Year: 2011

Denise (Martin) COOPER
COOPERDenise (Martin)Age 41 of Red Deer, AB formerly of Torbay, Nfld, passed…

Wire Service / December 31, 2011

Richard “Dick” LONG
LONGRichard "Dick"1931 - 2011Richard passed away on December 31, 2011 in Red…

Wire Service / December 31, 2011

Home front – Dec. 31
One lucky aspiring pianist will be lugging home a new piano in March, as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Red Deer College Arts Centre. All piano students in Central Alberta between the ages of eight and 17 are eligible to win the Suzuki HG 425e digital grand piano.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

Don’t mess with this grandma
Elnora’s Anita MacDonald is one tough great grandma. MacDonald, at the spry age of 72, recently earned her black belt in Shotokan karate. Her goal wasn’t to test for a black belt in 2004 when she moved from the sidelines into the dojo, or studio.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

Bullish on the New Year
Dennis Pugh, left, and Sherry Gummow, Ponoka Agricultural Society directors, join volunteer Richelle Hoar and stock contractor Nansen Vold in toasting the arrival of 2012 at the Ponoka Ag Event Centre. They were among the many getting ready to ring in the new year at the society’s Bull-A-Rama event, which features a Professional Bullriders of Canada competition, a cabaret with live music and dancing. Tickets to the 7 p.m. event are still available by calling Gummow at 403-783-0730 or at the door.

Leo Paré / December 30, 2011

Local lawyers honoured
Three Red Deer lawyers have received Queen’s Counsel appointments. Brent Handel, Donna Purcell and Gordon Yake were recognized by Verlyn Olson, Q.C., minister of Justice and Attorney General.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

Paris in winter? Love it for the shopping
Shopping in Paris, the City of Light and Love, can be overwhelming. Think New York City on steroids. My friend and I — first-time visitors with an embarrassingly inadequate grasp of the language — took a whirlwind shopping excursion earlier this month.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

Go west and get vertical
When the snow flies north of the 49th, many tourists flee for warmer climates. But those who travel Canada when the mercury dips below the tan line can reap big rewards, nowhere bigger than in British Columbia for skiers and boarders.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

Streep at her best — five times
How do you choose the best Meryl Streep performances? It’s like trying to decide what kind of ice cream is best — it’s pretty much always going to be great, and while there may be a couple flavours you don’t like as much, you’re never going to say no to ice cream.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

TV show on Muslims that sparked protest has episode about Sept. 11 attacks
A television show about members of a Muslim community in Michigan is focusing what may be its second-to-last episode almost entirely on the conflicted feelings that its featured participants have about marking anniversaries of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

A lack of animal magnetism
The elephant in the room in Cameron Crowe’s family-friendly We Bought a Zoo is that there’s very little substance to this sentimental comedy-drama starring Matt Damon as a single dad who buys a fixer-upper country house in California, which happens to come with its own menagerie.

Leo Paré / December 30, 2011

No place like home for the Earl of Spencer
For five centuries, the family of Charles, the ninth Earl Spencer, has occupied the 14,000-acre Althorp Estate in the English countryside.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

U.S. death penalty despicable
News that the daughter of a man murdered by Red Deer’s Ronald Smith does not want him executed does not seem so shocking anymore.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011

NHL has become too violent; now is the time for change
It’s a sad state of affairs when our national sport is killing its players. Hockey is supposed to be a game of skill and speed, not smash and bash. There are around 30-plus players suffering from brain damage alone from concussions, not counting other serious injuries.

Advocate Staff / December 30, 2011