News Optimsit December 13

News

Budget work continues

Sports

Everybody Has a Story

North Stars win sixth straight

11

3 Kirsten Hancock

News Watch

Haggling in Cancun

Garden Chat

Rosemary‘s roots

19

6

5

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Volume 109 No. 21

North Battleford, Sask.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

News this week Staff

Leggo My Lego After 30 days of building, a total of 26 teams with builders ranging in age from three to 20, showed off their Lego designs at Living Faith Chapel Sunday for the inaugural Ho Ho Ho Lego Festival Fundraiser. As of press time, the event had raised $920 for Crystal’s Home. For more photos turn to Page 2. Photo by Lucas Punkari

Is sending out a

HUGE

This is the final edition of the Tuesday NewsOptimist in 2016.

Battlefords Publishing staff will be working feverishly over the next couple weeks to ensure the Regional Optimist hits the street in a timely fashion while allowing staff time with family and friends around Christmas and New Year’s Day. In other news, the City of North Battleford council is mulling over the details of the City’s 2017 budget.

Three evening budget deliberation sessions wrapped up Wednesday in a marathon session that left some questions still up in the air.

The budget came formally before council Monday.

Refer to Thursday’s, Regional Optimist or www. newsoptimist.ca for details from that meeting.

For more on the deliberations please turn to Page 3.

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PAGE 2 - Tuesday, December 13, 2016

A Festive Battlefords Weekend

Members of the Battlefords Children’s Choir sang Candlelight Canon at the Dekker Centre Sunday afternoon during the Wintersong choir concert.

Battlefords North Stars forward Coby Downs embraced a stuffed lion after scoring this year’s Teddy Bear Toss night goal in Friday’s 2-0 win over the Yorkton Terriers at the Civic Centre.

Photos

by Lucas Punkari

A wide array of intricate Lego designs were on display at Living Faith Chapel Sunday for the Ho Ho Ho Lego Festival Fundraiser. For more details see Page 1.

North Battleford native and soprano singer Tricia Florence preformed Holy Infant’s Lullaby during the Wintersong choir concert at the Dekker Centre Sunday afternoon.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - PAGE 3

Budget deliberations

Debt limit increase, police contract uncertainty highlights final night

By John Cairns Staff Reporter

Much uncertainty remaines about the 2017 operations and capital budget that is headed to council Monday.

Budget deliberations wrapped up Wednesday with a number of issues still outstanding and up in the air, particularly with respect to some big-ticket major projects.

Most of the budget’s proposed increases remained intact following the final budget session, though e v e n t h o s e nu mb er s could still change.

The proposed three per cent property tax increase is still on, so is the three per cent increase in base water and sewer and three per cent hike in consumption rates. Waste management fees and UPAR are also going up.

But two major issues remained unresolved as the budget headed to council Monday, and both were big ones.

One was whether the City would proceed with raising the debt limit, in order to fund a small but significant number of major capital projects.

Three of the major projects that would need a debt limit increase to proceed would be City Hall renovations ($3 million), a new

force main for the sewer system ($18 million), and both downtown redevelopment phase 1 ($520,000) and phase 2 ($1,600,000).

Another major project would be Civic Centre replacement, but that is well into the future.

No immediate decisions were made Wednesday on whether council will proceed with raising the debt limit, or whether they will even move ahead with these projects in 2017.

15,000, the City’s costshare will go up to 90 per cent as opposed to its current 70 per cent.

City officials estimated that would add an additional cost to the City of about $800,000 for the 2017 budget year, starting April 1. On an annual basis, the cost would be about $1 million.

Those numbers weren’t included in the 2017 budget, but if the census numbers do hit 15,000, the budget hit would have to be addressed.

“There’s a risk that this budget will need to be revisited in February,” said Gillan Gillan.

At that point council would discuss the options available. Gillan stressed it did not necessarily mean an increase in taxation. There could be offsetting cost-savings found as well.

The City would also have to shoulder some additional capital costs and officials indicated the City has a small reserve set up to handle some of those costs of about $200,000.

Gillan also noted more money could come in from the municipal operating grant, due to the increase in population.

While this looming budget hit was a concern, it might not happen.

City Manager Jim Puffalt said that their own best estimate was that

There’s a risk that this budget will need to be revisited in February, – David If they did go ahead, Director of Finance David Gillan indicated that could impact the numbers for the final property tax and utility increases, which were calculated based on those projects for which funding was identified.

The second issue was described as the “elephant in the room” that could throw the entire budget out of whack ‑ the potential change of the City’s costshare for its contract with the RCMP. Results of the national census are expected on Feb. 8, 2017 and Gillan noted that according to the contract between the City and the RCMP, if North Battleford’s official population meets or exceeds

Mayor Ryan Bater and members of council spent another four hours Wednesday deliberating over details of the 2017 budget for the City of North Battleford.

Photo by John Cairns

North Battleford’s population would come in under the threshold, at around 14,500.

“We don’t think it’s going to happen, but you never know,” said Puffalt.

As it stood Wednesday, the next step for the budget process called for a number of resolutions to go to council for approval Monday.

But given the issues that remained it was possible that all, part, or even none of the budget could be approved by council at that meeting.

Administration has been pushing for at least part of the budget to be passed before the end of the year, to allow them to get on with the tendering process for major projects.

If more time is required after Monday’s meeting, the budget could still return for

approval at a special meeting.

The final budget session Wednesday proved the most rigorous of all three budget sessions that took place at City Hall over the previous week, with the meeting lasting well over four hours and with several presentations made.

The long-awaited discussion of the debt limit was raised early on by Mayor Ryan Bater. It is currently set at $45 million and would require an application to the province to proceed.

Puffalt made the point that these projects — City Hall, the downtown redevelopment, the force main — couldn’t continue to be put off. With City Hall, he pointed to no elevators in the building and various accessibility issues, and a building showing its age.

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“We have to do something,” said Puffalt, adding if they were going to raise the debt limit, it was better to do it one time because it was “not something the City should do lightly.”

One issue councillors had was that some of these projects, in particular downtown redevelopment, weren’t even finalized.

Bater noted the downtown master plan has yet to come to council and is yet to be approved.

“How can we reasonably approve money for something without really knowing what it is?” he said.

The idea of a debt limit increase gave councillors a lot to think about. Councillor Greg Lightfoot made it known that he understood why debt was an option.

Continued on Page 7

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PAGE 4 - Tuesday, December 13, 2016

From this

CORNER

By Becky Doig Editor

Look around and it is difficult to escape the fact that Christmas is coming and there is just nothing we can do about its inevitable arrival.

The crazy hype of it all must seem mysterious to new Canadians, and likely terribly confusing. After all, here is a widely embraced holiday that has pagan origins, a strong religious component and is a secular spend fest for many. One example of our confusion was a school report that indicated the students made Advent calendars featuring Santa Claus.

I think even those of us who are familiar with the traditions of what we are exhorted, in the interests of inclusiveness, to call “The Holidays,” are often conflicted about the rites and rituals. So we pick and choose those that serve our needs best and, in true Canadian fashion, pass no judgement on those who embrace others or ignore the holiday all together.

In a newspaper operation, Christmas just “happens.”

As we strive to meet crazy deadlines, while allowing those with family in far off places some time off to spend time with those dear to them, the age old question, “Are you ready for Christmas?” has only one answer.

“Christmas just happens.”

And note I’m using that naughty word “Christmas.”

Because, face it folks, that is what it is, that wonky tradition with pagan roots, religious overtones and a solid secular following. No one would dare suggest Hanukkah be dubbed “The Holidays,” nor a Hindu festival, of which there are dozens, be referred to as anything other than its proper name.

I know new Canadians who embrace Christmas just the way most of us do, by picking and choosing what appeals to them. Heck, they even leave their Christmas lights up all year round. What’s more Canadian than that?

Letter

Too many rules Dear Editor Oh us seniors! After 70 some years, due to age and health, we thought a move to the city was in order, so off we go to find a new home.

Luckily we found a nice new condo with third floor view. After getting all the T’s crossed and I’s dotted we were ready to move in, but not all of us. I stayed on the farm and the better half moved in to get things in order.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention there are rules — make sure the garbage is bagged right, you can’t do this and can’t do that, and, oh yes, there is the pet policy. That’s another story.

Oh well we have had our taste of condo life and we are back to being just ourselves. How did we seniors make it this far without rules?

Lyle Russell Rural North Battleford

Letter

Standing behind Standing Rock Dear Editor Dec. 1, I had the opportunity to attend a fundraising benefit concert, Rock for Standing Rock, which was presented by eight concerned citizens with the name Water Is Life: Treaty 6 - The Battlefords and held at the basement of the Legion Hall on 100th Street in North Battleford.

The event had been attended by close to 200 people and raised $2,098.70 in donations collected through admission and a silent auction of donated itmes. The funds will be deposited into the Oceti Sakowin Camp’s PayPal account to help with occupants of the camp survive the winter months.

Several local bands such as the Reckless Famous, Blue Spirits and Ralphie Ralph as well as numerous performers of poetry and rap music all gave generously of their time and energy. Birgit Lessing of Battleford was invited to speak on behalf of her friend who was in Standing Rock and had been arrested, charged with felonies while participating in a prayer circle. Lessing shared accounts of how her friend (and others) were treated while being detained. I will not go into detail, but will say the treatment was inhumane.

A hot meal was served consisting of chili and bannock, moose stew, vegetables and fruit, all of which were brought in potluck style. Videos of and from Standing Rock were projected on a wall while everyone enjoyed food and the friendly atmosphere. The silent auction continued throughout the evening.

The gathering gave an opportunity for everyone to come together in peace and unity for the greater good,

showing solidarity, because, in fact, we experienced our own oil spill four months ago, the same kind of spill Standing Rock is trying to avoid.

Not everyone can make it to Standing Rock, N.D. so we thought holding a fundraiser benefit concert was the next best thing to show the world that, yes, we do care, yes, we are listening and, yes, we can do something.

Thank you to my comrades and to Standing Rock, Oceti Sakowin Camp for showing us how to stand up, to stand peacefully in solidarity with all humanity and for being a shining light in the collective consciousness.

It is my hope that in the future we will see more citizens attending to show support for the greater good.

Water is life.

Lori Nicotine North Battleford

Letters to the editor are welcomed by the NewsOptimist. All letters, including those which are faxed or e-mailed, must be signed and bear the address and telephone number of the writer. The name of the writer will be published. Letters are subject to editing. Personal attacks will not be printed. Letters will be rejected if they contain libelous statements or are unsigned.

Published since 1905

A community newspaper published Tuesdays

by Battlefords Publishing Ltd. 892 104th Street, North Battleford, Saskatchewan S9A 1M9 (Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to the above) Telephone: 306-445-7261 – Fax: 306-445-3223 Email: newsoptimist.news@sasktel.net Personal Delivery Charge — Out of Town $44.29 Plus GST.

Becky Doig Editor

John Cairns Reporter

Shannon Kovalsky Reporter

Lucas Punkari Sports Reporter

Alana Schweitzer Publisher

Valorie Higgs Sales Manager

Scott McMillan Advertising

Candace Mack-Horton Advertising

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - PAGE 5

Rummaging around souvenir markets in Cancun November turned out to be an exciting month for me on a personal level.

I went on vacation to Cancun, Mexico. Now, folks, did you think I was going to talk about something else? Visiting Mexico was definitely the most interesting thing to happen last month, ranking way ahead of the election of Donald Trump.

I have Mr. Trump to thank for motivating me to go on this trip. After all of Trump’s anti-Mexico ranting and raving, I felt compelled to do something, in my own small way, to respond and show my solidarity with the Mexican people.

Besides, I had never been to Mexico before and I finally decided to see what the place was about.

Finding a deal for Cancun took some looking around. In the end, I booked a hotel at the outskirts of the hotel zone that catered mainly to business people.

It fit my cheapskate budget and the location was right down the street from the Plaza las Americas Mall, which had plenty of Mexican and American chain stores.

I soon fell into a routine for “life in Mexico,” developed mainly to minimize my chances of food poisoning, getting robbed or being swallowed by crocodiles, which is a real hazard down by the lagoon.

I would spend the afternoons riding a bus into the “Hotel Zone,” where I would eat at Americanbased chain restaurants and gawk at local Cancun landmarks like Coco Bongo, Senor Frog’s and other establishments.

The rest of the time I would sit on my balcony at the hotel, enjoying 30 C heat while the TV was tuned to Mexican allsports channels.

newsoptimist.john@sasktel.net On those channels was coverage of soccer games from Mexico or Europe, or NFL games from the United States.

I will say this about Mexico’s TV sports networks: they focus only on the sports that really matter to people in the world.

It is also painfully obvious hockey isn’t considered one of them.

I didn’t do the fancy excursions to see the Aztec ruins or any of those.

My goal was to decompress and enjoy “summer” again, and do some shopping. Mainly, I wanted to find one particular ornament.

Years before, I received a souvenir from former reporter Jayne Foster after one of her many trips to Cancun.

It was a keychain, and attached to it was a flat, rubberized cartoon frog wearing a hat.

I named this creature “Sombrero the Frog.” But in reality, this frog wasn’t wearing a sombrero at all, but a big straw hat.

Somehow, “Straw Hat Frog” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite so well.

I was quite delighted with the frog souvenir, which I attached to my collection of keys. But the story took a tragic turn.

One day, Sombrero the Frog disappeared.

My guess was that he had fallen off at a North Battleford parking lot.

After a brief and futile search of local parking lots, I finally knew where Sombrero was. He had gone back to Mexico!

I realized there was one chance of getting him back, and that was to go to Cancun and try to find him in a souvenir store there. Now I had my opportunity.

There were no shortage of stores and flea markets in Cancun’s hotel zone. I walked by one of these artisan markets and the proprietor literally dragged me off the street to show me what he had.

“Give me two minutes of your time!” a guy said.

“Oh, all right.”

It ended up being three or four guys in there, spending 10 minutes trying desperately to sell me something. They had mugs, they had blankets, all sorts of things. When I told them I was from Saskatchewan, they pointed out an unusual item for sale.

It was a skull, with a Saskatchewan Roughriders helmet and logo painted onto it.

Considering what the fans go through in following the Roughriders, I thought this was oddly appropriate.

In part because I was impressed they had a Roughriders skull for sale, I finally agreed to take a tequila glass and a T-shirt with a Corona logo on it. Then they told me the price they wanted for these items: “Sixteen fifty!”

“Wait a minute,” I said.

“One thousand, six hundred and fifty pesos?!”

Indeed.

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Boy, was I insulted.

These guys claimed 1,650 pesos was a good deal when you took into account the exchange rate, but I knew full well what the exchange rate was and there was no way it was this bad. This wasn’t Venezuela.

What happened next was the Mexican shopping experience called “bargaining,” where the customer and merchant negotiate and barter for a price they can agree on.

Finally, we struck a deal. I would have the tequila glass and the Tshirt for $20. Better yet, they even agreed to accept the amount in Canadian currency!

I handed them my $20 Canadian bill and got the heck out of there before they tried to sell me something else.

As I headed off, I took one last look. One of those guys was staring at the $20 bill and clearly had a look on his face going “what the heck is this?”

In reality, these guys should be pleased with how they made out on their sale, because I’m sure I overpaid by at least $10.

Worse yet, I didn’t find what I was really looking for — the keychain of the frog wearing the straw hat.

Finally, I went into one of the many Plaza la Fiesta souvenir stores in Cancun.

It was inside the building across the street from Senor Frog’s, where the Hard Rock Café was also located.

I was hopeful because I was told before the trip

Sombrero the Frog hopped the flight back to Canada with me. Photo by John Cairns

this was likely where they had the frog keychains in stock.

After searching all over the store, I found the keychain section. Sure enough, my search was over.

There was Sombrero the Frog, on the shopping

rack, looking quite pleased with himself.

You know how this story ends.

Sombrero the Frog is now happily back home in the Battlefords, in a secure undisclosed location where he won’t run off back to Cancun in a hurry.

Remember to winterize your vehicles and get your winter tires before the snow flies!

FOUR K AUTO 1761-100th St.,North Battleford

Attention Readers Because of a hectic Christmas and New Year’s Production schedule and statutory holidays the News-Optimist (Tuesday edition) will not be published December 20 & 27

REGULAR PRODUCTION RESUMES TUESDAY, JANUARY 3

306-937-2696

PAGE 6 - Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Kristen Hancock:

t n e d n e p e d n i y l Happi

so many “I’ve thought about it t of town, ou y I want wa rt ing sho eth a e som liv it’s o s, times and, ye to get ents, wh e nhil Ha aw r, me the k Ra too so. it nd e, or , you wo er are “Of cours ays her , every other week to to do, but then again n tio na mi ter de Kr isten Hancock isn’t alw she’s to that point,” says Hancock, laughing by d ough to do it.” was spurre days, herself, you smart en t to that point, cock to ge t to bu e , ers tim ilities is a g oth easiest critic, but these lon to t g, jus lon Questioning her own ab trying y prove, not ts. In her “a pp en ha t shm ry an pli ve me om I’m is . acc r Th ck he ba of. of proud uldn’t go what she was capable bit that she says she’s o pa rt-time but I wo s young, how bad ha ntly.” wa de en late 20s, Hancock has tw she ep ce ind sin h sometimes, Haning , liv ing e ow store and on works for kn ting to work on, thoug easy to change. k set oc d nc an Ha ay ek ed we a som jobs — one in a grocer y e ys da liv Two wished to cock admits, it’s not in a one-bedstore as a custo- she of in a daycare — and lives few hours at a grocer y .

“I’m always the kind als y b go my ts pu room apartment o wh n rso pe een tw h Be ug lf. tho rse n he self down eve work, a week ly shouldn’t, I’m sure I exercise class and most people do it,” she hobbies, Hancock says descr ibes her life Living on her own, as “very busy.”

Hancock still has someIn her free time one come in to help with Hancock says she anything she needs, esyan ing do es lik pecially cook ing. Using thing crafty, althe oven is something t though she espeshe str uggles with, bu can ing ok cially likes latch co s me eti som hook. After a be a gratifying chald quick look aroun lenge.

Hancock’s com“I’m not too compact living area, I tab for le living by my ok ho ,” ch on lat a en spy self with the ov rug in its beginsays. “I panic that she ning stages on the night before I go to desk and a brightbed like ‘did I leave the al, red lou co ly oven on?’” though somewhat The sta kes are high, worn, latch hook er with heat involved s ge en all ch rug in front of the k oc nc Ha so television, which rself with prepa ring he com, Hancock food without the oven pleted a few years too. ago. Each rug can “If I try to ma ke ar ye a to up e tak something easy, I try to complete and to do it myself before they aren’t pa rask ing [for help] and ticula rly durable sometimes I sur prise it’s t bu s, say she myself by doing it and bthe le are t op sn’ pe wa he y “T ntl s, de en say ep d one of her favourite ho an dian ly crap, I can do it,’ Living ind there for quite a rself and [I’ll] go, ‘ho he ng rki for wo set k en oc be e nc bies.

I’v Ha t e. ge ?” only tar r, Hancock’s nic life. Han- you know To an outside obser ve few years now.” plished in her young th the successes, om wi riacc en ina Ev ord ee thr its er of she oth se ars cau the ye be r urs for ho ilia ew fam few kn a is o life And for s she als s, being special ncock, her jobs, lps out at the cock say to work with children some- Hancock say he k oc nc Ha ek we ness. However, for Ha a s always a voice would like rticular, her in- days to sta rt needs, there’ ing go t no ’s she . her apartment and, in pa h are ug yc ho da ething she takes ying anything day, alt her laurels; she has since set of doubt. and dependence aren’t som “I love the daycare. Pla sup de “Like with cook ing tsi ou like my resting on of t’s lot a tha k re e. too the iev It d.

I’m ach if to nte s, e nt gra lik for the kid ss, you wa to new goals she’d stence to get to with s, “I’m tak ing a cla say k oc nc Ha ” ce. th, port and her own persi pla wi y happ To begin u put your mind to ycare pa rt- do it, yo her own since her da a on in ed rk liv wo g e where she is today. yb vin ma Ha to hoping n you tur n a corner and int, I mean, r than holding it, the k didn’t take much lonhe oc rat nc that “I think there was a po ,” Ha job 0s, e d-2 on mi at e re think, ‘well am I really I thought the her age to tim she . le lie ure op to pe fut st the ing mo In go n t ce. tha no , on all I’m s at if at tament down two job l smart?’” ybe I wouldn’t ger, ht on her own, which is a tes like to go back to schoo t t was a point where ma ou gh rt mi sta she s gly say sin Stopping negative thoug to pri but sur ation cer tifiand perseverance uc ed ess t gn od bu ho llin k, ild wi [be independent] ever, tas r ch y he rly eas to ea for an patterns is no says Hancock, to d me that never was the case,” see t sn’ ha so far, it chair at her din fact, sm iling, perched on a and d sse slow Hancock down. In sse po lfSe le. her de ning room tab ma it seems to have ms capable of s ree ag good-humoured, she see her mind to. e Sh d. ne more deter mi sets Even though I’m special ing ch achieving anything she rea t tha st ge , when I sug spina bifida ful Hancock was born with rd co l na a goal is more meaning spi the ing needs and I have spina ect aff ur yo a bir th defect on re when you get the ical problems d on sec that can cause neurolog u yo er bifida, I’m living on my own, even aft . In pa rticular, and lea rning disabilities y with mem. elf urs guess yo ult t Hancock has some diffic own and I’m proud of that. ing on And it cer tainly hasn’ cti un h-f hig is t bu g tin set ory and balance, m stopped her fro ubled with balfuand is mainly only tro en wh or ” goals for herself in the ses po k oc nc ance “doing some yoga — Kristen Hancock Ha w, no a r ture. Fo or don’t have icy are t tha irs sta . ck ng ba usi isn’t letting it hold her t tha t handrail. fac “I just like the obstacles in With life setting a few ch her . rea too e, es, cat nc en I get up in the mornara ies pe wh ult ap fic eby t’s still som the added dif tha th h, wi ug n tho her path, Hancock has, eve I’m go , w, als no t go gh s Ri - ing I know where hough she ha ter alt de y, un thl s. d oo ed an ne sm t l d inc cia ge ist spe na ind g ma vin at I’m doing and where in the ick to credit her of ha Hancock ing and wh us, le, the driving force of op st pe mo e ke som Li had help. Hancock is qu . r Fo ure ited by that fact. mined fut d notes that they dent may be spurred guessing her- I get exc en d ep on ind sec to me pa rents with this fact an co ne be mu to im “Even though I’m spe d her own apartthemselves from isn’t spi helped her find jobs an ve ha I by a wish to separate d an f. s nt cial need Hancock, sel r wa Fo u n. yo tio if ua elf sit urs le yo ab nt. on sir re me ing “You prepa endent for a an unde u na bifida, I’m liv e, and she “I’ve wanted to be indep e on something, and yo s definitely not the cas ud of urs wa pro s co a thi I’m e d t tak an tha to n y ow y pp pp ha my very “very ha a long very long time and I’m scr ibes her childhood as s her pa r- think about it now, even if it’s de that.” ock. see I’ve got to that point. time coming,” says Hanc and very exciting” and

Debt limit needs thorough consideration: councillors Continued from Page 3 “If we don’t use debt, we have to significantly increase taxes,” said Lightfoot.

“And no one wants to pay more tax, so if we manage the tax base by using the debt to our favour, I’m 100 per cent in agreement with that.”

Some councillors wanted time to seriously consider all the information. Councillor Len Taylor made clear he didn’t want to rush ahead.

“This is not something we do in five minutes,” said Taylor.

Councillor Kelli Hawtin was of the same mindset.

“This requires a lot of attention. Not 10 minutes,” she said.

UPAR

After that extensive opening discussion, the deliberations moved on to the department presentations, starting with fire and protective services by Director of Protective Services/Fire Chief Albert Headrick, followed by the underground pipes and roads discussion.

In that discussion, City Engineer Bob Anthony called for continued expansion of the program for 2016.

The program had been introduced a couple of years ago to address the need to replace the City’s aging underground pipes

and asphalt in a timely manner. Bater noted dealing with this issue of aging pipes was a concern faced by cities across Saskatchewan and Canada.

Later on in the meeting, administration proposed the UPAR increase for 2017 and it includes an increase from $3.60 per foot frontage to $4.60.

That would be combined with the UPAR component from the utility bill, with an increase of $70 per year.

Gillan said the increases were necessary for the program to “maintain momentum.” But as with the debt-limit proposal and those projects impacted, it was not immediately clear whether council will support the UPAR increases.

During the last two city budgets, council pared back administration’s UPAR rate and frontage proposals both times.

Gillan then made the presentation for the general

16123DS2

government budget, which includes $25,000 towards a new information technology payroll position and $63,000 for a human resources payroll co-ordinator position.

There were also presentations by those seeking third-party grants from the city.

Of the delegations before council Wednesday, new transit manager Treena Rathwell made the request for North Battleford Transit System (including Handi-Bus) for $353,000; North Battleford Golf and Country Club president Chad Gartner asked for the annual capital grant of $50,000 to maintain the water and sewer utility infrastructure at the golf course; General Manager Moe McGuinty of the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts requested an operating grant of $220,000; Dr. Shawn Haas representing the Animal

Control/Humane Society requested an operating grant of $72,000; and Russ Brown representing Destination Battlefords sought $116,000 in funding.

For that last grant request, Bater declared a conflict of interest, and recused himself from that discussion.

With the budget deliberation portion of the discussion now over, the process now moves to council. Resolutions on various portions of the budget, including separate ones for operations and capital, were expected to come up at Monday’s final scheduled council meeting of 2017. With many details still to be finalized with the 2017 budget, the discussion was expected to be extensive.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - PAGE 7

News-Optimist.ca Last week’s News-Optimist online poll:

With city budget talks still underway, what should the budget priority be?

• Avoid all tax increases.

26% • Pay down the debt and do not raise the debt limit.

26% • Maintain all service levels.

6% • Focus spending on infrastructure, roads and pipes.

19% • Focus on public safety and more policing.

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This week’s News-Optimist online poll: With the big day just two weeks away, how are you doing with your Christmas shopping?

• I’ve already finished • I should be done in the next few days • I haven’t even started yet

PAGE 8 - Tuesday, December 13, 2016

ARC Creative Studios promotes Art for Xmas

By Shannon Kovalsky Staff Reporter

ARC Creative Studios, a combination studio space and gallery shared by 13 local artists, hosted a reception Wednesday to mark its latest exhibit, Art Gifts for Christmas.

Michael Brokop, ARC’s gallery co-ordinator, describes the art on offer as “small items for Christmas giving” ranging in price from $15 to $200.

With work by 13 local artists, as well as exhibits by visiting artists often featured, the beauty of ARC lies in its variety. Its gallery space is filled with pottery, canvas paintings and mixed media, masks and woodwork by visiting artist Gordon Munn.

With Christmas approaching, Brokop says they wanted to encourage North Battleford residents to consider shopping locally when gift giving this year.

“Art is for giving, in terms of when you have a person who has everything, why not give them something they can visually appreciate,” Brokop said, adding, “and small pictures can go anywhere.”

As opposed to going to Saskatoon to buy something mass-produced, Brokop says, “this way, there’s a personal touch and you’re supporting a local artist and I think that’s always positive.”

Chris Hodge, an artist at ARC, says Munn’s display of woodwork — featuring

spoons, bowls, sculpture and wine stoppers — was brought back to the gallery in time for Christmas because it’s perfect for gifting.

Munn, who lives on a farm out of town, says most of his pieces are made from local wood, including Manitoba maple and caragana. Not every piece is from so close to home, however. Munn says he also orders wood from British Columbia that he can’t find locally, including walnut and purple heart.

For his part, Hodge, whose latest pieces have featured figures and portraits done with acrylic, says he paints mainly for his own enjoyment and jokes that he doesn’t expect someone to buy the large,

painted canvas hanging in his studio area for a Christmas gift. Even still, Hodge does have smaller acrylic pieces available.

The gallery portion of ARC, which shows off pieces admirably with its large windows letting in natural light, is located

in the front of the space, directly when you enter.

ARC, located 1002 - 101st St., is open Friday and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

Art Gifts for Christmas is the theme of a current exhibit and sale at ARC Creative Studio in downtown North Battleford. Photos by Shannon Kovalsky

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Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - PAGE 9

Comfort quilts brighten the season

By Wilma Macdonald Guild Member

Season’s greetings from the Rivers’ Edge Quilters.

The December meeting began with a delicious potluck lunch. The meeting that followed was attended by 21 members and a guest.

The program for the new year was presented.

Several classes will be available including Hunter Star and Attic Windows.

The classes, reception at the Chapel Gallery, trunk

show and shopping days at the Don Ross Centre were reported to have been a success. Food and money collected Saturday went to the Lighthouse, pillowcases collected went to Interval House and placemats to meals on wheels. Comfort

quilts will be distributed to the Empty Stocking Fund and local care facilities.

Following the meeting a game was played with fat quarters being exchanged.

Show and tell completed the afternoon.

Our next meeting will be held in the Don Ross Craft Room next year on Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. If learning to quilt is one of your New Year’s resolutions please join us or for more information call June at 306445-3318.

June Newsham, left, and Irene Sack, right, present a $200 donation to Shylo Bolig, manager of The Lighthouse Serving the Battlefords. The funds represented proceeds from a recent vendors’ event hosted by the Rivers’ Edge Quilt Guild.

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PAGE 10 - Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Sheree Fertuck missing one year Someone knows something, police say Staff “I was asked what I want for Christmas and all I want is to have my daughter back home.”

– Sheree Fertuck’s mother, Julianne

Today marks one year since Sheree Fertuck was last seen by her family. She was reported missing on Dec. 8, 2015 and has not been seen since.

RCMP say they believe Fertuck is a victim of ho-

micide.

This conclusion comes after lengthy searches, analysis of evidence and overall investigation into her disappearance, according to the RCMP. RCMP invite the media

Drugs seized in Highway No. 16 vehicle stop Staff A vehicle stop on Highway No. 16 Wednesday has led to drug charges pending against three people.

Battlefords RCMP and the North Battleford Pro-

vincial General Investigation Section stopped the vehicle at about 8:45 p.m. approximately 10 kilometres east of the city.

Two men, aged 45 and 21, and one woman, aged 50, were subsequently ar-

rested. The vehicle was searched and a quantity of methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, hashish and prescription pills was seized. The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.

Radisson.

The driver of the pickup truck was transported by ambulance to hospital in Saskatoon with what were reported as non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the semi-tractor did not suffer any injuries.

No charges have been laid at this time and alcohol was not a factor in this collision, RCMP say.

The highway was opened shortly after the vehicles were removed from the scene. The matter remains under investigation.

Radisson crash under investigation Staff

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to follow along with social media accounts about Fertuck’s disappearance.

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knows what happened to Sheree. Please reach out to police with any information you may have,” says S/Sgt. Murray Chamberlin, acting officer in charge of F Division Major Crime.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - PAGE 11

Lucas Punkari

Sports Reporter

Phone: 306-445-7261 Fax: 306-445-3223

Email: newsoptimist.sports@sasktel.net

Six straight wins for North Stars

By Lucas Punkari Sports Reporter

There’s seemingly no slowing down the Battlefords North Stars.

After a pair of narrow wins earlier in the week, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League club turned in an impressive team performance Saturday at the Civic Centre, as they shut out the Kinderlsey Klippers 6-0 and cruised to their sixth straight victory.

“It was night and day compared to our last couple of games,” North Stars head coach and general manager Nate Bedford said.

“We focused on playing well defensively, and when you’re only up by a couple of goals after two periods, you can sometimes see guys at this level get away from the game plan to try and put the puck in the net.

The guys stuck with it tonight, which was great to see.”

Thanks to Saturday’s victory, a 2-0 shutout over the Yorkton Terriers at home Friday and a 3-2 win over the La Ronge Ice Wolves in Pinehouse Wednesday, the North Stars now have a record of 27-6-0-0 for the season.

They’ve also opened up a seven-point cushion over the Estevan Bruins in the race for first place in the SJHL standings.

The North Stars also haven’t allowed a goal in

Battlefords North Stars defenceman Connor Sych blocked the view of Kindersley Klippers netminder Nick Trenciansky at the Civic Centre Saturday night. Photo by Lucas Punkari

123:19 of game action, with a late third period marker

by Derek Patter of the Ice Wolves being the last one from an opposing team.

Joel Grzybowski made 19 saves Friday and Taryn Kotchorek turned aside 25 shots Saturday as both netminders earned their third shutouts of the season.

“Right now, everyone is communicating well in our end of the ice,” North Stars defenceman Connor Manegre said.

“We’re blocking lots of shots and we’re clearing the puck out of our own end on a regular basis.

We’re not spending a lot of time in our end, and we’re all trying to do whatever we can to make our goalies’ jobs easier.”

Manegre was also a part of one of the big highlights on Saturday’s game, as he scored his first career SJHL goal in the dying seconds of the third period.

“The guys helped me out a lot on that one,” Manegre said. “They all knew that I didn’t have a goal yet, so they were just throwing everything on net.

“The puck was loose in front of their goalie and I

had a wide-open net to shoot at. I kind of blacked out afterwards because I was so fired up.”

The North Stars had a spread out offensive attack Saturday with the other goals coming from Kendall Fransoo, Ben Allen, Bryce Hall, Connor Logan and Keaton Holinaty.

“We’re trying to prepare for the playoffs here,” Bedford said.

“The other coaches in this league are good at finding ways to shut certain guys down. If we are able to spread the goals around, that will make

us more successful in the end.”

Fransoo, Allen, Hall and Holinaty all had a goal and an assist Saturday, while Coby Downs dished out two helpers.

Downs provided the offence for the North Stars Friday against the Terriers, as he picked up a goal and had an assist on Layne Young’s third period marker.

“I think it’s good for us to have more of these hardearned wins,” Downs said.

“There’s going to be times when you may not have the best of perfor-

mances, but you’re able to find a way to get it done, and that’s what we did tonight.”

Downs got his team on the board midway through the second period as he found the back of the net for this year’s Teddy Bear Toss goal.

“Everyone on the team wants to score that goal, and it was nice to get it out of the way,” Downs said.

“We had several chances earlier on in the game, and the pressure was starting to build a little bit.”

Wednesday’s neutral site game in Pinehouse nearly saw the North Stars cough up a three-goal lead as Patter found the back of the net on two occasions.

“We didn’t do a good job of taking care of things in our own end,” Bedford said.

“If we want to have a chance to win a championship, we need to be much better defensively on the road.”

Fransoo, Downs and Owen Lamb all scored for the North Stars in the victory.

The North Stars are now gearing up for a busy four games in five-night stretch prior to the Christmas Break.

They will host the Flin Flon Bombers at the Civic Centre on Wednesday and Friday, visit the Terriers Saturday and travel to Melville to face the Millionaires Sunday.

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Local gymnasts hoping to qualify for provincials

By Lucas Punkari Sports Reporter

Third-year gymnasts Hailey Dyck and Kyra Kolenosky are preparing for their biggest challenge yet.

The Battleford Gymnastics Club teammates will be competing in three meets this winter as they look to qualify for the provincial championships in Saskatoon next May. “I’m really excited about it,” Dyck said. “It’s something that will be completely different for both of us and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“There’s a little bit of nerves that go along with it,” Kolenosky added.

“We’re going to be the first two gymnasts from here that have competed at that level in quite awhile, but I’m looking forward to it.”

According to BGC head coach Danielle Clark, it has been over a decade since the club has had any

gymnasts compete at a provincial level.

“It’s a huge deal for us and having them both move up at the same time is a big step for everyone here,” Clark said.

“For the younger gymnasts that are here, it really gives them something to look up towards. A year from now, when Hailey and Kyra will have the chance to have their own music and own routines, it will be a huge eye-opener for everyone.”

Dyck and Kolenosky are both all-around competitors and will be competing in the vault, floor exercise, balance beam and uneven bars events this year.

“I’m a huge fan of the fun, flipping competitions, so I love the balance beam and floor exercise,” Dyck said. “When I first started, my biggest fear was falling and hurting myself in those events, but I was able to work through that and I be-

came a lot more confident in myself.”

“For me, the biggest challenge at first was getting used to going backwards on the balance beam and figuring out all of the things that go along with that,” Kolenosky added.

“The uneven bars and floor exercise events are the ones I like the most, but I really enjoy learning new things in all of the competitions and seeing what I’m capable of doing.”

The first provincial level event for the duo will take place on Feb. 11 and 12 at the Marain Gymnastics Invitational in Saskatoon.

They will also compete at the Can-Am Invitational in Saskatoon on March 25 and 26, and the Prince Albert Invitational on April 8 and 9.

The provincial championships will take place in Saskatoon from May 12 to 14.

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“In the past, they’ve both competed in one or two major events a year, so this will be a step up for them when it comes to amount of competitions they’ve been in,” Clark said.

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Road success continues for AAA Stars in Yorkton

By Lucas Punkari

They knew that the scoring chances would come and they were rewarded for it.”

Luke Reid scored the only goal in the shootout, while Lance Alm stopped all three attempts from the Maulers.

Reid, Jaden Shewchuk and Jordan Mish found the back of the net for the Stars in regulation and Alm made 25 saves The Maulers were led on offence by the line of Kaleb Bulych, Derrick Budz and MacKenzie Walkington.

Budz scored twice and had an assist, Bulych found the back of the net once and dished out two helpers, while Walkington helped to set up all three goals.

The dangerous trio all took shots in the shootout, but they were all turned aside by Alm. Sunday’s win was highlighted by a great goaltending performance by Joseph Young, as he made 39 saves to stave off a late comeback bid by the Maulers.

“He was squaring up to the puck, smothering up the puck when it was around the net, and he had a great glove hand,” Fauchon said.

“It was hard to get anything by him today.”

Mackenzie Donovan led the way on offence for the Stars with a pair of goals.

Sports Reporter

The Battlefords AAA Stars are becoming a tough test for any Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League team that welcomes them into their rink.

Thanks to a pair of 4-3 wins over the Yorkton Maulers at the Farrell Agencies Arena this weekend, the Stars have now won five straight games away from the friendly confines of the Civic Centre.

“The way that we have been playing over the last six games here has been impressive to watch,” Stars head coach Jean Fauchon said.

“We’re keeping things simple. We’re forechecking hard and putting pucks on net. Everyone’s buying in at the moment and it’s showing in our results.”

The Stars overcame some adversity Saturday night as they bounced back from a late Maulers goal to come away with the victory in the shootout.

“You don’t want to ever harp on the refereeing, but it was horrible in that game,” Fauchon said.

“They kept giving us phantom calls to put Yorkton back into it.

“Our guys did a great job of staying calm and sticking to the game plan.

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Tyson Meyers had a goal and an assist, while Reid concluded his solid weekend with a pair of assists.

Tye Scherger also scored in the victory.

Trey Bear, Ryder Pierson and Max Gudnasson all scored for the Maulers in the loss.

The Stars are now 5-1 for the month of December.

They have improved their record to 11-12-1-1 for the season and have moved into a tie for seventh place in the SMAAAHL standings with the Maulers.

They are also just one point behind the Prince Albert Mintos and the Swift Current Legionnaires for fifth place.

Prior to the Christmas break, the Stars will have a tough test this weekend as they’ll host the Regina Pat Canadians, who are only two points behind the league-leading Moose Jaw Generals.

“This will be the first time that we’ve faced them this year,” Fauchon said.

“They have the same coach as last year, so we’ll look at some of the game tape from our meetings with them.

“It will be a big test for us but if we keep playing the way we have been, I think we have a chance of doing well against them.”

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Despite having three players at the Canada West training camp in Leduc, Alta. last week, there are no members of the Battlefords North Stars at this year’s World Junior A Challenge.

Defenceman Levi Kleiboer and Cody Spagrud, along with forward Layne Young, were not named to the final roster for Canada West, which began play at the tournament in Bonnyville, Alta. Sunday.

The North Stars are the only team from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League to have never had

a player take part in the event, which has been held since 2006.

Three SJHL players made the roster for Canada West, who are the defending champions.

Flin Flon Bombers forward Brandon Lesko, who is from Hafford and played for two seasons with the Battlefords AAA Stars, made the team along with his teammate Cory Thomas.

Regan Seiferling of the Yorkton Terriers is joining Thomas on the blueline.

Canada West also features players from the Alberta Junior Hockey League, the British Colum-

bia Hockey League and the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

They opened up their title defence in style Sunday night with an impressive 6-2 win over Switzerland.

Cale Makar, who plays defence for the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits and is a possible first round pick in next year’s NHL Draft, led the way with two goals and three assists.

Seiferling was the only SJHL player to get on the scoresheet with two assists.

The tournament, which features six teams, will conclude Saturday.

The championship game will be aired on TSN.

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Eternal Memories Funeral Service & Crematorium 2741 - 99th Street, North Battleford, SK 306-445-7570

Trevor Watts - Director/Owner

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“The only crematorium in the Battlefords area” Traditional Casket Burial and Cremation Services Serving Families with Dignity, Respect & Compassion Counsellor for Bronze and Granite Memorials Free pre-planning guides available, assistance with pre-planning services

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HOUSES FOR SALE North Battleford Triplex with garage - $229,900. 8% cap rate. 3 suites - $1000, $875, $650/month single net. $30,300 Potential Gross Income. Call 306-937-5073

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BIRTHDAYS

Look at whose 70!!

The days of cloud or sunshine The moments that we share The timely word the thoughtful line, The actions that says “I care”

IN MEMORIAM

In Remembrancer Sandra Illingworth

November 16, 1975 - December 14, 2012 Time speeds on four years are gone Since death its gloomy shadow cast Upon our home, where all was bright And took from us a shining light, We miss that light, and ever will; Her vacant place none can fill, Here we mourn, but not in vain, For in Heaven we will meet again Sadly missed and remembered everyday by parents, Jim & Debbie Prescesky, husband Darin Illingworth, sons Jace & Tyler, brother Donald Prescesky, (Ashley) Luke and many more relatives and friends

In Loving Memory of

Dennis Woloshyn

Sept. 25, 1951 - Dec. 21, 2015

To hear your voice and see your smile To sit with you and talk awhile Forever in our To be together hearts in the same old way Would be our Love greatest wish today. Darlene & Kyle

Mean more to me than I can say, So its time, I think, you knew How much it brightens up my day To have a husband like you!

Happy Birthday! Love Bea

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Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - PAGE 15

FUNERAL SERVICES GONDA: Mass Of Christian Burial for Margita Gonda, resident of St. Josephs Home, Saskatoon, SK. and formerly of Hafford, SK. was held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016 with the Vigil Of Prayer at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, 2016 – both Services from St. Solange Roman Catholic Church at Hafford, SK. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Battlefords Funeral Service, North Battleford, SK (306-446-4200) __________________________________________________________

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OBITUARIES PIKE: Randy Gerald Pike passed away near Waseca, Saskatchewan, on November 9th, 2016 at the age of 65 years. Randy will be greatly missed by his family: his Mom Lois; siblings: Keith (Debbie) Pike, Kevin (Yvonne) Pike, Melanie (Morris) Freeston, 8 nephew and nieces: Brett (Val) Pike, Melissa (Shawn) Klisowsky, Serise Pike (Nelson De Almeida), Maxine (Jordi) Johner, Angela (Richard) Perkins, Tara (Jim) Pierce, Lanelle Freeston, Chandra (Bryan) Fischer and 18 great nieces and nephews. Randy was predeceased by his father, Gerald Pike and by his grandparents, Everard and Winifred Pike and Cyril and Muriel Corker. The memorial service for Randy was conducted from the Maidstone Legion Hall on November 16th, 2016 at 11:00 A.M., with the Reverend Jessie Pei officiating. A slideshow presentation in celebration of Randy’s life was played before and after the service. The Eulogy was given by nephew-in-law, Richard Perkins. The hymns sung were, In The Bulb There Is A Flower and The Lord’s My Shepherd accompanied by Eileen Evans on the piano. The active pallbearers were nephew and nieces: Brett Pike, Melissa Klisowsky, Serise Pike, Maxine Johner, Angela Perkins, Tara Pierce, Lanelle Freeston, Chandra Fischer. The Honorary pallbearers were all those who shared in Randy’s life.

Eulogy Good Morning, On behalf of the family and myself I would like to welcome you all here today to celebrate the life of Uncle Randy. I would also like to extend our gratitude for the tremendous support our family has received in this difficult time and for those who were not able to attend but offered their condolences. I am Richard Perkins, I married Uncle Randy’s niece Angie. Uncle Randy and I hit it off when I first entered the Pike family because we spoke the same language….sports. We curled a number of years in the Lashburn bonspiel together on a family team. In one particular A final game we made it to, the game was tight and Uncle Randy had a difficult shot. After many minutes of deliberation, Uncle Randy had called his shot. He headed to the hack and got ready to shoot, then stood back up and I knew we were in trouble as he came all the way back down the ice. After more minutes of deliberation, he decided on the same shot. Unfortunately, he ended up missing the shot and me not having the patience that uncle Randy possessed, I threw my slider across the rink. Funny thing though we ended up winning the game and Uncle Randy made the final shot to win. It was like he had his strategy. It was supposed to be. Not only did he possess strategy, he had the skills to back it up. Uncle Randy was humble in victory. He would always find a way to keep the game close, interesting and fun. Randy Gerald Pike was born in Maidstone, Saskatchewan on September 7th, 1951. He was the first child of four, born to Gerald and Lois Pike. Keith, Kevin and Melanie followed. Gran often spoke highly of how helpful Uncle Randy was with chores and as a big brother. One time while helping with the laundry, putting the clothes through the ringer, Uncle Randy must not have let go of the clothes he was putting through because the next thing Gran knew Uncle’s arm was stuck in the ringer. He was dedicated to his baby sister as when his other two brothers were off causing trouble, Randy would be pulling Melanie in the sleigh or just playing with her outside, keeping her out of Gran’s hair. He attended school at Forest Bank and transferred to Maidstone when the school closed in grade 6. During his high school years, Randy was involved in all sports….curling, baseball and soccer. He played hockey for a short while. He possessed skill in all of the sports he played, but above all Uncle always was a courteous team member and his sportsmanship was impeccable. Uncle Randy graduated from Maidstone High School and from there he worked at Nelson Lumber, building modular homes. He found this job very boring and his next adventure led him to the Waseca Credit Union where his heart was….with numbers. At this time, Randy’s family grew by 3, his sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, Debbie, Yvonne and Morris, which he considered his own sisters and brother. Uncle Randy worked there for some 12 years and then decided to head back to the family farm. As the farm began to grow, Grandad and Uncle Randy found the need for extra hands. Uncle Keith joined the team on the farm in 1986. I know that Uncle Randy loved working with his Dad and his brothers. Although Kevin was not full time on the farm, he spent many nights after work helping with harvest. It was always a family event. Randy had so many jobs on the farm. He was the chief trucker and did many hours of swathing. As the farm grew and technology advanced, Randy’s jobs on the farm grew as well. He was the weatherman, grain tester and the commodities “manager to the extreme - maybe even to the point of pushing Uncle Keith’s last button.” His honesty was a trait that shone through. When doing the books and balancing accounts for the farm, he was the first to write a cheque to pay back if the farm was overpaid. The books had to be balanced. Uncle Randy worked hard, but never lost sight of his love of sports. His favorite summer sport was baseball. His first ball team was with the Waseca Legion, which his Dad coached. After his minor ball years, he joined the Standard Hill Lakers team where he played for a number of years, until he and Keith left and played with the Lloydminster Travel Lodge Bears. The Travel Lodge Bears was a fastball team that he played with for 10 years. He enjoyed playing third base with this team and was known for his quick hands and never rushing a play. After this they played with Endiem. At the age of 35, he found himself back with the Standard Hill Lakers Old-timers team, where he continued to play for another 25 plus years. On this team he had the opportunity to play again with his brothers, many cousins, nephews and two nephewsin-law. I had the pleasure of sharing a year of old-timers ball with Uncle Randy. I had played against him in years previous playing young lakers against old-timers at the Standard Hill Lakers tournament. One game at an old-timers ball tournament in Melfort, Uncle Randy was up to bat with two out and runners on base. Wouldn’t you know it, Uncle cracked the ball over the left field fence to win the game. I was not at this particular game and don’t know the specifics, but have heard about it many times as he was the hero that day, not that you would ever have heard that from him. Winter found Uncle Randy on the curling ice. Believe it or not his love of curling began in the Waseca curling rink. He was a natural from the first rock he threw. He did various bonspiels and even had a shot at provincials one year for sure. He enjoyed curling with his brothers on a family team and took part in the Farmers Bonspiel in Lloydminster every year. He represented Saskatchewan when he curled with the Foresters Dominion curling in Oshawa and another year, played for Quebec when they ended up short a player. He curled in Waseca, Maidstone, the Super League in Lloydminster, and found himself at home with the Lashburn curling club. Uncle Randy loved the game and when he wasn’t on the ice himself he was watching the game on TV or traveling to the Brier to enjoy the action. Aside from good curling, he also would take the time to come to the rink and support his own nieces and nephews’ attempt the game. He would find his way to the rink any time there was a bonspiel on in town to support. Later Uncle Randy found another sport to excel in - bowling. He had a quiet, soft delivery that worked perfectly for him and you would always find his scores on the board. I remember bragging to Uncle Randy about the score I had accomplished in one game and then having him trump me with his 401 single and 919 triple…..not that he told me that, but he did wave the score sheet in my face just to shut me up. That was his and my relationship. One story that was shared with the family was that Randy was fought over at Keranda Christmas parties when they bowled. Any team that Randy was on was sure to win. Uncle Randy was community minded and he volunteered many hours of his time. He was a member and treasurer for the Maidstone Museum, Secretary of the Waseca wheat pool for a number of years, and Waseca hall board member and treasurer for years. Uncle Randy was a family person and although he was quiet and never said much, he believed in keeping the family together. You could guarantee that he would be at every function….birthdays, Christmas, Easter. It didn’t matter, he would be there. When my kids found out about Uncle’s passing they were distressed by the thought of him not being at their birthday parties and who would give them their birthday card with the money taped in it. And who would be Santa and pass the Christmas presents at our yearly Christmas party, as that was Uncle’s job. Although Uncle didn’t have his own children, he involved himself by following his nieces and nephew in their sports and activities and in these past years watching the “great” nieces and nephews enjoy sports and activities. He loved watching and the kids loved that he came and took the time to be a part of their lives. Aside from his immediate family, he found the time to go and watch his cousin’s kid’s activities as well. After his father passed away in 2012, Randy, being the oldest, took on the responsibility to support and care for his mother. With a loving hand, Uncle Randy took a lot of pride and honor with this responsibility. He truly loved family….all of his family. We will always remember his quiet presence, his quick wit and that smug little smile we all know as he looked at us over his glasses. Not many of the family doesn’t have a memory of Uncle losing his keys, or his wallet, locking his keys in his vehicle or misplacing his gloves or phone. He was honest and trustworthy. If you told him anything you would be guaranteed it would go no further. His memory was impeccable and he knew every family member’s birthday and many of the extended family’s birthdays as well. If you needed any sports stats or numbers of any kind Uncle was your guy, he was math minded. Uncle never had a bad word to say about anyone and always was a peacemaker. You would always find Uncle with his rubber boots with his Keranda hat on. He was a gentle soul and he will be missed more then he would ever imagine. We had some fun together. One time uncle and I attended an Eskimo game together. When we got there, I headed to the washroom and Uncle headed to get beer. When I came back I found him in the longest line with a short line just next to him. I asked him why don’t we go the other line, its shorter? He smiled at me and said, “Look who’s serving the beer in this line!!” Life is going to be different around our house now….for us and my kids. We will forever miss our visits through the fence, the kids running over for a short visit only to have me go over 2 hours later and find Uncle Randy and the kids playing ring toss. It started off as a normal harvest this year, but after the unfortunate bad weather, we came together as a family doing whatever we could to get the harvest done and to lose Randy in the middle of it has been devastating to our family. Uncle Randy was taken from us too soon, but he left us doing exactly what he loved….farming with his family. The family would like to thank you for coming to this celebration of Uncle Randy’s life. I would like to read you a poem that I feel sums up our family’s loss. Randy….. You showed us a lot of things, we learned a lot we didn’t know. But you forgot to teach us one last thing….how to let you go. We know you didn’t mean to leave us, sometimes we have no choice. We will miss being your family, hearing our names called by your voice. If God could grant us one last wish, we’d ask to say goodbye.

You always meant a lot to us, we could never love you less. We know it’s true when they say, he only takes the best. The interment for Randy was held in the Forest Bank Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd. of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements.

Card of Thanks The family has been completely overwhelmed by the tremendous support from our friends, family and the community. Special thanks to those who visited, for the phone calls, those who brought food, gave flowers and donations in Randy’s memory. Thank you to the emergency personnel for your support and professionalism in such a distressing time. Thank you to Reverend Jessie Pei, pianist Eileen Evans and to Richard Perkins for the special eulogy. Also thank you to the nephew and nieces for being pallbearers, and to the Lashburn Curling Club for setting out the lunch. To the caring people of McCaw’s Funeral home – Thank you.

Lois Keith and Debbie Kevin and Yvonne Melanie and Morris _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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OBITUARIES PAYNE: In Loving Memory of Roderick Bruce Payne “Boo Bear”. Roderick Bruce Payne was born February 11, 1967 in Edmonton, AB to Sylvia & Bob Payne. He was the 4th child of 5 boys. Later in life he met his 6th brother Ron Patterson. He is known to family and friends as Boo Bear, a name that has stuck with him throughout his life. He was a hard worker and skilled Tradesman. He enjoyed fishing and spending time with family, friends and mostly his children. With great courage and dignity, Boo Bear passed away peacefully with family by his side on November 27, 2016 in North Battleford, SK. Boo Bear leaves behind to cherish his memory, his children: son, Trevor and special friend Mikaela and daughter, Katelynn; mother of his children, Sheri; mother-in-law, Valerie Sehn; his brothers, sisters and their spouses, many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents, Bob & Sylvia Payne; his father-in-law, Gerald Sehn. Celebration Of Life was held on Friday, December 2, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. from ‘The Garden Chapel’ - Battlefords Funeral Service, North Battleford, SK., with Officiant Rev. Gordon Yarde. Eulogy was given by Jocelyn Gagnon & Kim Hamilton.

Scripture Readings: Ephesians 1: 1-12 – 1; Samuel 16: 7-8 & Psalm 23 & 130 - The Lord’s Prayer. Special Music: You Raise Me Up, Leaving On A Jet Plane, I Will Always Love You & Amazing Grace. Honourary Pallbearers were Ronald (Doc) Parkinson, Fred Gagnon, Dale Redding & ‘all who shared in Boo Bears Life.’ Memorial Donations are requested to Battlefords Union Hospital Foundation -designated to the Palliative Care Unit, Box 1358, North Battleford, SK S9A 3L8 (In appreciation for the wonderful care and support Boo Bear and the family received) Interment will be at a later date. Arrangements were entrusted to Battlefords Funeral Service.

Card of Thanks The family would like to express their appreciation and thankyou’s to Battlefords Union Hospital Emergency Staff and Palliative Care for their kind compassionate care. Thank-you to those who sent flowers, dropped off food and stopped by. Thank-you to Rev. Gordon Yarde and Battlefords Funeral Service for their guidance and support. __________________________________________________ SEJBJERG: Fred J. Sejbjerg, February 22, 1931 – December 5, 2016. It is with sorrow that we announce the passing of Fred Sejbjerg, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather on December 5, 2016. Born in Fort Qu’Appelle, SK, Fred was the eldest of Thorvald and Ingeborg Sejbjerg’s four children.

Fred, Svend, Harry and Charlotte grew up on the family’s dairy farm until the untimely death of their father; shortly after they moved into town.

Fred and his siblings inspired many stories about their childhood adventures. Fred joined the Canadian Air Force in 1948, serving as a flight engineer and aero-engine technician; retiring in 1977. Fred met his wife, Minnie (Wilhelmina) Tesch while stationed in Saskatoon. Two of their daughters, Kathryn and Elaine, were born there. Transferred to CFB Trenton, their youngest daughter, Ann, was born in Belleville, ON. Their next transfer was to CFB Cold Lake, AB (and closer to Minnie’s family). Many weekends and summers were spent with Minnie’s family in the Mervin/Turtleford district, and at Turtle Lake. Retiring to Saskatoon, Fred worked for the Saskatoon Public School Board as a caretaker for 19 years, culminating in being the first head caretaker of Marion Graham Collegiate. He took great pride in taking care of “his school.” Fred is survived by his wife of 58 years, Minnie; daughters, Kathryn (Glenn) Runnalls, Elaine (Jack) Garrett, and Ann. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Logan (Rachel), Nevin & Nora Runnalls; Corey (Elly) Runnalls; Jeremy Runnalls; Christine (Denny) McEwen; Nicole (Don) & Peter Holmes; Kathleen (Matt) & William Romphf; and step-grandchild Erin (Craig), Quinn, Emmy & Max Dover. He is also survived by his brothers Svend and Harry (Audrey), brother-in-law Walter Tesch, sister-in-law Chris Tesch; and numerous nieces and nephews. Fred was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Charlotte; sister-in-law Lois Sejbjerg; parents-in-law, Adam & Elfrieda Tesch; brothers-in-law Oscar (Margaret) and Dick Tesch. Fred was a quiet, loving man who put his family first. He did not like to be the center of attention, preferring to be the support person at home or work. He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him. The family wish to thank the caring doctors, nurses and staff at St. Paul’s Hospital, Luther Special Care Home, and Royal University Hospital Emergency. The Funeral Service was held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, December 9, 2016, at Park Funeral Home, 311 3rd Ave. N, Saskatoon, SK. Memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society Of Saskatchewan or the Heart & Stroke Foundation. To share memories and condolences, visit www.parkfuneral.ca “Obituaries-Contribution”. Arrangements entrusted to Derryl Hildebrandt, Park Funeral Home, 306.244.2103. ___________________________________________________

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PAGE 16 - Tuesday, December 13, 2016

LAND FOR SALE

MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOMES FOR SALE

FARMLAND WANTED

BEST CANADIAN BUILT HOME BEST PRICE!

NO FEES OR COMMISSIONS! SUMMARY OF SOLD PROPERTIES North - 10 1/4’s North East - 14 1/4’s North West - 12 1/4’s East - 57 1/4’s West - 50 1/4’s Central - 219 1/4’s South - 100 1/4’s South East - 46 1/4’s South West - 65 1/4’s PURCHASING: SINGLE TO LARGE BLOCKS OF LAND. RENT BACK AVAILABLE Call DOUG 306-955-2266 saskfarms@shaw.ca

Fall Clearance Inventory Reduction SALE ON NOW! 1520 sq ft $111,900.00 1216 sq ft $91,900.00 1088 sq ft $87,900.00 Stock Homes Ready for Delivery Now! Custom Orders Welcome Single wide, Multi Sections Lake House, Motel Units We sell & service homes across Western Canada, On Site Consultation.

YellowHead Modular Home Sales 306-496-7538 306-849-0002 HWY #16 West of Yorkton www.affordablehomesales.ca Weekend calls Personalized Service

LAND FOR SALE

APARTMENTS/CONDOS FOR RENT

East half 28-43-23W3. Detail Inquiries to 1-306-307-4171 Send offers to land Box 669 Cutknife S0M0N0. Highest or any offer not neccerily accepted. Closing date December 20, 2016.

1 Bedroom Apartment for rent in Battleford, quiet working adults, no pets, no children, no smoking, reference required. Must be employed. Phone 445-2943

COMING EVENTS

Visit our website

www.newsoptimist.ca for more community events

Community Events Calendar ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Please call our 24 hour helpline at 306-446-6166 for support or information.

Tuesdays

Battlefords Humane Society Chase the Ace Diamond in the Ruff Lottery. Tickets $5 each or 3 for $10. Weekly winner gets 20% of that week’s sales plus CHANCE TO WIN 30% progressive jackpot!

Tickets must be purchased weekly to WIN! Don’t miss a draw weekly subscriptions available. All proceeds to Shelter-Us Building Fund. Draws every Tuesday morning, 9:00 a.m., Lakeland Vet Clinic. Call The Shelter for more details 306-937-MEOW (6369).

Lottery licence LR15-0091.

Friday, December 16

Chickadee Songwriters Circle at 2495 Ross Crescent at 7:00 p.m.

Featured Artists: Laird Brittin, Jeff Arndt, Doug Sylvester, Kjelti Katherine. Voluntary donation with proceeds to Boys and Girls Club. Phone 306-445-6887 for more information or to reserve your place, email chickadee@sasktel.net.

Saturday, December 17

Club 70 Dance - Leon Ochs at the Royal Canadian Legion, 1352 - 100th Street, North Battleford from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight.

Everyone welcome. Lunch served at 12:00 midnight.

SERVICES FOR HIRE A-1 Service, Snow removal, Interior Painting, Renovations, Shingling, Build Fences, Decks, Metal Fascia Soffit, etc. Phone 306-4458439.

Rob’s Snow Clearing. Walks and driveways. Book early. Phone 306 - 445 - 2736, 441 - 5677

FEED & SEED NORTH EAST PRAIRIE GRAIN INC. Currently Buying: Soybeans, Feed Barley, Wheat and Oats.

OFFERING: Competitive Prices, On Farm Pickup & Prompt Payment!

CALL: 1-306-873-3551, WEBSITE: neprairiegrain.com NutraSun Foods Ltd of Regina wants to buy your Organic Hard Red Spring and Conventional Hard White Wheat. Please contact Abe Ens at 306-751-2440.

Buying/Selling FEED GRAINS heated / damaged CANOLA/FLAX Top price paid FOB FARM

Western Commodities 877-695-6461 Visit our website @

www.westerncommodities.ca

HEATED CANOLA WANTED!!

- GREEN CANOLA - SPRING THRASHED - DAMAGED CANOLA FEED OATS WANTED!!

- BARLEY, OATS, WHT - LIGHT OR TOUGH - SPRING THRASHED HEATED FLAX WANTED!!

HEATED PEAS HEATED LENTILS "ON FARM PICKUP" Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252

AUTO MISCELLANEOUS Wrecking over 250 units... cars and trucks. Lots of trucks...

Dodge... GMC... Ford... Imports...

1/2 ton to 3 tons... We ship anywhere... Call or text 306-821-0260.

Lloydminster.

HORSES & TACK Will buy all classes of horses. 306329-4382.

HEALTH SERVICES CANADA BENEFIT GROUP - Do you or someone you know suffer from a disability? Get up to $40,000 from the Canadian Government. Toll-free 1-888-511-2250 or www.canadabenefit.ca/free-assessment

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! Indemand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available.

Get online training you need from an employer-trusted program.

Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-855768-3362 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

Saturday, December 17

Battlefords Cowboy Church Inc. - Pot Luck Supper and Christmas Carolling at the Legion Hall in Battleford starting at 6:00 p.m. Bring a dish - everyone welcome. For more info contact Shirley Smith at 306-937-2733.

Sunday, December 18

Candle Light Christmas at Third Ave. United Church at 7:00 p.m.

Donation at the door, all proceeds to charity. Lisa Hornung & Gary Gansauge with Emily Jung, Dave McQuaid, John Chipak.

This section, which will appear weekly in Tuesday's News-Optimist and Thursday’s Regional Optimist, is provided free-of-charge to non-profit organizations. To list the Community Calendar please call News-Optimist at 306-445-7261 or fax the information to 306-445-3223. Please provide complete information including event, time, date and location. Although we will do our utmost to make sure your event appears in this section, News-Optimist does not guarantee all submissions will appear.

Deadline for submissions is 5:00 p.m.

Thursday prior for Tuesday's & Thursday’s publication.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

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THURSDAY’S BEST

ONLINE

www.newsoptimist.ca

25-year-old man facing firearms charges Staff Battlefords RCMP responded to approximately 40 calls for service between 6 a.m. Thursday Dec. 8 and 6 a.m. Friday, Dec. 9.

Thursday, Dec. 8

8:49 a.m. - Break and enter to a business reported on the 600 block of 103rd Street in North Battleford, having occurred sometime overnight. A window was found damaged but no entry believed to have been gained.

9:21 a.m. - Vehicle parked on 15th Avenue in North Battleford was damaged and a GPS stolen sometime overnight.

3:40 p.m. - Report of two subjects attempting to shoplift at a business on Carlton Trail in North Battleford. Suspects fled from scene prior to police arrival, but staff recovered the

Check out The Battlefords RCMP Daily Report on our website at

www.newsoptimist.ca

property. Two individuals have since been identified as persons of interest.

4:57 p.m. - Police called to a residence on the 1400 block of 99th Street in North Battleford reporting an assault. A 25-year-old man was arrested and has been charged with assault, possession of a prohibited weapon, careless use of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. There were no reported injuries during this incident and the matter is still under investigation.

5:06 p.m. - Report of an assault at a residence on the Red Pheasant First Na-

tion that occurred earlier in the week. Suspect and victim are known to each other. No arrests made as of yet and matter still under investigation.

11:22 p.m. - Break and enter to a residence on the Mosquito First Nation sometime between 9:30 a.m. and the time of complaint. Numerous personal items reported missing.

Friday, Dec. 9

12:07 a.m. - A 20-yearold woman was arrested and has been charged with impaired driving and driving while over .08 after a two vehicle collision on 100th Street in North Battleford. No injuries reported.

Police also responded to 11 disturbance calls, eight traffic matters, one minor collision, four Child Welfare Act complaints, one bylaw complaint and one false/nuisance 911 call.

Sudden death not considered suspicious Staff Battlefords RCMP responded to 90 calls for service between 6 a.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 6 and 6 a.m.

Thursday, Dec. 8.

Tuesday, Dec. 6

6:26 a.m. - Complaint of an adult male being bear sprayed by three unknown youths while walking home from a North Battleford bar in the early hours of the morning. Investigation is active and ongoing.

12:20 p.m. - Complaint of a domestic assault in the parking lot of a business south of the Battlefords.

Victim of the assault located at the business in question and the assailant was located later in the area. Charges are pending against a 33-year-old Poundmaker First Nation man.

3:20 p.m. - Complaint of an assault at a North Battleford high school.

Charges of assault are pending against a 16-yearold youth.

6:53 p.m. - Report of the sudden death of a 45-yearold North Battleford man at his residence. No foul play is suspected at this time and a Coroner’s Act investigation is ongoing.

Wednesday, Dec. 7

9:14 a.m. - Complaint of a domestic assault at a residence on the Red Pheasant First Nation. Members immediately responded and charges are pending against a 41-year-old Red Pheasant First Nation man.

10:27 a.m. - Complaint from a North Battleford business that their computer system had been hacked by an unknown IP address.

Investigation is ongoing.

2:03 p.m. - Complaint of a break and enter to a residence in the 1600 block of 101st Street in North Battleford. Matter remains under investigation.

2:12 p.m. - North Battleford RCMP advised there may be rental vehicles obtained with stolen credit cards in our area. Police continue to search for a grey 2016 Nissan Altima, a grey 2017 Toyota Camry and a blue 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe. The Altima and Camry have Saskatchewan licence plates, while the Santa Fe has an Ontario licence plate.

3:24 p.m. - Complaint of a break, enter and theft to a residence on Winder Crescent in North Battleford where a television was stolen. Investigation is ongoing.

8:01 p.m. - Complaint of theft of a registered purebred dog from an animal rescue service located south of the Battlefords. Investigation is ongoing.

11:15 p.m. - Complaint of criminal harassment in North Battleford where complainant’s estranged spouse is intimidating and harassing the complainant and their family on an ongoing basis. Matter remains under investigation.

Wednesday, Dec. 8

2:02 a.m. - A suspected impaired driver was stopped by police on Highway No. 4 north of the Battlefords. Ensuing investigation confirmed that the driver was over .08 and the car had been reportedly taken without the owner’s consent from the Turtleford Detachment

area. Charges are pending against a 41-year-old man from the Thunderchild First Nation.

2:56 a.m. – 21-year-old Daniel Lewis of North Battleford was reported missing, last having been seen at 8:30 p.m. the previous evening. Investigation to locate Lewis is ongoing.

Police also responded to eight minor disturbance reports, seven false alarms, one Mental Health Act complaint, 22 traffic related occurrences, five minor collision complaints, three minor mischief/property damage complaints, two false or nuisance 911 calls, 3 child welfare concerns, 2 by-law complaints, five breaches of court imposed conditions, seven minor theft/ shoplifting complaints, six suspicious persons/vehicles complaints and 10 alcohol related disturbances with seven culminating in the arrest and detention of intoxicated individuals.

With the onset of frigid winter weather, the Battlefords RCMP would like to remind the public to be adequately prepared for the elements when travelling or just being out and about.

Please make attempts to ensure your vehicles are in good working order, with winter tires if possible, and that you have emergency provisions in your vehicle to be prepared to deal with the elements should you break down or become stuck in these types of extreme temperatures...

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - PAGE 17

The most famous birth in all of world history Many births are highly anticipated. If it’s the couple’s first child, their excitement is likely shared by family and friends.

But unless someone in the family is famous, it’s unlikely the birth will make headline news.

It was different for Grace Kelly. When the Hollywood star married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 that got the attention of the press around the world. The birth of baby Caroline, nine months and four days later, was proclaimed, rather extravagantly, as “the most famous birth in history.”

But let’s go back a little further. Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947. Their first child, Charles, was born a year later. Then, in 1952, with the death of her father, King George VI, Elizabeth became queen. Her son became the heir apparent to the throne – a position he has now held for more than 60 years, the longest serving heir apparent in British history.

But a birth truly worthy of being called “the most famous birth in history” happened long before these – to a baby born, not to a movie star or earthly princess. An angel appeared to a virgin named Mary, announcing that she, by a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit,

would give birth to the incarnate Son of God. Even His earthly name, “Jesus,” was divinely ordained, and His work as “a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.”

(Lk. 1:30-38; 2:1-7, 11) His coming was prophesied through the Old Testament. There was even a hint of what He would do right after Adam and Eve fell into sin. (Gen. 3:15) This is how Isaiah spoke of Christ’s sacrifice to pay our debt: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa. 53:6) But there’s more coming yet: “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.” (Isa. 9:6-7) In that future day, the One who came to Earth as a baby laid in a manger, will return in glory, exalted by God the Father, and adored by saints and angels. Though some Bible versions place a comma after “Wonderful” in Isa-

Robert Cottrill, B.A., B.R.E. http://wordwisehymns.com/ www.Wordwise‐Bible‐Studies.com

iah, it’s probable there are four double titles. He will be revealed as a Wonderful (Supernatural) Counsellor and Mighty God. The title “Everlasting Father” likely means He’s the Source of Eternal Life, and Prince of

Peace identifies Him as the One who’ll finally bring lasting peace on Earth.

Christmas fell on a Sunday in 1955, and that seemed to bring a special excitement in the small church attended by gospel

Empty boxes Our pastor recently recounted a humorous story of how he and another young boy decided to check out the large wrapped boxes under the Christmas tree in their church auditorium. Finding an opportune time they snuck in and stripped the supposed treasures of their paper and ribbons. To their shock they found nothing. In an attempt to cover up their “crime” they used masking tape to put the gifts back together.

While we chuckled I

couldn’t help think of the empty boxes that used to sit under my tree.

For me, and for too many others, the Christmas scenario of jubilant celebration rang hollow for too many years.

Christmas Day held the promise of a “truce”

musician Audrey Mae Mieir (1916-96). After the familiar manger scene was reenacted, and a choir sang, Pastor Luther Mieir, Audrey’s brother-in-law, raised his hands heavenward, and proclaimed, as Isaiah did long ago, “His name is Wonderful!”

That Scripture made a deep impression on the musician. She took her Bible, and wrote in it the words of a little chorus, later, lengthening it, by researching other names and titles of the Lord Jesus found in Scripture. It has since become perhaps

when I was growing up. It was a day when no abuse of any kind toward Mom or any of us five kids was to be exhibited. I’m not sure if we ever enjoyed the fullness of that promise, but I do know I harboured the secret fear that peace on our part of the Earth never would be a reality. Instead, I dreaded the day that our Mom, in spite of all her suffering, worked hard to make so special. The joy and excitement of the season eluded me for decades.

At the risk of appearing to offer easy answers, a practice I

the most famous worship chorus in the English language. Audrey heard it sung in many different languages, all over the world.

“His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, / His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord. / He is the mighty King, Master of everything, / His name is Wonderful, Jesus, my Lord. / He’s the great Shepherd, / the Rock of all ages, / Almighty God is He. / Bow down before Him, love and adore Him, / His name is Wonderful!

Jesus my Lord.”

despise, I can testify to the fact that Christ can fill those empty spaces with a joy and peace that extends from one December to the next.

Sure there still are challenges and hard times but the inner emptiness that marked my Christmases for so long no longer haunts me.

In speaking of the ministry of Jesus, the writer of the Gospel of Luke records that “He has filled the hungry with good things …”

Luke 1:53 Struggling with empty boxes? Ask for help; it’s available.

PAGE 18 - Tuesday, December 13, 2016

2. 757 ___ du jour PUZZLE NO.

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3. “Back in the ___” 33.Areth 10.Zilch 4. Quiet Frank 5. Holds a flame 11.Snow coaster 6. “My!” 36.Snare 19.Cut one’s 7. A little lamb 37.Bar 8. Blonde’s secret, maybe molars 9. Environs 39.Trait 21.Spiders’ 10. Aroma 41.Turn structures 11. E-mail, e.g. quick 12. Kind of palm 22.Angel’s 17. Personal heroes 42.Camp headgear 18. Round lot’s 100 helpe 22. Soon, to a bard 23.Like some 43.Foal 24. Bank cheese 25. Humpback, e.g.

45.Praye 25.Song 26. Bums concl 27. Blow 28.Commits 49.Brew 29. Flight segment perjury bever 30. American symbol 31. Flat 29.Skilled 50.Prose 33. “___ moment” 30.Army eatery 51.Wish 36. First canonical hour 37. Ancient 38. Eyelet creator 40. Arid 3 Strings of electric bulbs Across Copyright © 2015, Penny Press 41. Mixes up used for decoration (2 wds) 2 Time away (8) (9,6) 6 Twelfthfind month (8) 33. Microwave, e.g.ACROSS 43. Milliner28.Take it 44. Complain 4 “O Sanctissima,” e.g. (4) 9 Coming (6) 34. Sylvester, to Tweety 1. Judge’s45. Got around on the ____ 55.Dogs and 5 Latke ingredient (6) 10 Light a ____ (7) 35. Adjoin concern 31.Made holy cats 48.

Come together 14 Brought gifts to Jesus 7 Eager (7) 36. Bison features ___ vera32.Clan assent 8 These ring from church (4,3) 56.Fountain 38. “Roots,” e.g. 5. Signal 49.

50. Lady Macbeth, e.g. steeples (5) 15 Baby holder (4) 39. Chop (off) 8. Has 51. Berth place ____ 34.Turf 11 Ring the ____ (2 ANSWER TO in PUZZLE NO. 757 17 Little people (5) 40. Dressing ingredient 12.Draft animals 57.Young adult 35.Stags and 52.

Commuter line wds.)

(3,4) 19 Gift covering (2 wds) 41. Motionless 53. “___ be a cold day in (8,5) bucks 13.Hot temper 12 Beverage made with 42. Artsy one hell ...” fruit juices (5) 21 Santa’s conveyance (6) 44. Many a Floridian 38.Foot parts 14.Moderately DOWN 54. ___ carotene 13 January 6th (8) 22 Glad (5) 46. Bone-dry cold 57. Harvest 39.Polite 1. Shy chap goddess 16 “All in the Family” role 24 Christmas season (4) 47. Axis of ___ 15.Decade unit 2. Woodsman’s 40.Winding (6) 25 Coaster (4) 48. Small animal related to 18 A snowman (6) curves implement a weasel 16.Short-term job Down 20 A rival (5) 51. A cut of pork 17.Pine ____ 41.Coin side 1 Cabernet, 3. Caribbean, e.g. (3) 23 Pandowdy, e.g. (3) 55. Bunches e.g.

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Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - PAGE 19

Rosemary for the holidays “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.”

— Ophelia, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

By Sara Williams Aromatic, space-saving, easy care and with a long afterlife, here is a “Christmas tree” with a difference. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), a member of the mint family, is a woody plant native to the Mediterranean region and long used as a culinary herb. Its common name is derived from the Latin words for dew (ros) and sea (marinus), meaning “dew of the sea,” a reference to its habitat by the seaside Legend tells us that the Virgin Mary spread her blue cloak over a whiteflowered rosemary bush when she lay down to rest. When she arose, the flowers were blue. It was then called the Rose of Mary, thus, its link with the Christmas season.

Through the Middle Ages, it was associated with love and often worn by members of a wedding party. It has also long been seen as a symbol of remembrance, as Ophelia suggests in Hamlet.

Rosemary has fragrant (often described as “piney”), needle-like, evergreen leaves with a green topside and white underside. It is much used for Italian cuisine and stuffing as well as roast meats

and vegetables. The leaves, stems and flowers are all edible. There are various cultivars of assorted sizes.

The two-lipped flowers are mainly blue but also white, pink and purple. Indoor plants and those grown in northern areas such as the Canadian prairies may not bloom. Flavour is at its peak just prior to flowering. Excess leaves may be dried or frozen for future use.

Although up to five feet tall in its native habitat, as a temperate garden plant or indoor herb, rosemary plants are generally much smaller. It has been shaped into topiary forms for centuries.

In recent years, during the holiday season, it has become readily available as a trimmed topiary shrub resembling a miniature Christmas tree, ideal for a smaller living space or as additional decor.

Once you get it home, think of where it came from —well drained soil on sea cliffs in full sun and often enveloped in mist

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or fog. Place it in a sunny, cool position. It is droughttolerant (water-logging will do it in) but don’t let it dry out either. Misting the foliage every week or so will imitate its position by the sea. Water it regularly and thoroughly but remove water that accumulates in the saucer. If it needs repotting, use a well-drained media. It’s pretty much disease and insect resistant and, given the proper conditions, should last a long time. When it begins to outgrow its tree-shape, you can let it develop into

its natural shape. Use it for cooking through the year, and re-trim it into a topiary Christmas tree in time for the next holiday season.

Once all danger of frost is past, rosemary may be placed outdoors in welldrained soil in a sunny location for a summer holiday. Repot it using a clay pot and return it to a cool sunny window in early September. It is only hardy to zone 6.

If you wish to increase your number of rosemary plants, it is easily propagated by stem cuttings

taken in early spring when new growth appears. Simply take a cutting from the new growth about four to six inches long. Remove the leaves from the bottom third of the stem, dip it in a rooting hormone and plant it directly into welldrained soil kept evenly moist. Keep it in indirect light until it is rooted, about six weeks.

Sara is the author of numerous gardening books, among them the revised Creating the Prairie Xeriscape. And with Hugh Skinner: Gardening Natu-

rally; Trees and Shrubs for the Prairies, and Groundcovers & Vines for the Prairies. Expect Fruit for Northern Gardens with Bob Bors in November, 2017.

— This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (www.saskperennial. ca; hortscene@yahoo. com; www.facebook.com/ saskperennial). Check out our Bulletin Board or Calendar for upcoming garden information sessions, workshops, tours and other events.

6 1 20

Babies

Full Colour Pull Out Feature January 5, 2017 - Regional Optimist

Jaxon Robert James Paules

September 19 Parents: Amber Rose & Bobby Paules Grandparents: Deena Paules, Robert Paules, Carmen Rose, Gage Bird

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