DUCKLINGS’ FIRST OUTING Ma Mallard and her brood B1
CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012
SkyHawks drop in
Photo by JESSICA JONES/Advocate staff
From a starting point high above the clouds over Red Deer, the SkyHawks military parachute team heads out the back door of a roaring J-Model Hercules Tuesday.
Parachute team makes landing in Red Deer BY JESSICA JONES ADVOCATE STAFF The Canadian Forces parachute team the SkyHawks arrived in Red Deer and soared through the cloudy skies above the Red Deer Airport on Tuesday. The SkyHawks jumped in aerobatic parachute formations to get ready for their demonstration that will open the North American Pony Chuckwagon Championships at Westerner Days today and Thursday night. On Tuesday, the SkyHawks jumped from a roaring, gigantic J-Model Hercules at 3,600 metres. The Hercules is a four-engine military transport aircraft
‘WE ARE TAUGHT IN THE MILITARY TO STAY AWAY FROM OTHER PARACHUTERS AND ON THE SKYHAWKS WE ARE TAUGHT HOW TO BRING IT IN AND BUILD FORMATIONS SO IT IS NOT NATURAL, THAT IS FOR SURE.’ — SGT. KEVIN WALKER
from Trenton, Ont., that replaced the CC-130 Legacy Hercules Aircraft in June 2010. The 2012 demonstration season for the SkyHawks is in full swing. It is the 41st season for the team. They started their tour in Yellowknife and have spent the last 18 days free-falling through the skies. Their mission: to go across the country and showcase a
well-trained military. Sgt. Kevin Walker joined the team last March and has 20 jumps under his belt. The sergeant has been deployed to Bosnia, Macedonia and Afghanistan. His first jump with the SkyHawks wasn’t his first experience falling from an aircraft thousands of metres above ground, but despite his previous experiences, it was a little nerve-racking,
he said. “The first jump, when we had to come together and build formations, yes, I was a little nervous,” he admitted. “We are taught in the military to stay away from other parachuters and on the SkyHawks we are taught how to bring it in and build formations so it is not natural, that is for sure. “But after the first jump, you want to get back up and do it again.” Walker, who is based in Pedawawa, Ont., has a wife and two daughters aged eight and six. When asked what his wife thinks about his adrenalinfilled occupation, he smirks.
Please see HAWKS on Page A2
Police suspect gangs behind shooting that killed 2, injured 24 BY THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO — The threat of revenge-fuelled violence weighed heavily on an east-end Toronto neighbourhood Tuesday as residents mourned the victims of a deadly shooting rampage at a bustling block party and police vowed to bring the gunmen to justice. Officers pleaded for witnesses to come forward while promising to stand guard over those left shaken and fearful by the attack that killed two people and wounded two dozen Monday night. About 200 people were at the barbecue held outside a community housing complex when two gunmen opened fire after an altercation in what police are calling the worst incident of gun violence in the
city’s recent history. Police said they suspect gangs were involved in the shooting that killed 14-year-old Shyanne Charles of Toronto and 23-year-old Joshua Yasay of Ajax. Twenty-three others were sent to hospital with gunshot wounds, including a 22-month-old child who was grazed by a bullet and is in stable condition, police said. One person was trampled in the ensuing stampede. Some of the wounded, aged between one and 33 years old, were treated and released. One man remained in critical condition in hospital Tuesday afternoon, police said. Messages of grief quickly appeared on social media even as some hinted the deaths could spur more violence.
“The hood gained another angel to look over us, RIP,” one person wrote on Twitter. Police Chief Bill Blair said police have received “some co-operation” from witnesses at the scene and called on all community members who attended the party to help with the investigation. Police also asked for anyone with video or photos of the incident to send them in, a strategy they have used in similar investigations in the past. “I’m here today to make an appeal through you all, to the many hundreds of people who were present at the event yesterday who may have some information relevant to this investigation to come forward,” Blair said.
Please see SHOOTING on Page A2
Two men dead in crash near Rimbey BY LAURA TESTER ADVOCATE STAFF RCMP say distracted driving may have played a factor in a head-on crash that claimed the lives of two men early Tuesday morning immediately outside Rimbey. Rimbey RCMP and ambulance and fire crews were dispatched to the scene of the two-vehicle collision on Hwy 20, south of Rimbey, at about 5:30 a.m. After the impact, one car stayed on the road, while a minivan rolled into the ditch and was found on its
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roof. The car was so heavily crumpled, it looked as though its front end had been completely shorn off. Parts of the car, including a passenger seat, were found on the road. Firefighters were seen using the Jaws of Life to try to remove the person from the minivan a few metres away from the car. Rimbey RCMP Sgt. Mark Groves, who was on scene through the morning, said that both a 30-year-old man driving the car and a 36-year-old man driving the minivan died at the scene.
Please see CRASH on Page A2
WEATHER
INDEX
30% chance of showers
Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3,C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5-A7 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D6 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C6 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C7 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B7
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Photo by SCOTTY AITKEN/freelance
Wreckage litters the road on Hwy 20 outside of Rimbey at the site of a fatal collision Tuesday. CANADA
BUSINESS
RETAILERS DEMAND CREDIT RELIEF
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Canadian shoppers who use credit cards may soon find themselves slapped with extra fees, if retailers win a fight against begin struck with transactions charges from Visa and MasterCard. A5
The president of Happy Earth Inc. is developing a farm in the Dominican Republic to supply domestic and export markets and give local producers a leg up. C3