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Red Deer Advocate FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
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Snow busts budget BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF The City of Red Deer blew through its snow and ice control budget for the second year in a row. Last year, the city spent $7.9 million, some $3.3 million over its budgeted amount for the calendar year. In 2013, the city spent $4.8 million, overshooting its budget by $1.4 million. The overspending could be traced to the record
snowfall that blanketed the city starting in November 2013, the snowiest month ever recorded by Environment Canada for Red Deer, coming in at 62.5 cm, followed by 54 cm in December. The typical winter season sees about 120 cm of snow. By March 26, 2014, the city had received about 160 cm. As a result, the city declared all out-war on snow while revamping its snow and ice control program. During the 2014 budget deliberations, council approved a one-time $1.9-million capital budget expense in 2014 to purchase new snow removal equip-
ment, and an operating budget increase of $855,000 in both 2014 and 2015. As part of its new policy, crews plowed residential streets within 15 days after a 10-cm snow pack, leaving two small windrows on both sides of the street. In the past, the city would plow the streets within 40 days and leave a windrow on one side of the street or the other.
Please see SNOW on Page A2
BACK ON THE PITCH
CHINOOK’S EDGE
Bus fees doubling for some BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF More than 20 per cent of Chinook’s Edge students who ride the bus to school will be hit with bigger busing fees come September. The rural school division says the new provincial budget is largely to blame. Students living further than 2.4 km from school — about 3,600 students — will continue to ride for free. But Grade 6 to 12 students who live any closer, most of them residing in towns, will see their annual fee more than double to $300 from $130. Fees per family will be capped at $600 for those with more than two children riding the bus.
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Coming off a provincial championship indoor season the tier one U-18 Renegades girls are back on real grass. Here Kristy Buclle leads her teammates through a training session on the Morrisroe soccer pitch in Red Deer on Thursday. Last year playing in the U-16 provincials the girls came away with the provincial outdoor championship and hope to repeat again this summer in the U-18 division. The opening games for the team will be a tournament in Kamloops May 15-18 after which they will begin their regular season play in the Edmonton Soccer Association league.
Please see FEES on Page A2
Daines, Finnigan named Advocate’s athletes of the year BY GREG MEACHEM ADVOCATE SPORTS EDITOR Top-level athletes, for the most part, do not enter into competition in search of individual accolades. However, now and then certain competitors excel to the extent that they’re impossible to ignore. Sydney Daines and Tim Finnigan are two such individuals, and therefore have been selected by the sports department and former staff member Danny Rode as the Red Deer Advocate Red Deer Sydney Daines female and male athletes of the year for 2014. “It’s a great accomplishment, especially with how many great female athletes there are in Central Alberta,” Daines, who last year was a standout in
WEATHER Mainly sunny. High 16. Low 1.
FORECAST ON A2
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soccer and the rodeo event of barrel racing, said Thursday. Daines, who with her horse Flame was runnerup at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton and won $44,209 in the process, beat our fellow nominees Kelsey Lalor (volleyball, basketball, baseball), speed skater Maddison Pearman, gymnast Kalena Soehn and swimmer Rebecca Smith for the Advocate award. “I didn’t even know some of the other sports along with the other nominees, like speed skating. That’s very interesting,” said Daines, who finished her rodeo season with earnings of $59,015 that also included the $14,805 she garnered in 29 Canadian Pro Rodeo Association events. The Innisfail area resident and Red Deer College student also flourished in soccer, scoring five goals in eight games with the RDC Queens and six goals in 12 games with the Red Deer Renegades of the Alberta Major League. She won’t be with the Renegades this season due to her rodeo commitments, but hasn’t ruled out joining the Queens in late summer. “I haven’t quite decided yet. College soccer
doesn’t start until the beginning of August (with training),” said Daines. “I know we’re going to have a pretty good team this year. We had a meeting last night getting everything ready for the fall. It just depends on how the Calgary Stampede goes and how much travelling I do.” Daines was referring to the berth she earned in this year’s Stampede, recognized as the premier rodeo in the world and just one of many rodeos — including Medicine Hat this weekend — on her summer schedule. “I’m very excited about that and I’m also looking at some Tim Finnigan rodeos in Montana,” she said. “It all depends on how the Stampede goes and how well my horse is running.”
Please see ATHLETES on Page A2
Student finds success on Dragons’ Den Mya Prehn has founded a thriving business and made a successful pitch to the moguls on CBC’s ‘Dragons’ Den’.
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