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Off with their heads
An entourage follows the Queen of Hearts (played by Ashley Walker) as part of a performance of Alice In Wonderland put on by the Calgary Imperial School of Ballet Saturday night at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, west of Okotoks. For more photos see page 33 of this week's printed issue.
- photo by Darlene Casten
Rescue crews search swollen, murky river for 18-year-old High River youth
By High River RCMP are periodically searching the swollen murky waters of the Highwood River after an 18-year-old man was swept down the rising river early Thursday morning.
Efforts of emergency crews have become futile as more time passes it is becoming less likely they will find the young High River man alive.
Cpl. Greg Lilburn of the High River RCMP detachment explained that at about 6 am on Thursday, June 6 a local farmer called police after spotting the teen about five kilometres west of where Highway 2 crossed the Highwood.
Lilburn said there was a verbal confrontation between the landowner and teen then the youth was seen walking away northbound.
Local RCMP discovered the teen about two-and-a-half hours later floating about three kilometres down the river.
Lilburn explained that the teen appeared to be stationary in the river for a time, but did not respond to RCMP. Lilburn said he may have been incoherent due to hypothermia. 'For a short period of time, while he was in the water, he was stationary. He may have been holding onto something then he just floated down (the river),' he said.
The High River fire department and RCMP used branches and ropes to try and rescue the teen, but their efforts were hampered by fast flowing water.
As the teen succumbed to the fast, murky waters of the river, High River RCMP commenced a ground and air search with crews stationed at the Highwood bridge and STARS and Hawks combing the length of the river of the Highwood and Bow River areas. The Calgary fire department rescue unit also utilized a boat to search the river. To date the 18-year-old has not been found.
At the request of the family, RCMP are not releasing the name of the youth.
Okotoks Highway twinning approved this year
By Editor
Due to provincial budget restrictions the twinning of Highway 2A was put on the backburner, until now.
It was recently announced by Alberta Infrastructure that the twinning project will proceed this year and tenders are being issued.
John Lowe, infrastructure manager with Alberta Transportation southern region, confirmed that the expansion to a four-lane highway will begin this construction season.
'In the fall of last year, with the restraints announced in the budget, everything was put on hold until (the province) determined available dollars,' said Lowe. '(The province) internally allocated a number of funds to reestablish highways and this was one of them.'
The project includes 5.8 kilometres of reconstruction and twinning north of Okotoks to the junction of Highway 2.
The next step, explained Lowe, is to go into the tendering process. It is expected that the project will be completed by the end of this construction year.
According to Richard Quail, infrastructure services manager with the Town of Okotoks, the news is welcomed.
Quail said sadly there have been a number of tragedies on that roadway and turn movements have become dangerous. The construction will help to alleviate those problems, he said.
Even though the highway is under the jurisdiction of Alberta Transportation, the results of the upgrades will greatly benefit the Okotoks community.
All construction will take place to the east of the existing highway where two new northbound lanes will be constructed. The project will coincide with the completion of the Deerfoot Trail extension.
Even MLA Don Tannas was pleased with the announcement saying that with the number of accidents on that stretch of road, the upgrades are certainly warranted and timely.
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