Access for all Rotary Club proposes second play area for park
JAYS TAKE TOP SPOT WITH 10TH STRAIGHT VICTORY
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Red Deer Advocate THURSDAY, AUG. 13, 2015
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Armed robbers hit VLT lounge BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF Police are not commenting on the possibility that armed robberies at two VLT lounges in Red Deer in less than a month are linked. On Wednesday, Red Deer RCMP were searching for two men, believed to be in their 20s, who held up the Quality Inn North Hill Inn’s VLT lounge and demanded cash around 1 p.m.
Police say the men were brandishing long guns but no one was injured during the heist. Few details were released about the incident. RCMP and police dog services swept the area near the hotel and asked residents to stay clear as they searched for clues. At this time, police believe the men are both Caucasian and are about 25-years-old.
Please see ROBBERY on Page A2 Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Customers were turned away from the Winners VLT Lounge at the Quality Inn North Hill Red Deer Wednesday afternoon after a robbery.
South Hill Community Centre Report released into overdose demolition underway BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF The South Hill Community Centre is close to being a thing of the past. Contractors are doing the necessary abatement work on the site on 35th Street before it is demol-
ished. Deb Comfort, the city’s neighbourhood facilities supervisor, said the building will be taken down and removed before students start classes at École La Prairie in September.
Please see DEMOLITION on Page A2
CANADIANS’ GOT TALENT
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Nakita Kohan and Stephen Lecky of Edmonton took to the stage at the Ross Street Patio Wednesday and entertained those on the patio and those who listened in from across the street during the afternoon performance. Each Wednesday afternoon through the summer months, the patio comes alive in conjunction with the Downtown Market. Lecky, who has performed on ‘Canada’s Got Talent’ and ‘Canadian Idol,’ and Kohan are touring together as a duo. They have recently performed at the Big Valley Jamboree and the Calgary Stampede.
WEATHER Mainly sunny. High 30. Low 12.
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death of girl in group home BY THE CANADIAN PRESS EDMONTON — Alberta’s child advocate is calling for improvements after an eight-year-old in a group home died from an overdose of sleeping medication. A report from Del Graff released Wednesday said that the unidentified girl had complex needs and was on various medications, including the sedative chloral hydrate. A worker at the group home found her unresponsive in bed in early 2014. An autopsy showed the child had too much chloral hydrate in her system. Police investigated but could not determine how the overdose happened. “While all children who come into government care have some level of vulnerability, those with complex behavioural, developmental and/or medical needs are especially vulnerable,” wrote Graff. He said the provincial government needs to ensure all caregivers follow medication policies. An internal government investigation after the death found gaps in the group home’s medication procedures, the report said, although the home has since made changes. Graff further recommended the province have a wider range of specialized caregivers and train all frontline child intervention caseworkers to better understand children with disabilities. The girl, who was taken into care when she was seven, wasn’t toilet trained and hadn’t been in school. She had a risk of choking while eating and required a special diet and constant supervision. She was diagnosed with severe social and intellectual disabilities as well as motor deficits and language problems. She was further assessed as being a risk to herself and others because of tantrums that lasted up to two hours. She was initially put in a short-term group home for children with minimal needs. Instead of the maximum 72-hour stay allowed, she remained there for seven months because no other placement could be found.
Please see REPORT on Page A2
Wright walks court through Duffy scenario Nigel Wright said he didn’t tell former boss Stephen Harper that the deal involved someone else paying Duffy’s expenses. Story on PAGE A5
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