Rangers eliminate Penguins, Blackhawks finish off Wild
Liam, Olivia top list of popular baby names PAGE A3
PAGE B4
Red Deer Advocate WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014
www.reddeeradvocate.com
Your trusted local news authority
A tick-ing time bomb
LOOSE BALL
MLA AND WOMAN WITH LYME DISEASE WANT TO BRING MORE ATTENTION TO ILLNESS BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF
Photo by ASHLI BARRETT/Advocate staff
Tseguye Adair of the Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School Raiders controls the ball during a soccer game against Sylvan Lake’s H.J. Cody Lakers at the Thurber soccer field Tuesday evening.
Fate of accused in home invasion to be determined Thursday JUDGE TO PROVIDE VERDICT ON ACCUSED SYLVAN LAKE WOMAN’S INVOLVEMENT BY BRENDA KOSSOWAN ADVOCATE STAFF The verdict will be given on Thursday for a young woman accused of taking part in a home invasion that terrified the occupants of a rural home. Sylvan Lake resident Ashley Dawn Chambers, 24, was tried in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench on Tuesday in connection with her involvement in an incident at the home of Sylvan Lake business owner Randy Safronovich and his partner, Rita Haynes, on June 3, 2013. Questioned by Crown prosecutor Maurice Collard and cross-examined by defence counsel Kevin Schollie, Safronovich, 54, said he and Haynes were relaxing after supper at about 9 p.m. when they saw a one-ton truck come up the driveway and park near their house. Safronovich testified that it was not unusual for customers of his storage business to come up after hours to settle their accounts, so he opened the door, spoke briefly with the young man who approached the house and then invited him in. Once inside, the man said he had been offered $20,000, with half the cash up front, to come to the house and break Safronovich’s hands, arms and legs as a reminder of an out-
WEATHER Cloudy. High 18, low 8.
FORECAST ON A2
INDEX four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-B3 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . D1-D5 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . C6 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B8
standing debt. He then said Safronovich could buy his way out of the beating for $20,000. Safronovich said the situation went out of control when the man noticed that he had his smart phone in his hand and had been recording the conversation. “As soon as he noticed that I was recording, he whipped up his shirt and pulled out a handgun, putting it six inches away from my head and pulled the trigger.” The gun misfired. Safronovich and Haynes testified that in the ensuing moments, a young woman came into the house and was given the gun, along with an order to shoot them if they moved. The man took the gun back when Safronovich offered to accompany him upstairs to open his safe. With a gun in his back and unable to open the safe, Safronovich offered a box of jewelry instead. Safronovich said the couple fled the residence with the jewelry box and a puzzle ring worth $10,000, and between $1,500 and $2,000 in cash that he offered to the man before his companion entered the house. Chambers testified that she met the young man a few days earlier and they were on their way to Sylvan Lake from Drayton Valley.
Please see VERDICT on Page A2
A woman with Lyme disease and a Central Alberta MLA are fighting to help those affected by the sometimes debilitating illness. Tammy Loeffler, 45, of Red Deer, was finally diagnosed with Lyme in April after the disease took hold three years ago. “What I’ve got now is chronic Lyme disease. My chance of full recovery is not good,” said Loeffler, who is now on antibiotic treatment for the infectious disease spread by ticks. Her symptoms started in January 2011 after returning from a vacation in the Mayan Riviera. They included eye pain, weight loss, burning body pain, swelling on the left side of her face and weakness in her left leg. She saw 14 specialists in an effort to identify what was wrong. She has since developed cataracts and hearing loss and takes several medications to ease her symptoms. Since her diagnosis, Loeffler knows she’s not alone. And she’s actually in better shape than others with chronic Lyme disease.
“They’re not even able to work so I’m trying to increase awareness on their behalf,” Loeffler said. Meanwhile, Olds-DidsburyThree Hills MLA Bruce Rowe is trying to grab the provincial government’s attention. “It’s a bad situation that’s getting worse, and it’s a lot more prevalent than people think,” said the Wildrose MLA about Lyme disease. “I have attended four fundraising events for patients because they are being hit with astronomical costs to get treated in the States, and in fact get tested in the States.” Recently in the legislature, he presented case histories from eight Lyme patients complete with test results. He also sent the case histories to Health Minister Fred Horne, who requested the information.
Please see LYME on Page A2
Primary Care Network warns E-cigarettes aren’t as harmless as they appear BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF Red Deer Primary Care Network is warning the public that electronic cigarettes aren’t as harmless as they appear. Network chair Dr. Peter Bouch said a study by the Mayo Clinic found antifreeze and other carcinogens in some brands. “All of these are made in China. We know what’s come from China over the years, and there’s very little control on the actual production of these products, and also the flavourings,” said Bouch on Tuesday. Even if the electronic cigarette cartridges don’t contain nicotine, the flavourings are chemical substances that need to be studied and regulated, he said. E-cigarettes are a tobaccofree alternative to smoking. Users inhale the vapours produced by the battery-powered devices that heat up fluid-filled cartridges. Bouch said flavoured cigarettes have already been banned to protect children and flavoured e-cigarettes could again entice children to smoke. He said while e-cigarettes have fewer chemicals compared
to regular cigarettes, many still have nicotine, which is highly addictive and could be pulled deeper into the lungs because of the strong suction required to smoke e-cigarettes. Red Deer Primary Care Network has about 40 staff and 78 family doctors as part of multiprofessional health teams that offer a variety of health programs that include help to quit smoking. Bouch said he would not recommend e-cigarettes for anyone wanting to quit and neither would front-line nurses. “Nicotine addiction is an extremely difficult habit to break. It takes the average smoker five to eight times to quit smoking. The best predictor of quitting smoking is the number of times that you’ve tried, but this shouldn’t be touted as an aid to quit smoking.” He said e-cigarettes also reinforce the hand-to-mouth behaviour of smoking. Elsewhere in the world, countries are stepping in to regulate e-cigarettes and so should Canada, he said, adding that more studies into the long-term health effects should also be done. szielinski@reddeeradvocate. com
Tragedy in Turkey 70 people are dead and more than 200 trapped after a mine explosion in western Turkey. A massive rescue operation has been launched but the death toll could rise. Story on PAGE A7
PLEASE
RECYCLE