THE ART OF SEDUCTION A bowl of ice cream simply won’t do on Valentine’s Day
A11
HOW SHOULD WE MEASURE SUCCESS AT THE OLYMPICS? PAGE A4
Red Deer Advocate TUESDAY, FEB. 11, 2014
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HOMELESSNESS
Addiction led to life on the street BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF
Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canada’s Alex Bilodeau, right, celebrates with compatriot Mikael Kingsbury after Bilodeau won gold and Kingsbury took silver in the men’s moguls final at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Monday in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. See related Olympic stories on page B5 and B11.
An addiction he admits he will never shake led a Red Deer man through a troubled, grim life, living on the streets or on a mat at a homeless shelter for the better part of his adult life. Steve — his real name is being withheld to protect his identity — now lives in a quiet basement apartment in Red Deer. But he has been homeless and without hope off and on for a number of years. When he first came to Red Deer in 2007, the only place he had to stay was with someone he knew who dealt drugs. Steve brought his addiction with him, and he left Eastern Canada in part because of a significant drug debt. “I’ve been kidnapped three times, been tied up to chairs, had my foot smashed three times,” said Steve, removing a sock and pointing to a flattened toe on one foot that was hit three times with a hammer.
Please see ADDICTION on Page A2
Olympians’ families glued to the TV in anticipation BY RENÉE FRANCOEUR ADVOCATE STAFF If time permitted, Cassidy Hollingsworth would be on her way to Russia right now. As it is, the 17 year-old Leslieville resident has school and basketball commitments that keep her from crossing the ocean and cheering on big sister Mellisa Hollingsworth at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. Mom and Dad, Darcy and Tammy, began the journey to Russia on Monday for Mellisa’s third and final Olympic Games, Hollingsworth said. Mellisa, 33 and originally from Eckville, will be competing in women’s skeleton on Thursday. She finished third in women’s skeleton at the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy, and came in fifth in Vancouver in 2010. “I’ll be at my brother Jordan’s place to watch the race,” Hollingsworth said on Monday afternoon. “We’ve been emailing and texting every day. She said it’s actually pretty warm there right now. She’s been doing well, went out training earlier today.” Hollingsworth said family members watching the races from the home front will be decked out in Canada’s colours, including some Olympic gear Mellisa gave them. ‘We’re all really confident she’ll do well but it is nerve-wracking. We’ll be excited and happy no matter what happens and just want her to know we’re
WEATHER
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Canadian bobsledder Lyndon Rush of Sylvan Lake will have his children from the left, Olivia, 7, Amilia, 4, and Harriet, 2, along with his wife, Krysta, cheering from home when he and his teammates make their runs on the Sochi Olympic track this weekend. wishing her the best of luck.” Krysta Rush, the wife of Canadian bobsledder Lyndon Rush, is at home in Sylvan Lake, glued to the TV.
INDEX
Cloudy. High -17. Low -23.
FORECAST ON A2
Two sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . A8,A9 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . .B8-B1Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . .A12 Sports. . . . B5-B7,B11,B12
“We’re praying for him,” said Rush, the mother of three young girls with another one on the way. “Olivia, our oldest, is just starting to realize her
dad is somewhat famous so that has been fun . . . . We do a lot of video chatting, texting.” Lyndon Rush’s father, Jerry, drove his son to the airport over a month ago for the World Cup series and is “basically hooked” to the Games. He didn’t head to Sochi because of the costs involved but said he’s eager to see how the team does, especially after the purchase of new runners for their sled last month. His “pushes are stellar, his driving looked perfect,” but the equipment was lacking, Jerry said. “There was a German guy who was bumped from the German Olympic team and he offered to sell Lyndon his runners but the Russians were bidding on them so the German, who likes Lyndon a lot because he’s one of those guys that gets along with everybody, said to him that if he could raise the money in two days, they were his.” The team cracked open their own penny banks and still came up $10,000 short. Jerry said he took to his phone and within 20 minutes had found two sponsors to cover the costs: Doug Quinn of Red Deer, the former owner of Quinn Pumps, and Airdrie Dodge. The new runners have already made a difference in Lyndon’s times. “They’re his secret weapon,” said Jerry.
Please see FAMILIES on Page A2
‘Dumb Starbucks’ generates buzz It’s a caffeine-charged Hollywood whodunit: just whose bright idea was the “Dumb Starbucks” coffee shop?
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