It took a tragedy, but a splintered family has found its way home.
Recently, my father-in-law was killed in a car accident south of High River and it was devastating  loss for the Ross clan.
Don Ross owned Ross’s Bakery in High River and he was well known for his Scottish treats and his decadent donuts. However, he was even more well known as the character with the crazy cowboy hats singing karoake at the Beef ‘n’ Brew or uncovering only treasures he could love at the Salvation Army.
Everyone in the High …

I’m not sure which event appeals to me more, but both are worthy of mention for next week.
We will start off with the return of Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, March 14 at 2 a.m. This is when we set our clocks back one hour and enjoy a little more daylight at the end of our work day. I love this day as it also proclaims that winter will be done soon and we can get ready for a beautiful spring season. On the weekend I went for a walk …

There are some bombs going off, but apart from that the election in Iraq on March 7 is a model of its kind. There are more than 6,000 candidates for the 352 seats in parliament, and the country is flooded with foreign observers who will monitor the process. Unlike last time, no major group is boycotting the election and nobody knows who is going to win it.
Iraq has come a long way since the Sunni-Shia civil war of 2005-07, when 3,000 murdered people were being found in Baghdad each month. …

Ed McNally, founder of Big Rock Brewery, is celebrating 25 years of making real beer.
There was a time that Okotoks was considered as the site for the Brewery as Ed lives close to our community. In our eyes Ed is an Okotokian and we are real proud of him and his team for providing real beer for 25 years and growing.
It is indeed a major accomplishment to take an idea and grow it to the success story of Big Rock Brewery.
In their honour let’s all go out and buy a …

Like a high water mark on a bridge, or a newspaper headline announcing devastating tidal waves, water has a way of making history.
Take, for example, the recent earthquakes of Haiti and Chile. These severe events have shown us how clean, fresh drinking water is one of our most precious resources.
With water facilities and pipelines in shambles, many quake victims must resort to looting water for their survival.
One of the most important things disaster relief crews can do is provide clean water for drinking and hand washing.
But, it’s not just physical …

I am an Olympics junkie. Seriously, whether it is ski jumping or ski-cross, freestyle aerials or figure skating I am watching it all.
In fact, as I write this I am watching/listening to the ice dance freeskate on my computer. Yeah, I know ice dance.
I am as patriotic as anyone, perhaps moreso, but once the Olympics begin my patriotism goes into hyperdrive. I was wearing red all weekend in anticipation for some medals and a big win in men’s hockey.
To say the results of the weekend were disappointing would be an …

It is too bad the Winter Olympics come by only once every four years as they are indeed a pleasure to watch.
As I was down in Florida last week freezing to death it was great to watch all the events. The American coverage was warm to the Canadians and several times gave excellent accolades to our athletes. They didn’t even make rude comments when the fourth leg of the caldron would not come up.
Our medal count is a bit disappointing as we have come so close on several events. Oh …

With all of the current uproar over the prorogation of our parliament I thought I should shed some light on what is happening.
Personally, I have to admit when Prime Minister Stephen Harper went through with the suspension of parliament, so as a nation we could enjoy and embrace some good old-fashioned patriotism; it made perfect sense to me. Look, I know the media down east towards the centre of the universe is beside themselves, who wouldn’t be? I mean they have nothing to write about now.
I could be generous and …

Sometimes it can be so frustrating when we are so, well, Canadian.
As Canadians we often criticize our own rather than simply enjoying something for what it is.
The flame from the Olympic cauldron had barely flickered before criticism regarding the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver began spewing from politicians, the media and the like.
Many of the complaints were focused on the Opening Ceremony as some were disappointed with the people chosen to perform, chosen to represent Canada and the alleged lack of Quebec representation.
Now the international media is jumping on the …

By Colton Graf
Contributor
When you think of a small town you usually tend to think of walking down the street and greeting everyone by name.
Asking the gas station owner about his trip to Mexico, asking that sweet little lady at the bakery how her grandson’s hockey game went. It is important in a community for everyone to get along and to be… well a community. What I need to ask though is what does community mean to you? I’ll tell you what it means to me:
1. Everyone respecting each other.
2. Helping/supporting …