including-canadian-suspect-in-dhaka-attack.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871016278_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472308611245 | en | null | Bangladesh police kill 3, including Canadian suspect in Dhaka attack | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | NEW DELHI — Police in Bangladesh killed three suspected militants Saturday, including a man they identified as a Canadian accused of masterminding a deadly attack on a cafe in Dhaka last month.
Top counterterrorism official Monirul Islam said police raided a two-story house in Narayanganj district near Dhaka and killed the suspects early Saturday.
The dead included Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi-born Canadian, who police believe was one of two masterminds of the July 1 attack on a popular restaurant in Dhaka that left 20 people dead.
The militants belonged to the banned group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB, Bangladesh’s police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque told reporters.
Chowdhury was the mastermind of the July 1 attack and another attack on an Eid congregation outside Dhaka on July 7 marking the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, he said.
Bangladesh police have been conducting raids across the country to hunt down those behind the attacks.
The police chief said security officials raided the house acting on a tip that Chowdhury, along with other suspects, was hiding in the building. The suspects opened fire at officials who retaliated, he said.
A SWAT team made the final push and fatally shot the suspects after they failed to surrender. Haque said the team asked them to give themselves up but they went on firing.
The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the restaurant attack, but authorities have denied that all along, saying it was the act of the JMB and that the ISIL has no presence in the Muslim-majority country.
The attack on the upscale Holey Artisan Bakery killed 20 people, including 17 foreigners. The July 7 attack on the prayer gathering north of Dhaka left four people dead, including two police officers.
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement Saturday it is aware of news reports that Chowdhury was killed in Bangladesh.
“Canadian officials are in contact with Bangladeshi authorities to gather additional information,” said Global Affairs spokeswoman Diana Khaddaj in an email. “No further details can be provided at this time.”
Also, the family of a Toronto university student who was detained in Bangladesh after surviving the cafe attack said Friday that the young man had been transferred to prison.
Tahmid Hasib Khan’s family has maintained the 22-year-old’s innocence ever since the July 1 attack.
Khan is a permanent resident of Canada and an undergraduate student studying global health at the University of Toronto.
He had arrived in Dhaka on July 1 to celebrate Eid with his family, and planned to travel to Nepal to begin an internship with UNICEF the following week.
He was with friends at the Holey Artisan Bakery when five gunmen attacked. Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining hostages.
Khan was taken into custody for questioning immediately after the attack, and police formally announced his arrest at the beginning of August.
Part of the narrative around Khan’s case are media reports that quote hostages from the restaurant as saying Khan was ordered to hold a gun during the attack, and that he was photographed doing so.
Global Affairs Canada has said Canadian officials are monitoring Khan’s situation.
With files from The Canadian Press | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/bangladesh-police-kill-3-including-canadian-suspect-in-dhaka-attack | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/2e8caf09f6a7d352a9245bd848c604ddf10a0549a19bcb501f728c743a64a9e3.json |
[
"Tom Parkin"
] | 2016-08-29T00:46:15 | null | 2016-08-29T00:32:13 | Last year, Albertans tossed the Progressive
Conservatives from office. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fkenneys-the-wrong-guy-to-unite-alberta.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1302479421415_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472431326468 | en | null | Kenney’s the wrong guy to unite Alberta | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Last year, Albertans tossed the Progressive Conservatives from office.
The PCs had bet Albertans’ jobs on a never-ending boom, then abandoned them in the bust.
They emptied their Heritage Fund.
Fixed rules so CEOs pay the same tax rate as secretaries.
Spent public money flying friends and family.
Cut education and health care.
That gang wants back. And they’ve written their play – “Jason Kenney, Alberta Uniter.”
After 26 years in Ottawa, Kenney’s shed his Ottawa power suit and minister’s car.
He’s in new jeans, driving a bright blue Dodge Ram pickup – and talking about uniting Albertans behind the PCs, with him as leader.
But it’s not going according to script.
How can it? His entire life, Kenney – anti-abortion crusader, anti-tax lobbyist, social conservative – has been a polarizing and divisive politician.
Kenney’s political life hasn’t been dedicated to unifying anything except power.
No summer script can erase what’s been burned into voters’ psyche over 26 years.
Kenney polarizes Albertans and has little room to grow.
So says a recent poll by ThinkHQ.
Only 4% of NDP supporters approve of Kenney, 74% disapprove. No growth there.
Compared to Kenney, about 75% of Wildrose supporters prefer current Wildrose Leader Brian Jean – who Kenney aims to depose. So blocked there.
Overall, Kenney holds a 2% net approval rating, albeit higher than any other potential PC leadership contender.
But a Kenney-led PC party would still run third. Rachel Notley’s governing NDP would hold first.
Even if thunder bolts wiped out all memory of Kenney’s 26 polarizing years, this summer’s script creates new doubts.
In past provincial elections, Kenney cheered for Wildrose.
Now he’s switched to the PCs, the party he wants to lead, then destroy by merging it with Wildrose.
The PC leadership campaign officially starts in October and candidates can’t register until then.
But Kenney’s found a way to give himself a head start.
He’s set up Unite Alberta Inc., a corporation which can take donations and spend money.
Elections Alberta says there’s nothing they can do about it.
There’s the hypocrisy.
Kenney used to denounce double-dipping politicians.
But he’s going to keep taking his $12,000 per month MP paycheque until October, even though he spends his days campaigning across Alberta.
He doesn’t need the money.
He’s a single guy with none of the costs of raising kids.
Elected at 29, for 20 years he’s been an MP – for 10 of them as minister, who are currently topped up to $240,000 a year.
He already qualifies for a potential $6.3 million in pension payments to age 90.
Then there’s his Trump-like policy inconsistency.
Kenney’s against deficits, but voted for 10 of them as a Conservative minister.
He wants pipeline development, but his and the federal Conservative government’s climate-denying approach didn’t build one mile of it.
He doesn’t want a price on carbon, but once suggested a “small sales tax” in Alberta.
He favours more trade deals, but cheered Brexit.
He was strongly against abortion and gay marriage, now doesn’t want to talk about them.
Kenney polarizes because he feels like a slick huckster.
This isn’t about uniting Alberta.
It’s a play to return the old gang to power – the crew who dug a deep hole, took anything valuable from it, shoved Albertans down it, and now criticize them as they try to climb out. Kenney’s their man. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/kenneys-the-wrong-guy-to-unite-alberta | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/37cad6ea8b685594da28537a2a7733eec430d6754bbf8be9672716c60a4c739a.json |
[
"Gerry Moddejonge"
] | 2016-08-26T12:55:27 | null | 2016-08-26T12:45:27 | The irony was glaring, if not completely unintentional. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Feskimos-not-distracted--by-chris-jones-struggles-as-gm-of-roughriders.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870576961_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Eskimos not distracted by Chris Jones' struggles as GM of Roughriders | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | The irony was glaring, if not completely unintentional.
When Jason Maas took to the podium for his weekly head coach’s press conference wearing a camouflaged T-shirt, it had everything to do with supporting our troops and nothing to do with the Saskatchewan Roughriders getting caught hiding a bunch of invisible players at practice.
Commonwealth Stadium will be the site for Friday’s military appreciation night (8 p.m., TSN, 630 CHED), with volunteers from Capital Power offering limited edition T-shirts in exchange for donations toward the Military Family Resource Centre.
On the other side of the trenches will be the no-good, low-down, cheatin’ Roughriders, led by former Eskimos head coach Chris Jones, who has racked up over $100,000 in fines or salary cap hits so far this season for myriad rule violations – everything from practising with non-contracted players and those supposedly on the six-game injured list, to not following ratio regulations in a game, to herding his players onto the midfield logo at McMahon Stadium during introductions.
And those are just the ones the reigning Grey Cup champion head coach hasn’t gotten away with ever since taking over as defensive co-ordinator, head coach, GM and v-p of football ops with the Gang Green this season.
But his replacement in Edmonton wasn’t about to pass any personal judgement on Jones’ wrongdoings ahead of Friday’s game. Not publicly, at least.
“Nope, I am focused more on what we are doing here,” said Maas. “And I’ll leave it at that.”
That being said, if anyone can understand the immense pressure and expectations that are placed on an incoming head coach, it’s a fellow member of that fraternity.
“No question, your expectation when you take over any program or go into any organization is to win, no one just has you come in there and says, ’This is OK,’ ” Maas said. “Everyone expects you to win, I don’t care where you are. In our league, there is some parity. If you don’t play your best every night, you can get beat by anybody in this league and we all understand that.
“So when you go in to take over someplace, you’re expecting to win there, too. I think Chris is very confident in what he, his club and his coaches can do and I’m sure that’s why he had the confidence to go in there and do that.”
The football fishbowl that is Regina coming off an embarrassing four-win season isn’t the only pressure-cooker position for a new head coach coming into this season.
“I feel the same way taking over a Grey Cup-winning team,” Maas said. “I knew it was going to be a tough feat, you can only go down here.
“But I don’t look at it that way. I look at it as being confident that we can go out and win. Our focus when we take over those jobs is to win now.”
And at all costs, apparently, in some cases, which may or may not come as a surprise to the players who worked most closely with Jones over the past two seasons building a championship.
“I haven’t, honestly, really paid attention to that, we’ve had so many short weeks,” Reilly said. “Our focus is on us trying to make sure that we get to where we want to be by the end of the season. We haven’t exactly been playing our best football. We’ve cleaned things up last week, but we spend countless hours in those offices worried about our team, so I haven’t really paid much attention to it.
“They’re going to do things however they’re going to do them and he’s going to try to put the best product he can on the field, but we’re trying to do the same in terms of being worried about ourselves.”
GModdejonge@postmedia.com
twitter.com/SunModdejonge | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/25/eskimos-not-distracted--by-chris-jones-struggles-as-gm-of-roughriders | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/b7bb9e6d53a882541b16bdbefc7ed1bb8a6ac432c223746ae4099b41ef7745c2.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T06:46:34 | null | 2016-08-30T05:45:59 | How do you steal 500 cows? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2F500-cows-stolen-from-new-zealand-farm-in-unusual-case.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871815907_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472537476949 | en | null | 500 cows stolen from New Zealand farm in unusual case | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- How do you steal 500 cows?
Probably not all at once. That's according to New Zealand police, who said Tuesday that they were investigating reports of the unlikely crime at a South Island farm.
Locals said they'd never before heard of cattle rustling on such a massive scale. And that's in a nation that's home to some 10 million cows, more than double the number of people.
The farmer involved is feeling too sheepish to talk about what happened, according to friend Willy Leferink.
"He's absolutely gobsmacked, and deeply embarrassed," Leferink said. "If you had three-quarters of a million dollars go missing, you wouldn't want to talk about it either."
Leferink said each milking cow was worth about 1,500 New Zealand dollars ($1,090) and weighed more than half a ton. He said the cows could have been taken from the herd of 1,300 near the town of Ashburton anytime between early July, when they were last counted, and late August.
He said the cows weren't being milked because it was winter, but the farmer did notice they weren't chewing through as much feed as normal.
Police said the incident came as a reminder to farmers that they should be checking their fences and counting their stock regularly.
"It's unlikely the theft of hundreds of animals could be completed at once, and is more likely that multiple thefts could be carried out over a period of time," Senior Sgt. Scott Banfield said in a statement.
Leferink said a trailer-truck would need to be loaded 13 times over to move all the cattle.
"There have to be a number of people involved," Leferink said. "That's the biggest chance we have, of somebody cracking at some stage."
He said the thieves would face a tough time trying to fence the cows, because each one comes with an electronic identification tag in its ear. He said the tags could be removed, but that an honest dealer wouldn't buy a cow without a tag.
Leferink said farmers can sometimes be relaxed about security.
"They're good-natured and haven't got evil thoughts in them," he said. "This is very hard to deal with." | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/500-cows-stolen-from-new-zealand-farm-in-unusual-case | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/e75268b2e644c429ae476e2075e9a7367d023478b85378ec19708d96b9481390.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:46:08 | null | 2016-08-26T16:45:29 | Kylie Jenner’s bigger bust is down to hormones, not surgery. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fkylie-jenner-denies-breast-implants-invites-fan-to-feel-them-to-validate.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870666551_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472220109145 | en | null | Kylie Jenner denies breast implants, invites fan to 'feel them to validate' | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Kylie Jenner’s bigger bust is down to hormones, not surgery.
The 19-year-old Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has set the record straight after photos emerged showing her with a seemingly inflated chest. Wearing a skimpy white top with high waisted jeans, Kylie’s ample cleavage spills over the top of her shirt in the Instagram shots, with many people speculating she’d gone under the knife. However, Kylie put an end to rumours on Friday as she answered fans’ boob-related questions.
“Um never,” she told a fan on Twitter who asked if she had surgery on her cleavage, adding to another: “TMI (too much information) but it's that time of the month lol (laugh out loud).”
She also got flirty with one fan, inviting @kyliejenlove to feel her chest to validate it's all real, before admitting her breasts are likely to return to their normal size after she’d finished her period.
“They will deflate soon. And it will be a sad sad day,” she joked.
Do u want to feel them to validate https://t.co/hf10kqit0x — Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) August 26, 2016
And fans who want to emulate her look are out of luck, as Kylie revealed her favourite Victoria’s Secret bra is no longer available.
Bomb shell or this one BOMB bra from Victoria secret that I've had for 4/5 years that they don't make anymore https://t.co/rLh0nsCYk6 — Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) August 26, 2016
He chest wasn’t the only thing on Kylie's mind though; the TV star also shared her excitement over her new lip kits.
"Okay enough boob talk lmao (laugh my a** off)," she posted. "Can't wait for my new lip kits tomorrow !!!!!!!”
As well as her famous family, Kylie has also become known for her huge pout, which she initially put down to clever make-up before finally admitting she had them surgically enhanced. Making the most out of her fuller lips, Kylie launched her first lip kit in 2015, which was an instant hit.
Okay enough boob talk lmao. — Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) August 26, 2016
Can't wait for my new lip kits tomorrow !!!!!!! — Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) August 26, 2016 | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/kylie-jenner-denies-breast-implants-invites-fan-to-feel-them-to-validate | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/5e406ce90c0b393f904aef752a9d93e5efd6c6e36fa6486c1cf19d00dbe9cd9a.json |
[
"Gerry Moddejonge"
] | 2016-08-27T06:45:59 | null | 2016-08-27T06:32:02 | There was a big cheer for Shakir. And then another. And then another. The Edmonton Eskimos asked, and Shakir Bell answered. By the time it was over, they defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-25 at Commonwealth Stadium Friday, improving to 5-4 at the midway mark of the season, after stumbling out of the gates 2-4, only to climb back above .500 w | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fbig-night-for-shakir-bell-helps-edmonton-eskimos-vanquish-the-saskatchewan-roughriders-33-25.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871003119_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472277070522 | en | null | Big night for Shakir Bell helps Edmonton Eskimos vanquish the Saskatchewan Rough | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | There was a big cheer for Shakir.
And then another.
And then another.
The Edmonton Eskimos asked, and Shakir Bell answered. By the time it was over, they defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-25 at Commonwealth Stadium Friday, improving to 5-4 at the midway mark of the season, after stumbling out of the gates 2-4, only to climb back above .500 with what is now a three-game win streak.
While the last-place Roughriders fell to 1-8 with their fifth-straight loss, the 37,168 in the stands watched Bell play his first game of the season, getting the start in place of John White, who suffered a gruesome hand injury a week earlier in Toronto.
But that didn't prevent him from clapping for his replacement on the home sideline Friday, as the Eskimos ground game continued making forward progress.
On just his fourth carry of the game, Bell broke for Edmonton's longest rush of the season, picking up 42 yards to set up on Saskatchewan's 31 yard-line.
The following snap saw Reilly roll out under pressure before finding wide receiver Derel Walker at the back of the end zone for a 10-0 lead, which was assisted by an unintentional pick by the official.
Bell followed up with a 15-yard touchdown reception to make it 17-0 heading into the second quarter, moving Reilly past Jackie Parker for seventh on the club's all-time TD passing list with 71.
More importantly, it was Bell's first CFL touchdown, despite racking up 897 yards from scrimmage as a rookie last season, playing 11 games while White sat out with a ruptured Achilles.
But when it came to the big game at the end of November, Bell also found himself sitting out due to an injury of his own, missing out on the chance to get his name engraved on the Grey Cup because of three dislocated toes and a chipped bone in his foot.
Since then, Friday marked his first opportunity to contribute on the field.
“I'm just happy to have an opportunity to go out there and help the guys get a win,” said the five-foot-six, 185-pound Indiana State product, who was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2011. “Protect the football, protect Mike and then do everything that I do to help us win football games. Everything else will fall in place.
“I've just been waiting my time, I've been behind a great running back, definitely one of the best running backs in the league. My job is to make sure I go in there and make sure nothing is missed by John being out.”
After putting together a performance of 138 rushing yards and 32 more receiving yards, there's no real reason to rush White back into action, either.
And the Eskimos needed every bit of it.
The rest of their first-half points came off a safety sack by linebacker Deon Lacey, while Sean Whyte went two-for-two between the uprights. Saskatchewan finally got on the board with a 29-yard field goal by Tyler Crapigna to shrink what was a 22-0 Edmonton lead to 19 points at halftime, sparking their offence to make a game out of it in the third quarter.
Backup Brandon Bridge completed a 43-yard pass to Naaman Roosevelt, leading to a one-yard sneak by Durant to trail 22-10, ending Saskatchewan's touchdown drought after 129 minutes and 29 seconds.
They followed up with two safety points of their own, complements of former Eskimos linebacker Otha Foster, before Durant snuck in another to trail by three heading into the final frame.
Reilly stopped the bleeding after scrambling for a seven-yard touchdown, followed by a 27-yarder by Whyte to lead 32-19.
Fellow ex-Eskimos running back Kendial Lawrence ran in a five-yard touchdown before Crapigna missed the convert kick.
Gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
twitter.com/SunModdejonge
REVIEW
GAME GRADES
Overall: B
Offence: B -- Started out strong, but began easing off after taking a 22-0 lead.
Defence: C -- Allowed the team that can't score touchdowns into the end zone. Three times.
Special teams: A -- Did not disappoint.
Coaching: B -- If the players keep taking their foot off the gas, the coaches have to start stepping on some throats.
Game Ball: Shakir Bell, RB
On a night when everything looked like it could go belly up for the Eskimos, their backup running back had his feet firmly planted on the ground, combining for 170 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches.
BIG HIT
After releasing a deep ball that went for a 31-yard touchdown reception by Derel Walker, Eskimos QB Mike Reilly was drilled by DE Tony Criswell, who was flagged for an obvious late hit. Unfortunately, Eskimos K Grant Shaw wasted the penalty, which was tacked onto the ensuing kickoff, by drilling it harmlessly out the back of the end zone.
BIG SNEAK
It took a 43-yard bomb by the backup quarterback and a pass-interference call that led to a one-yard sneak by Darian Durant for the Roughriders to end their end zone drought that lasted 129 minutes and 29 seconds.
BIG DROP
After coming up with some onside kick trickery, the Roughriders were deflated when a long bomb slid through the hands of Caleb Holley, who had two steps on CB Patrick Watkins down the sideline in the third quarter.
BIG BRONZES
Canadian rugby player Jen Kish and national soccer goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe were flashing their bronze medals from Rio while signing autographs prior to the opening kickoff and being acknowledged on the jumbotron to a standing ovation.
Next Up:
Following a bit of a break, Eskimos will take to the QE2 for the first time this season, opening the annual Labour Day series against the Calgary Stampeders on Monday, Sept. 5. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/big-night-for-shakir-bell-helps-edmonton-eskimos-vanquish-the-saskatchewan-roughriders-33-25 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/a1f77bb88bac3bcad051cf34d97e4dfe3cdd803a425534949cf3d3bba5d59c6d.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:46:44 | null | 2016-08-31T00:15:13 | Selena Gomez is taking an indefinite break from her world tour in order to focus on getting well while she continues to fight her lupus battle. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fselena-gomez-breaks-from-tour-due-to-lupus.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297867917210_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472603316293 | en | null | Selena Gomez breaks from tour due to lupus | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Selena Gomez is taking an indefinite break from her world tour in order to focus on getting well while she continues to fight her lupus battle.
The Come & Get It singer was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 2014 and subsequently checked into a rehab facility to receive treatments and undergo chemotherapy.
Gomez didn't reveal her secret until last October when she released her album Revival, and the 24 year old has been promoting the record since May by performing concerts as part of her Revival Tour.
Although she just wrapped up a leg in Australia earlier this month and is slated to head back onstage in Canada this weekend, the pop star announced on Tuesday she is taking time off from the concert series and other professional commitments to refocus on her health, specifically treating her anxiety, panic attacks and depression, which are all side effects of having the disease.
"As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways," Gomez tells People in a statement. "I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges. I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off.
"Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues."
Kenneth M. Farber, the co-CEO and co-president of the Alliance for Lupus Research, praised the singer for coming forward with her battle, telling the publication, "it is not commonly known that depression, anxiety and panic attacks can be side effects of lupus. We are so proud of Selena for taking care of herself and bringing awareness to this sometimes very misunderstood illness."
When Gomez was initially fighting lupus in 2014, she cancelled a number of tour dates for what her team then cited as "personal issues", and her subsequent rehab stay prompted her representative to deny suggestions she had a substance abuse problem.
A source close to the star insists that same speculation is untrue in this case yet again, telling People magazine her break from the Revival Tour is "absolutely not related to alcohol or substance abuse" and she was prompted to take a hiatus after she "hadn't felt like herself" over the last couple of months.
"She decided to clear her calendar for the year in order to have this be her priority for future happiness and didn't want to leave any promoters at bay," the insider adds. "She feels relieved that she can now make more sense of why she was feeling the way she was and is optimistic about the future."
It is unclear how long Gomez will be out of the spotlight. She was originally scheduled for three dates in North America in September, a few stops in Europe throughout October and there were even more shows planned in Asia and Latin America until right through the middle of December. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/selena-gomez-breaks-from-tour-due-to-lupus | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/1517ae22fe990eddd0e702b1792b21bdd32ee498c433bfb183c824994c7f7f6b.json |
[
"Bill Mah"
] | 2016-08-28T20:46:13 | null | 2016-08-28T19:59:02 | Students moving into MacEwan University residence for a new school year Sunday were greeted with a drastically changed downtown neighbourhood from a year ago. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fmacewan-university-students-moving-into-residence-look-forward-to-edmontons-new-arena-bustling-downtown.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297868165818_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472416262180 | en | null | MacEwan University students moving into residence look forward to Edmonton's new | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | EDMONTON -
Students moving into MacEwan University residence for a new school year Sunday were greeted with a drastically changed downtown neighbourhood from a year ago.
Since move-in day last August, the home away from home for hundreds of post-secondary students has gained new neighbours, already opened or about to launch, in the form of Rogers Place, the Grand Villa Casino Edmonton, the Joey Bell Tower restaurant and the Brewery District.
As developments in Ice District and nearby 104 Street also take shape, students living at the residence at 110 Street and 105 Avenue now find themselves in the middle of an increasingly bustling entertainment and shopping zone.
Previously, the residence was surrounded mostly by parking lots.
For students, mostly in their late teens and early 20s and relocated from smaller communities, it's an exciting and welcome change to their post-secondary experience – with some reservations.
"I feel like it's going to be a little annoying because of the parking and the traffic," said Haley Newman, a second-year science student moving in from Wainwright. "Already, the traffic is a little bit of a pain in the butt, but other than that, it's nice to have all the restaurants and development around. I go to a lot of hockey games anyway so I'll probably be over there."
"The more that's here for her, the better," said Haley's father Len Newman. "Her work schedule is going to be pretty heavy, but if there are things that can relax her, it's nice."
Josh Mowat, a 19-near-old police studies student from Westlock has a job with the MacEwan hockey team which will play in the community arena beside Rogers Place but he also looks forward to a more animated neighbourhood.
"It will kind of liven up the area so that will be nice," Mowat said. "It will bring a lot of people who wouldn't come down normally and I think it's great for the city that it's down here."
Dhaneshwaran Moonian, 20, from the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, came to Edmonton on vacation and decided to return to study computer science. He is impressed with the area developments too. "Everything seems quite near and convenient," he said, but added his studies will come before the new distractions.
The area's growth is becoming a selling point for the MacEwan residence, which faces increased competition from privately owned condominiums for rent, said Tim Lade, the university's residence life co-ordinator.
About 710 students so far are moving into the facility, leaving openings still available in the 800-person residence. In previous years, there was a waiting list to live in the building.
"We're trying to create a whole student experience here so being five minutes from Rogers Place is going to be a huge advantage, not having to worry about parking and only a five-block walk," Lade said.
"The new Brewery District up the street only helps the campus culture of being a one-stop shop downtown experience."
bmah@postmedia.com
twitter.com/mahspace | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/macewan-university-students-moving-into-residence-look-forward-to-edmontons-new-arena-bustling-downtown | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/6646d21c67575794276e134df2a03187397a2037d18f9458248ceb6f7f79de52.json |
[
"Stuart Thomson"
] | 2016-08-30T04:46:31 | null | 2016-08-30T04:30:32 | Two people are dead after a four-vehicle crash Monday at the intersection of Highway 63 and Fort McKay, north of Fort McMurray, RCMP say.One man was taken to hospital and another man involved in the crash didn't suffer any injuries, said Const. Kandice Perry of Wood Buffalo RCMP. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Ftwo-dead-after-four-vehicles-crash-on-highway-63-north-of-fort-mcmurray.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297855290826_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472526681661 | en | null | Two dead after four vehicles crash on Highway 63 north of Fort McMurray | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Two people are dead after a four-vehicle crash Monday at the intersection of Highway 63 and Fort McKay, north of Fort McMurray, RCMP say.
One man was taken to hospital and another man involved in the crash didn't suffer any injuries, said Const. Kandice Perry of Wood Buffalo RCMP.
The four vehicles were in the southbound lane of Highway 63 near the turnoff to Fort McKay when the incident occurred around 3 p.m.
With files from Vincent McDermott, Postmedia News
sxthomson@postmedia.com
twitter.com/stuartxthomson | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/two-dead-after-four-vehicles-crash-on-highway-63-north-of-fort-mcmurray | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/a9b6b49a4fa43aac85aea8921685c6898fe38971e14ffe5e177887cd93ba1015.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T18:46:38 | null | 2016-08-30T17:46:14 | Don Cherry has decided to wade into the fallout over San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit down during the U.S. anthem in his team's first three NFL preseason games. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fdon-cherry-questions-colin-kaepernicks-motives-for-sitting-during-us-anthem.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871966442_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472582600516 | en | null | Don Cherry questions Colin Kaepernick's motives for sitting during U.S. anthem | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Don Cherry has decided to wade into the fallout over San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit down during the U.S. anthem in his team's first three NFL preseason games.
Kaepernick explained on Sunday that he was taking a stand on race relations in America and challenging authority following the deaths of black people at the hands of police.
“The fact that it has blown up like this, I think it’s a good thing. It brings awareness,” Kaepernick said Sunday. “Now, I think people are really talking about it. Having conversations about how to make change. What’s really going on in this country. And we can move forward. ...There is police brutality. People of colour have been targeted by police.”
But Cherry, the longtime Hockey Night in Canada commentator, didn't see it that way, posting a response Tuesday afternoon on Twitter.
My thoughts on the Colin Kaepernick controversy... https://t.co/7EXEI9ogv3 — Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerCBC) August 30, 2016
"It's funny how athletes when they know they are finished they all of a sudden take a stand. For instance, the 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He knows he’s not going to beat out the 49ers quarterback (Blaine) Gabbert. So all of a sudden he takes a stand on the Star Spangled Banner and not stand up to honour the flag.
"And believe it or not some people compare him to Muhammed Ali. So very wrong. If you remember, Ali took a stand in the prime of his career and lost 3 good years.
"If Colin Kaepernick really wanted to make a statement he should have done it during the Super Bowl. And make no mistake he has made things tougher for the organization that has made him millions.
"Besides, if he feels so strongly about these issues why does he not take the money he’s going to, I was going to say earn, but I will say get, and give it to his causes."
Cherry is one of many to give their two cents on the controversy.
Jim Harbaugh, Kaepernick's former head coach who now leads Michigan football, disagreed with his tactics while supporting his right to sit.
I apologize for misspeaking my true sentiments. To clarify, I support Colin's motivation. It's his method of action that I take exception to — Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) August 29, 2016
Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who played 16 seasons with the 49ers, was also critical of Kaepernick.
All lives matter. So much going on in this world today.Can we all just get along! Colin,I respect your stance but don't disrespect the Flag. — Jerry Rice (@JerryRice) August 30, 2016
"All lives matter," Rice wrote on Twitter. "So much going on in this world today. Can we all just get along! Colin, I respect your stance but don't disrespect the Flag."
Seattle Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman understood where Kaepernick was coming from.
"I thought that was interesting," said Sherman. "Obviously, what he meant was in a good place. He wanted to make a stand. Obviously, anytime you don’t stand during the national anthem, people are going to criticize it. And that’s the unfortunate part of it. You can’t ever stand against the flag. A lot of people have sacrificed for it.
"But there is also a deeper meaning to what he did. He’s talking about the oppression of African Americans in this country. And that has been going on for a long time. I think a lot of the focus has shifted away from his message and shifted to some people, rightfully so, to him taking a stand against the nation ..."
- with files from Associated Press | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/don-cherry-questions-colin-kaepernicks-motives-for-sitting-during-us-anthem | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/bda013a0fcdb5d678b57f400d3f525500e0499a54773d9d5af7b507de3934439.json |
[
"Jim Matheson"
] | 2016-08-26T13:01:21 | null | 2016-08-26T12:32:13 | To quiet the rampant speculation on talk radio, Shawn Horcoff isn’t going to be auditioning for a job here as a fourth-line centre or a 13th or 14th forward. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Fformer-oilers-captain-shawn-horcoff-isnt-going-to-be-auditioning-for-a-spot-on-the-team.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870591282_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Former Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff isn't going to be auditioning for a spot on | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | To quiet the rampant speculation on talk radio, Shawn Horcoff isn’t going to be auditioning for a job here as a fourth-line centre or a 13th or 14th forward.
He’s not going anywhere with a professional tryout offer.
The former Edmonton Oilers’ captain, who played the fifth most games in team history (796) is much closer to retiring at 38 (Sept. 17) after reaching 1,000 total NHL games last season as a role player with the Anaheim Ducks than playing again. He might like to get into management with an NHL team, something in the scouting field to see if he likes it this season because nobody is banging down the doors to sign him and he doesn’t want to uproot his family from their home in Michigan unless it’s a team with a legitimate shot at a Stanley Cup.
“That’s (PTO) not happening at my age,” said Horcoff, who said his agent had some calls from teams but clubs are loaded with bodies and probably aren’t keen on adding players of Horcoff’s ilk until they go through training camp and exhibitions and look at younger people to see if they measure up.
By then, that could be too late for Horcoff, who spent 11 years as an Oiler, three as captain where he was very good at that job.
He certainly appreciates the interest with fans here and while he says he’ll always be an Oiler, no matter where he’s been after leaving (Dallas, Anaheim), he’s not keen on just hanging out with any team to educate young players on being a pro. He wants to contribute more than just that.
“If I’m going to mentor kids, I’d rather they were my own,” he said, with a laugh.
The door is only slightly ajar to keep playing after 1,008 games. He hasn’t retired, but he’s closer to that than hanging on with one final one-year contract. “I’d only be interested in moving my family if it was one of five or six teams. I have an 11-year-old boy (Will) and a nine-year-old girl (Jade) in school. They’re just starting their school year. I’ve kind of set a Sept. 1 deadline ... if I don’t get anything, I’ll tell my agent to look at other things. I’ve got a degree (finance). I might like to take time off and then look at the management side. I’d like to get involved in that.”
At least on the soft side like buddy Ray Whitney, who took a year off then did some part-time scouting for Carolina while living in Arizona. Now, after liking it, he’ll do it full-time this season for the ‘Canes.
“I just spent some time with Whit out in Idaho and I had a long chat with Dougie Weight (now Isles’ assistant coach and assistant GM),” he said. “If I get into scouting, living in Michigan there’s lots of games I could scout.”
He’d be good at it; he’s definitely management timber.
Horcoff says he’s been working out all summer like normal to stay in playing shape — very few NHLers were ever in better condition — but if there’s no solid contract interest from anybody shortly, he’ll probably put the daily gym routine aside. Get on with life. Hang out with his kids more. He’s at peace with where he is in his NHL career.
“A thousand games. Goes by awfully fast.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to have won a Stanley Cup. I chased it but it didn’t happen,” he said.
As he joked, “my phone’s been blowing up” with people asking about a return to the Oilers, if only on a tryout. But, forget it. Horcoff, who had 19 points in the Oilers’ magical 2006 run to the Cup final, isn’t interested in going anywhere for a month to audition.
Only Kevin Lowe, Ryan Smyth, Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson have ever played more Oilers’ games.
BENCH — Oilers’ top draft Jesse Puljujarvi will be part of their YoungStars prospect lineup for the tournament in Penticton in mid-September with the Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames kids. Puljujarvi played in the Finnish Elite League at 17, but the Oilers feel he needs a few North American games before main camp. The Oilers will have 15 forwards, eight D and three goalies on their prospects roster ... The Oilers have told unrestricted free-agent Eric Gryba to hang tight through camp and if their kids on defence — Griffin Reinhart, Darnell Nurse, Jordan Oesterle, David Musil — need more time in the AHL, they’ll likely sign Gryba to a one-year contract. They know they could use Gryba’s toughness on the back-end. He definitely wants to return here, but if he gets a contract offer somewhere else, he’ll take it. If no contract offer, his first choice on a PTO would be Edmonton because they know him best ... Ex Oil Kings’ captain Mark Pysyk, traded from Buffalo to Florida for fellow defememan Dmitry Kulikov at the NHL draft, might be in tough for a top-six spot with the Panthers because they have Aaron Ekblad and Jason Demers as their first two right-shooting D, with tough Alex Petrovic also a righty. Pysyk, out at Perry Pearn’s 3-on-3 camp, had a very good year with the Sabres, though ... Former Oilers’ D Taylor Fedun, who signed with Buffalo this summer, was going to be at Pearn’s camp but has a hairline fracture in his foot. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/25/former-oilers-captain-shawn-horcoff-isnt-going-to-be-auditioning-for-a-spot-on-the-team | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/7890c4be78d2c51559ba6488a67f6b24c8a1791e9904abb52305b160548596a5.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T14:46:28 | null | 2016-08-29T14:32:31 | Drake professed his love for rumoured
girlfriend Rihanna at the MTV Video
Music Awards on Sunday night. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fdrake-ive-been-in-love-with-rihanna-since-i-was-22.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871446567_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472474337193 | en | null | Drake: I’ve been in love with Rihanna since I was 22 | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | From Kanye West's rant, to Britney's return and Beyonce's epic entrance and performance, here are photos from the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.
Lance Bass, left, and Robert Sepulveda Jr. arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Nicki Minaj, left, and Meek Mill arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Amber Rose arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
DJ Khaled, left, and Nicole Tuck arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Desiigner arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Beyonce, left, and her daughter Blue Ivy arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Farrah Abraham arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Contestants from "RuPaul's Drag Race" TV show arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Lance Bass wears a jacket with the slogan "Love Trumps Hate" as he arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Hailey Baldwin arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Nev Schulman, right, and Laura Perlongo arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Jeremy Scott, left, and Stella Maxwell arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Alicia Keys attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Beyonce (C) attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for MTV) Getty Images for MTV
Ariana Grande performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Rihanna, center, performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Ariana Grande, left, and Nicki Minaj perform at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Britney Spears performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
Michael Phelps, left, and Nicole Johnson arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez present Best Female Video onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Britney Spears and G Eazy perform onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Kanye West performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Beyonce accepts the Best Female Video award presented by Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, and Simone Biles onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele perform onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Michael Phelps presents onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Rihanna performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Beyonce and mothers of gun violence attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for MTV) Getty Images for MTV
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Britney Spears performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
G-Eazy, and Britney Spears perform at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Jimmy Fallon presents the Video of the Year award during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Rihanna performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Music Video Awards at Madison Square Gareden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla $ign (C) accept the award for Best Collaboration during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards August 28, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Drake presents Rihanna with the The Video Vanguard Award during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers and Halsey perform onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Drake presents Rihanna with the The Video Vanguard Award during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Jimmy Fallon presents Beyonce with "Video of the Year" for "Formation" onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Getty Images | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/drake-ive-been-in-love-with-rihanna-since-i-was-22 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/07e20973b014b9ee89e0fab7c5eb6313425031049465f11af84de068ec097699.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T00:46:32 | null | 2016-08-30T00:30:13 | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s spin doctors need to think back to when they were kids. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fliberals-have-some-cheese-with-that-whine.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297865058299_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472516360886 | en | null | Liberals: Have some cheese with that whine | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s spin doctors need to think back to when they were kids.
And to recall if it ever worked to complain to Mom and Dad, when they were caught doing something stupid, that “all the other guys were doing it, too.”
Remember what Mom and Dad used to say, Liberal spin doctors?
They would say: “And if all the other guys jumped off a cliff, would you do that too?”
That’s why their latest attempt to bury the limo and vanity photographers’ expense controversy involving Liberal cabinet ministers, by claiming the Conservatives did it too, and they were even worse, is so dumb.
First, feeding this information to The Hill Times just keeps the story alive.
Second, of course the Tories spent more. They were in power for almost a decade, compared to nine months for the Liberals.
Third, the New Democrats have compiled a helpful record of quotes from Liberals reacting to Tory ministerial spending when they were in power.
On Bev Oda’s $16 orange juice:
“It reveals a government that’s off its game, quite frankly, and taking liberties with the public’s patience and the public’s purse.” (Then Liberal deputy leader Ralph Goodale, April 23, 2012, Postmedia News.)
On Conservative cabinet ministers using photographers:
“The money spent by Conservatives on vanity photographers could have kept the Veterans Affairs office in Cape Breton open.” (Liberal MP Mark Eyking, iPolitics, Feb. 19, 2015)
On what type of vehicles Conservative cabinet ministers were using:
“They’re afraid to roll into Parliament in their black little limos today.” (Liberal MP Scott Andrews, Huffington Post, May 3, 2012).
Do the Liberals -- the party that gave us former cabinet minister David Dingwall unforgettably saying he was “entitled to my entitlements” regarding his job at the Royal Canadian Mint -- really want to drag this out?
Is their argument the Lexus ES 300 luxury sedan Health Minister Jane Philpott was being chauffered around in isn’t a limo, really the hill they want to die on?
Or that Environment Minister Catherine McKenna saved taxpayers’ money by spending $6,600 for a photographer in Paris, instead of bringing one from Canada?
Seriously, federal Liberals. Seriously.
We can almost hear Mom and Dad sending you to your room without supper, right now. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/liberals-have-some-cheese-with-that-whine | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/ffff0762455807a73621bbcbe5434557bce470ab4e978f94c6fa1fc2ed303f35.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:46:42 | null | 2016-08-30T20:15:49 | BEIRUT — The Islamic State group’s spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist group’s attacks against the West, has been killed while overseeing operations in northern Syria, the group announced Tuesday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fislamic-state-group-says-chief-strategist-killed-in-syria.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297872019046_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472589200824 | en | null | Islamic State group says chief strategist killed in Syria | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | BEIRUT — The Islamic State group’s spokesman and chief strategist, who laid out the blueprint for the extremist group’s attacks against the West, has been killed while overseeing operations in northern Syria, the group announced Tuesday.
The IS-run Aamaq news agency said Abu Muhammed al-Adnani was “martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo,” and vowed to avenge his death. It did not provide any further details on when or how he died.
If confirmed, it would be a major blow to the extremist group, which has been on the retreat in Syria and Iraq, where the borders of its self-declared Islamic caliphate have been steadily eroded in recent months.
Al-Adnani, whose real name is Taha Sobhi Falaha, persistently called for attacks against the West, which paid off in bloody notoriety with the Nov. 13 co-ordinated attacks in Paris that hit a concert hall, a stadium and restaurants and bars, leaving 130 people dead and hundreds wounded.
Al-Adnani is a Syrian who was born in the northern province of Idlib and is believed to be in his late 30s. He crossed the border and joined al-Qaida in Iraq, a precursor to IS, after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
In late June 2014, he formally declared the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching across parts of Syria and Iraq, under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.
A powerful orator, he went on to become the voice of IS. He released numerous, lengthy audio files online in which he delivered fiery sermons urging followers to kill civilians in nations that supported the U.S.-led coalition against the group.
“If you can kill a disbelieving American or European — especially the spiteful and filthy French — or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that joined a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be,” al-Adnani said in 2014.
In other speeches he referred to U.S. President Barack Obama as “an idiot” and Secretary of State John Kerry as an “uncircumcised old geezer.”
Earlier this year, he called for massive attacks during Ramadan — a call that translated into the bloodiest Muslim holy month in recent memory. Followers of IS carried out attacks on several continents, including the Orlando shooting, the Nice truck attack in France and a massive suicide bombing in downtown Baghdad.
Adnani also disparaged Saudi Arabia and its influential clerics for failing to rally behind the rebels that the monarchy supports in Syria like they did decades ago in Afghanistan.
There was no immediate comment or confirmation of his death from Washington.
Aleppo, where Aamaq said al-Adnani was killed, is a current focal point of the civil war in Syria, where IS, Syrian Kurdish forces, Turkey-backed rebels and President Bashar Assad’s forces are vying for control. The province is frequently struck by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes as well as Russian air raids.
Aamaq vowed revenge against the “filthy cowards in the sect of disbelief.” It said a generation raised in IS-held territory would avenge al-Adnani’s death.
The Islamic State group has suffered a string of defeats in recent weeks, including in Aleppo province, where Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels drove IS out of the border town of Jarablus last week.
In Iraq, the group has lost its strongholds in Fallujah and Ramadi, in the western Anbar province. It still controls Mosul, but Iraqi forces are gearing up for a long-awaited operation to retake the country’s second largest city.
It has also lost some of its most senior commanders and founding members over the past year, including its “minister of war” Omar al-Shishani, feared Iraqi militant Shaker Wuhayeb, also known as Abu Wahib, as well as a top finance official known by several names, including Abu Ali Al-Anbari. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/islamic-state-group-says-chief-strategist-killed-in-syria | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/463a570c3e971cff30fc83f33b1345f1e3f5af0c28a0d449fb86e149a70b4610.json |
[
"Gerry Moddejonge"
] | 2016-08-28T04:46:13 | null | 2016-08-28T04:15:16 | The Edmonton Eskimos are back above .500 for the second time this season, and with the annual Labour Day slugfest coming up, not a moment too soon. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Ffive-things-we-learned-in-eskimos-win-over-roughriders.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871173440_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Five things we learned in Eskimos win over Roughriders | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | The Edmonton Eskimos are back above .500 for the second time this season, and with the annual Labour Day slugfest coming up, not a moment too soon. After getting out to a 2-1 start to Jason Maas's debut year as a CFL head coach, the Eskimos soon found themselves staring at a 2-4 record. But a three-game win streak, thanks to Friday's 33-25 victory over the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders – who posted as many points in the game as they had across their previous three road games – has the Eskimos right back in the hunt for a playoff position. Here's what we learned from Friday's game:
1) The standings don't matter in a game
The 1-8 Roughriders put up as good a fight as the Eskimos have faced this season, not backing down after falling behind 22-0 late in the half. While a third-quarter push from Saskatchewan certainly led to echoes of an earlier breakdown where the Hamilton Tiger-Cats came back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Eskimos, the hometown crew was able to answer back this time with the winning drive and then hang on until the clock read zeroes. That goes for the other way too, and the Eskimos should probably remember that when they face a team with a better record down the stretch.
2) The Eskimos can grind it out on the ground
So, they didn't have starting running back John White. All that meant was the Eskimos rallying around backup Shakir Bell, whose dodge and dagger style slashed gouges through the Roughriders defence to the tune of 138 yards on 18 carries. It was the most an Eskimos running back, together with the offensive line, produced in a single game all season, which is good news for their aerial focused offence that had been slowly gaining some balance on the ground the previous couple of weeks. But Friday marked a definite turning point that will no doubt have opponents spending more time preparing to defend in the future.
3) Grant Shaw has a cannon for a leg
The Eskimos elected to go with a two-kicker combo down the back stretch to the 2015 Grey Cup, a formula that this year's coaching staff decided to keep, with Sean Whyte – who went 3-for-3 on field goals Friday to hit 1,000 points on his career – focusing on place kicking and Grant Shaw taking care of kickoffs and punting. And it certainly paid off in a game that turned out much too close for comfort Friday. When he wasn't pegging the perfect coffin corner, Shaw was scraping the sky with his punts. Despite booting some strategic angles that affected his average distance, Shaw was still punting 50.8 yards per attempt, forcing the Roughriders to long drives for points.
4) Always expect the unexpected
The Eskimos were caught with their pants down on an onside kick. Despite it coming from a mad scientist of special teams co-ordinators the likes of Craig Dickenson, whom the Eskimos had calling the shots in similar situations over the past two seasons. It was a fierce momentum grabber from a Roughriders squad that really had nothing to lose and everything to gain at that point. And it almost led to complete control of the second half, if only wide receiver Caleb Holley was able to hang onto a long bomb down the sidelines after blasting past cornerback Patrick Watkins on the ensuing drive.
5) Mike Reilly isn't nearly as fast as he is determined
There are times when things just aren't working and Reilly will trade his quarterback job to one of piggybacking the offence across the first-down marker. Then there are times when he will simply take whatever scrambley yards a defence offers him. There was a little bit of both at work Friday, including a 12-yard rush that set up a seven-yard touchdown where he had to stretch to move the ball across the plane of the goal-line on his way out of bounds for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. His 45 yards on six carries supplemented an impressive performance by Bell that combined for 183 yards on the ground – or 42% of Edmonton's net offence.
GModdejonge@postmedia.com
twitter.com/SunModdejonge | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/five-things-we-learned-in-eskimos-win-over-roughriders | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/3442abc2a059bb7ee55f1bb758f89ea36a1e01608beef1cde3bbb9ed601f8360.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T22:46:17 | null | 2016-08-28T22:15:35 | Alex Ovechkin got hitched. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fnhler-ovechkin-model-shubskaya-announce-marriage-on-twitter.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871289731_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472419974437 | en | null | NHLer Ovechkin, model Shubskaya announce marriage | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Alex Ovechkin got hitched.
The Washington Capitals superstar on Sunday tweeted a photo of two hands with wedding bands displayed on the appropriate fingers
The photo is accompanied by a caption, which, when translated from Russian, reads "This is happiness."
Ovechkin, engaged to Russian model Nastya Shubskaya for roughly a year, will play in the World Cup of Hockey next month for Russia.
The wedding was reportedly small and private.
After the international tournament wraps up in Toronto, the 30-year-old goal-scoring machine will start his 12th NHL season. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/nhler-ovechkin-model-shubskaya-announce-marriage-on-twitter | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/f19a3624b0c67c4dc4f1353172430e6e38f9759af2199fe2e26129aaaa468d14.json |
[
"Tony Blais"
] | 2016-08-26T22:45:58 | null | 2016-08-26T21:45:32 | An Edmonton mother who was drunk when she sped through a residential neighbourhood with two children in the back seat and hit a parked vehicle was fined $2,200 and put on probation Friday. Nichola Russell, 37, was also prohibited from driving for 18 months after pleading guilty in provincial court to impaired driving. Judge Joyce Lester agreed to a | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fedmonton-mom-fined-and-put-on-probation-for-driving-drunk-with-her-children.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297394616998_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472248692998 | en | null | Edmonton mom fined and put on probation for driving drunk with her children | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | An Edmonton mother who was drunk when she sped through a residential neighbourhood with two children in the back seat and hit a parked vehicle was fined $2,200 and put on probation Friday.
Nichola Russell, 37, was also prohibited from driving for 18 months after pleading guilty in provincial court to impaired driving.
Judge Joyce Lester agreed to a joint submission for the elevated fine and driving ban, and the 18-month period of probation, after noting Russell had put herself, her children and the public in "potential danger."
While on probation, Russell must take psychiatric counselling and alcohol abuse treatment and complete 80 hours of community service.
Crown prosecutor Ryan Abrams told court that Russell had been driving a Jeep Compass with her two children, aged four and six, in the back seat about 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2014, and was travelling at a "fairly significant" speed in a south-side residential neighbourhood when she struck a parked pickup truck with enough force to move it onto someone's lawn.
Court was told witnesses heard the crash and came out to find Russell still trying to drive the Jeep despite it being inoperable. Police arrived and noted she was displaying signs of impairment.
Abrams said Russell was "unco-operative and quite belligerent" and refused to provide a breath sample, telling officers that "the answer to everything was no."
The prosecutor said that while nobody was injured, the potential for injuries was high.
Defence lawyer Vern Eichhorn told court Russell moved to Canada from Jamaica when she was young and had no prior criminal record. He said she suffers from an alcohol addiction, but has gone to a treatment facility and continues to take counselling.
Eichhorn also said Russell's life "went out of control" and she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder prior to the incident when a good friend of hers was shot and killed.
Russell told court things have been "really hard" and she is trying to get her life "back together." | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/edmonton-mom-fined-and-put-on-probation-for-driving-drunk-with-her-children | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/b4a82d575414cbcf67907325a6850ef27e322df560d06d0485f23f9b070fb402.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T14:46:25 | null | 2016-08-29T14:32:31 | Three Canadian cruise ship passengers
were charged with drug smuggling Monday
after police in Australia allegedly
found 95 kilograms of cocaine in their
cabin luggage. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fcanadians-charged-in-australia-after-23-million-cocaine-haul-found-in-cruise-ship-cabins.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871472085_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472480271092 | en | null | Canadians charged in Australia after $23-million cocaine haul found in cruise sh | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | SYDNEY, Australia -- Three Canadian cruise ship passengers were charged with drug smuggling Monday after police in Australia allegedly found 95 kilograms of cocaine in their cabin luggage.
The haul valued at 31 million Australian dollars (US$23 million) was the largest seizure in Australia of narcotics carried by passengers of a cruise ship or airliner, Australian Border Force commander Tim Fitzgerald said.
Andre Tamine, 63, Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberce, 22, were arrested Sunday after the MS Sea Princess, operated by California-based Princess Cruises, berthed in Sydney.
The three did not enter pleas when they were charged in the Sydney Central Local Court with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine.
They face potential life sentences if convicted.
The trio will remain in custody until their next court appearance on Oct. 26.
The three Canadians had boarded the ship at the British port city of Southampton.
Police are investigating whether they boarded with the drugs or sourced them from one of several South American ports the ship visited on its way to Australia.
On Sunday, Australian Border Force officers boarded the ship when it berthed in Sydney Harbour and, with the help of detector dogs, searched a number of passenger cabins.
Fitzgerald alleged 35 kilograms of cocaine were found in suitcases in a cabin the women shared and 60 kilograms of the drug were found in the man's luggage in a separate cabin.
He thanked the U.S. Department of Homelands Security and the Canada Border Services Agency for helping identify the three as "high-risk passengers" among the 1,800 on board.
Clive Murray, assistant commissioner of strategic border command with the Australian Border Force, said the incident was an example of international co-operation in the fight against international drug syndicates.
"These syndicates should be on notice that the Australian Border Force is aware of all of the different ways they attempt to smuggle drugs into our country and we are working with a range of international agencies to stop them," he said.
The Australian Federal Police said the investigation is ongoing and further arrests have not been ruled out. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/canadians-charged-in-australia-after-23-million-cocaine-haul-found-in-cruise-ship-cabins | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/b54977d9247aa3470b9c32e9e3011ceec6b34ada3a1e4b0af11cc4bd52ce5ff8.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:46:28 | null | 2016-08-29T16:32:34 | Model Ashley Graham is sick of men sending her explicit pictures on Instagram. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fmodel-ashley-graham-says-getting-penis-pics-is-really-weird.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871498109_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472485054527 | en | null | Model Ashley Graham says getting penis pics is 'really weird’ | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Model Ashley Graham is sick of men sending her explicit pictures on Instagram.
The buxom beauty, who this year became the first plus-size model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine's famous Swimsuit Issue, is an active Instagram user but has problems with unwanted messages from men.
In particular, she feels creeped out that some men send her unsolicited pictures of their nether regions.
"I really think it's weird when they (men) send me penis pictures (on Instagram)," Ashley tells the New York Post's Page Six gossip column. "It irks me deep inside. Don't do it, I'll block you."
The model was speaking to the publication while attending the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in New York City on Sunday.
While there she visited Manhattan's iconic Tick Tock diner, where she was treated to a performance from Nick Jonas, who performed his track Bacon in front of an audience of diners including Ashley and his brother Joe Jonas, who was with his DNCE bandmates. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/model-ashley-graham-says-getting-penis-pics-is-really-weird | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/5463b9f0314c1c2108421376449c32fe0730b7c6d78fce94974b99ca4f751daa.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T18:46:28 | null | 2016-08-29T18:32:35 | Travelling to India? Leave your skirt at home, says Mahesh Sharma, the country's minister of culture and tourism. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Ftravelling-to-india-female-tourists-should-not-wear-skirts-says-tourism-minister.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871540454_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Travelling to India? Female tourists should not wear skirts, says tourism minist | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Travelling to India? Leave your skirt at home, says Mahesh Sharma, the country's minister of culture and tourism.
While promoting a new guide on the weekend that will be given to tourists after arriving in the country, Sharma said travellers are "given dos and don’ts... very small things like, they should not venture out alone at night in small places, or wear skirts."
According to the Guardian, he added “For their own safety, women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts... Indian culture is different from the western.”
Sharma has since apologized for his remarks, telling reporters on Monday "I am a father of two daughters... I would never tell women what they should wear or not."
The new guide is geared toward female travellers who may be uneasy visiting the country after a number of high-profile attacks on women, including the rape and murder of a Delhi student earlier this year. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/travelling-to-india-female-tourists-should-not-wear-skirts-says-tourism-minister | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/825d24a8a36dd5e80663c6687d602c25dd45b67943389e0457fe426fb8022713.json |
[
"Chris Doucette"
] | 2016-08-28T16:46:14 | null | 2016-08-28T16:15:33 | For the third time in recent months, gunfire erupted in a Riverside neighbourhood Saturday evening. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fwoman-shot-dead.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871204739_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472402201529 | en | null | Grandmother gunned down in laneway | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | The scene near Dundas St. E. and Munro St. where a woman died after multiple gunshots were fired on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. (Pascal Marchand/Special to the Toronto Sun)
Susan Bryant, an area resident, leaves flowers at the scene Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 a day after Peggy Ann Smith, 61, was shot dead in a Riverside laneway. CHRIS DOUCETTE/TORONTO SUN)
Toronto Police at the scene Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 a day after Peggy Ann Smith, 61, was shot dead in a Riverside laneway. CHRIS DOUCETTE/TORONTO SUN)
Toronto Police at the scene Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 a day after Peggy Ann Smith, 61, was shot dead in a Riverside laneway. CHRIS DOUCETTE/TORONTO SUN)
Toronto Police at the scene Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 a day after Peggy Ann Smith, 61, was shot dead in a Riverside laneway. CHRIS DOUCETTE/TORONTO SUN)
Toronto Police at the scene Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 a day after Peggy Ann Smith, 61, was shot dead in a Riverside laneway. CHRIS DOUCETTE/TORONTO SUN)
Peggy Ann Smith, 61, of Toronto, was fatally shot Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016 in the Don Mount Court and Kintyre Avenue area of Riverdale.
TORONTO -
For the third time in recent months, gunfire erupted in a Riverside neighbourhood Saturday evening.
But unlike the first two shootings where nobody was hurt, this time, a 61-year-old grandmother was killed.
"It's just horribly sad," longtime area resident Susan Bryant said Sunday. "It just feels like my neighbourhood is ruined, it's been tainted."
She said the victim often visited her daughter, who lives on Munro St., to help care for her grandchildren.
Toronto Police say the gunshots rang out on Don Mount Ct., the laneway behind the row of government housing near Dundas St. W. and Broadview Ave., just after 6 p.m.
"Officers located a woman, with an apparent gunshot wound, in an alley at the rear of a home," Homicide Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga said. "She was pronounced at the scene."
The victim, identified as Peggy Ann Smith, is the city's 48th murder victim of the year.
One area resident, who asked not to be named, said he heard what sounded like two guns firing close to a dozen shots, "Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang."
He said the shots all seemed to be fired directly at the back steps of a home.
The man and several other area residents said the laneway is often teeming with people sitting in lawn chairs behind their homes.
Idsinga said there was a birthday party for a young teenager not far from where the bullets were fired and a BBQ at a nearby townhouse.
"Needless to say, with the number of people out and about in the area on a warm summer night, there was a strong possibility of further injuries or fatalities," he said.
The back porch and windows of two townhouses were still riddled with bullet holes as forensics officers gathered evidence at the scene Sunday morning.
No arrests have been made.
Two young men were seen fleeing the area, heading north towards Dundas St. E.
On May 5, gunshots were fired at the back of a townhouse just a few doors down from where Smith was killed, narrowly missing the residents inside.
Another townhouse just south of Saturday's murder scene was shot up on April 20.
Anyone with information regarding the deadly shooting is urged to call police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
cdoucette@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/woman-shot-dead | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/148bfb927051882c5ab2cc80587ff4e67ee1cc3453057499f02c4f06fda477b0.json |
[
"Janet French"
] | 2016-08-31T02:46:40 | null | 2016-08-31T02:31:21 | Despite new laws and a ministerial order, some Alberta school boards’ policies fail to protect LGBTQ staff, students and their families, according to a new analysis by Public Interest Alberta. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fcatholic-school-districts-dispute-poor-marks-on-lgbtq-policy-report-card.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297872163369_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472606500047 | en | null | Catholic school districts dispute poor marks on LGBTQ policy report card | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Despite new laws and a ministerial order, some Alberta school boards’ policies fail to protect LGBTQ staff, students and their families, according to a new analysis by Public Interest Alberta.
Two Catholic school districts awarded poor grades in the report fired back Tuesday, saying the advocacy group’s analysis is unfair and incomplete because the report did not consider all the relevant documents.
Report author and University of Alberta education policy Prof. Kristopher Wells said the confusion over how to find all of a school district’s relevant policies bolsters his point there is a lack of clarity and too much inconsistency between Alberta school districts.
“Unequivocally, any student who walks through any school in this province should be entitled to the same supports, the same resources, the same protections regardless of where they go to school,” Wells said.
If schools or boards won’t pass policies that comply with the law, the education minister should impose a policy, he said.
One, or possibly two, of four board policies Wells examined don’t comply with new laws passed last year to protect transgender and gender diverse students and staff, the report concludes.
Education Minister David Eggen ordered all school boards, independent schools and charter schools to submit policies by March 31, 2016, outlining how they planned to protect and accommodate people who are gender diverse. All schools and boards have now submitted policies. In response to previous requests by Postmedia, Eggen’s office has refused to say which districts’ policies were considered acceptable and which needed more work.
One pastor has said his two religious schools will not be complying with the law, saying it infringes on the schools’ religious freedoms.
“We have some options at our disposal if schools do not comply (with legislation) and we will be assessing these as we move forward,” Eggen’s press secretary, Larissa Liepins, said in an email Tuesday.
Presented in a report card format, Public Interest Alberta’s Making the Grade analysis gave Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools’ policy an F, and Grande Prairie Catholic Schools a D. Wells bumped up Grande Prairie Catholic’s mark late Tuesday afternoon when the irked district pointed him to documents Wells had missed in the first analysis.
Red Deer Public Schools, which passed a stand-alone policy before the minister asked for one, earned an A+ for their sexual orientation and gender identity policy.
Wells evaluated four policies based on six criteria, including whether it complied with provincial legislation, protected students and staff members’ privacy, and spelled out how schools will support transgender and non-binary people.
He said shortcomings include apparent restrictions on requesting gay-straight alliances in some Catholic school districts. Grande Prairie and St. Albert Catholic districts both have policies saying the groups will “normally” be established at the Grade 7-to-12 levels, that the principal has to agree to the club’s name, and must approve any material going before the group.
The report also said some districts did not include protections for students’ families or staff who are gender diverse, and failed to spell out how transgender people will be directed to bathrooms or change rooms, and join sports teams.
Lethbridge’s public school board, whose policy faced fierce opposition from some members of the public, earned a B after leaving out protections for staff and privacy considerations, and excluded mention of accommodating transgender students.
The district hasn’t written supporting administrative procedures yet, communications officer Garrett Simmons said. A policy protecting staff rights is going before the school board in September, he said.
Grande Prairie Catholic Schools received a thumbs up from Alberta Education for its inclusive schools policies and procedures, said superintendent Karl Germann. The district deserved a better grade on the report card, he said. He encouraged Wells to “redo and resubmit his homework.”
“It’s interesting getting a D- when, in fact, students indicate that they are loved and cared for and we are following the legislation,” Germann said.
Public Interest Alberta missed many policy documents in its analysis of the Greater St. Albert Catholic School District, superintendent David Keohane said.
“I’m profoundly disappointed with the assessment that’s been given,” he said.
Principals are required by law to oversee all activities occurring in their schools, he said in defence of the restrictions placed on gay-straight alliances.
Keohane was so baffled by the report card’s conclusions, he called Alberta Education again Tuesday for reassurance their policies were acceptable to the ministry. He said they are.
If practices are different from what’s on paper, the school districts should do a better job of explaining the protections, Wells said.
“What are they afraid of? Why don’t they just spell out what is in the law instead of dancing around it?”
Public Interest Alberta executive director Joel French said the ministry should consider posting all the relevant policies in one place so they’re easy to access.
jfrench@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/jantafrench | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/catholic-school-districts-dispute-poor-marks-on-lgbtq-policy-report-card | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/9d461ef77858beb5941667eab9bac72d2e4bb5209230c921e83c21bc72f024b1.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:46:41 | null | 2016-08-30T19:46:14 | An escaped inmate from the Stan Daniels Healing Centre was recaptured early Tuesday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fpolice-apprehend-escapee-from-edmonton-correctional-facility.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871769566_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472583994877 | en | null | Police apprehend escapee from Edmonton correctional facility | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | An escaped inmate from the Stan Daniels Healing Centre was recaptured early Tuesday.
Edmonton police arrested Carlos Tecomba at about 12:06 a.m.
A warrant had been issued after the convicted robber escaped on Monday.
Tecomba, 20, is serving a sentence of five years and nine months for robbery with threats of violence and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Correctional Services Canada is conducting an internal investigation about the circumstances of the escape.
The Stan Daniels Healing Centre is located at 9516 101 Ave. in Edmonton.
A dangerous offender at another healing lodge recently escaped custody. Darrell Peter Moosomin, 54, had been granted day leave from the Pe Sakastew minimum security facility in Maskwacis, south of Edmonton, to attend the Samson Powwow under the supervision of an elder Aug. 13.
Killam RCMP recaptured him Aug. 22. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/police-apprehend-escapee-from-edmonton-correctional-facility | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/be45855d286b0417849bad409ff6cff05afa1655079fea6ae5b5c50169684946.json |
[
"Janet French"
] | 2016-08-27T12:46:01 | null | 2016-08-27T12:33:20 | A visionary teacher whose ideas transformed Edmonton Public Schools is gambling his internationally recognized methods will reverse the fortunes of Las Vegas schools. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Flongtime-edmonton-school-superintendent-looks-to-overhaul-las-vegas-school-system.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870986305_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472300209462 | en | null | Longtime Edmonton school superintendent looks to overhaul Las Vegas school syste | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | A visionary teacher whose ideas transformed Edmonton Public Schools is gambling his internationally recognized methods will reverse the fortunes of Las Vegas schools.
In his 22 years as superintendent at Edmonton public, Michael Strembitsky unveiled many big ideas that still influence how and where 92,000 students learn. He punched holes in attendance boundaries, insisting schools develop programs that make themselves attractive — a movement he says prevented the demand for more private schools in the city. He introduced staff, student and parent surveys; began routine achievement testing; added the International Baccalaureate program in high school; and worked with the school board to bring police officers into schools.
However, Strembitsky is known by teachers globally for his insistence that schools, instead of kowtowing to decisions from a central office, know best how to spend their own money. He began introducing the idea of school-based budgeting to Edmonton public in 1976, and district retains that system of site-based decision making today.
Strembitsky's consulting work spreading that philosophy has taken him from California to Washington, D.C.; New Zealand; Australia and Hong Kong.
Not all jurisdictions that tried to adopt a version of his method stuck with it. An attempt in Hawaii flopped for political reasons, Strembitsky said, and school systems in Seattle and Cincinnati abandoned the approach.
Having twice failed at retiring, the 81-year-old Strembitsky is now the consultant guiding Nevada's massive 320,000-student Clark County School District through an overhaul that would see hundreds of school principals decide how to spend their allotted money and staff their schools. The district faces sluggish achievement results, growing ethnic diversity and an inequality of resources between schools, he said.
Strembitsky said his lasting marks on education in Alberta may be incomplete yet, pointing to school boards' lack of control to tap into their tax base, and the centralization of teacher bargaining and decisions over school construction. This interview has been edited for length.
Q: How did you get involved with this project in Nevada?
A: I had worked with an initiative that they had started in Nevada in the years 2005 to 2010 called Empowerment Schools. This was when schools were supposed to have a lot more say in how they were organized, how they were operated. As they researched ideas, my name kept cropping up. I worked with Clark County for five years. Then, we hit the point where either the system had to change or we come to a grinding halt. The thing stopped in its tracks in 2010. I made a decision at the time: I’m re-retiring.
This year, the State of Nevada has passed a bill to reorganize the Clark County Schools. They empowered a committee of nine legislators to carry this forward. They would like some people to testify as to ideas. I testified, and a week later, they approached me as a consultant.
Q: You helped Clark County School District plan to overhaul its system. What does the plan say?
A: It turns the existing district upside down, or what I call right side up. It makes the schools the focus of the district’s operation. It also means that the superintendent and the senior staff focus their energies on what it takes to make schools work. Most places on the continent are organized so that when the board and the superintendents get the funds, they disburse those funds to various departments. The problem is, none of those people, not one of them, is responsible for the results of a school.
Q: How hard is it to convince people who have risen to that level in a huge organization to let go of control?
A: When you bring about change, a person like myself wants to convince them this is for the greater good. But the first thing people want to know is, what’s in it for me? You can’t fault them for that. It’s not until you can convince them that if we have the greater good, you, too, can gain. As a result of all my work in the States, I marvel at what happened in Edmonton by the group that brought it about. It was just unbelievable how everything happened, fell into place. We didn’t have any foundations funding us. We didn’t have any seed money. We just up and did it.
Q: You said earlier you don’t pay much attention to Alberta and Edmonton education issues now. You’re not keeping up on it?
A: I thought I had a challenging job when I was superintendent. When I left the district (to work at a Washington, D.C., institute), it was even tougher. People find this difficult to believe: I made the decision to leave, but my heart — (he pauses, and his eyes tear) — was in Edmonton. Is. It was tough to stay away, but it was the right thing to do for whoever succeeded me.
Q: But surely you must want to follow up with the school district to see how your experiment is working, 40 years later.
A: Well, the fact that 40 years later it’s working is a testimony to the strength of it. I’m sure they have done things I wouldn’t have thought of, and I’m sure, had I been here, I would have done things, too. But I deliberately have not followed up. That has become more difficult when they named the school for me. I did not realize the impact that it makes on the kids to see the name on the wall and then to identify that with a living person.
Q: You were the one who imparted this idea of open boundaries, and yet Michael Strembitsky School has become a prime example in Edmonton of the angry parent living across the street saying, ‘What do you mean my child can’t go to this school next year?’ You’ve said it’s more than ironic your name is attached to a school struggling with attendance boundary issues. How does that make you feel?
A: It is ironic. It would be good for a laugh if it was funny, but it isn’t. I have a lot of sympathy for the parents. We’ve got to be able to assign responsibility so we know who is accountable for the results. The provincial capital budget is around 10 per cent of the operating budget, and yet, the 10 per cent (for building and maintaining schools) is so minutely controlled, so, what justification do we have for that?
Q: Do you have a third round of retirement planned?
A: Obviously, I’ve got things I want to do. When the province took away school boards’ power of requisitioning taxes, the province solved one problem, but the perverse results of that are beginning to show. More and more things are going to the provincial level. It’s small wonder today teacher negotiations are going to be made at the provincial level. I like decisions to be made closer to the people involved. I think the role of the boards has changed significantly. I long for the day when board members had more influential roles.
jfrench@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/jantafrench | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/longtime-edmonton-school-superintendent-looks-to-overhaul-las-vegas-school-system | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/f3e299c42287b91b60c668e641684a3dce2e7cc7bc506a57a859dadeb9607064.json |
[
"Steve Buffery"
] | 2016-08-26T12:54:59 | null | 2016-08-26T12:45:27 | Jose Bautista made it clear on Thursday afternoon that he has not returned to the Blue Jays lineup with a list of demands or a prima donna attitude or as a pending free agent worried about his individual statistics. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Freturning-bautista-in-it-for-the-team-not-his-numbers.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870576711_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472174648988 | en | null | Returning Bautista in it for the team, not his numbers | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | TORONTO — Jose Bautista made it clear on Thursday afternoon that he has not returned to the Blue Jays lineup with a list of demands or a prima donna attitude or as a pending free agent worried about his individual statistics.
He’s not about to tell manager John Gibbons where he wants to bat in the lineup, nor is he going to demand to start every game in right field or anything like that.
Bautista said he just wants to be a good soldier and help the Jays get into the playoffs and to the World Series. He wants to be another bullet in the holster.
“Right now it’s about winning,” said Bautista, following batting practice at the Rogers Centre. “The team’s doing great. Hopefully I’ll slide in and continue to let the team roll like we have.”
Bautista has been out since Aug. 9 when he twisted his left knee while attempting to make a throw to the infield in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He also went on the DL with a toe injury suffered on June 17 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Needless to say it’s been a frustrating season for the long-time Toronto slugger, who was, of course, hoping for a big year given that he is a free agent at the end of the season. But the injuries have held him back.
Statistics-wise, Bautista is not going to be able to post the mega-numbers of years back and he can live with that.
“It’s been tough,” he said about the season. “I’ve had to deal with a lot. Overall, I think I contributed. My on-base-percentage, RBIs and runs scored-per-game played are not bad at all. I just want to finish out strong and, again, we’re in first place, I don’t think I’m going to focus a lot on my individual situation. If we continue to win and I’m playing every day, I’m sure I’ll contribute and at the end of the year my numbers are going to look fine.”
Bautista wants to help the Jays put together a nice winning streak like they did a couple of times last year. The media pushed him on Thursday as to where he wants to bat in the line-up — if he expects to bat lead-off again despite the fact that second baseman Devon Travis has assumed that spot in his absence. In 22 games as the lead-off hitter, Travis is batting .311 with an .806 OPS.
“I don’t think I’m in a position to be demanding or tell anybody what to do,” Bautista said. “This team is playing great and the last thing I want to be is a disruption. I just want to continue to help anyway I can and hopefully get back in the playoffs and try to get that championship that we missed out on last year.”
Bautista did bat lead-off on Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels with Travis out with a sore knuckle. He also DH’d with Ezequiel Carrera playing right field.
Gibbons said he expects to have Bautista DH from time to time having just come off the DL.
When Bautista assumed the lead-off spot earlier this summer when the Jays were struggling, he actually went to Gibbons and suggested the move. It paid off. Now everyone seems to be waiting for a controversy to break out over who bats lead-off when Travis and Bautista are both healthy.
Bautista said he isn’t going to get in a twist one way or the other — sincere in his intent on helping the team win without making any waves.
“We want to have the best nine out there and obviously Devon’s done a great job at lead-off and, again, this is Gibby’s team. He’s the manager and we’re not going to try to undermine him,” Bautista said. “He has to go with the hot hands and whatever’s working. So wherever I can fit in, I’m sure I’ll be fine. As long as we keep getting wins, I’ll be happy.”
With Bautista back and Travis expected to return in the next day or so, the Jays are finally getting close to being the offensive dynamo they expected to be all season.
Left fielder Michael Saunders, who has 21 home runs this year, was out with a sore hamstring on Thursday, but that’s not expected to be a major problem.
Besides the power and his outstanding eye at the plate (Bautista was leading the AL in walks before he ran into injury troubles), the veteran outfielder gives the Jays some more swagger, something they had in abundance en-route to the AL East title last season.
“Oh yeah. No doubt,” Gibbons said. “He’s a feared hitter in this league and everybody knows where he is in the lineup, when he’s coming up, when he’s sitting on deck, everyone’s aware of that.
“He can burn ya, he can burn ya with the best of them, and you know he’ll take his walks, he’s got great discipline. It’s a weapon.”
sbuffery@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/25/returning-bautista-in-it-for-the-team-not-his-numbers | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/ff80e86abef6efdcdbef3641a75d5eb735ea4decd26636bd160ef5beb254e6f4.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:46:47 | null | 2016-08-31T00:00:03 | Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed over the talks for months. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fcanada-post-postal-union-avert-job-action-reach-tentative-deals-2.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297853567536_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472603587284 | en | null | Canada Post, postal union avert job action, reach tentative deals | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | OTTAWA -- Canada Post and its largest union have reached a tentative settlement, averting the prospect of job action this week at the postal service.
The tentative agreements must still be ratified by more than 50,000 postal workers across the country before they become new contracts.
"We can't give details of the agreements at this time, but we're pleased that our members don't have to resort to taking job action," Mike Palecek, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, said in a statement.
The negotiations were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by the postal union.
Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk said in a statement that the agreements were reached "voluntarily," but provided no other details about the deals themselves.
The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.
"These tentative agreements, reached voluntarily by the parties, are an important reminder for us all that a fair and balanced collective bargaining process works and can achieve real results for Canadian workers and employers," said Mihychuk's statement.
Canada Post described the tentative agreements as short-term. It said they are for two years and that four-year contracts were typically negotiated in the past.
"The agreements will avert a work disruption, bringing much-needed certainty in the postal system for our employees and customers," said Canada Post in a statement. "Canadians can now use the postal system with confidence."
Canada Post also suggested the two-year deals would provide more time to look at how best to address some of the issues it faces -- without the threat of a work disruption.
"We're at a point with the postal system where Canadians are using us differently," said Jon Hamilton, a spokesman for Canada Post. "We're trying to adjust the ongoing issues of declining mail volumes and increasing pension obligations continue. Those problems haven't gone away, but we need to continue to have those discussions without a threat of a work disruption. "
The tentative settlement was announced the same day that calls for direct federal government action in the matter had grown louder.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had again been asked to get personally involved, this time by a group of prominent women from across the country who called on the prime minister to direct the Crown corporation to live up to its legal obligations on pay equity.
A day earlier, small businesses that rely on web-based sales were encouraged to write Trudeau and demand legislation to break the impasse.
The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers -- most of whom are women -- and urban letter carriers has been at the forefront of contract talks between Canada Post and its biggest union.
An open letter sent to the prime minister on Tuesday called on Trudeau -- who is in China this week for a formal state visit -- to keep his promise to support equal pay for work of equal value.
"We are asking you to use your influence to ensure that rural and suburban mail carriers achieve pay equity with (urban) letter carriers."
Tuesday's letter was signed by 200 women primarily from English-speaking Canada, including actress Sarah Polley, author Naomi Klein and social activists Maude Barlow and Judy Rebick.
It is not known what the tentative agreements contain in regards to the pay equity issue. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/canada-post-postal-union-avert-job-action-reach-tentative-deals-2 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/5229d3270aa5acadf038ae1cdef40a3763d0472a3ea1670f3eb7e677b3efaaf9.json |
[
"Elise Stolte"
] | 2016-08-30T22:46:42 | null | 2016-08-30T22:32:53 | Demanding community benefit dollars from the Katz Group at this point in Rogers Place construction would be akin to extortion, a city councillor suggested Tuesday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fcity-council-appears-to-have-little-interest-in-reopening-rogers-place-benefits-agreement.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871760509_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | City council appears to have little interest in reopening Rogers Place benefits | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Demanding community benefit dollars from the Katz Group at this point in Rogers Place construction would be akin to extortion, a city councillor suggested Tuesday.
With Rogers Place celebrating a grand opening Sept. 10, several members of the nearby communities and social agencies say Edmonton’s homeless population and low-income residents are getting a raw deal.
Parking, noise and litter are being addressed through a community working group with all the mayor players at the table, but councillors are now hearing requests for “living wage” jobs at the arena, help with rising rents and affordable housing. They want a more definitive community benefits agreement negotiated with the arena’s operator.
But there was little sympathy for that among councillors.
“Is it appropriate to turn around and … I’m going to use a challenging word, extort from the Katz Group extra community benefits after the deal was signed?” Coun. Mike Nickel asked.
Community members said they want an open conversation with Katz Group about what can be accomplished, but even more, they want to set a new standard for these types of discussions in the future.
New towers and other private projects should have clearly defined community benefits, not vaguely worded promises to try, said Jay Scherer, a University of Alberta recreation and physical education professor who has been studying the arena deal as his area of research.
After all, he said, Edmonton’s primary funding tool for the arena — the community revitalization levy — depends on taxes from increased downtown land values, which is what drives gentrification. It’s going to happen, he said, adding those increased land values will raise rents for the residents and small business owners, pushing them out to make way for people who can afford it.
Ian O’Donnell, vice-chairman of the Downtown Community League, said the community group has been effective as planning for parking, noise and construction issues. City and arena officials, community league members and social agencies belong to the group.
“This committee is really a think-tank, if you will,” O’Donnell said after the meeting. “It needs to ensure that we get ideas out on the table that really do address some of the issues.”
The committee is reviewing its terms of reference.
“We need to be realistic. An arena being placed downtown with new highrise towers, there is going to be gentrification,” he said. But with all players around the table, there’s also opportunity to look at how new tax dollars from this and future development can be reinvested to help people and make these communities stronger, he said.
Executive committee heard from city officials and a panel of eight members of the public Tuesday morning. They’re scheduled to hear from several more people in the afternoon before making any decisions.
estolte@postmedia.com
twitter.com/estolte | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/city-council-appears-to-have-little-interest-in-reopening-rogers-place-benefits-agreement | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/677d50b25e85b56f77592e86194fb43f5d7a637194b9941a7c47c44c6843388b.json |
[
"Amy Dickinson"
] | 2016-08-30T12:46:39 | null | 2016-08-30T12:15:40 | Dear Amy: My best friend and I are high school seniors and I strongly dislike her boyfriend. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2Fhigh-school-friends-face-boyfriend-tension.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297869996384_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472554854987 | en | null | High school friends face boyfriend tension | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Dear Amy: My best friend and I are high school seniors and I strongly dislike her boyfriend.
He treats her horribly, tells her "no promises" about cheating on her when they're arguing, entertains other girls and doesn't shut it down and then makes jokes about it. Recently she asked who the girl he was texting was, and he said, "Oh, I don't know. I have three."
When I told him he's made her cry, he bragged to his friend about how cool that is. She doesn't open up to him because she says he doesn't care. They fight over the same things over and over. She knows she should leave, but she can't imagine her life without him and she wants more time with him.
She used to tell me that since he doesn't cheat on her it's fine, but now she says things like she doesn't know if he's cheating or not. At this point, I don't think she'd leave him even if he did cheat. She puts up with this and I don't know if it's because she does love him or if it's because he's her first boyfriend. No matter what I do I can't make her see that he's not good for her and she deserves so much more. She doesn't believe that there's someone out there who's going to show her what she's been missing.
I hate watching her hurt herself. I get so angry over this, I've even cried because she was crying over him.
Do I stay out of it or do I help her? Nothing I say or do changes her mind. How can I be a better friend and help her out? -- Sad Best Friend
Dear Sad: According to the very helpful website loveisrespect.org, 1 in 5 teens report being in a toxic or abusive dating relationship. Based on what you say, I would put your friend in this category.
Continue to support her, but understand that she may continue to stay with him, even though he is an emotionally abusive jerk. Understand that on many levels she knows this, but she is making a calculation: She would rather have stale crumbs from this guy than be on her own. You can help make sure she knows she deserves better.
She sounds vulnerable and insecure. You should continue to be her supportive friend but you can stop urging her to leave (this choice needs to come from her). Only continue saying to her, "You deserve so much better..."
Some abusive relationship patterns start with that first relationship, and, unfortunately, if she thinks this is acceptable or "normal," she may continue to have relationships with guys who bully and treat her badly.
You cannot change this, but you should continue to be her loyal friend, even if this is incredibly frustrating and hard for you. Urge her to do some research about relationships; loveandrespect.org offers a very helpful online chat, as well as a free texting hotline: text loveis to 22522 or call 866-331-9474.
Dear Amy: I'm almost divorced. I've known my daughter's boyfriend's mother since we both were teenagers.
She has been divorced for five years. We've had this unspoken thing for each other for more than 30 years. We met for drinks and hit it off, just talking about our kids. Is it wrong to take this relationship to the next level? -- Wondering
Dear Wondering: You say: "I'm almost divorced." I say: On some level, all married people are almost divorced.
When you are all-the-way divorced, you should feel free to take this relationship to the next level.
Dear Amy: In your column, you commented about the "subtle and shifting hurts" that you have experienced on Facebook.
I'm a 61-year-old attorney. I'm married with three children. You would think I would be immune to the "hurt" you mentioned. I'm not. Facebook can really be a hurtful venue. And your usage of the words "subtle" and "shifting" was, in my opinion, an exact description of how it feels.
I think I have learned a ton about myself and other people over the course of the last two years, as a result of that hurtfulness. Well said!
Thank you. -- Big Fan
Dear Fan: Social media expands our circles, increasing the number of people who have access to us. These people can easily make (or break) our day.
Because this is a new way of interacting, we all need to arrive at new ways of coping. I'll happily pass along suggestions from readers. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/24/high-school-friends-face-boyfriend-tension | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/057d40f59a9b0076390f23765ed1dd7038ba6e0345827e20bdd2261b13abfdd7.json |
[
"Steve Tilley"
] | 2016-08-29T22:46:27 | null | 2016-08-29T22:15:20 | As viral marketing ideas go, it’s a Deathstroke of genius. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fben-affleck-teases-deathstroke-who-should-play-the-dc-villain.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871642441_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472504851742 | en | null | Ben Affleck teases Deathstroke: Who should play the DC villain? | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | As viral marketing ideas go, it’s a Deathstroke of genius.
Ben Affleck – the Bruce Wayne and Batman of the DC Comics cinematic universe – dropped an unexpected surprise on his social media followers Monday morning, posting a video that appears to confirm fan-favourite DC Comics villain Deathstroke will be in next year’s Justice League movie. Or in Affleck’s upcoming standalone Batman movie. Or maybe both.
In a short, silent video clip apparently shot off a film set monitor, we see Deathstroke, aka seasoned mercenary Slade Wilson, striding through what’s believed to be the cargo bay of the Justice League’s airborne command post.
Will the black-and-orange-armoured villain be a major part of Justice League? Is he working against Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the team, as they prepare to face down the alien baddie Steppenwolf? Or is he working with them, recruited by a desperate Dark Knight? Will his appearance simply serve to set him up as the main heavy in the upcoming Batman solo flick?
And most importantly, who the heck is behind that mask?
Revealing a video of a new character in a major superhero movie without actually announcing who’s playing the role is kind of unprecedented. So here are five actors – in decreasing order of likelihood – who we think could suit up as Slade.
Joe Manganiello
Last year, when rumours were rampant that Deathstroke would be one of the characters in this month’s Suicide Squad, True Blood’s Joe Manganiello was said to be the frontrunner for the role. Deathstroke never materialized in the movie, and Manganiello took to Twitter in April of last year to quash the hearsay: “That’s not the character I was in talks for,” he wrote.
But given the strength and persistence of those rumours, it feels like there could be something there. And if Manganiello is saying he was never in talks for Deathstroke specifically in Suicide Squad, he technically wouldn’t be lying if he played the character in Justice League and/or the new Batman. Frankly, he’d be an awesome choice.
Scott Eastwood
When director David Ayer’s Suicide Squad was in production, the revelation that Scott Eastwood (The Longest Ride, son of Clint) was joining the cast had some fans speculating Eastwood would be playing Deathstroke, who joins up with Task Force X in the comics.
Turns out Eastwood simply plays an army lieutenant named Edwards, who accompanies Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and the gang on their mission and meets an untimely demise. But it seems odd that Ayer actively courted Eastwood for such a minor and inconsequential role, and maybe the plan is for Lieut. Edwards to somehow survive and transform into the menacing mercenary for future films.
Manu Bennett
It’s a shame that DC is adopting a different strategy from Marvel and keeping their TV and film universes at arm’s length from one another, because plenty of fans would love to see actors from the so-called Arrowverse show up on the big screen. Deathstroke, for instance, is played in TV’s Arrow by New Zealand actor Manu Bennett, who also did the motion-capture performance for the fearsome orc chieftain Azog in the Hobbit movies (and who, oddly, bears a passing resemblance to Joe Manganiello.) Why not keep the universes consistent and have these characters cross over with the actors intact?
Michael Hogan
If we go back a little further in DC Comics-based TV shows to the Clark Kent series Smallville, it was Canadian actor Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica) who played army general Slade Wilson, a vocal supporter of the Vigilante Registration Act. At 66, Hogan is a bit old for the role from a practical action standpoint, but the character is a grizzled, grey-haired older man in the comics, and Hogan was an age-appropriate actor for the part. He’s also a funny guy in real life who happens to play very menacing badasses on screen.
Ryan Reynolds
OK, yeah, no chance of this happening in a million years. But how awesome would it be? Deadpool’s Wade Wilson – created by Marvel’s Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, and played by Reynolds in this year’s box office hit movie – is a tongue-in-cheek nod to Deathstroke’s Slade Wilson, one of Liefeld’s favourite DC Comics characters.
Having Deathstroke remove his mask to reveal Reynolds underneath is just the sort of fourth wall-breaking, universe-blending madness that Deadpool would love. Sadly, Hollywood studios probably don’t share his sense of humour.
Twitter: @stevetilley
STilley@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/ben-affleck-teases-deathstroke-who-should-play-the-dc-villain | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/f03467f6cfe2a516b25b8f7864e65de9cbf03fb5ec07963fe5f1298ca18377cb.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T22:46:07 | null | 2016-08-27T22:16:01 | As I sailed aboard the aircraft carrier USS John Stennis from Honolulu to San Diego with my Navy pilot son, I could not help but be haunted by the concern that America’s foreign policy has lost its mooring and will require all hands on deck to bring it back to its rightful berth. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Famerican-leadership-can-survive-todays-storms.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871114419_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472337428997 | en | null | American leadership can survive today’s storms | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | As I sailed aboard the aircraft carrier USS John Stennis from Honolulu to San Diego with my Navy pilot son, I could not help but be haunted by the concern that America’s foreign policy has lost its mooring and will require all hands on deck to bring it back to its rightful berth.
On the first evening of my journey, we were treated to a beautiful sunset from the vantage point of “vulture’s row”, atop the aircraft carrier’s tower.
The sun going down caused me to wonder whether its passage was emblematic of the sun setting on the era of American leadership in the world.
The week at sea, without communication with the outside world, provided relief from the fractious presidential campaigns, filled with equal amounts of scorn for both past American attempts to promote security and our more recent negligence to do so.
Since the campaign season seemed to reflect a race over who would detach the United States most from the world on immigration, trade, and global leadership, I wondered whether our ability and willingness to lead would survive.
Then the winds came up, and the waves along with them.
I have never felt more wind in my face than I did while observing the F/A-18 Hornet combat jets neatly arranged in a V-shape on the bow of the ship.
Even though the ship was big enough to hold over 5,000 sailors and aviators, along with lethal weapons of war, it still nodded to the impact of tropical storm Ivette.
As we awoke at “zero dark thirty”, in the middle of the night, to the excessively cheery voice of the executive officer, it was clear that the mighty craft had taken little notice of the storm’s gales and proceeded apace to its destination.
My question came back into my mind, mingled with the hope that just as the Stennis sailed through the tempest to reach San Diego, so too would America’s ability and will to lead cruise through today’s caustic, isolationist, protectionist windstorms.
The first task for a carrier preparing to launch aircraft off its catapult is a Foreign Object Debris walkdown, during which the ship’s crew walks the entire deck, shoulder to shoulder, searching for any loose bolts or screws that could get sucked into a turbine and cause significant damage.
One errant fragment could render a mighty jet inoperable.
For the United States to regain its mojo, it must pick up and discard a few foreign objects that, if allowed to entrench themselves in our political discourse, could disable our ability to deliver peace and prosperity for Americans and our friends.
We passed the USS Theodore Roosevelt as we arrived in San Diego.
The ship’s namesake pulled the United States out of its isolationist past and onto the world stage by launching the Great White Fleet, counseling that the path to peace was to “speak softly and carry a big stick”.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears to have missed the part about speaking softly.
Today’s global unrest suggests Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lost the stick during her time as Secretary of State.
Both of them represent “foreign objects” to America’s leadership tradition.
With the emergence of the Islamic State, tensions in the South China Sea on the rise after China’s rejection of an international tribunal’s ruling, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russia continues to occupy Crimea, risks to global harmony are on the rise.
World events are likely to force the United States to remove its foreign objects in order to attract better allies and find its “big stick” again.
Those leaders for whom the Navy has named aircraft carriers serve as examples.
Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush are all guides to whom Republicans should look for instruction on how to lead in a way that attracts others to America’s side.
Harry Truman, John Stennis, and Carl Vinson serve as guides to Democrats looking to rebuild America’s stick.
No matter who prevails in November, pushing America out of its inward tailspin will require a lot of tugging.
We must all stand shoulder to shoulder to throw foreign objects overboard and get America’s ship of state back on course.
The Washington Post News Service & Syndicate | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/american-leadership-can-survive-todays-storms | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/26c080dd027d3133de20240a3c90b9f6458f8e32ee0c457681e21e02582c5818.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T04:46:09 | null | 2016-08-28T03:59:29 | For college free-agent defenceman Matt Benning, who grew up in St. Albert, there was the money and the opportunity here but when you're branching out to the pros, there's also the family tree to look at. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fcollege-free-agent-matt-benning-signs-with-hometown-oilers.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871170105_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | College free-agent Matt Benning signs with hometown Oilers | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | For college free-agent defenceman Matt Benning, who grew up in St. Albert, there was the money and the opportunity here but when you're branching out to the pros, there's also the family tree to look at.
So Benning signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers Saturday, in part because dad Brian played for the team 23 years ago, and his local-based grandpa Elmer, the crack Montreal Canadiens amateur scout who had his 80th birthday party Saturday, hopefully will get a chance to see him in his favourite pro jersey.
The 22-year-old unrestricted free-agent from Northeastern University in Boston opted to sign with his hometown Oilers and while he also could have gone to Vancouver, where his uncle Jim runs the Canucks as their general manager, that was never a consideration. There was a better chance he'd have signed in Los Angeles or Chicago rather than Vancouver, which seemed a strong possibility.
"I definitely wasn't going to Vancouver even if they'd offered (contract). If I'm going to make it I want to do it on my own," said the six-foot, 200-pound Benning, who played three years at Northeastern but only has three classes to graduate and felt he was ready for the pros.
"People said a lot of things, too, about me signing in Boston (after they drafted him in the sixth round in 2012) because my uncle was there then, and I wanted to get away from that," he said.
Benning grew up in St. Albert and played junior A for the Spruce Grove Saints, then one year with Dubuque in the USHL before his time at Northeastern. He qualified as a UFA because of the three college years and the year in the USHL. He opted not to sign with the Bruins in part because they have a surplus of prospect defencemen.
So do the Oilers — Griffin Reinhart, David Musil, Dillon Simpson, Jordan Oesterle, Joey Laleggia — but all shoot left, although Reinhart and Oesterle can play the right-side. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Benning would be their only rightie in Bakersfield so he fills a large organizational need for current GM Peter Chiarelli, who was in charge of the Bruins when Benning was drafted there.
Up here, only Adam Larsson and Mark Fayne shoot right.
"I looked at the Oilers right-shot situation but obviously you have to perform. There's left-shooting defenceman that can play right side, too," said Benning, who doesn't know how far away from the NHL he is. He'll probably need some time in Bakersfield.
"I don't know what pro hockey's like. My goal next season is to make the adjustment period as small as I can. Jumping from junior hockey to college I did it pretty quickly. Obviously professional hockey has the best athletes in the world. My goal is to adapt to the pros as fast as I can."
In the end, the local ties and ties to Chiarelli certainly swayed Benning.
"Growing up in Edmonton and having season tickets to the Oilers was part of my decision to sign here and also having Chiarelli here was a big thing...he drafted me in Boston and knows me as a player and as a person," said Benning.
What kind of player is Benning?
"I'm more a defence-first guy first...you're called a defenceman for a reason because you have to defend. That's how I was raised. That's how my dad taught me. Defending and making good passes is important to me," he said.
“He’s a real cerebral, puck-moving defenceman…but he’s got quiet toughness to him. Players underestimate that,” Northeastern coach Jim Madigan told the Boston Herald in 2015.
“Matt had quite a transformation from the time we drafted him,” said Bruins’ GM Don Sweeney, who watched him closely at Northeastern. “His ability to start the transition coming out of his zone is a real strength as is his ability to make a pass through the first level (of checkers).”
Benning’s dad played 18 games for the Oilers in the 1992-93 season after they got him in a trade from Philadelphia for defenceman Greg Hawgood and centre Joe Beranek. It was the old man’s second last NHL stop; he wound up his NHL career with the Florida Panthers.
All the Bennings like defence. Matt, Brian, Jim and Elmer’s other boy Mark was an All-American at Harvard before getting into the stock-trading business | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/college-free-agent-matt-benning-signs-with-hometown-oilers | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/8853ce56f632c6e4fad3c852dd63e5097abab8265e3d3eeedb09a9a5a192f3c4.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:46:13 | null | 2016-08-26T14:32:16 | Britney Spears wants to have three more children. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fbritney-spears-talks-kids-being-single-on-carpool-karaoke.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870652591_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472218773255 | en | null | Britney Spears talks kids, being single on ‘Carpool Karaoke’ | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Britney Spears wants to have three more children.
The 34-year-old singer is mother to 10-year-old Sean and nine-year-old Jayden with ex-husband Kevin Federline. But while she doesn't have a man in her life right now, Britney foresees a bigger family in her future.
Toxic star Britney made the admission during her appearance on James Corden's Carpool Karaoke on Thursday night, telling the host she is "so jealous" of him having two little ones.
"Mine are nine and 10, they're not babies anymore!" Britney exclaimed. "I want more, I would like to have like three more.
I have to find the right guy first, and then... you know."
She then burst into an impromptu rendition of Ace of Base's song All That She Wants (is another baby).
Britney has been married twice before - a 55-hour union with childhood friend Jason Alexander following a Vegas wedding, and to dancer Kevin from 2004 to 2007.
She was also engaged to Jason Trawick and was reportedly set to wed ex-boyfriend Charlie Ebersol, but told James she won't walk down the aisle again.
"I think I might not do the whole men thing anymore. I won't do the men thing, or get married, I'm just done with men," she vowed. "I might French kiss someone but I'm not going to marry anyone - I don't believe in marriage any more."
Britney and James belted out her songs Oops!... I Did It Again, Toxic and her biggest hit Baby One More Time, for which the duo donned school uniforms to recreate the infamous video for the track, with James even sporting a blonde, plaited wig.
Britney's appearance on the Late Late Show's Carpool Karaoke comes amid a busy week for the star. On Friday morning, the singer released her ninth studio album Glory and tweeted her excitement by writing: "It's here!!! #GloryOutNow."
The hashtag is just one of those that will trigger the use of a specially created Britney emoji, which shows a close-up cartoon version of the singer's face. Among others that will cause the emoji to feature are #BritneyCarpool, #BritneyonCorden and #BritneyCarpoolKaraoke.
Britney is also capitalising on her upcoming performance at Sunday night's (28Aug16) MTV Video Music Awards, with the hashtags #BritneyVMAs and #BritneyOnVMAs also triggering the emoji. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/britney-spears-talks-kids-being-single-on-carpool-karaoke | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/c2bbe986097585db947faec149ef505e107fdfe46dddc8e24a520fa18141798a.json |
[
"Ameya Charnalia"
] | 2016-08-27T04:46:01 | null | 2016-08-27T03:45:24 | Musician Nick Jonas took out time prior to his Friday night concert at Rexall Place to meet fans with diabetes to raise awareness about the disease, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 13. Sun Life Financial teamed up with Jonas' organization, Beyond Type 1, to provide select members of the Canadian Diabetes Association and JDRF Quebec living | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fmy-life-was-changed-pretty-dramatically-nick-jonas-meets-fans-with-diabetes-before-edmonton-concert.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870982530_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472268990042 | en | null | Nick Jonas meets fans with diabetes b | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Musician Nick Jonas took out time prior to his Friday night concert at Rexall Place to meet fans with diabetes to raise awareness about the disease, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 13.
Sun Life Financial teamed up with Jonas' organization, Beyond Type 1, to provide select members of the Canadian Diabetes Association and JDRF Quebec living with diabetes the chance to meet Jonas and attend his concert free during the Canadian leg of his world tour, Future Now. JDRF Quebec is involved in Type 1 diabetes research.
“My life was changed pretty dramatically and it came at a time that was really challenging," said Jonas, now 23. “Once I got a grip on how to manage it myself, I wanted to do all I could to raise awareness."
After a week-long visit to a hospital where he learned more about the disease, Jonas said he decided to inspire others living with diabetes.
“When I was in the hospital trying to figure what was happening with my life, there was no one that I could look at and say, 'Oh, they’re doing all they want to do with their life while living with diabetes,' and I hope to be that person."
In 2015, he co-founded Beyond Type 1 to educate people about the disease and provide resources and support for those living with diabetes. The organization leverages the power of social media and technology to help sufferers live well.
“Not feeling alone is so important; especially as a young person, I think it's so easy to get sucked into feeling isolated, and so my hope is that me sharing my story and being open about it helps other people," said Jonas.
Meeting fans with diabetes at various venues across the country has been an empowering experience, Jonas added.
“I’m living with this disease, as well as speaking out on it and trying to be an inspiration, but I also need that encouragement from time to time."
Diabetes is a chronic, often debilitating and sometimes fatal disease, in which the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it produces, says the Canadian Diabetes Association's website.
There are 11 million Canadians living with diabetes today. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/my-life-was-changed-pretty-dramatically-nick-jonas-meets-fans-with-diabetes-before-edmonton-concert | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/43507ebff9fd28d1e51551acc8748d0e2324bdaa60ee44a7978f7c3d7b9628ed.json |
[
"Amy Dickinson"
] | 2016-08-29T12:46:25 | null | 2016-08-29T12:15:11 | Dear Amy: I am writing to you regarding people sharing pictures of children in the buff on Facebook, Instagram or other social media. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2Fchildren-in-the-buff-shouldnt-be-on-facebook.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297869986815_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472469294538 | en | null | Children in the buff shouldn't be on Facebook | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Dear Amy: I am writing to you regarding people sharing pictures of children in the buff on Facebook, Instagram or other social media.
I have a girlfriend who constantly posts naked pictures of her 3-year-old son.
Even worse, some of these photos were taken on a public beach. Imagine the looks from others as they stroll by!
To me, this is not only distasteful, but also dangerous.
I am afraid that some of the "friends" from Facebook or Instagram could be pedophiles who might take advantage of this innocent boy!
I discussed this with my mother and her mother, and both women are concerned.
When we suggested to the friend's mother that she should discuss this with her daughter, she said she would get defensive and maybe stop talking to her.
I want to confront her about this through a private message. How can I approach this? -- Fully Clothed
Dear Clothed: I think this practice is risky (and disrespectful to the child, who cannot consent).
Those photos can wind up anywhere (well beyond her own Facebook circle), and the photos of these innocent children can be grabbed and shared by pedophiles, who will hoard and trade them. The pictures will also surface off and on for the rest of the child's life.
I am not offended by the sight of a nude young child at the beach, but in this day of secret photographing and photo-sharing, I agree that this, too, carries risks.
Reacting to posts and photos is expected on social media sites.
Rather than privately soliciting opinions about this and gossiping about it, you should feel free to share your point of view with the mother posting these photos.
I suggest sending her a private message and saying, "I really enjoy seeing pictures of your adorable son on Facebook and Instagram, but I worry that any nude pictures can fall into the wrong hands and be shared well beyond your own circle of trusted friends. I hope you'll think about possible unintended consequences when you post photos."
Every young child deserves to have adults in their life who respect and guard their privacy. Children are completely defenseless when it comes to the questionable judgment of their parents.
Dear Amy: My grandmother is 78 and lost her husband about 10 years ago.
I've noticed over the last five years that she has become very lonely and likes to do ALL the talking. Due to the distance between us, I am only able to see her one or two times a year and for only one or two days per visit. Spending time with her is not fun anymore. She never asks about me, my future husband, my upcoming wedding, etc.
She doesn't even ask me, "How are you doing?"
Our entire visit consists of her reminiscing about her past, and she will even cry over certain events, which results in me consoling her.
When it is time for me to leave after staying for a couple days, I feel as if I didn't get to actually talk to her. I feel like we are missing out on these years we have together.
I hope this doesn't make me seem selfish. I love my grandmother dearly; we used to talk till the cows came home, and it's not the same anymore.
I want to talk to her about it, but I am afraid I will hurt her feelings. What should I do? -- Worried
Dear Worried: You should be honest with your grandmother about your concerns: "Grammy, I'm worried about you. You seem so sad..."
It sounds as if she might be depressed. Older people are just as likely as anyone else to become depressed, but they aren't routinely screened for depression. Diagnosis and treatment could be a game changer for her. Speak to your parents (and/or her) about this.
Also, if you correspond with her by email or snail mail in between your visits, you will basically have the opportunity to tell her whatever news you have regarding your own life. Then when you are with her, you can say, "Remember how I wrote to you that I'm engaged? I have some pictures of my fiance -- do you want to see them?"
Dear Amy: The question from "Sad" broke my heart. Sad's younger sister was abusing the party drug Molly, and Sad was upset because her sister was mad at her when she intervened.
I wish more people cared enough to intervene and let a family member be mad at them. Anger fades. -- Also Sad
Dear Sad: Exactly. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/24/children-in-the-buff-shouldnt-be-on-facebook | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/163bbbe368e7b0d59256ce4d6e68f09e7bf6fbaa8d28d515e3d1b63958610c7d.json |
[
"Ameya Charnalia"
] | 2016-08-28T02:46:08 | null | 2016-08-28T02:15:13 | A routine morning ritual went sideways very quickly for a southeast Edmonton man earlier this week. Daljit Sidhu, who lives by Mill Creek Ravine, was about to take his dog outside at around 6 a.m. Thursday morning when he noticed something lying in front of his front door. At first he and his wife thought it was another dog, but on closer inspectio | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fedmonton-senior-left-frustrated-after-city-initially-refuses-to-remove-dead-coyote-at-his-front-door.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297855302645_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472346648468 | en | null | Edmonton senior left frustrated after city initially refuses to remove dead coyo | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | A routine morning ritual went sideways very quickly for a southeast Edmonton man earlier this week.
Daljit Sidhu, who lives by Mill Creek Ravine, was about to take his dog outside at around 6 a.m. Thursday morning when he noticed something lying in front of his front door.
At first he and his wife thought it was another dog, but on closer inspection it turned out to be a dead coyote.
It might have been sick and wandered over from the ravine, said Sidhu, who says he the animal was bleeding from its mouth, which had stained his mats.
Sidhu says he called the city's animal control department but was told by a dispatcher that it was not the city's job to remove animals from private properties, and then hung up on him.
"He was very rude then he cut me off," Sidhu said. “I said it's not a dog or cat. It’s a coyote. It’s not my job to pick up myself."
The 63-year-old, who is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, said he did not want to risk infection by approaching the animal and was "mad at the dispatcher."
The coyote was eventually removed from Sidhu's property roughly five hours later that same morning, but only after he called 311.
In an email statement to Postmedia, Alison Burns, a communications advisor with the City of Edmonton, said animal care and control "will pick up larger wildlife found dead on private property such as deer, moose and coyotes, providing the owner is willing to be present when this is done."
But the city will not pick up dead pets, small wildlife such as birds, rabbits, and gophers on private property, Burns said. Property owners are asked to dispose of these animals by placing them in sealed bag in their garbage.
Discarded hunted animal carcasses or spoiled and discarded freezer meat will not be picked up either, Burns said.
"Animal care and control staff will ensure 311 and dispatch is aware of these protocols." | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/edmonton-senior-left-frustrated-after-city-initially-refuses-to-remove-dead-coyote-at-his-front-door | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/289ccf90d18ac3172bba8d4d7a4f701729a80525c95e35f80323ebf7b3ba1be8.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:46:20 | null | 2016-08-26T14:15:29 | Charlize Theron has split fans on social media by letting her adopted son dress up as Frozen queen Elsa. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fcharlize-theron-criticized-for-letting-her-son-wear-a-dress.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870659689_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472218902422 | en | null | Charlize Theron criticized for letting her son wear a dress | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Charlize Theron has split fans on social media by letting her adopted son dress up as Frozen queen Elsa.
The Mad Max: Fury Road star and her kid Jackson hit the streets of Los Angeles on an errand run earlier this week when snappers caught the boy in his Disney costume.
His look, which featured a blue dress and braided blonde hair, won Charlize applause from some forward-thinking parents, who congratulated her for allowing her son to wear the outfit of his choice, but other Twitter users weren't quite so kind.
One user raged: "How is this legal", while another wrote: "Is @CharlizeAfrica crazy?? What kind of parent does this to a child?? Why would you adopt this young black boy and then degrade him??", and one more added: "Why did Charlize Theron have her little 5 year old boy in a dress and wig? He's too young to know what a transgender is. She's confusing him."
Who think this is ok?? Why?? What kind of mother are you??@CharlizeAfrica pic.twitter.com/8o9P1dQtKi — Lesboja78 (@lesboja1978) August 24, 2016
Why did Charlize Theron have her little 5 year old boy in a dress and wig? He's too young to know what a transgender is. She's confusing him — Mama Nibiru (@MadamSophie88) August 24, 2016
One of the more positive reactions came from @sixmyths, who tweeted: "Here's a thought: maybe Charlize Theron's son WANTED to wear the dress? Crazy, I know. Letting him have his own identity and all", while another fan wrote: "Everyone's upset wit Charlize Theron for letting her adopted son wear wigs/dresses..let them live.'". | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/charlize-theron-criticized-for-letting-her-son-wear-a-dress | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/e0d72890d5a3591b2344c8df87c1ffa22fa16569e9af4501ef9f5af6ed7eae8f.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:46:42 | null | 2016-08-30T20:15:49 | Two senior North Korean officials were
executed with an anti-aircraft gun in
early August on the orders of Kim Jong
Un, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo
newspaper reported, citing people it
did not identify. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fnorth-korean-official-killed-for-dozing-off-during-meeting-with-kim-jong-un-report.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297855695483_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472582219894 | en | null | North Korean official killed for dozing off during meeting with Kim Jong Un: Rep | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Two senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong Un, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing people it did not identify.
Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry -- possibly the minister -- was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed, the paper said. Former Agriculture Minister Hwang Min was purged over a proposed project seen as a direct challenge to Kim's leadership, it said.
If true, it would mark the first executions ordered by Kim from outside his party or the military, the paper said. A spokesman at South Korea's Unification Ministry said he couldn't immediately confirm the JoongAng report.
Kim has carried out a series of executions since taking power in 2011 after his father's death as he puts his mark on the leadership of the isolated nuclear-armed nation. The most high profile was the killing three years ago of his uncle and one-time deputy Jang Song Thaek. He had about 50 officials executed in 2014 on charges ranging from graft to watching South Korean soap operas.
"Kim is continuing to replace the old guard of his father's regime with loyalists," said Robert Kelly, a political science professor at South Korea's Pusan National University. "The charges are obviously trumped up, and this is how promotion or demotion often works in totalitarian states without legitimate venues for opposition."
Kim had his military chief Ri Yong Gil executed in February on charges including corruption, Yonhap News reported at the time. In January last year he executed General Pyon In Son, head of operations in the army, for disagreeing with him; and in May of that year he purged his defense minister Hyon Yong Chol for dozing off at a rally.
Still, reports of purges of senior North Korean officials are not uncommon and at times have proven to be unreliable.
Earlier this month, Seoul announced that a senior North Korean diplomat based in the U.K. had defected to South Korea. The man was among seven diplomats who have defected this year, according to JoongAng Ilbo.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Monday the defections signal a "serious fracture" within the North Korean regime and raise the prospects of fresh provocations as Kim seeks to maintain control. Her comments came as South Korea and the U.S. hold annual military drills that North Korea calls a prelude to an invasion.
Even so, Kelly at Pusan University said that the isolated state is probably more stable than many people think or want it to be.
"I don't think there has been a fracture," he said. "So long as China keeps the goodies flowing into Pyongyang, which is like a city-state in an ocean of deprivation, the elites won't turn on each other." | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/north-korean-official-killed-for-dozing-off-during-meeting-with-kim-jong-un-report | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/64904ac1631546b24038ba00a6b7f9fb8cccf802efb2b6ab8fb20097554c89ec.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:46:46 | null | 2016-08-30T20:15:49 | Mel C has officially ruled herself out of the Spice Girls reunion due to take place next year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fmel-c-reveals-why-she-wont-do-a-spice-girls-reunion.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871957419_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472589506123 | en | null | Mel C reveals why she won't do a Spice Girls reunion | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Mel C has officially ruled herself out of the Spice Girls reunion due to take place next year.
The 42-year-old, along with Victoria Beckham, have both declined to take part in the Wannabe hitmakers' 20th anniversary reunion in 2017, organized by Emma Bunton, Geri Horner and Melanie Brown.
Now Sporty Spice, real name Melanie Chisholm, has penned an essay for Love magazine explaining her difficult decision to bow out of the lucrative reunion.
Insisting the reunion shouldn't take place without all five members on board, Mel added she believes the band should have called it a day following their performance at the closing ceremony for the London Olympic Games in 2012.
"I'd love to play huge arenas across the world, sing our brilliantly bonkers pop songs and relive our former glory," Mel wrote. "It is of course a very lucrative opportunity too. But we were a five-piece band. Didn't we reach a peak with the Olympics? There's a lot to be said for bowing out on a high note.
"For me, the absolute pinnacle of my Spice existence was being watched by a billion people around the globe belting out Spice Up Your Life on top of a black cab at the 2012 London Olympics. Anything less than the full line-up just didn't feel like we'd be doing justice to the band or the fans."
It was after numerous meetings with Emma, Geri and Mel B she made her difficult decision. "The hardest part for me was letting people down, the girls, the fans, civilisation?! Unfortunately something didn't feel quite right and I had to follow my gut," she added.
The mother-of-one had a brief solo career after the Spice Girls split for good in 2000, but is well aware that her success on her own will never match up to her Spice Girls fame.
"I am under no illusion that my solo work will ever come close to a fraction of the impact that we make as the Spice Girls. I love the band, I am beyond proud of my past and will always embrace and celebrate being a Spice Girl, it's what I am," she wrote.
There have been countless bands who have reunited in recent years following success in the 90s, including Take That. But Mel is of the opinion that the Spice Girls shouldn't be pressured into reforming and should instead be remembered by fans for their incredible achievements.
"I will be a Spice Girl until I die. But the continuous speculation on whether we will reform to celebrate 20 years of Wannabe has been particularly exhausting. But is it a new rule that bands have to reform? Why can't we just be remembered for our incredible achievements in the nineties," she shared.
However, she will support her fellow bandmates, no matter what.
"I love the girls dearly. We have a very unique bond that will never be broken and I will continue to support them all as much as I can," Mel concluded. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/mel-c-reveals-why-she-wont-do-a-spice-girls-reunion | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/33243f8ed412c46f0a44c7b3e22f111ddffe1c5e28d9c70065aa52a0d8ed2fae.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T20:46:17 | null | 2016-08-28T20:15:35 | What will be the spectacle at the MTV Video Music Awards this year? A long rant from Kanye West? A surprise appearance from Beyonce? It’s all possible, and likely. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fmtv-video-music-awards-to-feature-kanye-west-rihanna-britney-spears.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871255380_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472410635686 | en | null | MTV Video Music Awards to feature Kanye West, Rihanna, Britney Spears | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | NEW YORK — What will be the spectacle at the MTV Video Music Awards this year? A long rant from Kanye West? A surprise appearance from Beyonce? It’s all possible, and likely.
The show is returning to New York City on Sunday, where Beyonce is the leading nominee with 11, though it’s not confirmed if she will or won’t attend the show. She outshone her peers at the 2014 VMAs, closing the show with a 16-minute medley of songs from her self-titled surprise album that dominated that night.
West has had even more history with the awards show: He famously jumped onstage and stole Taylor Swift’s microphone at the 2009 show and last year gave an 11-minute speech onstage — after being introduced by Swift — and announced he was going to run for president in 2020.
He’ll have another chance to own the night since his controversial Famous music video — featuring what appears to be naked images of West, Swift, Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump — is nominated for best male video and video of the year.
Beyonce’s Formation, Justin Bieber’s Sorry, Drake’s Hotline Bling and Adele’s Hello are also up for the top prize. Adele, though, won’t attend the show at Madison Square Garden, her representative said. Reps for Drake and Bieber didn’t return emails asking if they would or would not attend the show.
Rihanna will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award and kick off the show with a performance. The VMAs will air live on MTV at 9 p.m.
Other performers include Britney Spears, Ariana Grande with Nicki Minaj, Future, Nick Jonas and The Chainsmokers.
Presenters include Jimmy Fallon, Alicia Keys, Puff Daddy and the recent Olympian gold medallists Michael Phelps and the Final Five gymnasts — Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman.
Nominees for best female video include Beyonce, Adele, Rihanna, Sia and Grande. The best male video nominees are West, Drake, the Weeknd, Bryson Tiller and Calvin Harris, whose nomination is for This is What You Came For, which he co-wrote with former girlfriend Swift.
Coldplay, Desiigner, Fergie and Alessia Cara earned multiple nominations, while David Bowie — who died from cancer earlier this year — is nominated for best direction, cinematography, art direction and editing for Lazarus. The music video, which shows him looking frail in bed with bandaged eyes, was released just days before the icon’s Jan. 10 death. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/mtv-video-music-awards-to-feature-kanye-west-rihanna-britney-spears | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/16648f7d68f6b8bd5e86c6c5e3d3de721f87aacac8f8661f2d5d0261bf5f1cf9.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T02:46:11 | null | 2016-08-27T02:15:06 | Former prime minister Stephen Harper resigned from his Calgary Heritage parliamentary seat Friday, marking his exit from politics. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fharper-always-knew-the-score.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870958877_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472264702309 | en | null | Harper always knew the score | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Former prime minister Stephen Harper resigned from his Calgary Heritage parliamentary seat Friday, marking his exit from politics.
In a Facebook and video message to Canadians, he thanked them for the opportunity to serve and outlined what he believes were the major accomplishments of the Conservatives under his leadership.
“We united all Conservatives behind our agenda,” he said. “We cut taxes, made critical investments and balanced the national budget. We got tough on crime and put families first. We managed our G7 economy through the worst global recession since the Great Depression, and came out in the strongest position of them all. We took principled decisions in a complex and dangerous world. And, whether at home or abroad, we were always proud to stand up for Canada.”
As Harper leaves politics to set up a consulting firm in Calgary, his critics will contest all of these claims. They are free to do so.
Our readers know our view. We would have preferred he was still prime minister.
One of many things we admired about Harper was that while politicians like to think of themselves as the smartest people in the room, Harper typically was the smartest person in the room.
During last year’s election campaign, for example, when Liberal leader Justin Trudeau promised Canadians three years of modest deficits before returning to a balanced budget, Harper joked this commitment was absurd given Liberal campaign promises.
“He’ll run, he says, a modest deficit, a tiny deficit, so small you can hardly see the deficit,” Harper joked, squeezing his fingers together.
“And only for three years, three deficits, three modest little deficits.”
So what happened?
During the election, Trudeau promised “modest” deficits of $9.9 billion in 2016-17, $9.5 billion in 2017-18, $5.7 billion in 2018-2019 and a $1 billion surplus in 2019-2020.
After the election, in Trudeau’s first budget as prime minister, he almost tripled his projected 2016-17 deficit to $29.4 billion, followed by $29 billion in 2017-18, $22.8 billion in 2018-19, $17.7 billion in 2019-20 and $14.3 billion in 2020-21, with no balanced budgets in sight.
That’s one of many things we admired about Harper.
He was nobody’s fool. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/harper-always-knew-the-score | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/e14e835d351323db403700e3476886ebea6575521d6add12fd7f70d8b637af2b.json |
[
"Michael Platt"
] | 2016-08-27T20:46:06 | null | 2016-08-27T20:33:46 | The limp and cane, when he returned to duty just two weeks later, was the only way you’d know police Const. James B. Isaacs wasn’t just another ordinary cop on the job. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fheroic-calgary-cops-bravado-saved-the-day-as-he-took-down-armed-man.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871082351_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472329438233 | en | null | Heroic Calgary cop's bravado saved the day as he took down armed man | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | The limp and cane, when he returned to duty just two weeks later, was the only way you’d know police Const. James B. Isaacs wasn’t just another ordinary cop on the job.
These days, to even imagine a police officer from Calgary or any other city returning to work less than a fortnight after taking two bullets in the leg seems unfathomable — yet there the 19-year-old rookie was, back in uniform and serving his city.
Nothing much changed after Isaacs put his life on the line by tackling a gunman armed only with his fists on June 10, 1962, other than his fellow officers poking a little fun at all the attention he was getting, as the hero of Calgary.
Even as Calgary’s mayor and city council officially commended the young cop for “conspicuous valour,” those back on the force issued a tongue-in-cheek statement, saying the Isaacs was back on light duty, but “still on the limp.”
He was on the mend, but they knew all too well they could have easily been attending a funeral instead.
“You’re faced with these situations and you make the best call you can on the day,” said Isaacs, who still lives in Calgary, working in his post-police retirement years as a professional mediator.
“We didn’t really have a lot of training back in those days, compared to how sophisticated it’s become — they would really frown on what I did, now.”
It was a very different era, before stun guns and advanced hostage-negotiation training, and before there was an Alberta Serious Incident Response Team to act as a watchdog over officers involved in violence.
The call came in on a rainy Sunday evening from the Red Cross blood transfusion centre at 710 14 Ave. S.W., where an armed man clutching a semi-automatic rifle had burst into the laboratory area, waving the weapon around.
Fortunately, it was a day off for most of the workers at the lab, and only two female technicians were present in the building when Joseph Bernard Millard appeared — unfortunately, one of those women was Jane Tkatch, Millard’s ex-girlfriend.
Millard was a jilted suitor in a violent mood, and within moments he’d blasted two shots into the floor to further terrorize his hostages and prove the gun was loaded.
The shots convinced the other lab tech, Isabel Orr, to make a dash for it out a nearby door — and when Millard gave chase, his ex-girlfriend quickly locked the door and called police.
That was the situation when Const. Isaacs arrived, along with about a dozen more Calgary cops who’d rushed to the scene not knowing the fate of those trapped inside with the shooter.
It was Isaacs and fellow officers A. L. Johansson and Ed Southgate who ended up talking to the suspect through a closed door, where the gunman told them he’d shoot anyone who tried to come inside.
Isaacs convinced him to talk, and a deal was made that the officer would enter unarmed: “And so I gave up my pistol and went in.”
He found Millard alone, agitated and fingering the rifle, and so Isaacs convinced him to just chat and smoke, offering a cigarette.
All seemed calm, but then, as Millard leaned in to accept a light from Isaacs, he suddenly panicked about the officer’s proximity, and in a profanity laden outburst, told the cop to get back or he was going to shoot him.
“He decided he was going to shoot me and raised the rifle to my head, so I responded,” said Isaacs.
The young cop pounced, and wrestled Millard while pushing the barrel to the floor— but as he subdued the gunman, the trigger was pulled at least twice, both shots hitting the officer in the leg.
Other police then burst in to help — Southgate smacked the culprit unconscious with his service revolver — and an ambulance was immediately called to rush Isaacs to hospital.
An officer was hurt, but his bravado had saved the day.
More than a half-century later, the retired cop still remembers the entire day as way too eventful for someone just starting his career in the force.
“That was a funny sort of day — I was out with my sergeant earlier, and we’d taken a tranquilizer gun to try and bring down a moose wandering in a schoolyard,” said Issacs.
“The moose just hopped over a fence, and got away.”
mplatt@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/heroic-calgary-cops-bravado-saved-the-day-as-he-took-down-armed-man | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/74aa67571c93986326c32e8a99c93a86fca1fe241b1a52e8d82d4736baeb0c7d.json |
[
"Jim Matheson"
] | 2016-08-30T02:46:30 | null | 2016-08-30T01:45:42 | When Jay Bouwmeester got the call to replace the hobbled Duncan Keith on Canada’s World Cup of Hockey blue-line over Kris Letang or P.K Subban or even Mark Giordano, there was admittedly some head-scratching outside of the 314 area code in St. Louis, because they can put up more points. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fblues-d-man-jay-bouwmeester-joining-team-canada-at-world-cup-plays-increasingly-more-defensive-game.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871697117_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Blues D-man Jay Bouwmeester joining Team Canada at World Cup, plays increasingly | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | When Jay Bouwmeester got the call to replace the hobbled Duncan Keith on Canada’s World Cup of Hockey blue-line over Kris Letang or P.K Subban or even Mark Giordano, there was admittedly some head-scratching outside of the 314 area code in St. Louis, because they can put up more points.
But Bouwmeester has been a very, good soldier for Team Canada over the years.
And more importantly, coach Mike Babcock is slavish on lefty-rightie defence combos. Letang, with his recent Stanley Cup ring in Pittsburgh, and fellow puck-mover Subban, with his summer trade to Nashville, are righties. Flames captain Giordano could have worked certainly because he’s a lefty, as is the Hawks’ Keith, who has a bad knee, but with camp opening Sept. 5, the path of least resistance seemed a much better route because the lefty Bouwmeester could perhaps play with right-shooting Blues’ partner Alex Pietrangelo.
A bigger question might have been the selection this spring of the unsung Jake Muzzin, a lefty, to ostensibly play with Norris trophy winner and Kings’ teammate Drew Doughty. There wasn’t much outrage with that selection.
Bouwmeester, who won a gold medal for Canada in Sochi, didn’t think twice about filling in for Keith when Team Canada and Blues GM Doug Armstrong called with camp opening in Ottawa in a week and the first game Sept. 18 against the Czechs. He’s not sure who he’ll play with but Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo seems seamless.
“I was just going about my business ... wrenched things up a bit for my family because we’d planned on being back in St. Louis Sept. 12 but I know lots of the guys from the Olympics and how they play. That might have played into my favour,” said Bouwmeester after a Monday session at Perry Pearn’s 3-on-3 pro camp.
“I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t get picked (at first). I’m getting older. I’ve been there before and I thought they’d go with somebody else,” he said.
But they went with a familiar face.
“I think the World Cup could be more intense because it’s not in the middle of the year, like the Olympics, when guys are banged up and going through the grind. Everybody will be fresh and excited,“ he said. ”Nobody’s played hockey for a long time except the guys in the Cup final. It’s a short summer for them. I saw Patrick Marleau last week in Canmore. He said, ‘Gosh, it feels like we just finished.” The Sharks will have seven players at the World Cup, the Penguins six.
“I don’t know if there’s a difference (between the Olympics and the World Cup) though ... every time one of those tournaments comes up it’s a big deal. I was at the World Cup back in ’04 as an extra-extra guy and a couple of guys got hurt so I ended up playing. I was 20 years old. Mario Lemieux was there and I remember going to camp, walking into the room and seeing Mario and thinking, ‘Oh, OK, that’s pretty cool.’ ”
Bouwmeester, who will play his 1,000th NHL game Nov. 1 at Madison Square Garden barring any medical mishaps, is still one of the game’s best skaters in a racehorse league but his role has changed. He’s out there to prevent goals, not to create them like, say, Pietrangelo.
“In St. Louis, if it’s me and Petro, and we’re looking at each other and wondering which one of us is going to jump up, I’ll defer to him more. He’s probably a more skilled guy, and I’ve enjoyed that,” said Bouwmeester. “My expectation is to play a lot of minutes and kill a lot of penalties. I take pride in that. I didn’t get on the power play much there. We’ve got Petro and (Kevin) Shattenkirk and (Colton) Parayko. Alex Steen plays back there, too.”
“That’s OK with me. You get older, you have to find your niche. I enjoy it. Every team has those guys,” he said.
After his knee injury in his second NHL season, he played 737 in a row, fifth longest in NHL history. His Iron Man streak ended Nov. 23, 2014. He’ll be the 307th player to hit 1,000 but Bouwmeester, 32, likely would have been in the top five youngest players to reach the plateau if there hadn’t been the lockout in 2004-2005 to wipe out a whole season. He’s only missed 41 games in 14 years.
Last year he had two blows to the head. “Two pretty big hits. It happens ... but I’ve been really lucky. My time was up,” said Bouwmeester, who had one back in the 2004-05 lockout year, too, while he was playing in the American League.
“The concussions last year weren’t lock-myself-in-a-room bad, but exercise and lights bugged me,” he said. “I only missed two weeks with one and three with the other, though, so in the grand scheme of things, it was pretty good. First one I was leaning, going for the puck with (Ryan) Getzlaf and his shoulder got me on the head, and the other one came when I was tripped up, got spinning around and my head hit the boards.” | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/blues-d-man-jay-bouwmeester-joining-team-canada-at-world-cup-plays-increasingly-more-defensive-game | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/3363b0c4ac6dd00305fbd8020ec0f8b9153b69449e7a1308f951fdfd1a3b1fdf.json |
[
"Derek Van Diest"
] | 2016-08-26T12:51:35 | null | 2016-08-26T12:45:27 | Life is about to get extremely busy for FC Edmonton
midfielder Shamit Shome. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Ffc-edmontons-shamit-shome-to-join-canadas-u-20-squad.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870613940_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | FC Edmonton's Shamit Shome to join Canada's U-20 squad | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Life is about to get extremely busy for FC Edmonton midfielder Shamit Shome.
The 18-year-old, who has been an integral part of Edmonton’s success this season, is about to begin his second year of electrical engineering at the University of Alberta, but not before heading to Costa Rica for a pair of exhibition games with Canada’s Under-20 national team.
Shome may not be available to FC Edmonton when they host Puerto Rico FC on Sunday (2 p.m.) at Clarke Stadium.
“Shamit is still touch and go whether he’ll be available to play,” said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller following practice Thursday. “With Shamit, if there is a better young player in our league, I’ve yet to see it. I think he’ll be a big part of the national team program moving forward. Nik Ledgerwood is already a big part of the national team program, so it’s no surprise the lads have played well for us and are now being called up to the national team.”
Ledgerwood will play Sunday then fly out to join Canada for a crucial World Cup qualifier in Honduras on September 2 and another against El Salvador, Sept. 6 in Vancouver.
Both players will miss FC Edmonton’s game, on the road, against the Ottawa Fury on Sept. 2.
“I think it’s a great problem,” Miller said. “It’s a compliment to the club, it’s a compliment to their teammates and it’s a compliment to the work the lads are doing themselves that they are invited into the national team.”
Shome has been on Canada’s Under-20 radar for some time and is expected to be a member of the squad next year when they attempt to qualify in Costa Rica for the 2017 Under-20 World Cup in Korea.
The Under-20 camp, from Aug. 27-Sept. 4, is a prelude to next year’s qualifying tournament.
“It’s a good squad that is going down to Costa Rica, so I’m excited to be a part of it,” Shome said. “It means so much to me, it’s a big deal for me to be playing for Canada, it’s my home country and I was born here. It means a lot for me to be playing for my home country.
“It’s an important camp, because that’s where the qualifiers are in the end. It’ll be good to go down there and get used to the atmosphere the weather, the field. I think it’ll pay off in the end.”
Shome, a local product, came up through FC Edmonton’s academy and has been a pleasant surprise with the team this year. Shome has cemented his spot as a regular starter, playing ahead of more experienced professionals.
“It’s awesome to see that,” Ledgerwood said. “Sometimes things just work out that way, you get an opportunity with some injuries or get thrown in there early, but he’s definitely proved himself that he belongs there.
“There is no reason to take anything away from him. He’s done exceptionally well and everything everyone says about him is that his attitude is just unbelievable. He wants to come in, he wants to learn and he wants to improve. At the end of the day, to have Canadian kids, Edmonton kids, be in the program is huge for Canadian soccer.”
Last year, Shome was starting his university soccer career with the U of A Golden Bears. He was named Canada West Rookie of the Year with the Bears before signing with FC Edmonton. As a professional he is not eligible to play for the Golden Bears this season, although he’ll still have to manage his schoolwork as FC Edmonton head into the home stretch of their season.
“I just think the kid is terrific and so is his discipline on the field and off the field,” Miller said. “He wouldn’t be able to do that if he didn’t have any discipline in his life. With the workload, we’re very receptive if he needs a day off or anything like that studies-wise.
“He’s just a quality human being, he gets it, he understands the volume that is involved in the training, he understands the workload at the U of A and he’s managing at this moment in time to combine both and we’re seeing the benefits of it here.”
FC Edmonton are currently at the top of the North American Soccer League standings and primed to make their first playoff appearance in five years.
Once he returns from Costa Rica, Shome is prepared to balance school with a professional soccer career.
“It’ll be a lot of work, but I just have to put my head into it and see if it works out,” Shome said. “It’ll be a lot of work, but I have to try and see, and hopefully, it’ll work out. We’ll have to try it and see.”
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Nik Ledgerwood is focused on his club before heading out to represent his country.
The FC Edmonton midfielder will play Sunday against Puerto Rico FC (2 p.m.) at Clarke Stadium, then depart for San Pedro Sula, Honduras for a crucial World Cup qualifier with Canada on Sept 2.
Canada will then host El Salvador in Vancouver on Sept. 6 in their final game of their current group stage.
The top two teams in Canada’s group move on to the next round of qualifying. Mexico has already qualified, leaving Canada, Honduras and El Salvador to battle for the final spot. Honduras and Canada each have four points, while El Salvador has two.
Canada were humiliated 8-1 in Honduras four years ago dashing their 2014 World Cup hopes.
“I think we have a more experienced team now than we did going in there four years ago,” Ledgerwood said. “Now everybody knows what to expect, it’s not an unknown going to Honduras we know how much we have to be switched on and how much it means to the country and all of us. Everybody is taking it very serious and we have a great group of players that are coming, so everybody expects to get a result down there.
Canada has not qualified for the FIFA World Cup since 1986. They have been unable to get to the final round of qualifying since 1998.
The final round — also known as the Hex — features the last six teams in CONCACAF with three qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The fourth-place team will have a playoff with a team from another confederation for a spot in Russia.
“As much as we’re excited and looking forward to this game (against Honduras), we can’t treat it like it’s the be-all, end-all,” Ledgerwood said. “We have to treat it like it’s any other game, that’s what you have to do in the qualifying circles. We’ve been doing a lot of video work, and tactically, we’re at the best we’ve been in a long time and I think that’s going to be huge going down there. I think (national team head coach) Benito (Floro) has prepared us exceptionally well for the two games coming up and now it’s just trusting our ability and going down confidently and doing our business.”
Dvandiest@postmedia.com
twitter.com/DerekVanDiest | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/25/fc-edmontons-shamit-shome-to-join-canadas-u-20-squad | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/b751a087d43975ec846b9a27fb80d9e270f8ab0c5492e4c533d7ec94e6cc7c23.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:45:54 | null | 2016-08-26T22:33:10 | Nearly five years ago today, in one of my first meetings with Stephen Harper as his newly appointed director of policy, we were leafing through cabinet binders containing hundreds of pages of policy analysis and briefing material. We were preparing for an upcoming cabinet retreat to help plot the course for the new majority government's mandate. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fharper-left-our-country-a-better-place.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870867316_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472248219981 | en | null | Harper left our country a better place | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Nearly five years ago today, in one of my first meetings with Stephen Harper as his newly appointed director of policy, we were leafing through cabinet binders containing hundreds of pages of policy analysis and briefing material. We were preparing for an upcoming cabinet retreat to help plot the course for the new majority government's mandate.
The agenda was heavy, but I was sure that I'd combed through every last presentation and that nothing was missing.
As the prime minister paged through a lengthy memorandum to cabinet, he paused midway through page 64 where he'd placed a flag. He then proceeded to ask a particularly obscure question of fact.
I stammered out a reply, hoping it was the right one. Alas, he turned to page 126 of the document, and informed me that my answer was different than the one contained in footnote 37, asking if I was sure whether I was correct.
I knew then that I was in the presence of a leader whose attention to detail, capacity for hard work, and insistence on excellence was unmatched. He was determined to do the best possible job at his job, and he expected no less from his staff.
Our many subsequent interactions only served to confirm that impression, as Harper proceeded to follow through on nearly every commitment he had made to voters while steering the country through turbulent international waters.
And what a legacy he left for Canada.
Harper's Conservative government lowered taxes, resulting in the lowest federal tax burden in 50 years.
Harper guided Canada's economy through the worst global recession since the Great Depression, adding more 1.3 million new jobs since 2009.
New free trade agreements opened doors.
Harper's careful stewardship of finances resulted in the largest and longest infrastructure plan in Canadian history, making record investments in research, innovation and skills training - all while balancing the budget.
The Conservative government created new support for families, and the disabled, though the tax system. It rebalanced the justice system and implemented measures to protect children. It gave authorities new tools to fight terrorism here and abroad.
While enhancing support for the military and veterans, he spoke out against Russia's illegal occupation of Ukraine and staunchly defending Israel's right to exist.
Harper never lost focus on what mattered most to him - standing up for ordinary Canadians who work hard, pay their taxes, and play by the rules.
There was certainly no shortage of people who quibbled with Harper's style, or his unwillingness to cater to media demands, or his inability to project a sunny, carefree disposition.
But here's what I know from experience: Stephen Harper spent every minute of his political career working to make our country stronger and the best place in the world to live. When he left office, Canada had the wealthiest middle class in the world. We were the envy of the developed world.
In the end, that's Harper's legacy - a better, stronger Canada.
- @reicurran | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/harper-left-our-country-a-better-place | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/7a220aa45c75f2229b9f135f095e753907f80b69dbcbd7470c79654c6f357200.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T22:46:32 | null | 2016-08-29T22:15:20 | It’s meant to cut down on teenage mischief after dark, but some residents and young people in an Edmonton-area town question whether a new kid curfew will make much difference. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fkid-curfew-alberta-town-says-children-under-15-have-to-be-off-streets-at-night.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871628030_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472503798770 | en | null | Kid curfew: Alberta town says children under 15 have to be off streets at night | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | THE CANADIAN PRESS
BRUDERHEIM, Alta. — It’s meant to cut down on teenage mischief after dark, but some residents and young people in an Edmonton-area town question whether a new kid curfew will make much difference.
Complaints about property damage and unsupervised children wandering around at night led to the bylaw in Bruderheim, a community of about 1,100.
No one younger than 15 is supposed to be in a public place between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The bylaw says the curfew is for the “health, safety and welfare of such young people.”
Bruderheim Mayor Karl Hauch says the curfew was prompted by nuisance activities such as taking letters off buildings.
But one resident says there’s nothing to do in the town, so kids will be kids, and one 16-year-old calls the curfew stupid.
“This is Bruderheim and the kids don’t listen to the rules,” the teen said.
Hauch said no one has been caught breaking the curfew since the bylaw was passed July 6. And, if they do, it will be their parents who have to pay a fine of $100 for the first offence and $200 for the second.
There are exceptions for youth coming from work, volunteer activities or school events. Kids are also allowed to be on the sidewalk directly outside their homes.
Bruderheim is not the first community in the province to bring in such a curfew. Last year, the town of Taber in southern Alberta set “quiet hours” between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. for anyone younger than 16. Taber also has fines for swearing, spitting and yelling.
(CTV Edmonton) | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/kid-curfew-alberta-town-says-children-under-15-have-to-be-off-streets-at-night | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/2f8c54b58056069a57357e03ca7fb97ffc44b7156015c4fb6f20e3ef7b04712b.json |
[
"Claire Theobald"
] | 2016-08-30T00:46:29 | null | 2016-08-29T23:45:40 | A photo radar protest in Edmonton got so much support over the weekend that organizers are doing it again.Jack Shultz, a local anti-photo radar activist, said more than 30 people volunteered to stand next to photo radar vehicles along Edmonton roads Saturday and Sunday in protest. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fphoto-radar-protest-again-to-hit-edmonton-streets.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871724987_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472516701459 | en | null | Photo radar protest again to hit Edmonton streets | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | A photo radar protest in Edmonton got so much support over the weekend that organizers are doing it again.
Jack Shultz, a local anti-photo radar activist, said more than 30 people volunteered to stand next to photo radar vehicles along Edmonton roads Saturday and Sunday in protest.
They believe photo radar is a cash cow for the city and does little to slow drivers.
Volunteers held up brightly coloured signs warning passing drivers about the presence of photo radar.
“The amount of supporters who showed up was unreal," Shultz said.
“If you want to speed and get caught, man up and pay the consequences. But when it comes to hiding behind trees and ticketing people by mail, I don't feel that's necessary," Shultz said.
At the heart of the issue, said Shultz, is that photo radar operators appear to hide behind bushes, under overpasses or behind signs, which Shultz said distracts drivers.
“I would see so many people get rear ended, people going under the limit looking side to side for these radar trucks, I just find it to be more of a distraction and a hazard than the people that are actually speeding five to 10 over," said Shultz, who said his crusade to change traffic enforcement started while watching the flow of traffic along 170 Street while on his lunch breaks.
At the same time, Shultz said current automated traffic enforcement measures do nothing to curb the danger of reckless drivers, who don't know they've been caught until they get a ticket in the mail weeks later.
“That doesn't stop the crime that's happening."
Because of this, Shultz has called the city's photo radar program a "cash grab," more about generating revenue than improving public safety.
Shultz would like to see enforcement replaced with officers armed with radar guns who are able to intervene at the moment when they recognize dangerous driving behaviour.
At the least, Shultz said photo radar could be made more visible to serve as an active deterrent for drivers.
He said his efforts have earned him a few "crap tickets,” including one in excess of $500 for pedestrian stunting. Officers accused Shultz's photo radar warning signs of distracting drivers.
As such, he said volunteers at what he calls the Cash Cow Extravaganza 2 protest event Sept. 10-11 will be protected by a volunteer legal team.
Sgt. Eric Theuser, with the Edmonton police major collision investigation section, said they have noted people posing beside photo radar enforcement locations with signs. "Enforcement action can be taken if there is active obstruction or interference in traffic."
However, he said the "EPS has recently been informed by the provincial traffic Crown prosecutor’s office that they will not be pursuing charges simply relating to the display of signs warning of photo radar."
While photo radar enforcement vehicles may not be marked, the city does post automated photo enforcement locations online.
twitter.com/ClaireTheobald
ctheobald@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/photo-radar-protest-again-to-hit-edmonton-streets | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/b2038a7cfc2b6851d0059f2f8e78edbe5bc5df7a9101a2d2795a1d888c8bfa16.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:46:06 | null | 2016-08-27T16:33:41 | NBA star Dwyane Wade’s cousin was shot and killed in Chicago while pushing her baby in a stroller near a school where she intended to register her children. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fdwyane-wades-cousin-shot-dead-while-pushing-baby-in-stroller.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871036387_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472312839989 | en | null | Dwyane Wade’s cousin shot dead while pushing baby in stroller | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | CHICAGO — NBA star Dwyane Wade’s cousin was shot and killed in Chicago while pushing her baby in a stroller near a school where she intended to register her children. Wade lamented on Twitter what he called another “act of senseless gun violence.”
Nykea Aldridge, 32, had recently relocated to an area on the city’s South Side, her family said.
On Friday, Aldridge was near the school, which is about a mile and a half southwest of the University of Chicago, when two males walked up and fired shots at a third man but hit Aldridge in the head and arm. She wasn’t the intended target, police said.
Family provided this pic of Nykea Aldridge, shot at 63/Calumet this afternoon, while pushing a stroller. @nbcchicago pic.twitter.com/jXfnwzTtrR — Katie Kim (@KatieKimNBC) August 27, 2016
Police are questioning witnesses in the shooting but had no suspects in custody.
Wade, a native of Chicago who signed with the Chicago Bulls in July after 13 years with the Miami Heat, posted on Twitter: “My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughISEnough.”
My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough — DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
Chicago has been plagued by gun violence for years, especially in a few South and West Side neighbourhoods. This July alone, there were 65 homicides — the most that month since 2006.
A day earlier, Wade had participated via satellite in a town hall meeting in Chicago on gun violence hosted by ESPN, along with his mother, pastor Jolinda Wade. Dwyane Wade’s charitable organization, Wade’s World Foundation, does community outreach in the Chicago area.
Outside the emergency room where Aldridge was pronounced dead, Jolinda Wade clutched her sister and spoke for the family as mourners stood in a circle holding hands and praying. She said she’d participated in the ESPN town hall meeting “never knowing that the next day we would be the ones that would actually be living and experiencing it.”
“We’re still going to try to help and empower people like the one who senselessly shot my niece in the head,” Jolinda Wade said. “We’re going to try to help these people to transform their minds and give them a different direction.”
It is not the first time Dwyane Wade’s family in Chicago has been affected by gun violence. His nephew, Darin Johnson, was shot twice in the leg on the South Side in 2012 but recovered.
Chicago had recorded 381 homicides by the end of July, up 30 per cent from the same period of 2015. Its murder rate is higher than the more populous cities of New York and Los Angeles.
Family members are caring for Alridge’s baby, who wasn’t hurt. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/dwyane-wades-cousin-shot-dead-while-pushing-baby-in-stroller | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/0bfde00ae32cb79db3ee2464af451f5e64466541359028fe5aa798d3b919ad4a.json |
[
"Mark Bonokoski"
] | 2016-08-26T13:02:42 | null | 2016-08-26T12:45:27 | With all the redacted names on Justin Trudeau's flight manifest regarding his Christmas holiday to the Caribbean hideaway of Nevis, one would think he had smuggled Omar Khadr aboard for a little fun in the sun that didn't involve the less-luxurious venue of Guantanamo Bay. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Fthese-liberals-think-we-should-eat-cake-too.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297868904093_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472169610810 | en | null | These Liberals think we should eat cake, too | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | OTTAWA - With all the redacted names on Justin Trudeau's flight manifest regarding his Christmas holiday to the Caribbean hideaway of Nevis, one would think he had smuggled Omar Khadr aboard for a little fun in the sun that didn't involve the less-luxurious venue of Guantanamo Bay.
But, no, it was just the in-laws and a nanny, although there are families who would put their in-laws in the terrorist category without a moment's hesitation.
This, however, is unlikely to apply when it comes to Jean Gregoire and Estelle Blais, parents of Trudeau's spouse, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, and grand-papa and grand-maman to the couple's three young children.
So it was much ado about nothing.
Nothing more to see here, said the Department of National Defence, who manages the mission reports for the government-owned Challenger jet that Trudeau must use due to the prohibition of prime ministers flying commercial.
Our mistake, said the military types. We redacted the names, not the prime minister and then, on cue, everyone fell on their swords like good soldiers do.
This is not to say, however, that it has been a particularly good week for the Liberals. Far from it. In fact, the dew on the honeymoon rose may be starting dry.
As the Sun Ottawa bureau chief David Akin reports, a pair of bureaucrats who scarfed down enough food while Paris climate summit to qualify for that gross skit in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life will now pay back a portion of that tab.
Judging by such recent scenarios, it would appear the Liberals' addiction to entitlements has not skipped a generation.
Health Minister Jane Philpott nicked taxpayers for $1,700 for just one day of being chauffeured around Toronto in a luxury sedan -- all while playing semantics that it wasn't a true "limousine"-- and then spent thousands more in similar rides from the owner of a livery service who volunteered on her election campaign and professed "love" for the Liberals.
And, not being one to sit with the hoi polloi in the waiting area at Pearson International while connecting to Ottawa, Philpott also nicked taxpayers for the $500-plus tab for membership to the exclusive Air Canada lounge.
Imagine questioning that? Obviously we do not understand the importance of her self-importance.
And then there is the photogenic Catherine McKenna, our federal minister of environment, who spent $6,600 for a private photographer to snap pictures at the same climate change summit that the aforementioned bureaucrat with the prodigious appetite for French food was knee deep in fine pate.
But silly us who care.
In an editorial the other day, the Globe & Mail, who this year hired CTV's Bob Fife to head up its Ottawa bureau, castigated its readers for worrying about the "wrong stuff" -- as in Philpott's non-limos or McKenna's photo albums.
This is the same Bob Fife, ironically, who made his mark chasing down cabinet ministers and their $16 orange juices.
"The peasants are revolting," they cried in the Wizard of Id.
"You can say that again," said the king.
- markbonokoski@gmail.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/25/these-liberals-think-we-should-eat-cake-too | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/4edc367096bdca9c83b289eb6db574204ead05f999c9aaf44b69964b9d1a43f7.json |
[
"Ameya Charnalia"
] | 2016-08-27T04:46:00 | null | 2016-08-27T04:15:11 | Caritas Dream Life Lottery, where this year's grand prize dream home is valued at $1.8 million, raises money for three hospitals. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fcaritas-dream-life-lottery-grand-prize-home-valued-at-18-million.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870971023_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472266666236 | en | null | Caritas Dream Life Lottery grand prize home valued at $1.8 million | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Caritas Dream Life Lottery, where this year's grand prize dream home is valued at $1.8 million, raises money for three hospitals.
At 5,350 square feet, the four-bedroom Windermere home is Caritas' biggest grand prize.
The lottery, formerly known as the Caritas Foundation Lottery, is in its 24th year supporting the Covenant Foundation. In the previous 23 years, it has raised more than $22 million.
Net proceeds from the 2016 lottery will support three Covenant Health facilities — Grey Nuns, Misericordia and Edmonton General.
Buying tickets for the lottery is a great opportunity to support local hospitals and also for a chance to win great prizes, says Tracy Sopkow, CEO of Caritas.
“It’s a fabulous home located in Upper Windermere," Sopkow said of the family home. “It’s something I think everybody would be anxious to win and move into."
Winners of this year's grand prize will walk into a luxurious living room with suspended wood-feature interiors and a massive sofa with multiple coffee tables.
There are ensuite bathrooms in two bedrooms, while the others have Jack and Jill bathrooms. The bathroom in the master bedroom features a curbless shower system enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass.
"It's a very hotel chic feel in there," said Tanya Halabi, owner and designer at Rimrock Elevations, the builder of the property.
“It's one of the higher-end areas in Windermere so you will have a lot of luxury properties there," she said. "It’s a very serene area. Very calm."
Most of the properties in the vicinity are in the million-dollar range, Halabi said.
One of the special features of the house, Sopkow said, is that there is a stage in the basement that can be used for karaoke and jam sessions.
"People can have a real party going.”
Tickets are $100 each, three for $250, six for $375 and 12 for $525.
The final deadline for ticket sales is midnight Oct. 6 and the final draw will take place Oct. 28. If all tickets are sold by the early bird deadline Sept. 22, the final draw will be held Oct. 13 and 14. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/caritas-dream-life-lottery-grand-prize-home-valued-at-18-million | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/3d97e79b7a9b77a0abe1d938dd529dd598083211cb17dcc80039f95ff648eb13.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:46:18 | null | 2016-08-28T16:15:33 | Nico Rosberg won an incident-packed Belgian Grand Prix featuring a chaotic start, wild overtaking, a heavy crash, safety cars and a red flag. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Flewis-hamilton-manages-to-finish-3rd-as-teammate-nico-rosberg-wins-chaotic-belgian-grand-prix.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871211374_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472397448007 | en | null | Lewis Hamilton manages to finish 3rd as teammate Nico Rosberg wins chaotic Belgi | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Nico Rosberg won an incident-packed Belgian Grand Prix featuring a chaotic start, wild overtaking, a heavy crash, safety cars and a red flag.
The Mercedes driver’s win on Sunday saw him close the gap to nine points on teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished third behind Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo as the resurgent Australian driver secured a third straight podium finish.
“It’s been a great weekend, very, very happy with that result,” Rosberg said after his 20th career win. “Congrats to Lewis, last place to third must be pretty impressive.”
Rosberg started from pole position with teen driver Max Verstappen also on the front row. Hamilton started from the back row with Fernando Alonso, after both incurred multiple grid penalties for extra engine part changes this weekend.
“Lewis wasn’t out there to battle it out, so that made it an easier weekend,” Rosberg said. “It all worked out fine.”
For him at least.
Verstappen was involved in a first-turn collision with the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel that shaped the race.
It had a beneficial effect on Hamilton and Alonso, who avoided the early carnage in front of them, then gained places when the safety car came out after Danish driver Kevin Magnussen’s crash.
Magnussen emerged from the wreck, hobbled away and was taken to hospital for checks for a cut to his left ankle. He escaped serious injury.
German driver Nico Hulkenberg was a season’s best fourth ahead of Mexican Sergio Perez and Vettel, while Alonso was seventh, Raikkonen ninth and Verstappen 11th.
The race start was clean enough for Rosberg, but it was mayhem behind him.
The 18-year-old Verstappen, the youngest driver to ever start on the front row, was overtaken by Raikkonen and Vettel, and then aggressively tried to go for the inside heading into the first turn — even though there was very little room.
The impeded Ferraris were now squeezed wide and, as a consequence, Raikkonen came across and nudged into the side of Vettel.
Verstappen blamed them, saying “they just turned into me” but the incident was the latest of several involving the Red Bull driver. Verstappen became the youngest driver to win a race when he clinched a brilliant victory at the Spanish GP in May.
His talent is undoubted, but his aggression is not to everyone’s liking. Later in the race, he again infuriated Raikkonen, a rare feat considering the Finn’s nickname is “The Ice Man” for his usually unflappable demeanour.
Raikkonen came in for a front nose change but the pit crew also had to put out a small fire under his car.
Others struggled as the manic tempo continued.
Spaniard Carlos Sainz lost control when his rear right tire blew out, sending him pirouetting to an improvised halt on the grass. He then acrobatically drove back across the track, with his rear right wheel up in the air, before parking at the side of the track.
The incidents prompted the safety car to come out on lap three, and when the race re-started a lap later Sainz, Marcus Ericsson, Jenson Button and Pascal Wehrlein — who hit Button from behind — had all retired.
The safety car emerged again after Magnussen lost control of his Renault coming out of the top of the hill at Eau Rouge, spinning at speed and slamming backward into the barriers.
On lap 10 of 44, the race was halted as the red flag came out, because the barrier Magnussen crashed into needed repairing.
When the race resumed 20 minutes later, the top five was Rosberg-Ricciardo-Hulkenberg-Alonso-Hamilton.
In a fascinating sub-plot, Verstappen and Raikkonen were involved in another incident as Verstappen appeared to nudge him wide.
Raikkonen — who is twice Verstappen’s age — let his frustration out, saying “his only interest is to push me off the track.”
Then, as they battled for 13th place, Verstappen zig-zagged in front of him as he tried to hold position, prompting Raikkonen to use an expletive when describing Verstappen’s driving as “ridiculous.”
Hamilton overtook Hulkenberg on lap 18, leaving just Ricciardo and Rosberg ahead of him.
With no traffic, however, Rosberg was pulling away.
Hamilton came in for new tires on lap 22, switching to softs, and was down in ninth when he came back out after a slow pit stop.
But with others changing tires, he was soon back up to third.
“This is the best result I could have hoped for,” said Hamilton, who said on Saturday that he was aiming for a top-10 finish. “Our performance today was stronger than I expected. Third (place) is something definitely helped by the safety car.”
Meanwhile, the Ferrari-Verstappen duel continued with Vettel overtaking the Dutchman. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/lewis-hamilton-manages-to-finish-3rd-as-teammate-nico-rosberg-wins-chaotic-belgian-grand-prix | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/914f8e7a259e9bc495402b48621a05872bb116fae6dd98343cf17fb96f4ae2e7.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T16:46:05 | null | 2016-08-27T15:45:30 | Home security false alarms in Fort Saskatchewan could cost owners hundreds of dollars in fines. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Ffort-saskatchewan-rcmp-warn-of-hefty-fines-for-home-security-false-alarms.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297583302159_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472315469739 | en | null | Fort Saskatchewan RCMP warn of hefty fines for home security false alarms | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | EDMONTON -
Home security false alarms in Fort Saskatchewan could cost owners hundreds of dollars in fines.
Fort Saskatchewan RCMP since Jan. 1 have been slammed with 256 alarm calls that turned out to be false. In July alone, there were 63 false alarms that police responded to.
"This, as you can imagine, takes a significant amount of time and resources that could be spent in other areas of policing to effectively continue to keep the community safe," said Fort Saskatchewan RCMP Const. Suzanne Ahlstrom.
Mounties in the town are now asking those who own security systems to keep them in working order and ensure they are well functioning. Repeat false alarms may result in penalties, with the first offence resulting in a warning letter followed by a $200 fine for a second offence, $300 for a third and $500 each time after.
The penalties fall within the Fort Saskatchewan Municipal Bylaws which have been in effect since 2008. Police warn that enforcement of this particular bylaw will continue and fines will be issued beginning Oct. 1, should a warning letter have already been issued.
"Please ensure that your alarm systems are functioning correctly and are in good repair. These systems could prove to be quite costly should police be required to continually respond to a malfunctioning or false reported alarm," adds Ahlstrom. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/fort-saskatchewan-rcmp-warn-of-hefty-fines-for-home-security-false-alarms | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/df6ce005044929d47466e244c9d3478a71e109c66d3d79902c8b1860863e736d.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T22:46:14 | null | 2016-08-28T22:15:35 | Comedian Mark Critch has removed a photo mocking former prime minister Stephen Harper from his Instagram account following a barrage of tweets from a Conservative MP that included obscenities. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fcomedian-mark-critch-removes-instagram-pic-mocking-stephen-harper-after-calgary-mp-michelle-rempels-twitter-rant.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871290147_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472421687792 | en | null | '22 Minutes' star Mark Critch removes Instagram pic mocking Stephen Harper after | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Warning: The following story contains some graphic language!
Comedian Mark Critch has removed a photo mocking former prime minister Stephen Harper from his Instagram account following a barrage of tweets from a Conservative MP that included obscenities.
Calgary MP Michelle Rempel posted on Twitter that she has since apologized to Critch “that he got flamed,” and she says that he, too, told her he was sorry.
The photo showed Critch inside what appeared to be a closet on Parliament Hill in an apparent parody of Harper’s decision to shelter in a closet when Michael Zehaf Bibeau stormed the Parliament Buildings in Oct., 2014.
The star of CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes appeared to be clutching himself in fear, and the caption read, “Stephen Harper has stepped down. Here I am in his closet.”
Rempel was in the caucus room with Harper when the shots rang out, and she told Critch on Twitter that she hoped he never suffers from panic attacks in movies with gunshots in them, or has to wonder if colleagues are alive or dead.
Critch told the CBC that he has spoken to Rempel and that things are “all good now.”
“Michelle and I had a good conversation. She wrote me an apology for flaming out and I deleted the picture. No hard feelings on either side,” Critch said in a statement to CBC.
Neither Rempel nor Critch could be immediately reached for comment.
In her tweets responding to the photo, Rempel accused Critch of “triggering” her.
“I don’t really have words to describe my disgust at this post of yours,” she began.
.@markcritch,I don't really have words to describe my disgust at this post of yours 1/ pic.twitter.com/6QCDkE7FCX — Michelle Rempel, MP (@MichelleRempel) August 27, 2016
“May you never have to choose between running for your life or trying to protect your friends from the unknown,” she continued.
.@markcritch may you never have to experience hearing gunshots coming towards you while you're in a confined space 2/ — Michelle Rempel, MP (@MichelleRempel) August 27, 2016
.@markcritch may you never have to choose between running for your life or trying to protect your friends from the unknown 3/ — Michelle Rempel, MP (@MichelleRempel) August 27, 2016
.@markcritch may you never have a panic attack in a movie hat has gunshots in it two years after running for your life 3/ — Michelle Rempel, MP (@MichelleRempel) August 27, 2016
.@markcritch may you never have to wonder if your colleagues are alive or dead 5/ — Michelle Rempel, MP (@MichelleRempel) August 27, 2016
“What you posted isn't satire, or comedy. It's a f---ing embarrassment,” she added.
Forgive typos and expletives. — Michelle Rempel, MP (@MichelleRempel) August 27, 2016
.@markcritch and thanks for triggering me, you asshole. — Michelle Rempel, MP (@MichelleRempel) August 27, 2016
The photo and Rempel’s reaction late Friday triggered a flood of debate on social media that continued through Sunday afternoon. Some people accused Critch of showing poor taste while others criticized Rempel for over reacting. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/comedian-mark-critch-removes-instagram-pic-mocking-stephen-harper-after-calgary-mp-michelle-rempels-twitter-rant | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/0788a462381c167a5fa981cc8a1abde461ac2624ed12871ad1cc8b475c64e562.json |
[
"Jim Warren"
] | 2016-08-28T00:46:06 | null | 2016-08-28T00:30:31 | The derailment of a freight train in the middle of Toronto last Sunday is an urgent warning for us to rethink how dangerous goods are shipped through the most populated neighbourhoods in Canada. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Ftime-to-separate-freight-and-passenger-rail-lines.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297869097539_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472340786928 | en | null | Time to separate freight and passenger rail lines | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | The derailment of a freight train in the middle of Toronto last Sunday is an urgent warning for us to rethink how dangerous goods are shipped through the most populated neighbourhoods in Canada.
We need immediate action by the federal government to improve rail safety – action which would also improve public transit.
Quite simply, we need a viable plan to separate freight and passenger rail traffic in Canada.
A plan to keep dangerous goods out of urban centres which would also increase the capacity to run more public transit on existing rail lines in urban centres.
It’s 2016 and our Canadian cities have expanded and grown. More people live closer to freight train lines than ever before.
This same train that derailed in Toronto travelled through Mississauga, Ontario’s third largest city.
In the 1800s railways were used to connect our provinces and cities and allowed us to create a Canada.
Cities used railway trains as the engines of their economies to connect people and products. Major cities expanded through the use of trains.
But in today’s modern digital economy we need those same railway lines to move people within an urban centre and between cities, while keeping freight and dangerous goods outside of the urban core.
Last year there was a plan announced by some local governments to fix this problem but there has yet to be urgent action to make it a reality.
The plan is called the “Missing Link”.
In 2015, the cities of Brampton, Cambridge, Guelph, Milton, Mississauga, Toronto, Kitchener and Waterloo developed a business case for the Missing Link.
It is a new rail corridor to connect two exiting freight lines.
The result removes freight traffic from the southern CP and Canadian National Rail (CN) lines, and diverts it to a freight-only rail line.
Then the existing CN and CP freight lines would be free for more commuter service by GO Transit and VIA Rail.
It is a simple plan -- the Missing Link diverts dangerous freight from many cities while expanding commuter transit.
All-day, two-way electrified GO Train service on the Milton and Kitchener lines would become possible, as would high-speed rail.
This idea is not a new one or unique to Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. It can be implemented in other urban centres across Canada.
In the 1970s new freight-only rail lines were built north of Toronto.
This was done to increase capacity for passenger lines along the shore of Lake Ontario.
This led to development of the Golden Horseshoe and now the Lakeshore rail line is the busiest passenger rail line in Canada.
Population growth in the biggest cities like Toronto has led to unaffordable housing prices combined with some of the worst traffic in the world.
Government knows this growth will only continue.
Yes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced an enormous infrastructure program. New programs for subways, street cars and other critical infrastructure will start to follow. Those plans will help.
But gridlock is a growing and complex problem.
And sometimes, the most complex problems can have the simplest solutions.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie told me the Missing Link would allow the Ontario government to achieve its vision for Regional Express Rail.
"Dangerous freight would no longer travel through communities, and most importantly, residents could arrive to their destination more quickly and easily.
“The Missing Link is an ambitious project, but one that will fundamentally change how we live and work in the GTA for a generation to come,” said Crombie.
The federal Liberals need to act now to make the best use of existing rail lines to move more people efficiently, while protecting them from potentially dangerous train derailments in the process.
Warren is a Liberal political strategist and media commentator. He worked for former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman and former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty and is currently a principal at grgadvisors.ca and CEO of Riseley Gaming Inc. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/time-to-separate-freight-and-passenger-rail-lines | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/f8e3c36d79f8b7f665795870aa8235b0f21a308922e6e68e59ade2916eef05f5.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T14:46:07 | null | 2016-08-27T13:45:30 | The U.S. Coast Guard says two stranded mariners were rescued Friday after crews saw their | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fsos-in-sand-leads-to-rescue-of-2-people-stranded-on-island.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871026113_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472305959725 | en | null | 'SOS' in sand leads to rescue of 2 people stranded on island | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | CHUUK STATE, Micronesia — The U.S. Coast Guard says two stranded mariners were rescued Friday after crews saw their "SOS" in the sand on an uninhabited island in Micronesia, Hawaii News Now reports.
A U.S. Navy aircraft crew spotted the pair on the beach and gave their location to the Coast Guard in Guam. Hawaii News Now says the two, who had no emergency equipment, were picked up and taken to a patrol boat.
The Coast Guard received a report about the couple’s 18-foot vessel going missing on Aug. 19. Hawaii News Now says the two departed Weno Island on Aug. 17, and they were expected to arrive at their destination to Tamatam Island the next day.
Hawaii News Now says that on Wednesday, a ship noticed flashing lights from the uninhabited Chuuk State island where the two were later found. The U.S. Navy was alerted and spotted the survivors on the beach. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/sos-in-sand-leads-to-rescue-of-2-people-stranded-on-island | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/6463568fd49552360db9a7982334e911ccd126e520b9f69dcae4f95e30c91ae3.json |
[
"Mark Daniell"
] | 2016-08-29T20:46:28 | null | 2016-08-29T20:15:20 | When it came time to write and record their third record, Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley wanted to collaborate with some of the country duo’s biggest influences. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fafter-backstreet-boys-florida-georgia-line-want-to-work-with-drake.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871594973_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472501454618 | en | null | After Backstreet Boys, Florida Georgia Line want to work with Drake | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | When it came time to write and record their third record, Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley wanted to collaborate with some of the country duo’s biggest influences.
“The record is called Dig Your Roots and we’re honestly digging our roots with how we approached our collaborations,” Hubbard tells Postmedia Network during a mid-afternoon chat in Toronto’s entertainment district.
The new LP features a reggae-tinged track with Ziggy Marley on Life Is a Honeymoon, the ballad God, Your Mama, and Me with Backstreet Boys and May We All, a collab with Tim McGraw that will follow the album’s first chart-topping single, H.O.L.Y.
“All these artists were huge influences in our life and huge influences in our music and they’re people that we look up to and respect,” Hubbard adds. “It was a dream come true for BK and I to work with all of them.”
The party vibe FGL kicked off with their 2012 hit Cruise continues on Dig Your Roots, but the duo wanted to take their brand of country music in different directions.
“We wanted to show the fans a different side of who we are,” Hubbard says.
Hubbard and Kelley told us why FGL plans to stay in their own lane, how playing with Backstreet was a bucket list moment and revealed who they want to collaborate with next. Hint: he’s the king of the 6ix.
Love, faith and family are big themes on Dig Your Roots. How did you guys want to shake things up for the new record?
Hubbard: Just like our other albums, we wanted to be real with where we’re at. We’ve grown up a lot over the last few years and we’ve evolved and our music is doing the same as well. It’s FGL, they’re still some good party songs on there and really something for everybody — just like the rest of our records — but we feel like this is the strongest record we’ve done.
What sets FGL apart from the rest of the country music scene these days?
Kelley: For those that aren’t familiar with Florida Georgia Line, I think we do offer something for everybody, particularly because of our influences. We like to do our own thing. We’re in our own lane and we don’t like to mess with anybody else. We like to keep it fresh and just focus on FGL.
What was your first big break?
Kelley: I think we’re getting big breaks every day. God is so good to us and our fans are amazing. We’re living out our dreams constantly.
You guys are big fans of Backstreet Boys, what was it like to collaborate with them on God, Your Mama, and Me?
Kelley: It’s crazy, to be honest with you. I was in sixth grade and I went to see them with a friend at the House of Blues. But we’re big believers in the motto ‘You have to dream big and put that energy out there.’ I don’t know how Nick (Carter) came across us, but we connected and we started passing songs back and forth and he ended up on our bus in Nashville during CMA week and we played him the song and he loved it. There’s a lot of respect there and there’s a friendship.
You’re playing across Canada throughout the fall. What are you looking forward to seeing the most?
Kelley: One of our favourite things about being in Canada and touring is it’ll give us time to get out in nature and do some hiking. Canada has some amazing landscapes and the weather is probably going to be great... Hopefully we get to hike a little bit, get outdoors.
Hubbard: If we pass through Banff I know we might try and stop there. We’ve heard amazing things about that area, so we might try and check that out.
When you play in Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre this week, the CNE will be happening across the way. Got any favourite rides or fair food you hope to try?
Hubbard: I like roller-coasters. If I get a chance to ride a roller-coaster, I’m always jumping at the opportunity. Fair food? I really like funnel cakes.
Kelley: I’m pretty simple. I don’t like anything too crazy like a fried donut or whatever they do — they do some crazy stuff at some fairs — but I like to keep it simple. A good hot dog would be nice. I don’t have many hot dogs, so if they have a nice hot dog, I gotta have it.
Who do you want to collaborate with next?
Kelley: I’d say Rihanna. Justin Timberlake would be cool. Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne. Drake, obviously. Drake’s amazing. Is he in town?
Twitter: @markhdaniell
MDaniell@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/after-backstreet-boys-florida-georgia-line-want-to-work-with-drake | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/6dda9f324e2cd8d4acb70f8288abba102c509405f47bcacf32f86068c9095b2f.json |
[
"Paul Shufelt"
] | 2016-08-30T18:46:41 | null | 2016-08-30T18:15:49 | Every once in a while a friend reaches out and twists my arm into doing something crazy. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fcollaborating-to-conquer-cancer.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871947805_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Collaborating to Conquer Cancer | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Every once in a while a friend reaches out and twists my arm into doing something crazy.
About two months ago that very thing happened, when a longtime pal, Chad Murphy reached out with a plan.
You see, about nine years ago he had a desire to do something great for cancer research in Alberta.
Given that he was an athletic guy he elected to host a running event, but not just any running event.
It would be called the Rock n’ Roll Climb of Hope Run, where everyone was encouraged to pull their denim and become the best Axl Rose, or Gene Simmons they could be.
Oh, and did I mention there would be over 400 stairs to climb during the “little 5K run”?
Over the past years his efforts, and that of his very supportive team have managed to raise over $840,000.00.
That wasn’t enough for Chad though, and the idea of waiting another year to reach the $1M mark just wasn’t sitting well with him.
So, he reached out with the idea of resurrecting an Iron Chef style cooking competition we had done together in the past.
While I wasn’t in love with the idea of working on a Sunday or trying to squeeze in yet another event, with less than two months of planning, I couldn’t say no.
Somehow Chad managed to convince chefs Shonn Oborowksy of Characters Fine Dining, and Shane Chartrand of Sage restaurant at the River Cree to partake in the friendly competition, and with the help of a few of our sous chefs we had the lineup for the night.
The fundraising committee worked diligently to sell the tickets.
With the help of some very generous sponsors the proteins were provided and the stage was set.
Then, on Sunday, it was time to get to work. We drew for proteins, with Shane picking bison short rib, Shonn getting pork loin, and albacore tuna — care of Effing Seafoods — falling in my lap.
We quickly got to work, having a limited time frame to turn our secret ingredients and a basic pantry into a dish for sixty. The room began to fill and before we knew it, it was time for dinner.
What began as a friendly competition turned into a great group of chefs working together to collaborate, offering hands to one another, all in the spirit of ensuring our guests had a great experience.
Five courses later the dust had settled and all there was to do was tidy up, and wait for the announcement of the winner.
Once the votes were tallied it was Chef Shane’s very uniquely presented bison short rib ‘en papillotte’ that won the day.
Perhaps more importantly, the collective efforts of all involved managed to raise over $23,000 for cancer research, which gets Chad, and his team, that much closer to their goal.
If you would like to get involved it’s pretty easy. The race goes Saturday, Sept. 17, and if I can do it anyone can. You can run, donate, or volunteer by clicking the link below.
http://2016.climbofhoperun.ca
While our dish didn’t win, I was proud of what we put together, especially the ratatouille we served with the tuna.
There is just something about making ratatouille that I thoroughly enjoy. Maybe it’s the time it takes to chop all of the vegetables evenly, or the effort that goes into peeling and to concasse the tomatoes.
Perhaps it’s the slow and delicate braising process, ensuring the vegetables, especially the eggplant, are cooked through and tender, but not so cooked they become mushy.
It might be the balance between sweet and tart, or the earthiness of combination of herbs that keeps me coming back.
Honestly, it’s more than likely the fact that it was the only dish I made while in Switzerland that my chef ever complimented me on. His wife even told me that I made it better than him.
Either way, it’s got a special place in my heart, and I pull it out any chance I get.
Summer Vegetable Ratatouille
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Special Tools: A decent braising pot helps
Feeds: A family of four, as a side dish
1 cup red onion, diced
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup yellow zucchini, diced
1 cup green zucchini, diced
1 cup peppers, diced
1 cup eggplant, diced
1 can diced tomatoes, or you can concasse fresh, but it’s a lot of work
1 cup olive oil, save your good stuff, this is merely for cooking
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 cup stock, veg, chicken, or fish, depending what you’re serving it with
2 tbsp. fresh chopped basil
1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary
½ tbsp. fresh chopped thyme
pinch sugar
TT S&P
Start by dicing your vegetables, they can be small dice or large, just try to make them all the same size, keep them separated though
Once they are all diced, place a medium pan on medium high heat
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan, then add the red onions and garlic, sauté until soft, but not browned, about 2-3 minutes
Set aside, draining the excess water and/or fat into a bowl
Repeat with each of the vegetables, cooking them until they become somewhat tender, without browning or overcooking, take the eggplant a little further than the other vegetables, otherwise it will still taste chewy when the others are sufficiently stewed
Once sautéed and strained, place the ingredients together in a medium sauce pot, bring to medium high heat, adding the tomato paste, stirring to combine, letting it caramelize ever so slightly, then quickly deglaze with the red wine, letting it reduce to a fraction of its original volume
Now add the diced tomatoes, and stock, stirring to combine
Bring to a simmer and let simmer 10-12 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar, you don’t want it sweet, but you want to cut the bitterness slightly
Add the fresh herbs, and let simmer another 2-3 minutes
Remove from heat and serve
Who’s hungry? | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/collaborating-to-conquer-cancer | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/9b697b9f4cf03af79ca377edacd24c55c9541419ad36df21bd3f5d42a180c733.json |
[
"Terry Jones"
] | 2016-08-31T02:46:41 | null | 2016-08-31T02:00:13 | As far as Bob Nicholson is concerned, the No. 1 coming attraction in hockey is happening here. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fterry-jones-pride-in-bringing-edmonton-oilers-and-heaps-of-other-entertainment-opportunities-to-the-brand-new-rogers-places-has-bob-nicholson-beaming.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297872159930_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472606528882 | en | null | Pride in bringing Edmonton Oilers and heaps of other entertainment | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | As far as Bob Nicholson is concerned, the No. 1 coming attraction in hockey is happening here.
So this is where he plans to be.
As the vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation and second-in-command to Rene Fasel, Nicholson should perhaps be in Toronto for the revival of the World Cup of Hockey.
As the chief executive officer and vice-chairman of the Oilers Entertainment Group, he possibly should be there in support of Team North America general manager Peter Chiarelli, head coach Todd McLellan and star players Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, not to mention Andrej Sekera and Leon Draisaitl with Team Europe.
And as head honcho of OEG, it is also important that Nicholson be involved with the organizers because it’s his intention — if this World Cup is successful with eight teams playing a total of 17 games in the same venue in the same city — to bring the event to Edmonton in four years.
But during this year’s event from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, hockey moves into brand-new Rogers Place in Edmonton with the opening of the most important Oilers training camp in years, the first game Sept. 24 featuring the Edmonton Oil Kings, and the series of Oilers pre-season games beginning with the split squad game Sept. 26 against Calgary.
So, sorry, he’s going to be here.
“For sure, I’m going to be around here. I have some IIHF meetings for a few days before it begins, but the majority of the time, I’m going to be here,” said Nicholson.
“It’s once-in-a-lifetime to be involved in this, and there are a lot of moving pieces.
“It’s just to see everything continue to come together. I had the opportunity to do a lot of different projects with Hockey Canada, but this is totally different. It’s just so much bigger, and everything comes at you so much stronger.
“It’s going to be about operations. And you know what? There are going to be some flaws as we start. But I want to see how we deal with those so people aren’t even aware of them as we go forward. Our job is to make sure the fans have an unbelievable guest experience, and I’m really confident that’s going to happen.
“There are a lot of various partnerships. Some days, those partnerships are trying because everybody is trying to get to the same end goal.
“From my seat, what I’ve liked the best is how our staff have been flexible. Although there’s so much pressure in so many different areas, they’ve really continued to be upbeat.
“I think that’s a real key going forward. We had over 100 staff with the Oilers and now, with contracted people, part time people and full time people, we’re getting up to 1,500-1,600 people. It’s a big engine, but it’s one that everybody is really, really motivated.”
While the focus is on the Sept. 10 open house, the first big event for those involved is a gathering of the entire staff Saturday at Rogers Place.
“The number will be about 1,600 people,” said Nicholson.
“This is really the first time we get to touch them. With the whole group coming together, our hope is to really make it motivational. There’s going to be a pretty neat energy in the room.”
The employees will sit in lower bowl seats and the new $110-million video scoreboard will be lowered to be a big part of the proceedings.
“I was just in there (Tuesday) and looked at the scoreboard. The scoreboard is unbelievable. I was sitting on the player’s bench, and wow. I think for a while, fans are going to catch themselves watching that instead of the live action.”
While he’ll be at IIHF meetings and will miss the free open house that he championed to officially open the building, Nicholson will be back for the Keith Urban and Dolly Parton leadoff concerts. But he’s first and foremost a hockey guy. And that’s where he admits his excitement level is highest.
He’s looking forward to showing both the Oil Kings and the Oilers around the new building starting with their new dressing rooms.
“The dressing rooms are special. When you talk Oil Kings, it’ll be the best dressing room in the CHL. For the Oilers, it’ll be the best dressing room in the NHL. We want the players to be confortable and spend more time there. It’s a great place for them to build as a team. And we hope when players from other teams come into the building, they say ‘Wow, I wish that we were treated that way in our city. Hopefully, it’ll help us recruit players in the future.”
But mostly, it’s the games.
“Let’s start with the Oil Kings. Wow, is this going to be special for them. It’s going to be a sold-out building to play the very first game at Rogers Place. That’s going to be spectacular. Then we get into the Oilers exhibition games. And everybody in the world is going to be watching on Oct. 12 for the first regular season game, an Oilers-Flames Battle of Alberta game. That when every bell and whistle we have we’re going to show off to the world,” said Nicholson.
The Oilers have had a great deal of secrecy involving what would be involved in the ceremonies around that occasion.
Nicholson isn’t telling. But he did reveal to your correspondent a lot of the things the Oilers won’t be doing and revealed the philosophy that is going to be involved.
When the Montreal Canadiens moved out of the Forum and into the Bell Centre and when the Toronto Maple Leafs departed Maple Leaf Gardens to the Air Canada Centre, there were parades of banners and greats from one place to the other.
That’s not going to happen here.
And the Oilers aren’t going to invite back all the Oilers of the past that were part of the farewell to Rexall Place, either.
“We’re going to keep it more simple than that,” said Nicholson.
“For that first game, there’s going to be a lot of entertainment prior to the game. We’re looking at doing something with Wayne Gretzky here. He’s getting all dusted off and polished,” he said of the statue relocated from Rexall Place.
“We have some plans for some specific events within the event. But mostly it’s going to be about showing off our building.”
As for Oiler legends, he said some will be there, but there’s a conscious effort “to make this about the future.
“We’re going to show the technology of how you are going to be entertained, pre-game, during the game and post-game. It’s all going to be totally new to the Oilers’ great fan base. …
“The biggest thing we’re going to show is how proud we are to be in Rogers Place. We’re going to show that this is just the start of something more with the Ice District and everything else that’s coming.”
And that brings us back to the World Cup of Hockey. While he won’t be there, Nicholson will be paying close attention.
There’s no question Edmonton would be the logical place for a next edition of the World Cup of Hockey in 2020 with the completion of the Ice District, the certain recognition of Rogers Place as the finest facility in hockey by then, and the likelihood of McDavid being established as the second coming of Gretzky.
“It’s certainly something that’s on our radar,” Nicholson said of the World Cup. “I was certainly very involved in 2004, with the last one, and I think it might be a good opportunity for Edmonton. The whole Ice District will be up and running.”
Nicholson is also looking at another Edmonton-Calgary partnership with the World Junior Hockey Championship, with the medal round games in Edmonton this time around.
"They’re going to be looking at 2019 and 2021 for Canada with their bids, and we’d love to get one of those two, for sure. When I was president of Hockey Canada, the best World Juniors for attendance was Edmonton-Calgary. That was a great model. We’ve had those discussions with them.”
HUGE DEMAND LEADS TO MORE TICKETS FOR ROGERS PLACE OPEN HOUSE
The stampede for tickets for the Rogers Place Open House was so overwhelming in the first 24 hours, officials have created opportunity for fans to visit.
The short news release came out of City Hall late Tuesday afternoon:
“We are excited to say that interest in the Rogers Place Open House on Sept. 10 has been overwhelming! As of now we have had more than 42,000 tickets claimed and as a result we are opening up an additional time slot of 3 pm to accommodate ongoing interest.”
The original plan was to accommodate 50,000 people from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. to open the new building.
The announcement and launch of ticket availability began at 2 p.m. Monday. Tickets moved at a rate of about 1,000 per minute for the first 15 minutes. By 9 p.m., they’d reached 29,701 and hit 36,626 by 9 a.m. By noon, they were up to 39,842.
That’s when it was obvious the demand was going to be far greater than the supply.
“It is something that the city is so excited about. They’ve seen some pictures but they want to get in and see it,” said Bob Nicholson, Oilers Entertainment Group chief executive officer and vice-chairman.
There is no charge for the tickets.
People may order up to four tickets each through Ticketmaster.
tjones@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @sunterryjones | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/terry-jones-pride-in-bringing-edmonton-oilers-and-heaps-of-other-entertainment-opportunities-to-the-brand-new-rogers-places-has-bob-nicholson-beaming | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/10b2b020ec8af30f892b0443f7c3d763f5d2f759a8d7fed27905e2f4c8703d1a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T14:46:02 | null | 2016-08-26T14:45:27 | Strong aftershocks damaged two key access roads into quake-struck Amatrice on Friday, threatening to isolate the tiny hilltop town as hopes dimmed that firefighters would find any more survivors from the earthquake that killed at least 267 people. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Faccess-to-italy-town-limited-after-earthquake-damages-roads.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870664802_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472219028598 | en | null | Access to Italy town limited after earthquake damages roads | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | AMATRICE, Italy -- Strong aftershocks damaged two key access roads into quake-struck Amatrice on Friday, threatening to isolate the tiny hilltop town as hopes dimmed that firefighters would find any more survivors from the earthquake that killed at least 267 people.
Some crumbled buildings in Amatrice cracked even further after the biggest aftershock of Friday morning struck at 6:28 a.m. The U.S. Geological Service said it had a magnitude of 4.7, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.8.
The shaking ground also damaged one key access bridge to Amatrice, forcing emergency crews to close it. Mayor Sergio Pirozzi said he was working with authorities to find an alternative bypass also to another damaged bridge. "We hope to God it works because otherwise with the damaged stretch of road, we are without any connection" to the main roads.
Even before the roads were shut down, traffic into and out of Amatrice was horribly congested with emergency vehicles bringing hundreds of rescue crews up to Amatrice and dump trucks carrying tons of concrete, rocks and metal down the single-lane roads.
The aftershock was preceded by more than 50 overnight and was followed by another nine in the next hour -- part of the nearly 1,000 aftershocks that have rocked Italy's central Apennine Mountains since the original 6.2 magnitude quake early Wednesday.
Premier Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency and authorized 50 million euros for immediate quake relief.
The Italian government also declared Saturday a day of national mourning and scheduled a state funeral to be attended by President Sergio Mattarella.
Rescue efforts continued through the night and into Friday, but more than a day and a half had passed since the last person was extracted alive from the rubble. While Renzi hailed the fact that 215 people had been rescued after the quake, authorities reported a steadily rising death toll that had hit 267 by Friday morning.
Civil protection operations chief Immacolata Postiglione still insisted Friday that the rescue effort hadn't yet switched to a recovery mission. Rescue workers have noted that a person was pulled out alive 72 hours (three days) after the 2009 earthquake in the Italian town of L'Aquila.
"I confirm, once again as we have from the start, that the units that are doing the searches and rescues, including with dogs looking for other people trapped in the rubble, are absolutely fully active," she said Friday.
On the ground, authorities were still struggling to account for all the missing, since that number is still uncertain given the large number of visitors for summer holidays and an annual food festival.
"There is still hope to find survivors under the rubble, even in these hours," Walter Milan, a mountain rescue worker, said Friday. But he conceded: "Certainly, it will be very unlikely."
The vast majority of the dead were found in levelled Amatrice, the medieval hilltop town famous for its bacon and tomato pasta sauce.
The other dead hailed from nearby Accumoli and Arcquarta del Tronto.
Flags will fly at half-staff Saturday on all public offices and a state funeral will be celebrated by a bishop in a gym in Ascoli Piceno for the victims of nearby Arquata del Tronto -- to date, 49 of the dead have come from the tiny town and its hamlet Pescara del Tronto.
The first private funerals were scheduled for Friday, including one in Pomezia south of Rome celebrated by one of Pope Francis' closest collaborators, Bishop Marcello Semeraro.
Across the area, thousands have been forced to abandon their homes, either because they were destroyed or they were determined to be too unsafe. Overnight some 2,100 slept in tent camps, nearly 1,000 more than the first night after Wednesday's quake, in a sign that a significant number had found nowhere else to go.
"I have no idea what I'm going to do now, because I had renovated the house two years ago," survivor Umberto Palaferri said, showing a photo of his collapsed home on his phone. "It was all new and now I don't know what to do. I'm 76 and don't know if I can rebuild it." | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/access-to-italy-town-limited-after-earthquake-damages-roads | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/2c5df1f13d79a9c3d107fa0426f5d6520c06a7fed7c1343c3ecd113273179b71.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T00:46:17 | null | 2016-08-27T00:30:51 | TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays will have a familiar face in their lineup as they prepare for another post-season run. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fblue-jays-re-acquire-catcher-navarro-from-white-sox.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870901657_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472255133558 | en | null | Blue Jays reacquire catcher Navarro from White Sox | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays will have a familiar face in their lineup as they prepare for another post-season run.
The Jays reacquired catcher Dioner Navarro from the Chicago White Sox on Friday night for left-handed pitcher Colton Turner.
The 32-year-old Navarro returns to Toronto after signing with the White Sox in the off-season. He spent two years with the Blue Jays and recorded a .267 average with 17 home runs and 89 runs-batted in 193 games over that period.
The Venezuelan is batting .210 with six home runs and 32 RBI in 85 games this season.
Turner is 3-1 with a 1.33 earned-run average in 44 relief appearances this year between three minor league levels, including double-A New Hampshire. The 25-year-old was selected in the 21st round of the 2012 MLB draft by Toronto and is 12-9 with a 2.76 ERA in 106 games over four seasons in the Blue Jays system.
Toronto entered the opener of its three-game series with the Minnesota Twins on Friday night in a tie for first place in the American League East division with the Boston Red Sox. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/blue-jays-re-acquire-catcher-navarro-from-white-sox | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/95ea4f2ad895f5d1e97e0605a96f1644243d53c2a719631d31d7cf93089bf532.json |
[
"Amy Dickinson"
] | 2016-08-31T12:46:52 | null | 2016-08-31T12:32:07 | Dear Amy: I am a 24-year-old woman. My 18-year-old boyfriend doesn't make enough money and won't save. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F24%2Fage-gap-and-wage-gap-frustrate-girlfriend.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870066242_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472641625474 | en | null | Age gap and wage gap frustrate girlfriend | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Dear Amy: I am a 24-year-old woman. My 18-year-old boyfriend doesn't make enough money and won't save.
The age difference between us doesn't bother me, but his money management does.
We split all the shared bills, but he lost his job and in the three-week gap before getting a new one he managed to borrow $1,200 from me (which he wants to pay back).
He says he wants a second job, but just comes up with excuses. I hate feeling like I'm nagging him to make more money.
He's an amazing and sweet guy that I love, but I've started resenting him.
I have taken him out and paid for movies, dates, etc., but I want to feel financially stable. I want a man who can take care of me (more than just emotionally).
I want to talk to him about this, but he gets so defensive. Am I being ridiculous?
He did nothing for me on my birthday last month, and when I confronted him that it hurt that he couldn't even write me a love note, or buy a $1 card, or do anything cheap (or free), he just made excuses.
I told him I knew he spent money on weed instead of on me. Normally it doesn't bother me when he smokes weed, but it hurts to know he's spending money he doesn't have on pot, rather than paying my money back, or celebrating my birthday.
Am I becoming my boyfriend's sugar mama? -- Disappointed
Dear Disappointed: It is shocking that -- knowing how you feel about money and what you know about your boyfriend -- you would give him $1,200. You will NEVER see that money again.
Your boyfriend should not have to "take care of you" financially. You are obviously capable of taking care of yourself. If you resent bankrolling him, then you shouldn't do it.
He is 18. He is handling his money the way many 18-year-old people do, and making choices that immature people make. If he is a heavy pot user, it will naturally soak up a fair amount of his income, as well as affect his initiative. Maybe he will grow out of this phase -- maybe not.
You are 24. If you want someone who is more mature, financially stable and grown-up, you should probably find someone who matches your maturity and initiative. Stability is obviously an important value to you, so choose to be with someone who fulfills this value.
Also -- I highly recommend being on your own for a while. Being alone is much more preferable to baby-sitting and bankrolling your romantic partner's weed habit.
Dear Amy: As a smartphone user, I have been guilty of using my phone at inappropriate times, but the more I am around people on their phones the more I am seeing the rudeness of people using them.
I was with some family members and an older friend when two of the family members, (both over 60) were talking on their phones and texting while at dinner.
It was embarrassing! They were upset and defensive when I made a comment about it. -- Sick of Cells
Dear Sick: Would these family members go out to dinner and then invite another person to come over and sit in the middle of the table to converse with them during the meal? Probably not. But this is what they are doing when they talk and text during the meal.
My casual observation is that adolescents do this, and then the distraction wanes until people hit the age of 60 or so. Older people seem to be very heavy smartphone users, and also oblivious to the impact on others.
The next time you go out with them, ask your companions if they would be willing to play a game: The first person to reach for their phone pays for dessert.
Dear Amy: Regarding "T," who said his wife was having secret chats with an old flame after many years of marriage ... family members should please consider that she might have early onset dementia.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which can strike when people are young (in their 40s and 50s), has a few variants. The behavioral variant causes people who have it to exhibit behaviors like T described, including the apathy for his emotional distress.
It is an awful disease. -- Been There
Dear Been There: FTD is relatively rare. Hooking up with a former flame is relatively common. But I agree with you that dementia is a possibility, and thank you for the suggestion. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/24/age-gap-and-wage-gap-frustrate-girlfriend | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/cf3f686e04c57e44ea817d95f3ee4f06ebef4369902baef6c9d3fda7ad46eee1.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T18:46:14 | null | 2016-08-28T18:15:34 | A dirt bike passenger is dead after a collision with a pickup truck at Maskwacis south of Edmonton Sunday morning. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fa-male-dirt-bike-passenger-is-dead-and-the-female-driver-is-in-hospital-after-a-crash-south-of-edmonton.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297583302159_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472407704440 | en | null | A male dirt bike passenger is dead and the female driver is in hospital after a | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | EDMONTON -
A dirt bike passenger is dead after a collision with a pickup truck at Maskwacis south of Edmonton Sunday morning.
Maskwacis RCMP and Emergency Medical Services -- responding to the Highway 611 call about 4:20 a.m. -- pronounced the male passenger of the dirt bike dead at the scene on the east side of Samson Cree First Nation, about 100 km south of Edmonton.
The female driver of the dirt bike was transported to Edmonton hospital by STARS air ambulance. She is in stable condition. The male driver of the pickup truck was transported to local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The case remains under investigation and RCMP say all possible factors relating to the cause are being considered.
Police are in the process of notifying next of kin. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/a-male-dirt-bike-passenger-is-dead-and-the-female-driver-is-in-hospital-after-a-crash-south-of-edmonton | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/eda955cede524c8d38e7fab317b9c66d0c626b248afcb5b5e6d6804aa436dbb6.json |
[
"Michael Lumsden"
] | 2016-08-29T06:46:20 | null | 2016-08-29T06:32:24 | After missing his chance as a raw recruit in the air cadets, a Calgary pilot finally got behind the stick of the plane he has been thinking about for 75 years. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fcalgary-veteran-93-soars-in-glider-for-first-time-in-75-year-aviation-career.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871329297_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472447411286 | en | null | Calgary veteran, 93, soars in glider for first time in 75-year aviation career | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | OLDS -
After missing his chance as a raw recruit in the air cadets, a Calgary pilot finally got behind the stick of the plane he has been thinking about for 75 years.
Looking back on a flying career that spanned two wars, and saw him help found Calgary-based airline Westjet, 93-year-old Herb Spear on Sunday got to soar in an aircraft he’s been waiting for his whole life.
A glider.
“It was a great experience. I’ve often thought of doing it, but I never got around to getting into one of these things.” Spear said, as he took part in the Air Cadet League of Canada’s 75th anniversary celebration in Olds, about 100 km north of Calgary.
Born in 1924, Spear took a liking to flying before he could walk, as his father was training to be a pilot prior to the Great Depression.
But like many other dreams, the devastated economy put an end to that.
It wasn’t until 1941, after Spear joined the Air Cadets based at Currie Base in Calgary, did he get his first shot at flying.
“We had, I’m guessing, about 300 ragtag cadets. No uniforms, no officers, NCOs running it,” he said.
“In most cases, they (the cadets) went from the cadets to the air force”
Spear, and thousands of others like him, wanted to do their part to help Canada in the Second World War, but because of the length of training, which took him from Calgary to Montreal with a handful of stops in between, he never got the opportunity to fly a mission.
“After the war, the Air Defence Command put up several Mustang (fighter plane) squads across Canada,” he said.
“They had one in Calgary, the 403 squadron, so I joined. I was there until 1964.”
Perhaps the most fascinating part of a 93 year old who has seen a lot of the world from both the air and the ground, Spear seems far more comfortable while in the cockpit.
“You break the surly bounds of earth. When you’re flying something like a Mustang, and you have a bunch of cumulus clouds around. You can go up into the clouds and out of the clouds.” Spear said
“There’s nobody there to tell you to do or what not to do. It’s a great profession.”
mlumsden@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @LumsdenNews | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/calgary-veteran-93-soars-in-glider-for-first-time-in-75-year-aviation-career | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/bb1c6d7e964316e56ed02832c5eae84acb41b55bcedb2b450c885421ad316fd5.json |
[
"Stu Cowan"
] | 2016-08-31T00:46:43 | null | 2016-08-31T00:15:13 | NEW YORK — Milos Raonic has a very good memory. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fmilos-raonic-sizes-up-tennis-big-four-its-a-little-bit-spread-out.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297872086260_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472600290067 | en | null | Raonic sizes up tennis' Big Four: 'It’s a little bit spread out' | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | NEW YORK — Milos Raonic has a very good memory.
“I think the last time I played him was in San Jose,” Raonic said about American Ryan Harrison, who will be his second-round opponent Wednesday at the U.S. Open.
It was indeed four years ago in San Jose that Raonic defeated Harrison in straight sets in the semifinals of the SAP Open before the Canadian beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the final. The only other time Harrison and Raonic faced each other on the ATP Tour was in 2011 when the American won in three sets at Indian Wells.
“I know the things he liked to do back then,” Raonic said. “Obviously, times have changed on both sides of the court, mine and his. So I’ll definitely do some research and maybe try to watch a little bit of that match he played (Monday), maybe have a few words with other players that have played him over a recent period of time.”
Raonic also remembers playing Harrison when they were both juniors, saying: “He was younger than me.”
Raonic is 25 now and Harrison is 24, but rankings are much more important than age in tennis. Raonic is ranked No. 6 and Harrison is No. 120, so the Canadian will be a heavy favourite to advance to the third round.
But if Raonic, seeded fifth here, is ever going to win a Grand Slam title, he’s going to have to beat the Big Four: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It was Murray who beat Raonic in the final at Wimbledon and if the draw holds up Nadal would be Raonic’s quarter-final opponent here with Djokovic possibly lurking in the semifinal. Murray is in the other half of the draw.
Raonic was asked to describe the status of the Big Four right now after his first-round victory over Germany’s Dustin Brown on Monday night.
“Well, I think it’s a little bit spread out,” the 6-foot-5 serving giant from Thornhill, Ont., said. “You have Roger, who was always there, that is unfortunately unable to be playing at this moment, who is sitting out for a little while (with a knee injury). You have Andy and Novak, who have pretty much led the charge of those big four. Have been leading it at least throughout this year. Rafa is still one of the most dangerous players on tour. You’ve got to navigate your way through. You’ve got to be trying to play your best. Hopefully you face these guys later in tournaments and you can bring your best tennis.”
Raonic could catch three breaks here.
Federer hasn’t played since losing to Raonic in the Wimbledon semifinals and hopes to return from knee surgery in time for the Australian Open in January.
Djokovic has been having problems with his right arm and needed four sets Monday night to beat Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz, ranked No. 247. It marked the first time the world’s No. 1 player had lost a set in the first round of a Grand Slam since 2010. Djokovic’s first serves were only around 100 m.p.h. — about 25 m.p.h. less than normal — and his second serves were in the low 80s. Not a good sign for him going forward.
Nadal won his first-round match in straight sets Monday over Denis Istomin, but was playing with a heavily taped left wrist. That injury forced him to miss Wimbledon.
Murray is the only one of the Big Four who is healthy and could be waiting for Raonic in the final if the Big Canadian can get that far.
Raonic certainly remembers what happened the last time they met.
TOUGH TEST FOR POSPISIL
Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil caught a break by drawing Jozef Kovalik, ranked No. 126, as his first-round opponent and took advantage of it with a straight-sets victory Monday.
But Pospisil, who has a 7-21 singles record this year, will face a much tougher opponent in the second round Wednesday when he faces hard-serving South African Kevin Anderson, who is ranked No. 35. Coming into the U.S. Open, Pospisil had lost in the first round of four of his past five tournaments, starting at Wimbledon.
“I’m a competitor. I hate losing,” Pospisil said after Monday’s win. “I love trying to find ways to win and being on the court and that just hadn’t been the case these last few months. More than anything, it’s just that I was kind of back to my old self on the court in terms of just being there and competing, being a professional, doing what I’m supposed to do right and doing what I love to do. Today that was the main difference.
“I played much better than I’ve been playing, regardless of who my opponent was,” the 26-year-old added. “I’ve played some weaker opponents and didn’t play anything close to the level I played today.
“It was nice to actually play well again for a change.”
Pospisil split with coach Fred Fontang earlier this month and said he has been given a boost by having his brothers, Petr and Tom, with him for the last couple of weeks. They were among the Canadians cheering Pospisil on during his first-round victory.
Pospisil will be fresh after Monday’s win that took just over an hour and a half to complete, but so will the 6-foot-8 Anderson, who took 2:18 Monday to win in straight sets over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.
A Canadian double-header: Pospisil’s match will be the first one on the Grandstand Court, starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Raonic’s match will immediately follow on the same court.
NO UPSET HERE
Sam Querrey, who made headlines at Wimbledon when he knocked off Djokovic in the third round, won’t be pulling off any upsets here. The American, who is seeded 29th, was upset by Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (4), 6-7 (0), 6-3, 6-3 his first-round match Tuesday. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/milos-raonic-sizes-up-tennis-big-four-its-a-little-bit-spread-out | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/cc65e3dafdcfdeddf0d1af20d0994c04b4513096b539f69fa10dcb27227b0df0.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T16:46:15 | null | 2016-08-28T16:15:33 | Two brothers have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of the cousin of NBA star Dwyane Wade as she was walking to register her children for school, Chicago police announced Sunday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2F2-charged-with-murder-of-dwyane-wades-cousin-killed-while-pushing-baby-stroller.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871224665_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472400518258 | en | null | 2 charged with murder of Dwyane Wade's cousin, shot in head while pushing baby s | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | CHICAGO — Two brothers have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of the cousin of NBA star Dwyane Wade as she was walking to register her children for school, Chicago police announced Sunday.
Darwin Sorrells Jr. and Derren Sorrells, 22, also were charged with attempted murder in Friday’s shooting.
Nykea Aldridge, a 32-year-old mother of four, was pushing her baby in a stroller near the school when two men walked up and fired shots at a third man but hit Aldridge in the head and arm. Police say she wasn’t the intended target, and the baby was not injured.
Nykea Aldridge, mom of 4 and cousin of NBA star Dwayne Wade, killed pushing baby stroller. #Enough #EndGunViolence pic.twitter.com/8STOB9aDlY — Robin Kelly (@Robin42CD) August 27, 2016
Police say the suspects in the shooting have criminal records. Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson plans to release more information at a news conference later Sunday.
Authorities are investigating whether the encounter between the men was a robbery, possibly involving a driver from a ridesharing company, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Saturday.
Chicago has been in the throes of a major uptick in gun violence this year, largely centred in a few South and West Side neighbourhoods, after years of seeing declines. This July alone, there were 65 homicides — the most that month since 2006.
Wade, whose charitable organization, Wade’s World Foundation, does community outreach in the Chicago area, signed with the Chicago Bulls in July after 13 years with the Miami Heat. He and his mother, pastor Jolinda Wade, participated Thursday via satellite in a town hall meeting in Chicago on gun violence hosted by ESPN.
Wade has reacted to his cousin’s shooting only online, tweeting Friday: “My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough.”
My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough — DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
Wade also tweeted Saturday morning: “The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help& more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The YOUTH!” adding in a following tweet, “These young kids are screaming for help!!! #EnoughIsEnough.”
The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help& more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The YOUTH! — DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
These young kids are screaming for help!!! #EnoughIsEnough — DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
It is not the first time Dwyane Wade’s family in Chicago has been affected by gun violence. His nephew, Darin Johnson, was shot twice in the leg in 2012 but recovered. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/2-charged-with-murder-of-dwyane-wades-cousin-killed-while-pushing-baby-stroller | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/fc8a5ea055f68c4a4ccf496c46554a60ed1b9d19928a8d638c7a1d5c95512c12.json |
[
"Steve Tilley"
] | 2016-08-26T14:46:05 | null | 2016-08-26T14:45:27 | Stan Lee seems as invincible as the Marvel superheroes he’s been instrumental in creating. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fstan-lee-robert-downey-jr-and-chris-evans-should-never-quit-marvel.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870038248_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472216517389 | en | null | Stan Lee: Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans should never quit Marvel | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Stan Lee seems as invincible as the Marvel superheroes he’s been instrumental in creating.
But at 93 years old, an age when most folks have been retired for decades (if they’re lucky enough to still be kicking around at all), the man who helped give birth to Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Avengers is letting himself slow down a bit.
So brace yourselves, true believers: this year’s Fan Expo Canada, running Sept. 1 to 4 in Toronto, will likely be Stan Lee’s last Canadian convention appearance.
“I’m really trying to take it easier,” a chipper Lee told Postmedia Network in an interview this week. “I want to go to Toronto, and then after that I have one in New York. And I do think those will be the last, except for some that are closer to home.”
But just as thousands of Canadian fans will be seeking autographs and photos with Lee during his appearance at Fan Expo Canada, Lee is hoping for a particular signature to add to his own collection: that of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau will appear on a variant cover of Civil War II: Choosing Sides #5, in stores next week, which shows the grinning, tank top-clad PM sitting in the corner of a boxing ring, surrounded by members of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.
“I would love to meet the prime minister and get my copy personally signed,” said Lee, who himself will be featured on a Fan Expo-exclusive variant cover of The Amazing Spider-Man #17 – with the CN Tower in the background, no less – on sale at the convention.
“That would be one of the highlights of my trip,” Lee said. (Memo to the Prime Minister’s office: make it happen, eh? Excelsior!)
Along with artist and Marvel luminary Jack Kirby, Lee’s superhero journey began when he co-created the Fantastic Four in 1961, a response to rival DC Comics’ popular Justice League series. The quartet of heroes were different from anything comic books had seen before: they were flawed, they were frightened, they fought amongst themselves. Despite the incredible powers bestowed on them by a blast of cosmic radiation, they were remarkably human.
That humanity came to define the Marvel credo, and has carried all the way through to the blockbuster Marvel Studios films of the last decade and a half, including this year’s Captain America: Civil War. Next up is November’s Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the Sorcerer Supreme, followed next year by new standalone instalments in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor franchises. Black Panther – a hero who Lee said has been “too long” in making his big screen solo debut – arrives in July of 2018.
But after the next two Avengers films in 2018 and 2019, currently entering production under the guidance of Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo, what then? What becomes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when this epic movie saga reaches a natural endpoint with the fourth Avengers film?
“I can’t tell you where it will go after that, because I won’t be making that decision,” said Lee, who currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of Marvel but isn’t directly involved in the company’s creative processes.
“But I can certainly tell you that it will have places to go. Because as long as human beings have imaginations, they’ll never run out of story ideas for these characters.”
And while Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. might choose to hang up his crimson and gold armour after the next Avengers movies run their course, Lee really hopes both Downey and Captain America actor Chris Evans keep playing the parts until, well, the end of time.
“I think those two men were born to play their roles. As long as they will continue to play them, I think we’ll be very lucky,” Lee said. “In fact all the people – (Chris Hemsworth’s) Thor, every one of them – they are so perfectly cast and I hope we stay with them forever.”
There’s been some controversy over the years as to how many of these iconic superheroes Lee actually created. Kirby, who died in 1994, claimed that the many of the heroes’ stories came from his own imagination. Lee has respectfully refuted Kirby’s assertions.
Ever the unflappable optimist, Lee isn’t one to court controversy or take swipes at his competition. When asked how DC Comics and Warner Bros. might get their movie properties back on track after the critical beatings laid on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, he was characteristically diplomatic.
“Just look at the Marvel films,” Lee said with a chuckle. “That’s the best advice I could give them.”
He also refuses to pick a favourite among his cinematic superhero children, saying he’s excited for all of the upcoming films. “I can’t wait to see Black Panther, I can’t wait to see Doctor Strange, I can’t wait to see the new Spider-Man – I could name every one of them.”
But as for comic books, the medium he helped define, it’s ironic – and maybe a little tragic – that Lee can no longer enjoy them.
“I don’t read as much as I did, because my eyesight isn’t as good as it was,” Lee said. “So mostly I just talk to people about the books and about the movies, see what they think, try to find out as much as I can, and try to stay ‘au courant’ as much as possible. Unfortunately, I don’t see or even hear as well I did, so it makes it a little tough for me.”
But even though he might not be doing the convention circuit as rigorously as he has in the past, he’s not quitting yet. No sir.
“I love what I do. In fact, I don’t consider it work, I consider it play,” Lee said.
“When you’re involved in stories and you’re working with artists and writers and actors and directors, and your whole objective is to entertain the public – that isn’t working. That’s the greatest play there could be.”
LEE SAYS THREE UPCOMING CAMEOS WILL BE MEMORABLE
If you were to tally the box office earnings for the movies that Marvel maestro Stan Lee has appeared in, the results would be in the billions of dollars. Literally, billions.
By our reckoning, Lee has made a staggering 27 cameo appearances in Marvel superhero movies and TV shows, from 2000’s X-Men (as a startled hot dog vendor) to this year’s Captain America: Civil War (as a FedEx driver dropping a package off for “Tony Stank.”)
“To me, every cameo is memorable, because each cameo is the most important part of every movie, we all know that,” a jovial Lee joked in an interview this week, ahead of his appearance next month at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto.
One fascinating fan theory suggests that Stan Lee’s cameo characters are different human forms assumed by Uatu, also known as the Watcher – an all-seeing, all-knowing, otherworldly being keeping tabs on the mighty Marvel heroes.
“Oh, dammit, the secret’s out,” said Lee with a guffaw. (Sadly, we’re quite certain he’s joking. Although if Stan Lee were the Watcher, it would mean every one of the Marvel movies exist in the same shared universe. Now that’s an exciting notion.)
Lee won’t pin down his favourite cameo – he’s been a strip club emcee in Deadpool, a retired general in Captain America: The First Avenger, a suave womanizer in Iron Man and even Willie Lumpkin, the Fantastic Four’s ear-wiggling mailman.
Earlier this year, Lee visited the Pinewood Atlanta Studios set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to film his cameo for that movie, which hits theatres next April. But being the master of efficiency that he is – and, let’s face it, the fact that he’s 93 years old – Lee actually filmed three Marvel movie cameos in a row.
“The day that I did Guardians, I did two others – (this November’s) Doctor Strange and (next year’s) Spider-Man: Homecoming,” Lee said.
Who does he play? He won’t say. But he promises they’ll be memorable moments.
“These three that I did are very special,” Lee said. “When you go to the movies, you’ll see why I say that.”
For further info on Fan Expo, visit fanexpocanada.com.
STilley@postmedia.com
@stevetilley | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/stan-lee-robert-downey-jr-and-chris-evans-should-never-quit-marvel | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/65f5c8c4b25ff56eca97da9de39e48a5168e38ac1efe0e2ff0c49d2a94679a9d.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T22:46:40 | null | 2016-08-30T22:32:53 | LOS ANGELES — Tim Tebow has taken his first big swing at a baseball career, showing off a powerful bat and a few areas of needed improvement in a workout for dozens of major league scouts. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fwatch-ex-nfler-tim-tebow-hits-430-foot-hr-in-mlb-workout.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297872077010_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472594829735 | en | null | Ex-NFLer Tim Tebow hits 430-foot HR in MLB workout | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | LOS ANGELES — Tim Tebow has taken his first big swing at a baseball career, showing off a powerful bat and a few areas of needed improvement in a workout for dozens of major league scouts.
The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback worked out at the University of Southern California’s Dedeaux Field on Tuesday. Scouts and reporters tracked, timed and recorded his every move.
Tebow’s 255-pound muscled physique and 6.70-ish time in the 60-yard dash were impressive. So was a series of long homers into the trees and off the scoreboard.
The 29-year-old outfield hopeful also showed he still needs baseball seasoning. Former big-leaguers David Aardsma and Chad Smith repeatedly fooled him with off-speed pitches later in the hitting drills.
Tebow’s representative would like to see him in instructional league play starting in September. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/watch-ex-nfler-tim-tebow-hits-430-foot-hr-in-mlb-workout | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/8c79a4463143a9584681a7f474d0c284ef031f490c6574cb72bcc93ddc65a20e.json |
[
"Dale Carruthers"
] | 2016-08-30T12:46:40 | null | 2016-08-30T12:15:40 | Nathan Deslippe was an ambitious entrepreneur with a thriving career and promising future. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fsuch-a-senseless-death-friendship-takes-tragic-turn-as-roommate-charged-with-murder.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871723798_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472558429720 | en | null | 'Such a senseless death'; Friendship takes tragic turn as roommate charged with | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Nathan Deslippe was an ambitious entrepreneur with a thriving career and promising future.
William Joles was looking for work and a place to crash after returning to London after an unsuccessful stint out West.
The two men, both 27, had known each other for years, bonding over a shared passion for leadership and life coaching.
Joles sometimes showed up for dinner at the Deslippe family home, where he earned a reputation for having a huge appetite, while Deslippe had some of his friend’s furniture in his downtown apartment.
Deslippe’s parents weren’t surprised when their son opened his home to Joles and tried to get him a job with the technology company he worked for.
But the friendship took a tragic turn when Deslippe was found dead inside his downtown London apartment over the weekend and Joles was charged with killing his roommate.
“He refused to give up on his friend,” Deslippe’s mother, Mona Lam-Deslippe, said Monday.
“He had so many friends because he cared for so many people. It was unfortunately this caring that caused this situation.”
The homicide — London’s third of the year — left Deslippe’s family, friends and colleagues in shock.
“We’re just not able to make any sense of it,” said Deslippe’s father, Tim Deslippe. “It just seems like such a senseless death.”
Police found Deslippe’s body in his 18th-floor unit after receiving a 911 call to 323 Colborne St. Sunday around 10 a.m. Joles was arrested at the scene and charged with second-degree murder Monday.
Lawrence Field, a friend of both men, said Joles called him Sunday morning, asking him to come to Deslippe’s apartment.
Field said he arrived around 6:30 a.m. to find Joles and a woman in the lobby. The three started to go upstairs, but when the elevator didn’t work Field opted to go home rather than climb the 18 flights.
As he was leaving, Field said Joles, who smelled like alcohol, embraced him.
“He was like, ‘This is the last hug you’re going to get,” said Field, whose boss called him a few hours later, saying police had showed up looking for him.
Field said he met with investigators and turned over his phone.
Joles is also charged with forcible confinement, assault and uttering threats. The charges stem from a related event at the same location, London police said.
A woman who lives in the unit directly below Deslippe’s said she didn’t hear anything strange Saturday and Sunday morning, but saw men hanging out and drinking on the balcony sometime during the night.
Police hadn’t revealed how Deslippe died and were awaiting the results of an autopsy.
Friend Amir Farahi said he last talked to Deslippe shortly before midnight Saturday.
“He was just telling me he’s chilling,” said Farahi. “It seemed like he was just settling down, relaxing.”
Friends remember Deslippe as a community-builder who was close to his father, a principal with the London District Catholic school board, and his mother, the founder of MLD Solutions Inc., a technology and consulting company, and a prominent member of London’s technology community.
“Her son was a heck of a lot like her,” technology analyst Carmi Levy said of Deslippe. “He was a good soul.
“Things like this don’t happen to people like him.”
A graduate of Catholic Central high school, Deslippe worked as an account manager at Voices.com, a London technology company, where his co-workers covered his desk with flowers and messages scrawled on Post-it notes Monday.
“He was dearly loved . . . Every time you go by his desk, there’s more things piled on his desk. It’s sad,” said company spokesperson Trisha Beausaert, who confirmed Joles had interviewed with the company.
Moving back to London nearly two months ago, Joles was staying with Deslippe but had found his own place for October, said Deslippe’s family.
Joles, who attended Central secondary school, studied police foundations at Fanshawe College before enrolling in criminology at King’s University College for two years. He worked as a security guard for private companies and at a London bar before going to Western Canada.
Visitation for Deslippe is Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Cemetery.
The funeral is 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Peter’s Basilica in London
— With files by Free Press reporter Jennifer O’Brien
dcarruthers@postmedia.com
twitter.com/DaleatLFPress
--- --- ---
Nathan Deslippe of London is remembered as an ambitious young man who hoped to open a business combining yoga and craft beer
Dreamer found dead “was going to go far”
A dreamer who made things happen.
That was Nathan Deslippe, say those who knew him.
Besides working for a London tech company, teaching yoga, running two of his own start-ups and volunteering in the community, Deslippe was toiling away at his most ambitious project yet.
The 27-year-old, found dead Sunday in the downtown London highrise where he lived, had planned to open a wellness centre that offered a yoga classes, life coaching and served craft beer.
He was busy developing a business plan with his mother, Mona Lam-Deslippe, and even had yoga instructors lined up.
“He was a big vision guy,” said Arthur Gonzales, a friend since high school. “We need to have more people like Nathan.”
Networking came easy to Deslippe, whom friends say was at ease mingling with young professionals as he was with politicians and business leaders.
“He lit up the room, that’s why he was good at networking,” said friend Rob Anderson, who had planned to work out with Deslippe at the gym on Monday.
“He offered so much to London. He was proud of this city,”
News of Deslippe’s death prompted a massive show of support on social media Monday.
A sharp dresser with a taste for bow ties, Deslippe devoured self-help books by gurus like Tony Robbins. His social media feed was peppered with inspiration quotes.
But Deslippe’s top passion was yoga.
“He literally tried to get everyone into yoga,” said friend Amir Farahi.
Deslippe had recently started teaching a Thursday night yoga class at Anderson Craft Ales, where participants gathered for drinks in the brewery’s bar after their sessions.
“He wanted to test it there and prove the concept,” Anderson said of his friend’s idea to pair yoga and suds.
Lam-Deslippe, an accomplished London businesswoman, had complete confidence in her son’s concept of building a culture around nurturing the body and mind.
“It was a very well-rounded holistic approach,” she said. “That’s why I believe that he could have made it work by building that culture.”
Deslippe was even ambitious when it came to pet ownership. He created social media accounts for his beloved Gyzmo, a chihuahua- pomeranian mix, in the hopes the dog would become the next online star.
The word friends and family used most to describe Deslippe? Inspiring.
“He always tried to motivate people to do their best,” said father Tim Deslippe.
“He was going to go far.”
Dale Carruthers, Free Press Reporter | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/such-a-senseless-death-friendship-takes-tragic-turn-as-roommate-charged-with-murder | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/cf52bbd9eb2f196684d590aba67135849aba478b9494cfcdd53dbbd64d490450.json |
[
"Jason Hills"
] | 2016-08-29T00:46:21 | null | 2016-08-29T00:15:04 | Football family. You hear that phrase tossed around a lot among players and coaches at every level of the game. It’s their way of expressing how close they are as a team. For Edmonton Wildcats middle linebacker Taylor Visser, that phrase couldn’t hold more meaning. At a young age, the game of football became his family — and now at the age of 20, h | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Ffootball-and-family-go-hand-in-hand-for-edmonton-wildcats-linebacker.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871335693_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472428875086 | en | null | Football and family go hand-in-hand for Edmonton Wildcats linebacker | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Football family.
You hear that phrase tossed around a lot among players and coaches at every level of the game. It’s their way of expressing how close they are as a team.
For Edmonton Wildcats middle linebacker Taylor Visser, that phrase couldn’t hold more meaning.
At a young age, the game of football became his family — and now at the age of 20, he isn’t afraid to admit that staying committed to football, helped save his life — or at the very least kept him on the right path.
“Football has always been there for me… always there for me to fall back on. It was a way for me to take me away from my anger,” said Visser.
“I had a very difficult childhood, and I’m sure a lot of other people have gone through the same things, but you just have to strive to do your best and not give up.”
Growing up in Grande Prairie, Visser’s father wasn’t in the picture. Raised by his mother until he was 14, he ended living with his grandparents because his mother was dealing with personal issues.
He hasn’t spoken to his mom in six years, and his relationship with his father is tenuous.
“What I’ve seen, it’s helped me grow as a human being. My coaches have always been my father-figures in my life, and it’s the brotherhood bond in football that really gets me. I love it,” said Visser.
Visser starred for the St. Joseph Catholic High School Celtics in Grande Prairie.
His play on the field really flourished under Celtics head coach Trevor Pritchard.
“I found myself at a crossroads, and if I ended up going down the path I was going, I would’ve ended up in prison or dead — and he helped me choose football,” said Visser. “He saved my life. It really helped turn me around with everything I was doing. I’m the person I am today because of a lot of the things he taught me, not just on the football field, but also how to be a man.
“I still remember the day my grandparents came to pick me up. They let me know what was going on and they helped me get back into football pads. My grandparents and Coach Pritchard have done so much for me. I don’t know how to thank them.”
Two years ago, Visser left his grandparents home in Grande Prairie and ventured down to Edmonton to play for the Edmonton Huskies. He had a solid rookie campaign, but after playing the game for over a decade, his mind and body needed a break.
He took a year off, and many people thought that may be it — but Visser’s back with the encouragement of his old high school coach.
He decided to make it a complete fresh start by joining the crosstown rival Wildcats, who faced the Huskies on Saturday night at Clarke Stadium.
“I went to one of the Huskies winter workouts and I just didn’t feel at home at all, and I felt I needed to completely start fresh,” said Visser.
“This was my comeback year. Nobody expected me to come back and play. Coach (Darcy) Park helped me get back into it. They (Wildcats) have high hopes for me. When I went to spring camp, they didn’t shoot me down, they built me up. I just felt myself getting better and better.”
He thought after taking the year off from the game — this year with the Wildcats may be more of a learning year — but it’s been nothing but. He’s been a menace on the Wildcats defence. He leads the Prairie Football Conference in defensive tackles and has made an instant impact on the Wildcats since he arrived.
“He’s an emotional and aggressive kid and he brings that piss and vinegar to our team,” Park said. “We needed that emotional vocal guy in our locker room. You need to have a couple assholes and jerks on the field.”
As a young guy — especially everything Visser’s been through. He needs stability and structure and football’s given him that in his life. Job wise, with the struggling economy, he’s had a hard time finding stable work.
He’s found work for the summer and just focusing on football.
“I’m making the most of my time here in Edmonton, and everything else will take care of itself. My plan is to stay here in Edmonton (during the off season) and be a better teammate for my team,” said Visser.
“I wish I didn’t take that year off, but it was something I needed. I needed to be in a better head space. I’m balling out, I have a clear head, and I realized how much I truly missed it — and I’m more motivated than ever.”
@hillsyjay
hillsyjay@gmail.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/football-and-family-go-hand-in-hand-for-edmonton-wildcats-linebacker | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/7dcdec84b57c5f2e007bd5fafd2702d86501df0f2e5d48a03567d822fd004e6e.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:46:39 | null | 2016-08-30T20:15:49 | A 26-year-old man is recovering in hospital after he was attacked in northern Saskatchewan by a lone wolf. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fa-single-wolf-basically-pounced-on-him-sask-mine-worker-in-hospital-after-unprovoked-attack.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297872026531_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472589645986 | en | null | 'A single wolf basically pounced on him'; Sask. mine worker in hospital after 'u | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | SASKATOON -- A 26-year-old man is recovering in hospital after he was attacked in northern Saskatchewan by a lone wolf.
The man, a shift worker at Cameco's Cigar Lake uranium mine, was walking between buildings shortly after midnight on Monday when the attack occurred, said Cameco spokesman Rob Gereghty.
"He is a kitchen worker, on lunch break at that time. He may have been headed back to his room."
That's when the wolf made what Gereghty called an "unprovoked attack."
"A single wolf basically pounced on him. The injured contractor received immediate medical attention from a security guard who interrupted the attack and scared the lone wolf away."
The worker was flown to Saskatoon where Gereghty said he is recovering and in good spirits.
The wolf remains at large and wildlife officers are on the site. All workers have been told to use vehicles to move from building to building.
Gereghty said the company takes pains to keep a clean site. All food is either buried, or burned and buried. Two fences ring the landfill.
Nevertheless, wildlife is a reality at the remote mine, about 675 kilometres north of Saskatoon.
"Bears, wolves, they are prevalent," Gereghty said. "We do our best to work in harmony with wildlife and the environment, but occasionally interactions do take place." | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/a-single-wolf-basically-pounced-on-him-sask-mine-worker-in-hospital-after-unprovoked-attack | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/59ca6e6367f63f9f3a59afa6467eb82793dd3b6b8475ec21df67ecc17a13e980.json |
[
"Candice Malcolm"
] | 2016-08-27T00:46:16 | null | 2016-08-27T00:15:04 | Jihadists and terrorists are actively planning attacks in Canada, according to a new report from the Trudeau government. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fpolice-stymied-in-pursuing-canadas-jihadists.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870879439_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472254131354 | en | null | Police stymied in pursuing Canada’s jihadists | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Jihadists and terrorists are actively planning attacks in Canada, according to a new report from the Trudeau government.
Meanwhile, our law enforcement agencies claim that red tape and legal loopholes are stopping them from protecting Canadians.
On Thursday, the Federal Department of Public Safety released a report demonstrating that several terrorist groups and their supporters are active in Canada.
The chilling report tells us what we have long suspected.
We are, by no means, immune to the turmoil and bloodshed of jihadist insurgents.
At least 180 individuals with a connection to Canada are overseas fighting alongside terrorist organizations. That’s up from 130 known terrorists in 2015.
But those individuals aren’t necessarily the problem for Canada right now. A far greater security concern is the jihadists who are here in Canada.
The report discusses two types of terrorists in Canada: wannabe jihadists who have had their passports removed and therefore cannot travel to places like Syria and Iraq, and those who already went overseas to fight for the terrorists but have since returned to Canada.
Despite having significant information about these dangerous jihadists, there are major roadblocks in laying criminal charges and convicting both types of terrorists.
First, let’s look at the jihadists who are grounded in Canada.
Both men who murdered members of the Canadian Forces in Quebec and Ontario in October, 2014 were prohibited from leaving Canada.
So was Aaron Driver, killed by the RCMP in Strathroy, Ontario earlier this month.
In all three cases, the individuals were known and even monitored by authorities.
But this was not enough to stop them from planning deadly attacks.
Despite receiving significant information from agencies such as CSIS and the FBI, the RCMP are often powerless to act.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Mike Cabana told CTV News Thursday that police receive information about violent jihadists, but they “cannot proceed with criminal charges” because of legal limitations placed on them by our court system.
Known terrorists are able to plan attacks and recruit new members because our law enforcement officials are bogged down with legal technicalities that prevent them from doing their job.
The second terrorist threat to Canada is from returned foreign fighters.
The Paris attacks, as well as the Brussels airport bombing, were carried out, in part, by jihadists who had travelled to Syria and then returned home to Europe.
There are about 60 known returned foreign fighters in Canada, according to the federal government’s report.
And yet, in most cases, these individuals are living freely in Canada, without any criminal charges.
Our authorities simply don’t know what to do with them.
According to Larry Brooks, a former CSIS counter-terrorism official, it’s tough to prove to a Canadian judge that an individual participated in terrorism overseas.
In an interview with Postmedia, Brooks discussed the challenges of gathering incriminating information from a foreign combat zone.
“It’s tremendously difficult to collect credible evidence that would satisfy a Canadian court for prosecution,” said Brooks.
Believing in an extreme Islamist doctrine is not illegal.
Nor should it be, in a free society.
But traveling overseeing or attempting to travel overseas to join a foreign army is against the law.
We need to remove legal loopholes that allow terrorists to stay out of jail, and we need to give police and prosecutors the tools they need to charge and convict terrorists who have broken Canadian laws.
Our safety and security depend on it. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/police-stymied-in-pursuing-canadas-jihadists | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/489fee8220aaf81ea4ce484407f070d15aca3416b145c296852fc3de0f254a02.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:45:59 | null | 2016-08-27T04:31:48 | Much ink will be spilled in the coming days to describe Canada’s sixth longest serving prime minister, Stephen Harper. My reflections on having served with him in Parliament and as a member of his cabinet are of course biased but also very personal. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fpeter-mackay-on-stephen-harper-his-work-ethic-was-legendary.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870973903_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472268777238 | en | null | Peter MacKay on Stephen Harper: 'His work ethic was legendary' | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Much ink will be spilled in the coming days to describe Canada’s sixth longest serving prime minister, Stephen Harper. My reflections on having served with him in Parliament and as a member of his cabinet are of course biased but also very personal.
Our early interactions were guarded, but gave way to a common cause and mutual respect.
His leadership in unifying the Conservative movement after more than a decade of bitter internecine political civil war was transformative for Canadian politics.
It was at times a difficult period for us both and there was much to overcome.
I was proud to work with him to restore a competitive democracy in our country delivering balance and true choice for voters.
Upon forming government as PM in 2006 his singular focus on reining in waste and corruption in the aftermath of the Liberal sponsorship scandal set us on a clear course.
Smaller, more efficient government was a laudable goal not fully realized and a mistrust of bureaucracy was ever present.
Notable was his stewardship through the recession that allowed Canada to emerge better placed than any other G7 country. This was no small accomplishment. He governed like an economist with steely determination aided by the late, great finance minister, Jim Flaherty, to reach a balanced budget prior to the last election.
I witnessed a style steeped in pragmatism and a deep sense of commitment to building a better, more united Canada.
Complex like Canada itself, Harper was never one to seek the limelight, yet was comfortable and confident in what he believed to be the right course. It takes talent and grit to be PM, tough decisions must be made against a tide of criticism.
He lowered taxes over 180 times to help working Canadians; ended the failed long-gun registry; toughened the laws against gun crimes and violent offenders; took away the wheat pool monopoly; and boosted our Armed Forces budget to record levels.
His pursuit of world attention on the need to improve maternal health often goes unnoticed, but he pushed other world leaders hard to achieve consensus and action on this important matter.
He loved the North and an annual trip he cherished brought out a passion and a deep appreciation of our country’s vast and diverse land.
Having travelled with him, sat in countless meetings and observed him from a privileged vantage point, I can say his work ethic was legendary. He read incessantly, pressed ministers and bureaucrats on the material presented after reading every word. He held the respect of world leaders and spoke with a principle and clarity, often rare at international gatherings.
Harper much preferred substance to style but had a flair for music and an encyclopedic memory for politics, history, sport and movie trivia.
Sometimes impatient due to a desire to simply get things done, fiercely partisan but equally patriotic.
Stubborn and sometimes unyielding to be sure, but surprisingly open behind the scenes to good ideas if presented well and argued with logic over emotion.
On occasion, I also saw another side. He was the first to visit my wife and I at the hospital after the birth of our son. While often accused of being “stiff” he had a side seldom revealed that belied that public image. He was more compassionate and light-hearted than he cared to show.
He has a soft spot for animals, something he shared with his wife and daughter. Charlie the Chinchilla, among the cats, was a favourite. His sense of humour and ability to imitate voices often had the caucus in stitches. This much more human side was perhaps only revealed to those “on the inside” who he trusted.
His love for family and a deep commitment to public service define the man I worked with.
During my six years at Defence I also recognized his deep affection and appreciation for our Canadian Forces, veterans and their families.
His commitment to them never wavered. Afghanistan and its toll affected him deeply. He knew that soldiers defined past and present greatness for Canada.
A driven man of many talents and pursuits, it’s with gratitude I say that I am certain Canada is better for Stephen Harper’s public service and time as prime minister.
Peter MacKay is a partner at Baker Mckenzie and a former MP and Conservative Cabinet Minister. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/26/peter-mackay-on-stephen-harper-his-work-ethic-was-legendary | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/3eb8071a7770877bfc650001234df59f92eb82d94a4c3b9c7e2e79c8a2b569a2.json |
[
"Emma Graney"
] | 2016-08-30T18:46:42 | null | 2016-08-30T18:15:49 | Alberta’s energy minister says protests that have shut down pipeline hearings in Montreal are “disrespectful,” but acknowledges Alberta perhaps needs to do a better job of selling its message on pipelines out east. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Falberta-energy-minister-calls-pipeline-protests-disrespectful.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297743102498_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Alberta Energy minister calls pipeline protests 'disrespectful' | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Alberta’s energy minister says protests that have shut down pipeline hearings in Montreal are “disrespectful,” but acknowledges Alberta perhaps needs to do a better job of selling its message on pipelines out east.
“Standing up and yelling isn’t constructive in any situation,” Margaret McCuaig-Boyd said Tuesday.
Despite the vocal protests in Montreal, McCuaig-Boyd said she has heard from Quebec companies that the Alberta government’s climate leadership plan is helping the pipeline discussion.
She believes that plan will help develop the social license some argue is needed before a pipeline becomes an acceptable option.
McCuaig-Boyd said an integral part of the National Energy Board hearings is to address legitimate concerns people have about pipelines, and shutting them down is scuttling that discussion.
She said while there will always be groups vocally opposed to pipelines, she thinks there is a huge number of people in the middle who have legitimate questions “and will support pipelines if those questions are answered.”
“We need to get people back and get some good dialogue happening, and answer the questions people have,” she said.
“I encourage the NEB to figure out a way to get those voices that we want to hear heard.”
egraney@postmedia.com
twitter.com/EmmaLGraney | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/alberta-energy-minister-calls-pipeline-protests-disrespectful | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/2598ce98d68c7d52cf187a5d51a583c108f9b22447be9220db47ca6ff8479cd9.json |
[
"Keith Gerein"
] | 2016-08-26T12:54:32 | null | 2016-08-26T12:45:27 | Alberta Health Services and Dynalife have reached an agreement in principle that will see the company continue to provide medical testing for the Edmonton region for an additional five years.The deal with the firm comes just a few months after the NDP government announced its intention to begin transitioning the lab services model towards greater p | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Falberta-health-services-dynalife-agree-on-five-year-extension-for-medical-testing.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870351764_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472175560665 | en | null | Alberta Health Services, Dynalife agree on five year extension for medical testi | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Alberta Health Services has reached an agreement with Dynalife that will see the company continue to deliver medical testing in Edmonton and northern Alberta for an additional five years.
The deal comes just a few months after the Alberta government announced its intention to begin reforming the lab services to reduce the role of private providers.
Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said installing a more integrated, publicly delivered system remains the goal, but is going to be a complicated, multi-year endeavour. The new deal with Dynalife will ensure stability for patients and Dynalife’s 1,200 staff, she said.
“To make that transition to an integrated system, it’s not going to happen overnight and I would rather err on the side of caution,” Hoffman said. “I’d rather have an extension that might be a year or two longer than necessary, than have chaos in the system by having a contract expire when you are not ready for a smooth transition.”
The deal will take effect next spring and run until March 2022.
AHS said a letter of intent with Dynalife was signed Aug. 17. The two sides are now negotiating terms. The company’s current deal with AHS is worth about $130 million a year.
Dynalife has provided lab services in the Edmonton region for more than 20 years. It currently processes about 55 per cent of all medical tests in the capital region and northern Alberta. Many of the most urgent tests done in hospitals are conducted by AHS and Covenant Health staff.
As recently as last year, AHS was proceeding with plans to outsource all of the medical testing in the Edmonton region to a single company. The health authority cited a need for a new super-lab facility that could accommodate a greater volume and variety of tests, and noted the lease on Dynalife’s current lab was set to expire in 2017.
Australia-based Sonic Healthcare won a controversial bidding process over Dynalife, putting it in line for a $3-billion, 15-year contract that would have included construction of the new facility.
But before any deal could be signed, Hoffman abruptly shut down the plan, saying she didn’t want to engage in “costly experiments in privatization.”
The government has since been vague about its next moves, other than to say it hopes to increase public delivery of medical testing and that private companies would be allowed a piece of the action only if they could prove a benefit to Albertans.
A steering committee is to be formed to guide the transition and the government has also designated $2 million to “begin planning” for new lab services infrastructure.
Without a fast-tracked plan to switch the model of delivery or build a new site, it was clear Dynalife was going to be needed.
Mauro Chies, vice-president of clinical support services for AHS, said the deal gives sufficient time to not only to develop the new lab services model, but also to properly map out how it will be implemented. As well, construction of a new lab facility is still being considered.
“And a space with this kind of technical requirements takes time to build,” he said.
It is unknown if Dynalife is still facing imminent eviction from its current headquarters next year, though Chies said the building’s landlord — the government-owned Alberta Investment Management Corp. — is open to an extension.
Wildrose MLA and health critic Drew Barnes accused Hoffman of “dithering” on lab services, saying her mismanagement had led to a lengthy, sole-sourced deal with Dynalife that should have instead been put out to tender.
Hoffman fired back that Barnes was demonstrating a poor understanding of the health system if he couldn’t see some sort of extension was inevitable.
Chies said AHS essentially had no choice but to go with Dynalife “because they are the only game in town” that can provide the service over the next five years.
Dynalife declined an interview, but CEO Jason Pincock issued a written statement expressing pleasure at the new agreement.
kgerein@postmedia.com
Twitter: twitter.com/keithgerein | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/25/alberta-health-services-dynalife-agree-on-five-year-extension-for-medical-testing | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/ccb4d5cdab181ca466374b8caa2ee40fcb8a501de4c4a883d726fba830cc349e.json |
[
"Janet French"
] | 2016-08-27T12:45:59 | null | 2016-08-27T12:33:20 | If your local principal and teachers are calling the shots on how to spend school money, it's because of Michael Strembitsky. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fthe-idea-of-school-based-budgeting-is-all-thanks-to-edmontons-michael-strembitsky.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870991410_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472299330902 | en | null | The idea of school-based budgeting is all thanks to Edmonton's Michael Strembits | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | If your local principal and teachers are calling the shots on how to spend school money, it's because of Michael Strembitsky.
Developed countries across the globe have been intrigued by Strembitsky's idea of school-based budgeting. Time Magazine in 2003 declared it the "hottest trend" in education and decreed Edmonton public "the most imitated public school system in North America."
It started in 1976, when a handful of Edmonton public schools tested site-based decisions. By 1979, all district principals had the power to choose how to spend their school's money, including how many teachers and support staff to hire, and opting to buy a new photocopier or more musical instruments, based on their needs.
Strembitsky believes people working on the front lines are best positioned to judge where to allocate their money. With dollars following the students, he also opened Edmonton's school boundaries, which gave parents and students more choice, and prodded schools to offer more innovative and varied programs.
Although Edmonton public's current superintendent has introduced some tweaks, such as extra pots of money for urgent needs popping up in schools, Darrel Robertson said site-based decisions are still going strong in the district. The approach empowers and engages staff, students and parents, he said.
"It is something that I hold very important in our work at Edmonton Public Schools," Robertson said.
Today, central office staff let each school know how much provincial funding they can expect for the coming year, based on projected enrolment. Once each school sets its budget in the spring, central office finance staff assemble the overall district budget to be approved by the school board.
Many Alberta school districts followed Edmonton public's lead, including Edmonton Catholic and the Calgary Board of Education, handing over some decision-making power to school principals.
In 1997, Alberta Education published the School Based Decision Making Resource Guide, which was forwarded to school boards for their consideration. The ministry doesn't prescribe which budgeting methods boards ought to use, but offered it as an option, said Larissa Liepins, press secretary to the education minister.
Although many boards report using a variation of the practice during the past 20 years, the model differs between school districts.
The Airdrie-based Rocky View School District adopted site-based budgeting about 20 years ago. It has recently returned to more central decision-making, said Darrell Couture, associate superintendent of business and operations.
Two years ago, the district removed K-8 school principals' role in deciding how many school staff to hire, Couture said. High school principals still have that power.
The rapidly growing school district had too many new principals who felt ill-equipped to make financial decisions, he said. Scarce resources also pushed the district to centralize some decisions, so the district could use its money as efficiently as possible, he said.
“It’s a constant evolution," Couture said. “It’s really, what is the appropriate mix, given the experience, given the resource scarcity ... There is no right or wrong answer."
Elk Island Catholic Schools, meanwhile, began using the site-based model three years ago.
Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools makes staffing decisions centrally, with principal input, but gives principals the ability to decide how to spend funds for school supplies and services.
Central decision making is still the practice at Calgary Catholic School District and Fort McMurray Public Schools.
"With only 5,500 students, we feel the best use of resources is to work with school administrators and operate a school system rather than a system of schools," Fort McMurray public's superintendent Doug Nicholls said in an email.
jfrench@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/jantafrench | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/the-idea-of-school-based-budgeting-is-all-thanks-to-edmontons-michael-strembitsky | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/86a73120a81986c6d579af2d856d185291861e019d989af3eb957f91768d848a.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:46:29 | null | 2016-08-29T16:32:34 | Jimmy Fallon shocked at the MTV Video Music Awards by dressing up as Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fjimmy-fallon-shocks-with-his-ryan-lochte-impression-at-mtv-video-music-awards.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871494711_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472485511731 | en | null | Jimmy Fallon shocks with his Ryan Lochte impression at MTV Video Music Awards | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Jimmy Fallon shocked at the MTV Video Music Awards by dressing up as Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte.
The talk show host was tasked with presenting the Video of the Year award at the annual ceremony on Sunday night, but stole the spotlight himself with a controversial impression of the disgraced athlete.
Jimmy, 41, stepped out in a tracksuit, a gold medal around his neck and a bleach blonde wig, then proceeded to make a series of risky jokes while pretending to be Ryan, who hit headlines when he claimed he was robbed at gunpoint at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"Is it too late now to say sorry?" Jimmy quizzed the audience, citing Justin Bieber's hit track Sorry to mock the sportsman.
He continued to list various spoof lies as Ryan, who on Friday was charged with a false report after admitting he was in fact intoxicated when he claimed he and his teammates were held at gunpoint by criminals in Brazil.
Jimmy joked he was responsible for all the videos up for the Video of the Year gong, adding, "I had a 30-way with Kanye West. I made Lemonade with Queen Bey. I'm Reezy with the good hair!", in reference to Beyonce's famous lyric which hinted at her husband Jay Z's infidelity.
It didn't stop there though as Jimmy even made comments aimed at Ryan's exaggerated claim by asking the audience who had the best video of the year.
"I can't tell you that," he quipped. "I couldn't tell you even if there was a gun to my head, which there isn't, but I still couldn't choose."
Fellow Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, who presented earlier in the evening, couldn't hide his shock at Jimmy's performance as he was caught on camera saying, "Oh my God!" However he appeared to see the funny side of things, even taking his phone out to document the shenanigans.
"I couldn't tell you even if there was a gun to my head." 🙊#VMAs https://t.co/L55barVLKU — MTV (@MTV) August 29, 2016 | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/jimmy-fallon-shocks-with-his-ryan-lochte-impression-at-mtv-video-music-awards | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/c44098dfafdcccaedad130853d45af8da560fa849564413da5ffc206b8fc528e.json |
[
"Gerry Moddejonge"
] | 2016-08-28T04:46:12 | null | 2016-08-28T03:58:30 | For as many rushing yards as Shakir Bell earned Friday, there could have been more. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fmaas-doesnt-mask-ire-over-offensive-facemask-call.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871171615_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Maas doesn't mask ire over offensive facemask call | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | For as many rushing yards as Shakir Bell earned Friday, there could have been more.
And should have, according to Jason Maas.
The Edmonton Eskimos head coach was livid on the sideline near the end of Friday's 33-25 win over the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Bell looked to have added another first down to an already impressive 138-yard rushing performance, only to have it called back on a rare offensive facemask penalty while attempting to stiff arm his pursuers.
And while Maas could have cared less about those 13 yards not making Bell's final tally on the stats sheet, he certainly didn't appreciate what he felt was a questionable call late in the game.
“All I will say is this: I've been involved in football for a long time and that's the first offensive facemask I've ever heard on a running back,” Maas said in the post-game scrum. “It is what it is, the referee called it and you've got to live with it, but I've been playing football and coaching for a long time and that's a first for me to see an offensive person be called for a facemask when he was running with the ball.
“Particularly when I thought the other guy facemasked too.”
Maas wasn't trying to be a rules police as much as he was looking to protect a seven-point lead with the ball deep in his own end and three minutes still left on the clock.
“It ended up just about costing us too, which is more why I was pissed off, so we'll see what happens,” he said. “We'll watch the play and we'll probably turn it into the league and see what they say about it.”
While the feeling dissipated by the time Maas addressed the media, it wasn't completely gone. The coach didn't crack a smile when asked if his five-and-a-half-foot running back could even physically reach high enough to grab someone's facemask.
“Well, apparently he did, and I'll just go with that,” Maas said. “We send plays in every week that we don't agree with and that will just be another one and we'll see ultimately what the league decides.
“We lived with it and got away with it, but that's a huge call in the game. At least now I know it will be called and we'll coach our guys better.”
Bell owes O-line for Eskimos explosive ground gains
While it went down on the stats sheet as 138 rushing yards for the five-foot-six, 185 pound running back, it was the towering 1,588 pound wall in front of him that cleared the way.
And Shakir Bell was quick to point that out following the Edmonton Eskimos 33-25 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday night.
“First and foremost, I've got to give thanks to the O-line, those guys don't get enough credit,” said Bell, who made his 2016 debut in front of the CFL's largest crowd of the season, 37,168 strong. “They were blocking and making holes that anybody would have ran through, so I'm just glad that I got the opportunity to go out there and help my teammates get a win.”
Playing in place of injured starter John White, who sat out with a hand injury suffered in the previous game, Bell got into the first game of his second CFL season after being a healthy scratch over the previous eight.
But it turned out to be time well spent.
“Just being patient and watching John, John's a great running back, definitely one of the best running backs in the league,” said Bell, whose efforts Friday closely mirrored his 144-yard rushing performance in his inaugural CFL game last year in Ottawa last year. “I took some of the things he puts in his game and I applied it to my game.
“But the O-line was out there blocking their butts off, (fullback) Calvin McCarty was blocking his butt off. And when you've got threats on the outside like Adarius Bowman, Nate Coehoorn and Derel Walker, of course there's going to be a lot in play.”
While there is no doubting the ability of an Eskimos aerial attack that leads the league and was the first to crest the 3,000 yard mark on the season Friday, it was their ground game that led the way for the first time this season, as Bell became just the seventh CFL player in 2016 to rush for triple digits in a game.
Combined with four catches for 32 yards and a touchdown – Bell's first in the CFL, despite inaccurate stats that gifted him an imaginary one last year – the running back had 170 yards from scrimmage off of 22 touches for a 7.7-yard average, all the while pitching in on an Eskimos pass protection that allowed just one sack on a safety.
But it was run blocking that the offensive line really got behind Friday.
“I think we were due,” said veteran left guard Simeon Rottier. “We were doing some good things the last couple games, it was just nice to be able to see some breakthroughs like that.
“So we've got confidence in whomever's back there, they're both really good running backs.”
Of course, with White having to sit out all last season, they knew what Bell was about after averaging 96 yards from scrimmage in each of his 11 starts in 2015.
“You could tell he was ready and he was givin' 'er,” said Rottier, who, like Bell, had to sit out last year's championship playoff run due to injury. “It was a lot of fun watching him squeak through a couple holes and get some big gains out of it.”
GModdejonge@postmedia.com
twitter.com/SunModdejonge | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/maas-doesnt-mask-ire-over-offensive-facemask-call | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/a509ef86014bc1b47a851da90e41c87b76e3c482c4e96ff34ae523d7601fddf5.json |
[
"Mark Bonokoski"
] | 2016-08-27T22:46:10 | null | 2016-08-27T22:33:48 | A few days ago, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Michael Goodwin, a long-time newspaper columnist in New York, lamented that American journalism as he once knew it was collapsing before his eyes. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fmedia-drinking-the-kool-aid-and-buying-the-swampland.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297867909386_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472337209959 | en | null | Media drinking the Kool-Aid and buying the swampland | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | A few days ago, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Michael Goodwin, a long-time newspaper columnist in New York, lamented that American journalism as he once knew it was collapsing before his eyes.
In their efforts to derail the presidential ambitions of Donald Trump, Goodwin claimed, Hillary Clinton and her campaigners, in collusion with the Obama White House, are purposefully “working hand-in-hand with what was once considered the cream of the nation’s news organizations.
“This shameful display of naked partisanship by the elite media is unlike anything seen in modern America,” said Goodwin, who then accused CBS, NBC and ABC, as well as the New York Times and Washington Post, of having “jettisoned all pretense of fair play.
“Indeed, no foreign enemy, no terror group, no native criminal gang, suffers the daily beating Trump does,” he said.
And then he added this: “The mad mullahs of Iran, who call America the Great Satan and vow to wipe Israel off the map, are treated gently by comparison.”
Sound familiar?
There is no question the perceived media elite of Canada were equally hysterical and committed in their quest to see the back of the Harper government, and particularly Stephen Harper himself, for not genuflecting before them.
And for failing to truly recognize and openly appreciate their contribution to the greater good of the country
I watched it all go down from the cheap seats as a political staffer, and shook my head over the lack of objectivity coming from reporters whose job it was to be objective.
Opinion, once the purview of columnists and commentators, had leaked into general news reporting.
The demarcation line between news and opinion had not only become blurred, it had been erased.
Still giddy with bringing down what they viewed as the despicable Harper government, today’s national press gallery, as well as their agents far and wide, continue their love-in with Justin Trudeau well past the shelf life of most political honeymoons.
Oh, there have been subtle rumblings.
Certain things are beginning to grate, like Trudeau inserting himself into The Tragically Hip’s final concert in their hometown of Kingston as if it were all about him, and not the terminal brain cancer of the Hip’s poetic lead singer, Gord Downie.
Trudeau was an unnecessary distraction, even if the PMO claims he was invited, and he should have known better.
He should have said thanks but no thanks, and let the focus be where it belonged — on Downie himself
Instead, there was a photograph of the two of them hugging, although Downie’s face was totally obscured.
In the meantime, there has been no real governance coming out of the Trudeau government.
The country has been shedding jobs like snake skins, the $10 billion deficit promised during the election to spur the economy has now been projected to hit $150 billion by the end of Trudeau’s first term because of his endless spending.
Trudeau is now off to China, of course, and will be talking trade with the commies.
No one calls it Red China anymore, but it is what it is, and still rife with human rights abuses.
Thankfully Trudeau will have that steely-eyed Stephane Dion at his side as foreign affairs minister, which will no doubt have the Chinese politburo quaking in its boots.
It is to laugh, yet cry.
What New York columnist Michael Goodwin writes about the collapse of American journalism is happening here among the progressive news outlets, and more so within the CBC now that Trudeau has jacked up its funding.
Instead of focusing on what Trudeau is or isn’t doing to right Canada’s failing economy and oppressive taxation, we get headlines from the largest daily newspaper in Canada reading, “Shirtless Trudeau leaves international media breathless.”
They’ve drunk the Kool-Aid and bought the swampland. All in one foul swoop.
markbonokoski@gmail.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/media-drinking-the-kool-aid-and-buying-the-swampland | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/9297297f21c6f4af3d8ec485c13cdca14a849c364c3ff25a8660a3fab60d1152.json |
[
"Elise Stolte"
] | 2016-08-31T04:46:41 | null | 2016-08-31T04:31:55 | City officials hope a new software upgrade has finally fixed lingering bugs in the Metro LRT Line's signalling system.The train was having trouble keeping a reliable connection between its location system and the intersection crossing arm controls. That meant trains sometimes arrived at the crossing just as the arms started to go down. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fcity-hopes-software-upgrade-will-fix-edmontons-metro-line-lrt-bugs.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297872178595_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472615670637 | en | null | City hopes software upgrade will fix Edmonton's Metro Line LRT bugs | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | City officials hope a new software upgrade has finally fixed lingering bugs in the Metro LRT Line's signalling system.
The train was having trouble keeping a reliable connection between its location system and the intersection crossing arm controls. That meant trains sometimes arrived at the crossing just as the arms started to go down. Other times, motorists waited behind flashing lights for what seemed like forever before the trains finally sailed through.
City manager Linda Cochrane said Sunday's upgrade should fix the issue.
"It's more than a patch," said Cochrane, calling it a big win for a line that was supposed to open in 2014. The city first needed an outside auditor, Rail Safety Consulting, to prove to signalling contractor Thales Canada that there were holes in its safety case. That happened in May, resulting in the software upgrade.
But the city is still testing the upgrade, which means trains won't make the September deadline to go full speed.
Cochrane wouldn't give a deadline for when testing will be complete.
"We do you and the public injustices with these deadlines we don't meet," she said, giving an update at executive committee. "With two bridges and the Metro Line, because of so many variables, the deadline became the story."
Adam Laughlin, the city's head of infrastructure, said that "this is, as an analogy, trying to overlay the latest Mac or PC onto a Commodore 64. That's the biggest challenge that we're dealing with," he said.
He said other recent upgrades have improved crossing times at Princess Elizabeth Avenue and 106 Street. The time required to accommodate the train dropped to 1-1/2 minutes from more than three minutes. By changing the traffic signal timing, they've seen similar improvement at the 111 Avenue and 106 Street crossing.
Laughlin said another issue is the train sometimes loses communication with the track, which causes it to brake suddenly. Also, the message boards at the stations are still down. This software upgrade is intended to address the first issue. Signalling contractor Thales Canada is still working on a fix for the second.
Coun. Bev Esslinger said the last breakdown, when traffic crossing arms were stuck in the down position during the morning rush hour, has local businesses frustrated.
"They're worried now that people are starting to avoid the area because of the traffic jams," she said, asking administration for traffic counts to measure the impact.
estolte@postmedia.com
twitter.com/estolte | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/city-hopes-software-upgrade-will-fix-edmontons-metro-line-lrt-bugs | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/136b3e5748db0ffd952c8e132927f823746de15be6a24b342dd0eea9a3e6d605.json |
[
"Terry Jones"
] | 2016-08-27T06:45:58 | null | 2016-08-27T06:15:19 | Make a play. As month ago in the most colossal collapse in Edmonton Eskimos history, blowing a 25-point lead to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, nobody made a play in the entire second half. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fjones-eskimos-make-plays-and-hold-on-to-beat-roughriders.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871010267_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80 | en | null | Jones: Eskimos make plays and hold on to beat Roughriders | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Make a play.
As month ago in the most colossal collapse in Edmonton Eskimos history, blowing a 25-point lead to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, nobody made a play in the entire second half.
Friday night, somebody did.
It looked like the largest crowd of the season in the CFL was watching a replay of the same game at Commonwealth Stadium as the Eskimos blew a 22-0 lead and came out of the third quarter not having made a play and with the score 22-19.
It was the same horror show. But to open the fourth quarter back-up running back Shakir Bell, replacing injured John White, made a play for a 26-yard gain and quarterback Mike Reilly engineered the remainder of a touchdown drive, taking the ball in for the score himself, to do what they couldn’t do against the Tiger-Cats.
While Saskatchewan didn’t fold up the tent and roll over, coming back to make it 32-25 with three minutes to go.
It hardly ended up as the pat-yourself-on-the-back win it could have been. The result was a 33-25 win over Chris Jones and his now 1-8 Saskatchewan Roughriders.
But what to make of it as the Eskimos turn the corner with a 5-4 record and head into the Labour Day?
The game drew a CFL season-high attendance of 37,168 (50-50 won by Saskatchewan fans at $31,147) replacing the 34,196 from the Riders visit here July 8.
In a way, Saskatchewan fans may have gone home happier than Edmonton fans.
All bets were off with the Eskimos after the first third of the season and the hope was that the defending Grey Cup champions offered evidence Friday evening that they are no longer a bad bet?
Favored by Las Vegas to win every single game so far this season, the Eskimos failed to win four of their first six games didn’t cover the betting spread on another.
Favored by a season-high 13½ points, the Eskimos had that covered in less than 13 minutes en route to pleasurably putting the boots to Chris Jones and the 14 coaches and players who won a Grey Cup here last year and split for Saskatchewan.
In the end they won by eight. With Winnipeg’s 32-18 win over the Alouettes to go 5-4, there was pressure on the Eskimos to keep pace.
By 12:02 of the first quarter the Eskimos had the 13½-point spread covered with a 17-0 lead.
It was 22-3 at the half and the only question was if there was any chance of a repeat of the second half collapse against Hamilton.
And for a while there … A touchdown drive and a successful onside kick provided the “oh no” scenario.
The Riders play their next two against Winnipeg in their annual Labour Day double and then meet the Eskimos for their last ever visit to old Taylor Field.
Meanwhile, it’s almost certain the Eskimos will play their first game of the season as an underdog on Labour Day in Calgary.
The Stampeders, who play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Sunday at McMahon, are 6-1-1 and the only team in the league not to have lost a home game this season.
When it comes to the betting lines on Eskimos games this year, it paints an interesting picture of where this team has been and where, they believe, they’re now finally headed.
The point really isn’t the betting part of it but whether they are finally rising up to expectations.
The Eskimos, in their first three games, were favored by 6½ at home against Ottawa (lost in OT), favored by 10 at home against Saskatchewan (won in OT but failed to cover), favored by 3½ in Winnipeg and barely covered, winning by four.
Then, favored by 4½ against Hamilton they blew that 25-point lead, the most colossal collapse in their history and turned that into a three game losing streak after being favored by 10 at home to Winnipeg and by four in Ottawa.
But after a 2-4 first third of the season, the Eskimos are now 3-0 for the second third heading into the Labour Day doubleheader.
Favored by seven at home against Montreal, the Eskimos won 23-12 and favored by two last week in Toronto won 46-23.
It has long been said that the CFL season doesn’t really start until Labour Day.
Well, here they are. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/jones-eskimos-make-plays-and-hold-on-to-beat-roughriders | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/0354f3808935b52f6b54742d2e0f3902991c61253443e120d031e8d64cf366b8.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T04:46:39 | null | 2016-08-30T04:15:30 | A Nashville judge dismissed pop star Taylor Swift as a potential juror in an aggravated rape and kidnapping case on Monday, Davidson County District Attorney General's Office spokesman Ken Whitehouse said. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Ftaylor-swift-reports-to-jury-duty-in-nashville-dismissed.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871771162_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472525827239 | en | null | Taylor Swift reports to jury duty in Nashville, gets dismissed | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | NASHVILLE -- A Nashville judge dismissed pop star Taylor Swift as a potential juror in an aggravated rape and kidnapping case on Monday, Davidson County District Attorney General's Office spokesman Ken Whitehouse said.
"She asked to be left off out of concern for an upcoming trial in Denver where she was -- she used the term 'groped' -- by a fan at a meet-and-greet," Whitehouse said.
Swift told the judge she would be more than willing to serve on a jury in any other type of case, he said.
In the Denver case, Swift filed a counterclaim last year after a former radio host sued her.
David Mueller claimed he lost his job after a member of Swift's security team falsely accused him of grabbing the singer's buttocks backstage during a 2013 photo session. Muller claimed the person who assaulted Swift was actually one of his superiors.
Swift's counterclaim states, "Ms. Swift knows exactly who committed the assault."
Before Swift was dismissed from the jury pool on Monday, she took time to chat and take selfies with other potential jurors.
Bryan Merville, who owns a technology infrastructure company, said he took a photo with Swift for his daughters, who are huge fans. He said he was one of about 140 people waiting in a holding area Monday morning before they were called to separate courtrooms. About 15-20 asked Swift for a photo or autograph.
"She's about as famous as they come, but she couldn't have been nicer," Merville said. "She took the time to talk to every person who asked her for a picture." | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/taylor-swift-reports-to-jury-duty-in-nashville-dismissed | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/026c3553a21d1df4222187ee03099206e07045bdf894e5ebc1272070d7864bb2.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T20:46:18 | null | 2016-08-28T20:15:35 | SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Letting his hair go au natural and sprinting between drills as usual, Colin Kaepernick took the field Sunday with the San Francisco 49ers as his stance against standing for the national anthem drew chatter across NFL camps. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fkaepernick-creates-stir-gets-nfl-talking-after-anthem-protest.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871268622_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472416060766 | en | null | Kaepernick creates stir, gets NFL talking after anthem protest | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Letting his hair go au natural and sprinting between drills as usual, Colin Kaepernick took the field Sunday with the San Francisco 49ers as his stance against standing for the national anthem drew chatter across NFL camps.
Two days after he refused to stand for the “The Star Spangled Banner” before the 49ers’ preseason loss to the Packers, Kaepernick stopped briefly on a side field to talk with Dr. Harry Edwards and they shared a quick embrace before the quarterback grabbed his helmet and took the field. Edwards is a sociologist and African-American activist who helped plan the “Olympic Project for Human Rights” before the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where U.S. sprinters and medallists Tommie Smith and John Carlos bowed their heads through the anthem on the medal podium in their black power protest.
Kaepernick, whose hair had been in cornrows during training camp, sat on the bench during Friday’s national anthem at Levi’s Stadium, a decision he told NFL Media is based on the United States oppressing African Americans and other minorities. Kaepernick’s adoptive parents are Caucasian.
After swirling trade talks all off-season following Kaepernick’s three surgeries, he has done everything so far but play good football.
Coach Chip Kelly said Saturday he still hasn’t decided on his starting quarterback in a competition between Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. Kelly wasn’t scheduled to address the media Sunday, but said a day earlier he planned to talk about Kaepernick’s choice with the team.
Kaepernick also didn’t stand for the anthem before the preseason game on Aug.20 with Denver, Kelly has said.
“We recognize his right to do that. So, it’s not my right to tell him not to do something. That’s his right as a citizen,” Kelly said. “We recognize his right as an individual to choose to participate or not participate in the national anthem.”
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz said after his team’s exhibition victory against the Jets on Saturday night that the American flag deserves respect — no matter the circumstances in the U.S. or beyond.
“The flag is the flag,” Cruz said. “Regardless of how you feel about things that are going on in America today, and the things that are going on across the world with gun violence and things of that nature, you’ve got to respect the flag, and you’ve got to stand up with your teammates. It’s bigger than just you, in my opinion. I think you go up there, you’re with a team, and you go and you know you pledge your allegiance to the flag and sing the national anthem with your team, and then you go about your business, whatever your beliefs are.
“Colin is his own man, he decided to sit down and that is his prerogative, but on a personal standpoint, I think you have to stand up there with your team and understand and it’s this game and what’s going on around this country is bigger than just you.”
Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan said Sunday he believes players and coaches should stand for the anthem to show respect and give thanks to members of the armed forces.
“You’ve got to look at the gifts that we have, the opportunity that we have to play a great game is through the men and women that serve our country,” Ryan said before practice on Sunday. “And I think that’s an opportunity right there just to show respect.”
The easy thing to do is to make fun of Kap and his play. How about trying to understand where he's coming from....but that would be too hard — Adrian Clayborn (@AJaClay) August 27, 2016 | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/kaepernick-creates-stir-gets-nfl-talking-after-anthem-protest | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/2a6383ec1ba766f58b2f31fb33a86df817c752c157ea38b202fede54f939ab2e.json |
[
"Dave"
] | 2016-08-30T00:46:31 | null | 2016-08-30T00:30:13 | Organizers of Nuit Blanche, a night of arts and entertainment that took over downtown Edmonton last September, are hoping to cash in on its success to launch the next installment.“I think we had 53,000 Edmontonians who came downtown on a Saturday evening in the shoulder season when they’re not usually downtown,” said Todd Janes. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fedmontons-nuit-blanche-seeks-85k-funding-increase-for-2017.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871706614_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472514858163 | en | null | Edmonton's Nuit Blanche seeks $85K funding increase for 2017 | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Organizers of Nuit Blanche, a night of arts and entertainment that took over downtown Edmonton last September, are hoping to cash in on its success to launch the next installment.
“I think we had 53,000 Edmontonians who came downtown on a Saturday evening in the shoulder season when they’re not usually downtown,” said Todd Janes, chair and president of the Edmonton Nuit Blanche Society, following a community services committee meeting Monday.
Janes said the economic impact was estimated at around $425,000 for Edmonton from a city investment of $250,000 in cash and in-kind support like police and transportation.
His group began planning the sequel — expected to go ahead in the last week of September 2017 — almost immediately after the cleanup for the 2015 event was over. Janes said collaboration with art curators and sponsors has been a time-consuming ordeal, but has been met with support.
For the next event, they want to increase attendance to 75,000 and hope the city will be able to scale up its part of the funding to match — asking for about $85,000 more, for a total of $335,000.
Between a less vibrant economy and a new municipal operating budget model, that may not be an easy feat.
“We’re coming up to a set of budget debates that we’ve never had before because we’re basically augmenting a three-year budget we’ve already set,” said Coun. Ben Henderson, who fought to bring the first event to the city and would like to see it return.
“I don’t know how much money there will be to play with, if any at all, and I don’t know how we’re going to deal with this kind of request. My gut feeling is that council would like to see this happen and we’ll probably do whatever we can to make sure we don’t lose it.”
Though it’s an arts event, the fact that it didn’t begin as a grassroots venture and uses continued successes to grow makes it different from what the city’s arts council usually deals with.
Henderson said the difficulty is finding a strategy for one-off events of this scale to get city funding without having to develop a new plan every time they seek financial backing.
“We have to have a way to step in or say we’re never going to have them,” he said.
The committee agreed to develop a service package for the $335,000 to be debated during this year’s budget discussions in October.
Janes is confident the next event will go ahead in September 2017. And though he wouldn’t reveal much detail about what it will include, the general premise might foreshadow the evolution of arts funding that Henderson is hoping for.
“A lot of it will be about how the city moves,” he said.
dlazzarino@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/SUNDaveLazz | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/edmontons-nuit-blanche-seeks-85k-funding-increase-for-2017 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/296138559af66897d7b01ce18c88f82366b6035c6d3937f1697d18556b575dc2.json |
[
"Bill Harris"
] | 2016-08-28T18:46:17 | null | 2016-08-28T18:15:34 | Bill Harris' TV must-sees for the week of Aug. 28: | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fmotive-narcos-the-strain-and-the-mtv-vmas-top-this-weeks-tv-must-sees.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297870390239_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472403740535 | en | null | 'Motive,' 'Narcos,' 'The Strain' and the MTV VMAs top this week's TV must-sees | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Bill Harris' TV must-sees for the week of Aug. 28:
1. Motive
Series finale
The only motive that remains is to wrap it all up for this steady performer that lasted four seasons. Several years after a killer got away, the team – including Angie (Kristin Lehman), Oscar (Louis Ferreira), Paula (Karen LeBlanc), Brian (Brendan Penny) and Betty (Lauren Holly) – reunites to close the case.
When: Tuesday, Aug. 30 on CTV
2. Narcos
Season-2 debut
This series continues to chronicle the real-life stories of the infamous drug kingpins of the late 1980s, when cocaine was as common as "new Coke." Or at least that's how we remember it now, anyway. Having lived through the '80s myself, apparently I wasn't nearly as high as I could have been.
When: Friday, Sept. 2 on Netflix
3. The Strain
Season-3 debut
The Strigoi – a.k.a. Vampires – are evolving, and the bio-weapon designed by Eph (Corey Stoll) is failing. That cannot be a good combination. Meanwhile, Fet (Kevin Durand) helps a Navy SEAL team on a deadly mission in New York, even though the rest of the world has written off the Big Apple.
When: Sunday, Aug. 28 on FX
4. MTV Video Music Awards
Live
This year's festivities are taking place at Madison Square Garden in New York for the first time in the show’s 33-year history. Canadian nominees include Drake, Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara and The Weeknd. There will be performances by Britney Spears and Nick Jonas, and Rihanna will receive the Video Vanguard Award.
When: Sunday, Aug. 28 on MTV
5. Ice Road Truckers
Season-10 debut
This show has been around for a decade? Really? That's a lot of trucks and a lot of ice. But I guess just like everywhere, there's not as much ice as there used to be. As the new campaign commences, experts predict one of the shortest and warmest winters on record. As a result, companies risk financial ruin.
When: Wednesday, Aug. 31 on History
6. Pretty Little Liars
Season-7 finale
The girls face off with their enemies – there's a seemingly endless supply of foes – in a chaotic fight that ends fatally. Eep. Simultaneously, someone learns a secret about their past that changes everything, while someone else gets a life-altering glimpse into the future. Crave serenity and stability? Find another show.
When: Tuesday, Aug. 30 on Bravo (Freeform in the U.S.)
7. You're the Worst
Season-3 debut
Jimmy (Chris Geere) and Gretchen (Aya Cash) adjust to life after “I love you,” which you'd think should make things easier, at least theoretically, but frequently does not. Also, Lindsey (Kether Donohue) discovers a new hobby, and Edgar (Desmin Borges) experiences some delicate sexual problems.
When: Wednesday, Aug. 31 on FXX
8. Milwaukee Blacksmith
Canadian debut
Beginning with back-to-back episodes, this reality series focuses on a man named Kent Knapp who is trying to forge a living as a blacksmith in modern times. Kent has made it his mission to pass the trade down to his children, but as often is the case, the younger members of the family have their own wills of steel.
When: Tuesday, Aug. 30 on History
9. Almost President: The Agony of Defeat
Debut
This doc features several people who lost presidential elections – including Mitt Romney, John McCain and Michael Dukakis – talking about their journeys, analyzing their own mistakes and detailing the impact on their families. It's basically a primer on the sad fate that awaits either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.
When: Wednesday, Aug. 31 on CNN
10. Daily Planet
Boldly Go Week
The 22nd season kicks off with a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. There will be segments exploring the visions of the future that germinated from the franchise. Sounds like a great week for co-hosts Ziya Tong and Dan Riskin, as well as Ensign Smith. Uh-oh ... I worry about Ensign Smith.
When: Monday, Aug. 29 to Friday, Sept. 2 on Discovery
Twitter: @billharris_tv
bharris@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/motive-narcos-the-strain-and-the-mtv-vmas-top-this-weeks-tv-must-sees | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/fb0e5f25d1cfa49bc51036799ac6c83b0510c21dea6ab2185c68b14e5f7387e6.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T00:46:20 | null | 2016-08-29T00:15:04 | As National Energy Board hearings resume Monday in Montreal on TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline, it’s time to stop kidding the troops. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fno-pipelines-no-prosperity.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297799287280_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472428866696 | en | null | No pipelines, no prosperity | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | As National Energy Board hearings resume Monday in Montreal on TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline, it’s time to stop kidding the troops.
Kidding the troops is what happens when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau floats the idea that if pipeline proponents act in a certain way domestically, and Canada acts in a certain way internationally, it will earn a “social licence” to construct pipelines and export oil.
Pipelines which are vital to Canada’s economy and necessary to move our landlocked fossil fuel resources to Canadian ports and from there to international markets.
The problem with Trudeau’s rhetoric is that it suggests there is some sort of perfect pipeline proposal that will satisfy all critics such as Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, environmental groups and First Nations opponents.
The reality is there is no process for pipeline approval that will satisfy these people. Pretending there is, is a fool’s game.
Coderre, for example, now wants the Energy East pipeline hearings suspended and reviewed because former Quebec premier Jean Charest met with NEB officials while an employee of TransCanada -- at the NEB's request -- to discuss the conduct of the hearings in Quebec.
Never mind that the NEB met with Coderre and other pipeline opponents to discuss the same thing.
Never mind that the NEB and a spokesman for Charest said there was no discussion of and no lobbying for Energy East.
Coderre and the environmental groups are now saying the simple fact of the meeting -- and that Charest didn’t tell the NEB he was in TransCanada’s employ, is enough to undermine the credibility of the entire hearing process.
That’s absurd. It would have been better had the NEB been informed of Charest’s relationship to TransCanada but to suggest that means the entire process is tainted is ridiculous.
As for social licence, Trudeau would no doubt point to his good buddy U.S. President Barack Obama as a jolly green giant of environmentalism.
Obama stopped the Canada-U.S. Keystone XL pipeline.
Except Obama has also boasted that his administration has approved enough new U.S. oil and gas pipelines to more than encircle the Earth.
Why? Because approving them was in the economic interests of the United States.
Someone should tell Trudeau that Energy East is in Canada’s economic interests. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/28/no-pipelines-no-prosperity | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/38c8bf09197efb4aee92ce2e7d8ccb0e2f4fdd38e9ad99f943fd794af70b7d3a.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T06:46:44 | null | 2016-08-31T05:31:56 | In a surprise move, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican delivers a highly anticipated speech on immigration. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Ftrump-may-visit-mexico-before-immigration-speech.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871243591_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472617631064 | en | null | Trump to visit Mexico before immigration speech | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | EVERETT, Wash. -- In a surprise move, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican delivers a highly anticipated speech on immigration.
Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night to say he looks "very much forward" to meeting with the Mexican leader. Pena Nieto's office confirmed the meeting with its own tweet, saying the two men would meet privately.
I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016
The unexpected trip comes as Trump seeks to clarify his stand on illegal immigration, a contentious issue that has been a centerpiece of his Republican presidential campaign. Trump has long called for deporting people currently living in the U.S. illegally and building a wall along the country's border with Mexico.
But in meetings recently with Hispanic supporters, Trump has suggested he could be open to changing the hardline approach he outlined during the GOP primaries. After one such roundtable this month, his new campaign manager said Trump's stance on deportations was "to be determined."
In the days since, Trump and his staff have broadcast varied and conflicting messages, with Trump himself saying one day he might be open to "softening" his stance, and days later saying he might, in fact, be "hardening."
Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's original immigration policy, particularly the Republican's insistence that Mexico would pay for the border wall. In a March interview, Pena Nieto said that "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so.
In the same interview, Pena Nieto compared Trump's language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying it had hurt U.S.-Mexico relations. Former Mexican Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon have also alluded to Hitler in describing Trump.
Pena Nieto cast a different tone late Tuesday, writing on Twitter of the visit, "I believe in dialogue to promote Mexico's interests in the world and, principally, to protect Mexicans wherever they are."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a close Trump adviser, has been among those pushing Trump to make the trip to Mexico, according to a person familiar with their conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss them publicly. Christie made his own successful trip to Mexico City in September 2014 and has a warm relationship with the Mexican president.
Last week, Pena Nieto extended invitations to visit Mexico to both Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, who met with him in Mexico in 2014. The Washington Post first reported Tuesday that Trump was considering making the trip to Mexico.
The New Yorker didn't mention the trip and didn't spend much time discussing illegal immigration during an evening rally outside Seattle, although he teased his scheduled speech on immigration that's set for Wednesday evening in Phoenix.
"We are also going to secure our border and stop the drugs from pouring in and destroying our country," he said. "And I'll be talking about that tomorrow night in Arizona. Big speech on immigration. We'll be talking about that in Arizona tomorrow night."
Trump's short stop in Mexico would mark his second visit to a foreign country during his campaign. Earlier this summer, Trump travelled to Scotland to attend the re-opening of one of his golf resorts, but notably didn't meet with any U.K. political leaders while there.
The Republican has faced a torrent of criticism from Clinton, a former secretary of state, about his preparedness to lead on the world stage. Several Republican foreign policy experts have also warned that Trump is unprepared for the numerous international issues that land on a president's desk.
Clinton's campaign has urged voters to not "be fooled" by what it calls Trump's attempts to disguise his immigration policies.
"What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions," said Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/trump-may-visit-mexico-before-immigration-speech | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/ff413b331e3c7d36b7cd608a4b758a5e2dee1cf62e2b091143b8a9825f383b28.json |
[
"Ainslie"
] | 2016-08-29T22:46:28 | null | 2016-08-29T22:15:20 | Sylvan Lake RCMP arrested and charged four people after they discovered two stolen trucks, weapons and drugs at a home in the town south of Edmonton.A search found 10 firearms that police believe are stolen, a tomahawk, hatchets and brass knuckles. Drugs including morphine, methamphetamine and mushrooms were seized. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fstolen-trucks-weapons-drugs-uncovered-during-rcmp-search-of-sylvan-lake-home.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297855290826_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472509836583 | en | null | Stolen trucks, weapons, drugs uncovered during RCMP search of Sylvan Lake home | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Sylvan Lake RCMP arrested and charged four people after they discovered two stolen trucks, weapons and drugs at a home in the town south of Edmonton.
A search found 10 firearms that police believe are stolen, a tomahawk, hatchets and brass knuckles. Drugs including morphine, methamphetamine and mushrooms were seized. Police also found other stolen items including cash, credit cards, IDs, a licence plate and mail.
Police arrested Jason Sagal, 41, of Sylvan Lake; Jason Ionson, 35, of Blackfalds; and Samantha Johnstone, 26, of Red Deer. They were charged them with unlawful storage of firearms, possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose, possession of stolen property over $5,000 and possession of controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking, among other charges. Sagal and Ionson were also arrested on outstanding warrants.
Police also arrested Nicole Armstrong, 31, of Sylvan Lake and charged her with possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a controlled substance.
Less than 24 hours after the initial search, RCMP returned to the same home after they received a call about a man with a gun outside the residence.
Police arrested Jesse Strongeagle-Geddes, 21, of Red Deer, and Kristie Stauth, 34, of Red Deer in the second incident. Strongeagle-Geddes was charged with careless use of a firearm, failing to comply with a probation order, unauthorized possession of a firearm and other charges.
Stauth was charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public and possession of counterfeit currency.
Sylvan Lake is 160 km south of Edmonton. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/stolen-trucks-weapons-drugs-uncovered-during-rcmp-search-of-sylvan-lake-home | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/b932c781c731c118a30eb07893d119a8d520232096dd21ad340ac6e3468e0907.json |
[
"Mark Daniell"
] | 2016-08-30T22:46:39 | null | 2016-08-30T22:32:53 | William Shatner is 85 and by all accounts he’s way busier than you’ll ever be. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fwilliam-shatner-star-trek-5-glorious-and-kirk-didnt-have-to-die-in-generations.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297872025652_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472595209375 | en | null | 'Star Trek 5' glorious and Kirk didn't have to die in 'Generati | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | William Shatner is 85 and by all accounts he’s way busier than you’ll ever be.
This week, the original Captain Kirk heads to Fan Expo in Toronto to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. He’s also starring with Henry Winkler, Terry Bradshaw, Olympic gold medallist George Foreman and comic Jeff Dye on NBC’s travel comedy Better Late Than Never. Then there’s his upcoming book, Zero G, which follows the FBI in space 50 years from now.
“Also right now, today for example, I’ve been filming a special that we’re making for Canada called the Truth is in Our Stars,” he tells Postmedia Network down the line from Kentucky. “We started the show celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, and its effect on various scientists. We ended up talking to Stephen Hawking about space and time and Black Holes and he’s a glorious part of the special that we’re making for Canada with Canadian production.”
Along with Shatner, former Star Trek stars George Takei and Nichelle Nichols will also be on hand to mark the 50th birthday for the iconic sci-fi franchise.
“Oh, I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time with George and Nichelle,” he says with a tone of sarcasm (Shatner and Takei have trash talked one another for years).
During a wide-ranging conversation, Shatner reflected on Kirk’s death in Star Trek: Generations, his favourite film featuring the original series cast and revealed his favourite villain.
How does it make you feel to see this 50-year-old franchise still going strong?
I get to talk to scientists and one of the major questions I have is: ‘Please explain to me the concept of space-time?’ But when I think about it, I’m an authority on time, in that time — in this case 50 years — goes by so quickly. It’s almost as if time doesn’t exist. That’s how quickly it went.
Do you regret killing Kirk in Generations?
You see, the pronoun you used - ‘you’ - should be changed to ‘they.’ I didn’t kill Kirk. I protested. I died protesting (laughs).
But now that the timeline is reset, isn’t it possible that your version of Kirk is still alive and could be reunited with the current crew through time travel?
Mark, I’m giving you this job right now. I’m assigning you a job – and you’ll be highly paid. I want you to solve the mystery of bringing me, 50 years later, back as Captain Kirk. I want you to solve that mystery.
Having done so, you’ll be highly paid.
What’s your favourite Star Trek film from the original series?
Well, I thought the glorious altitude of Star Trek films was reached with Star Trek 5. I thought that was a brilliant film. Beautifully acted and extraordinarily directed.
I loved that one too. But did you have any other favourites?
Probably the one that Leonard Nimoy directed – Star Trek 4. That was a lovely film on a subject dear to all of our hearts, which is trying to preserve the world.
What’s your opinion of the new Star Trek films?
I really haven’t seen them. I caught a glimpse of the first one, but I think that they’re doing a wonderful job of bringing an audience in. The films we did made a $100-million and that was the top. Now JJ Abrams has solved the puzzle and he’s created a great ride of a film. And people are flocking to see the films.
How long would you like to see this current cast go?
I think if they got rid of all the characters except Kirk... I’m just joking. I don’t know. They’ve got some wonderful writers working on it. Star Trek was always about character and story. So it’s a balancing act. Obviously people are loving it and that’s good.
What should they do with Chekov after Anton Yelchin’s death?
They would replace him I’d think. But I don’t know.
Who was your favourite villain?
Mark, what’s funny is that I spent the day with Stephen Hawking last week and one of the questions he asked me was, ‘Who was your favourite villain?’ I had to say something. I couldn’t say, ‘They’re all great.’ But I’d have to say Khan… Ricardo Montalban. He was fun.
What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re back in Toronto?
Well, I lived in Toronto for several years. I worked at the CBC and I did theatre and I was at Stratford in the summer. But my favourite thing to do is I like to go to my old haunts and see that they don’t exist anymore and what’s there is a great restaurant. So I pay my respects to my old haunt by having a meal somewhere.
Lastly, what’s your motto?
There’s always tomorrow.
William Shatner appears at Fan Expo Canada on Friday, Sept. 2, and Saturday, Sept. 3. For tickets and info, visit fanexpocanada.com/guests/william-shatner.
Twitter: @markhdaniell
Mdaniell@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/30/william-shatner-star-trek-5-glorious-and-kirk-didnt-have-to-die-in-generations | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/e1eaa1ed1a6f193b97104c778eef8d435cf70e72904bf2ceaeb9024dbbb9a109.json |
[
"Tony Blais"
] | 2016-08-30T02:46:36 | null | 2016-08-30T01:30:13 | An Edmonton drug dealer’s accomplice in a violent “campaign of terror” against two 16-year-old girls was sentenced Monday to jail on weekends.Tyrone Emberley, 20, was handed a 90-day jail term, but provincial court Judge Elizabeth Johnson agreed to let him serve the time intermittently so he could continue to work. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Faccomplice-in-campaign-of-terror-against-teen-girls-sentenced-to-jail-on-weekends.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297716561196_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472517751528 | en | null | Accomplice in 'campaign of terror' against teen girls sentenced to jail on weeke | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | An Edmonton drug dealer’s accomplice in a violent “campaign of terror” against two 16-year-old girls was sentenced Monday to jail on weekends.
Tyrone Emberley, 20, was handed a 90-day jail term, but provincial court Judge Elizabeth Johnson agreed to let him serve the time intermittently so he could continue to work.
Emberley, who earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful confinement and possession of a weapon, was also placed on probation for 18 months and ordered to perform 150 hours of community service.
“The events surrounding these offences are horrific,” said Johnson, noting the victims of the “brutality” were 16-year-old girls and one of them was injured. “Both would have been terrified,” she said.
The judge accepted that Emberley’s role was on the “low end” and found that he received a positive pre-sentence report and has accepted responsibility and shown both remorse and insight.
Johnson also noted that Emberley spent 26 days in pre-trial custody and was under house arrest for 18 months while on bail.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Emberley and convicted drug dealer Kenneth Matthews, 19, were in a car with the two girls on Sept. 24, 2014. While the men had left the vehicle, the girls found a plastic bag containing ecstasy and $85 and fled with it.
The next night, the girls were at a friend’s house when Matthews and Emberley came in, armed and angry over the theft.
Both girls were forced into a bedroom and one girl was made to watch while Matthews hit the other girl with a baseball bat, choked her and cut her hair with scissors. Matthews then told the girls they would have to sell their bodies to pay for the stolen ecstasy.
Matthews took the beaten girl into the kitchen and told her he was going to burn her face on the stove. Emberley brought the other girl to watch. As Matthews turned on one of the burners, the beaten girl struggled to escape, but both men restrained her.
Matthews then burned her on the cheek with a lit cigarette and made her eat four cigarette butts and drink spoiled chocolate milk. He also threatened to cut off one of her toes.
Court heard Emberley pointed a knife at the other girl and told her he was going to knock her unconscious. Matthews interrupted him and said they would put both girls in a vehicle’s trunk using plastic garbage bags. The pair then left, saying they were going to get someone to help them, and the girls fled and later went to police.
Matthews was handed a 3-1/2-year prison term in 2015 after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, unlawful confinement, choking and possession of ecstasy for the purpose of trafficking.
At the time, Judge Jody Moher agreed with the Crown’s characterization of the crime as a “campaign of terror” and called the acts “degrading and dehumanizing.”
In a victim impact statement, the father of the girl who was tortured wrote that he and his wife have lost their daughter and said she is no longer the honour student and good athlete that she once was.
“No words can convey the magnitude of our daughter’s loss,” he said, adding her leg was broken in the attack, she has facial scarring from being burned and she suffered psychological damage. As well, he said the family was forced to move over fears of retribution. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/accomplice-in-campaign-of-terror-against-teen-girls-sentenced-to-jail-on-weekends | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/a3efa2e356499c03ebbf223cc9a234052c57de0783b69026f6ea7e939d00b535.json |
[
"Lorne"
] | 2016-08-30T02:46:40 | null | 2016-08-30T02:45:43 | Let’s hear it for the Edmonton Cash Cows, the group of volunteer citizens who over the weekend held their first Cash Cow Extravaganza to protest photo radar. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fgunter-city-should-be-commending-edmonton-cash-cows.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297871746959_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472523418755 | en | null | Gunter: City should be commending Edmonton Cash Cows | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | Let’s hear it for the Edmonton Cash Cows, the group of volunteer citizens who over the weekend held their first Cash Cow Extravaganza to protest photo radar.
On Saturday, 24 Cash Cow cars fanned out across the city in search of photo radar traps. When they found one, a volunteer would position him- or herself a block or so up the road and stand on the boulevard holding a sign warning motorists of the City’s speed snare ahead.
Earlier this year, Cash Cow founder Jack Shultz got ticketed for pedestrian stunting for standing down the road from a radar trap while holding a sign warning drivers of the impending roadside photo fundraiser.
Shultz is a thorn in the sides of council and the administration. The mayor, councillors and bureaucrats are obsessed with photo radar. They believe more is better and won’t even consider alternatives.
The latest example of their obsession: last summer they assured Edmontonians the city had no plans to install unmanned, roadside photo radar boxes. Yet this summer, that is exactly what they are doing – installing robot radar machines at revolving locations around town.
The city will stop at nothing when it comes to photo radar.
Before 2013, when the Edmonton Police Service operated the radar program, tickets were seldom given to motorists until they drove 15 km/h or faster over the posted speed limit. In those days, around 150,000 tickets were given each year and $10 million in fines levied.
Shortly after administration took over, drivers driving 10 or more km/h over the limit started receiving tickets in the mail. Then two years ago, without warning, the city started handing out tickets to those driving between six and 10 km/h — 66,000 of them last year.
And there hasn’t been a corresponding reduction in major accidents or even in the average speeds travelled on city streets. Despite giving out more tickets than ever last year, traffic “incidents” rose by four per cent and fatalities by 40 per cent compared to 2014.
Now over half a million tickets are handed out annually with city coffers being enriched by nearly $50 million. That’s nearly one $100-ticket for every licenced driver in town – every year.
Yet the powers refuse to see this as a sign that all their expensive enforcement is having little effect on road safety.
That’s where the Cash Cows and their extravaganza come in.
In addition to proving all this photo radar is largely useless, the Cows want to demonstrate that the city’s interest is largely financial.
The city always insists the money photo radar brings in is not the motive for all the tickets it hands out. And perhaps they believe their own propaganda that photo radar is only about reducing accidents and fatalities.
If that’s the case, let them prove it. Let them scale photo radar way back and instead increase police patrols for impaired drivers, texting drivers and drivers going more than 20 km/h over the limit.
The city won’t do that, though, because all of those methods cost more to administer than they collect in fines. Rather than be net revenue makers, they would be net budget expenses.
Instead administration sics the police on Jack Shultz.
All Shultz and his volunteers are doing is encouraging drivers to slow down. This is exactly what the city claims it is doing, too.
If the city were truly interested only in road safety, they would be giving the Cash Cows a commendation for helping out. But the Cows are reducing the city’s cash grab, so administration sends cops out to give Cows trumped up stunting tickets.
Shultz will challenge his ticket in court in November. Let’s hope a judge can talk some sense into the city’s minds. | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/29/gunter-city-should-be-commending-edmonton-cash-cows | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/3fbea9b07c492c7c5bbdb8c0fa6d2a7e6c2e80df97ab14f7065b3335efe82d50.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T18:46:03 | null | 2016-08-27T18:15:54 | The end of summer and return of fall is being signalled by dozens of black bear sightings in Fort McMurray and across the municipality. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edmontonsun.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Fabout-40-reports-of-bears-in-fort-mcmurray-since-aug-10-signal-winter-is-coming-as-beasts-prepare-to-hibernate.json | http://storage.edmontonsun.com/v1/suns-prod-images/1297842182938_LARGE_BOX.jpg?quality=80&stmp=1472319452825 | en | null | About 40 reports of bears in Fort McMurray since Aug. 10 signal winter is coming | null | null | www.edmontonsun.com | EDMONTON -
The end of summer and return of fall is being signalled by dozens of black bear sightings in Fort McMurray and across the municipality.
Since Aug. 10, fish and wildlife officers in Fort McMurray have had approximately 40 reports of bears across the region. The animals sense the weather is changing and are looking to gain weight before hibernation, according to Alberta Fish and Wildlife.
Many of the sightings within Fort McMurray are localized in the city’s north end around the Timberlea, Wood Buffalo and in the Birchwood Trails. Bears have also been spotted near along the Snye near the Miskanaw Golf Club at MacDonald Island Park. On Friday, a police officer spotted a black bear wandering the Birchwood Trails.
“Please keep in mind it is not uncommon to spot a black bear anywhere within the RMWB as it is prime black bear habitat,” says a recent Fish and Wildlife Facebook post. “One should expect to encounter black bears in these places, as the creeks and river valleys provide optimal food and cover for bears, and they also use them as travel corridors to make their way through the city, for the most part, unseen.”
The last four months have been bountiful for bears in Fort McMurray. When Fort McMurray was evacuated in May, thousands of homes sat empty, with pantries and refrigerators packed with rotting food. The aromas from the empty city made neighbourhoods a tempting target. At least two black bears were captured and relocated by officers, while at least two more were killed.
Signs have been installed throughout Fort McMurray at all trail entrances, and several large panel displays have been set up in key areas providing further education and awareness.
Fish and Wildlife Officers are asking residents to:
1. Keep trash stored inside a building until the morning of pickup.
2. Remove any fruit from your trees and dispose of it properly.
3. Keep your distance from bears and allow them space to retreat.
4. Keep dogs on a leash, and don’t feed pets outside.
5. Remove any bird feeders between April and October.
6. Clean your BBQ after each use and store it indoors.
You can also visit Alberta’s BearSmart website for more tips: bearsmart.alberta.ca. Phone the Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800 to report sightings and encounters.
vmcdermott@postmedia.com | http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/27/about-40-reports-of-bears-in-fort-mcmurray-since-aug-10-signal-winter-is-coming-as-beasts-prepare-to-hibernate | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.edmontonsun.com/1f24d05eac2ceef7f344175b23ab6ff78e4de5c3231c05923a7d7ef39d6146e6.json |
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