Red Deer Advocate, December 27, 2012

Page 1

CANADA DISMANTLES GERMANY

FIGHTING FRAILTY Growing old may be inevitable, but growing frail is not B1

Nugent-Hopkins makes statement in 9-3 win B6

CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER

BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM

THURSDAY, DEC. 27, 2012

Agonizing aftermath

ADVOCATE SPECIAL FEATURE Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff

Brandy Allen, now a quadriplegic, was injured in a motor vehicle accident when she chose to drink and drive. BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF Jeff Dow’s first memory after his crash is waking up in a hospital bed to see two uniformed police officers waiting to charge him with impaired driving. Months earlier, Dow had drank “way over his limit,” got into his company truck and drove into a median on a highway near Brooks. Brandy Allen doesn’t remember the events leading up to her crash. But she does remember opening her eyes to see her family and friends waiting at her hospital bedside at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary.

Coming Friday A device installed in vehicles of drunk drivers kills the engine if it detects alcohol on the breath of a driver who blows into it. The details are pieced together from what others have told her and brief flashes of memory. “I just know I was out partying earlier that night,” said Allen. “I just know I was drinking. I have flashes but it is nothing that gives me an idea of what happened.”

The two young adults made the same fateful decision that would change their lives forever. Allen and Dow are lucky to be alive. Every year in Canada between 1,250 and 1,500 people are killed in motor-vehicle accidents related to impaired driving. On average, impaired driving causes more than 63,000 injuries in the country each year. Today, Allen and Dow are both confined to wheelchairs –– Allen as a quadriplegic and Dow as a paraplegic. Both were in their early 20s when they got behind the wheel after having one too many drinks — Allen in 2004 and Dow in 2007.

Please see AFTERMATH on Page A2

Bargain hunters brave cold weather on Boxing Day BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF Frigid temperatures did not stop bargain hunters from lining up in the early hours to snag massive deals on Boxing Day. Shoppers mostly waited in their cars until the city’s popular electronic shops opened up at 6 a.m. Best Buy computer supervisor Aaron Silver said when he arrived at the store at 4 a.m. the parking lot was packed with cars and trucks. “Most people were waiting in their vehicles because it was very, very cold,” said Silver. “There were some people lining up. Boxing Day is a big day around here.” Many shoppers were armed with flyers boasting the deals and ready to spend cash, credit or gift cards. Silver said shoppers were taking advantage of the great deals on speakers, home theatre systems, lap-

PLEASE RECYCLE

SHOPPERS SCOUR STORES FOR SAVINGS A5 tops and tablets. Silver said they will not know until later this week whether the sales were on par with last year’s Boxing Day tally. Kyrie Blain and Rob Nuttall of Rocky Mountain House thought they would beat the rush when they arrived around 9 a.m. They were looking to pick up a couple big screen TVs and eBook Readers. “They were sold out,” said Blain. “Now we have to go online to try to get a deal.” Nuttall said they usually shop later in the day but thought they would try their luck earlier in the day when there is more stock. Peter Thompson and Tom Cooper of Blackfalds estimated they saved hundreds of dollars when they purchased their iPad, speakers and DVDs. “We probably spent about $1,800,” said Thompson. Cooper said they always go shopping on Boxing

WEATHER

INDEX

Cloudy. High -18. Low -23

Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3-C4 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5-A7 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D4 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C6 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C7 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6-B8

FORECAST ON A2

Day to save some cash but they always end up spending more money. “It’s worth coming early as long as they still have the stuff in stock,” said Cooper. At the Bower Place Shopping Centre, shoppers started streaming in the doors a little after 8 a.m. when the mall opened. A steady flow of shoppers in and out of the mall’s shops throughout the day. Kaylee George, 11, couldn’t wait to go shopping at the mall on Boxing Day with her mom, Tammy. They arrived at the mall around 11 a.m. Kaylee said she received some cash on Christmas and she wanted to spend it and save some cash at the same time. Sisters Alexa, 15, and Angelica Andreeff, 16, were two of the first shoppers at Bower when they arrived at about 8:30 a.m. The sisters said they like to shop early so they can beat the crowds and comparison shop under one roof. The Boxing Day retail frenzy continues in most stores all week. crhyno@reddeeradvocate.com

BUSINESS

WORLD

VIGILANCE IS THE ANSWER

MORSI HAILS ‘NEW REPUBLIC’ IN EGYPT

Canada’s food safety rules are good, but experts says they must be followed and enforced to avoid another massive recall like the one this past fall. C3

Egypt’s Islamist president proclaimed the country’s newly adopted constitution as the dawning of a ‘new republic’ in a television address Wednesday, calling on the opposition to join a dialogue after months of turmoil. D5


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