ONE YEAR AGO
• A long-time taxi cab company owner says there are still far too many people continuing to drink and drive. John Whittingham, the co-owner of Alberta Gold Taxi Ltd., in Red Deer, says a crash early Saturday that killed a driver could possibly have been prevented if the man had taken a cab. “As long as I’ve been in this city the number of impaired drivers out there is quite astronomical,” Whittingham said. An RCMP officer said alcohol was believed to have been a factor in the collision which killed a 27-year-old man, who crashed into a taxi owned by Associated Cab of Red Deer.
• Red Deer Food Bank had seen a 32 per cent increase in clients so far this year. The demand had people lined up outside the food bank earlier this month — something staff have never seen before. “We’re getting to the point where we have to decide how many people we’re going to serve in a day. It’s not from a food standpoint. It’s from a purely logistical standpoint of being able to deal with the sheer numbers coming through the door,” said executive director Fred Scaife.
FIVE YEARS AGO
• Central Albertans accused the provincial government of making a queen-sized blunder after it renamed the stretch of Hwy 2 between Edmonton and Calgary the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. The government renamed the highway after the queen in honour of her centennial visit.
• The Innisfail overpass was struck for the third time in less than three years by a truck hauling heavy equipment. The overpass was undergoing repairs from a previous collision in November 2004. Officials estimated it would cost about $1,000 to fix.
10 YEARS AGO
• Red Deer North MLA Stockwell Day announced he would be leaving provincial politics to run at the federal level, whether he became leader of the new Canadian Alliance party or not.
• City council learned that tenders to build the Collicutt Centre were coming in much higher than anticipated. The expected cost of $24.9 million would eventually be pushed to $30 million.
25 YEARS AGO
• City council approved the first major changes to the Waskasoo Parks Master Plan, including the deletion of about 225 acres from the parks system.
Council endorsed using some of the $730,000 saved from the park’s acquisition budget by that deletion to fund an extension of the bicycle trail system.
The revisions called for scrapping the purchase of three parcels of land between the MacKenzie Trail Recreation area and the River Bend section, said city planner Craig Curtis.
• A new sports complex and academic expansion were in the works for Red Deer College, acting president Ed Luterbach said. The complex and academic wing were the priority items in the college’s five year plan, Mr. Luterbach said following the college board of governors meeting. Research on the sport complex had been under way for about two years he said. Members of the college’s physical education department had visited other institutions across North America seeking ideas to adopt for Red Deer.
50 YEARS AGO
• At a meeting of the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce, a motion was passed that the executive of the chamber go on record in favour of daylight saving in the province and requested the government to re-consider their refusal to ascertain the wishes of the people.
• Red Deer city traffic signs conformed with standards in a program, which made all signs uniform across Canada. George Young, meter and signs foreman for the city, said with the delivery and installation of proper “Maximum Speed” signs for the highway through the city, temporary painted ones made up by the city will be replaced.
The latest new signs under the program were the blue and white pentagonal school zone signs installed in the city in late fall. The first were the red and white reflecting “Stop” signs.
90 YEARS AGO
• The W.E. Lord Co. Millinery opening at the new quarters on Thursday afternoon was a great success, a large number of ladies coming out to visit Miss Sarsfield and her charming display, and to congratulate her on her taste and choice. The new quarters are on the mezzanine floor of the spacious new dry goods and ladies wear departments in the new store, and the light and sweep of the whole surroundings form a fit setting for the pretty display of ladies headgear. The railing was nicely draped with spring vines and leaves.
100 YEARS AGO
• Red Deer’s H.G. Stone, in a letter to the editor, called on the community to start up a musical band. “There is nothing that advertises a town like a band,” he wrote.