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After pandemic spike, Minnesota traffic fatalities may be trending down again

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

Following an almost two-decade-long decrease in traffic fatalities, Minnesota saw a spike in deaths on its roadways following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.While it’s still too early to tell for sure, those deaths may be on the downturn, according to Mark Wagner, assistant state traffic safety engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.Wagner, who spoke at a Toward Zero Deaths workshop Wednesday in Rochester, said those deaths are concerning and that his team, along with MnDOT, are working to make roads safer.“It’s really sad to see the loss of life and the life-changing injuries that increased during the pandemic,” he said. “But at the same time, looking back 20 years when Toward Zero Deaths started, that was a hard time, too, and we found a way to make it work.”Minnesota has seen a 33% decrease in traffic-related deaths since Toward Zero Deaths began in 2003 as a state traffic safety program that works to lessen roadwa...

Split Rock Lighthouse to shine tonight in honor of Gordon Lightfoot

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

Split Rock Lighthouse will shine its beacon Wednesday night in honor of the late Gordon Lightfoot.It’s a rare honor: The beacon is seldom lit, with an annual exception being Nov. 10 to mark the anniversary of the 1975 sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. A 1976 song by Lightfoot, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” has moved millions of listeners with the true story of the Lake Superior catastrophe.“He was an amazing storyteller,” Split Rock site manager Hayes Scriven said when reached by phone Tuesday. “When you listen to that song, you feel like you’re there. You can see what he’s talking about, very vivid.”In fact, said Scriven, it was Lightfoot’s song that inspired former lighthouse manager Lee Radzak to initiate the tradition of lighting the beacon for the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1985, the 10th anniversary of the shipwreck.“He was coming home one day,” said Scriven, “and the song ‘The Wreck of th...

Rachel Banham is confident, comfortable entering fourth season with Lynx

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

Rachel Banham was informed of a “no stepback three” message from Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve this week.“I know. We’ll have to meet about that,” Banham said with a smile. “She said I had the green light, so, honestly, if I make it, we’re good. You’ve just got to make the shot.”Banham did admit her first shot of the season would not be a stepback jumper.“Maybe like my third or fourth,” she said. “Once I’ve got my feel, ya know?”That exchange showed Banham’s current comfort level — with both her relationship with the Lynx’s basketball boss and with the state of her game.The 29-year-old’s seventh WNBA season last summer was her best to date, as the Lakeville North High School and University of Minnesota alum averaged eight points and two assists per game while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. Above all else, Banham liked the confidence level she brought on a daily basis.“I thought that I came out every game playing confident and at good pace and just being myself again and having fun...

New History Theatre season includes world premiere musicals about Betty Crocker and Harold Stassen

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

Five world premieres, including musicals about Betty Crocker and the late Minnesota governor Harold Stassen, are on tap for the History Theatre’s 2023-24 season.“I am most interested in stories of joy, triumph and determination that appreciate and celebrate the human experience,” said the St. Paul theater’s new artistic director Richard D. Thompson in a news release. “The expansive season examines over 100 years of history from the 1920s through today. All the stories are relevant to today’s world, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to the theater to experience them.”Season subscriptions are now available at $270 (five shows), $220 (four shows) and $179 (three shows), with discounts available for seniors. Single tickets go on sale July 11. See historytheatre.com for details.The lineup includes:“The Boy Wonder” (Oct. 5-29): Minnesota’s youngest governor, Harold Stassen, is the subject of this musical from Keith Hovis. Stassen was elected in 1938 and went on to esta...

Pride baseball team finally hits the field and earns a 2-0 start

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

By Garrett SimmonsFor Sunny South NewsIt has been a 2-0 start so far for the Kate Andrews Pride High School Baseball team.A season that has been marred by poor weather, which has resulted in numerous postponements, finally got underway for the Coaldale squad with a league game against Magrath.Kate Andrews ran away with a 14-5 win over the Zeniths, as the Pride offence turned out to be too much for Magrath,“All around, I think we got contributions up and down the lineup, but we had a couple players step up big offensively,” said head coach Daniel Griffith.Ethan Honess as 4/5 with four runs batted in and four runs scored. J.T. Toker, 3/4 at the plate with three RBI and another four runs scored. He also added a walk.“We executed our game plan of being aggressive at the plate, and our pitchers challenged their hitters in the strike zone,” said Griffith, as he highlighted the keys to victory.On the mound, Conner Wittebolle went 5-1/3 with nine strikeouts and three earned runs, in a game ...

Chief West says province’s ambulance turnaround targets “lofty”, but doable

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsDirector of Emergency Services for the Town of Picture Butte Frank West said the province’s 45 minute goal for ambulance turnaround will require targeted collaboration between agencies to meet, but that it was time for the national benchmark to be adopted and pushed in Alberta.During the April 20 meeting of Picture Butte Council, West presented the Director of Emergency Services report touting a number of updates including the recent implementation of the province’s goal to get ambulances back out into the community faster and aim to have patients safely handed over to emergency department teams within 45 minutes. The benchmark is not a directive per se, but rather a “target” which falls in line with national benchmarks, said West.West said overall he is hearing reports that the effort has been going, “Very well,” in other parts of Alberta.“It’s been very successful in Calgary,” since it began nearly two months ago, and in Medicine Hat shortly thereaf...

Province invests in post-secondaries in southern Alberta

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

By Trevor BuschSunny South [email protected] provincial government recently announced $193 million will be invested in post-secondary institutions to create up to 8,000 new seats in high-demand programs in health care, technology and business.Here in southern Alberta, that translates into 288 new seats for a total investment of $6,101,506 at Medicine Hat College and the University of Lethbridge.“I think it’s a great thing,” said Taber-Warner MLA Grant Hunter. “One of the issues we’re facing right now is labour, we need to have skilled labourers to be able to get everything done that we’re doing in terms of the food processing corridor, just the growth that we’re seeing in the province. Our problem isn’t unemployment. It’s the labour crisis, we just don’t have enough skilled labourers to do the work. So there has to be that investment in our post-secondary education system.”Medicine Hat College will see a $2,105,084 investment for the Practical Nursing program (96 seats).T...

Private school funding is out of whack

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

Imagine if Elon Musk said that the state of California should help fund his private planes and helicopters because he still pays taxes for state highways even though he doesn’t use them. Shouldn’t the government fund choice in transportation?Seems absurd, doesn’t it? Even for Elon Musk.What if I want to hire a personal security detail to follow me around? Shouldn’t the government use some of the police budget to pay for my security? Don’t you support choice in protective services?So why is the view on education treated so differently? Why, in Alberta, do we believe that we must fund a public education system and also fund the wants of people who choose not to use it?It’s not the same in other provinces.Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island don’t fund private schools.Even provinces that do fund private schools fund them at a lower rate than we do. In B.C., some private schools receive 50 per cent of the funding of public schools, but...

AMWWP grants to support critical water infrastructure in southern AB

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsGrant funding provided by the Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Program (AMWWP) has been awarded to a number of southern Alberta municipalities in recent weeks.The AMWWP provides cost-shared funding to eligible municipalities and are used to help build and upgrade municipal facilities for water supply and treatment, and wastewater treatment and disposal.Among several successful municipal applicants in the south were the Towns of Coaldale, Picture Butte, Taber and Vauxhall, as well as the Villages of Stirling and Barons.MLA for Taber-Warner, Grant Hunter said the investments in the south’s critical water and wastewater infrastructure, “is a foundational piece of supporting economic growth and development across southern Alberta, and Canada’s Premier Food Corridor,” along Highway 3.The Town of Coaldale received $525,000 to go towards engineering costs for a potable water reservoir pump station. With growth in the town on the rise, the core infrastructu...

Kate Andrews Spring Band concert returning in June

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:16:00 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsAfter three years of health restrictions and cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, current and former music students at Kate Andrews High School are finally getting the opportunity again to showcase their talents in an end-of-year concert.With the return to pre-pandemic gatherings and events, the school’s music director, Scott Godin is reaching out to former students to spread the word about the upcoming performance, which will give those impacted by the restrictions the chance to partake in this year’s concert.Godin said, “the past few years have been difficult, and the music students at Kate Andrews have missed out on doing concerts for a few years due to COVID.”Although Godin is hoping to reach former students from the 2020-2022 graduating classes, all former students are “welcome to take part.” The concert will feature pieces studied and learned by students during this time, including Cajun Folk Songs (2018), Aladdin (2019), and finishing th...