Today in High Prairie! See what’s happening today in town, celebrity birthdays, local history, world history and your daily horoscope. Please send your birthdays and community events to southpeacenews@hotmail.com and/or spneditor@outlook.com.

What’s Happening Today – December 16, 2024

10 – 11 a.m. – Movement Mondays at JCA Hall in Joussard. Light exercise, stretching. Free!

1 – 4:30 p.m. – Play Mah Jong at Joussard Homesteaders Hall. Cost $2 each.

7 p.m. – Ladies Time Out at Kinuso Seniors Centre.

7:30 p.m. – High Prairie AA chapter meets at HP Church of the Nazarene.

Today’s Celebrity Birthdays – December 16, 2024

1485 – Catherine of Aragon, First Wife of Henry VIII

1770 – Beethoven, Famous German Composer

1775 – Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice Author

1857 – Edward Emerson, Discovered Jupiter’s 5th Moon

1883 – Max Linder, 7 Years Bad Luck Director

1907 – Barbara Kent, Lonesome Actress

1917 – Arthur C. Clarke, A Space Odyssey Author

1931 – Shelby Singleton, Mercury Records Owner

1937 – Joyce Bulifant, Mary Tyler Moore Show Actress

1943 – Tony Hicks, The Hollies Guitarist

1943 – Steven Bochco, LA Law Producer

1944 – Yosemite Sam, Warner Brothers Character

1945 – Patti Deutsch, Match Game Panelist

1946 – Benny Andersson, ABBA Musician

1947 – Ben Cross, Chariots of Fire Actor

1949 – Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top Guitarist

1963 – Benjamin Bratt, Law & Order Actor

1967 – Donovan Bailey, Canadian Sprinter

This Day in Local History – December 16, 2024

Dec. 16, 1933: Grace McIntyre is the first postmaster as the Triangle post office opens.

Dec. 16, 1953: The NPHL opens its first season of play as the Peace River Stampeders lose to the Fairview Elks 2-0. Meanwhile, the hometown McLennan Red Wings blank the Falher Pirates 4-0.

Dec. 16, 1961: The High Prairie Progress reports that a $1 million vocational training school will be built at Kinuso.

Dec. 16, 1970: South Peace News reports on “The Empty Palace” after as few as 50 fans attend Regals’ games.

Dec. 16, 1973: The NPHL All-Stars defeat the High Prairie Regals in the NPHL All-Star game played in front of over 800 fans in Falher.

Dec. 16, 1981: CFRN-TV begins broadcasting in the High Prairie area.

Dec. 16, 1985: The second inquiry into the plane crash that killed six people near Joussard Oct. 19, 1984, concludes. Pilot Erik Vogel testifies pressure was put on him to fly to destinations regardless of weather or mechanical conditions.

Dec. 16, 1989: Darcy Younghans scores 73 seconds into overtime to give the hometown High Prairie Regals a 9-8 win over the Grimshaw Huskies.

Dec. 16, 1991: High Prairie town council agrees to provide $7,500 in funding toward a proposed track facility at E.W. Pratt High School.

Dec. 16, 1994: The hometown High Prairie Regals pepper Manning Comets’ goaltender Eric Henitiuk with 59 shots and a 6-1 win.

Dec. 16, 2004: Carole Irene Bannister passes away at the age of 88 years. She taught for 35 years in Faust. The school was later renamed in her honour. She was also involved in the Royal Purple, CWL, Children’s Liturgy, Quilting Bee-Lovers and Grande Prairie Golden Age Group.

Dec. 16, 2005: Melissa Isaac is named the 2005 Metis Athlete-of-the-Year at a dinner in Edmonton.

Dec. 16, 2007: Grouard’s Patrick Gray, who was born in High Prairie, dies after a battle with cancer at the age of 40 years.

Dec. 16, 2009: Canada’s Next Top Model contestant Linsay Willier and So You Think You Can Dance contestant James Jones visit Driftpile School. The next day they visit High Prairie Elementary School.

Dec. 16, 2011: High Prairie Mayor Rick Dumont says at a protective services committee meeting that he is annoyed over the excess noise from truckers.

Dec. 16, 2013: Cliff Calvert passes away at the age of 77 years. Calvert donated to the community in many ways, but was best known for supervising the building of the Gordon Buchanan Recreation Centre.

Dec. 16, 2014: A Good Samaritan pays the $1,523.74 vet bill of Virgina Auger’s dog Chloe, just in time for Christmas.

Dec. 16, 2017: The High Prairie Regals are blasted 12-2 at Fort St. John to remain winless against the Flyers, who have never lost to the Regals while a member of the NPHL.

This Day in World History – December 16, 2024

1431 – King Henry VI of England crowned king of France.

1497 – Vasco da Gama is first European to sail along Africa’s East Coast.

1631 – Mount Vesuvius erupts, destroys 6 villages and kills 4,000.

1707 – Last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.

1773 – Boston Tea Party incident occurs; protest over Tea Act.

1775 – Patent for carding machine for use in cotton mills approved.

1835 – Fire consumes over 600 buildings in New York City.

1880 – Transvaal declares itself as the Republic of South Africa.

1897 – First submarine with an internal combustion engine demonstrated.

1903 – Majestic Theater becomes first in US to employ women ushers.

1907 – Eugene H. Farrar is first to sing on radio.

1913 – Charlie Chaplin begins his film career at Keystone for $150/week.

1920 – 8.5 earthquake rocks Gansu in China, killing an estimated 200,000.

1944 – “Battle of the Bulge” begins.

1946 – French fashion designer Christian Dior founds fashion house.

1946 – Thailand joins the United Nations.

1950 – Child star Shirley Temple announces her retirement.

1951 – NBC premiere of “Dragnet” in black and white.

1959 – Snow falling in Lowarai Pass, West Pakistan kills 48.

1962 – Nepal becomes a Constitutional Hindu Monarchy.

1962 – “Lawrence of Arabia” starring Peter O’Toole released in USA.

1965 – Gemini 6 returns to Earth.

1969 – “Hello Dolly” with Barbra Streisand premieres.

1969 – British House of Commons votes 343-185 to abolish death penalty.

1971 – East Pakistan’s [Bangladesh] independence day.

1971 – Don McLean’s 8+ minute version of “American Pie” released.

1975 – First broadcast of “One Day at a Time” on CBS-TV.

1983 – Spokesperson for The Who announces the group is disbanding.

1991 – UN reverses ruling that Zionism is racism by 111-25 vote.

1991 – Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

1995 – The official adoption of the name “Euro” occurs.

2016 – 5-day pollution red alert declared in Beijing.

Today’s Horoscopes – December 16, 2024

Aries [March 21 – April 20] – If you are not careful about the energy you dish out today, you will find it all comes back to smack you in the face! Other people are likely to be as stubborn as you, so proceed cautiously! The more you try to control and manipulate others, the more friction will build! Things are likely to explode! Adopt a friendly attitude and try not to take anything too seriously!

Taurus [April 21 – May 21] – Today is a fantastic day for you! You should enjoy a good mood and positive experiences with others! There is most likely a slow-moving, transforming energy in your life right now that is touching off your emotions! You will find there is a great deal of fire and passion fueling your heart, so be generous with your kind spirit and follow through with your promises!

Gemini [May 22 – June 21] – Other people may be demanding of you, so do what you can to please them! Do not go overboard in thinking you need to be someone you are not, and certainly do not do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable! Be generous with your affection, but make sure you receive emotional support in return! There are likely to be some imbalances that need minor adjustments!

Cancer [June 22 – July 22] – People may be somewhat selfish and self-centered today, but this does not mean you have to follow suit! Remind others of the importance of the collective! We all need to pitch in and do our part to be happy! You have the ability to offer balance to the situation, and you should definitely put this to the test! Do what you can to make the scales tip back to centre!

Leo [July 23 – Aug. 23] – It may not be the easiest day to relate to others, but as usual, if you just go with the flow, you will find you can have fun! Try not to get caught up in anyone else’s drama! There are likely to be soap operas playing all around you, and you would do well to steer clear of them! Maintain a light-hearted attitude today and try not to read into anything too deeply!

Virgo [Aug. 24 – Sept. 22] – Things should flow extremely well for you! Load your engine with extra fuel, because you will be burning red hot! Do not let anything stand in your way! By all means, fight for what you need! There is a great deal of power behind your emotions, and you will find the intensity of your feelings is real and courageous whether you are laughing or crying!

Libra [Sept. 23 – Oct. 23] – You need bigger and longer hugs than usual today! A powerful force is moving through your life and trying to shake things up! Do not stoop to the level of petty argument and verbal sparring! The more you resist the opposition, the more stubborn and unwieldy the situation becomes! Make sure you have a good hold on your emotions before you leave the house!

Scorpio [Oct. 24 – Nov. 22] – Act with courage today! Dress as if you were going to meet an important statesman! See yourself in the mirror and be proud to say you look good! Act with confidence and feel free to strut your stuff! Be up-front with your accomplishments, and let people know you are strong and trustworthy! Make sure you give many compliments, credit, and thanks to the people around you!

Sagittarius [Nov. 23 – Dec. 21] – Be conscious of your own needs, and feel free to be a little selfish! Give yourself the credit you deserve, and do not let other people bully you into feeling like you are not worthy of the attention you receive! You have a great number of gifts to offer the world, and you should not be afraid to show them off! Lighten up and be proud! Other people are lucky to know you!

Capricorn [Dec. 22 – Jan. 20] – Your energy and spunk should finally return after a couple days of feeling slightly down! You should enjoy a good mood all day! Your powers of persuasion are strong! There is an extra boost of energy behind your emotions! You will find this could lead to some sort of transformation deep within! Whatever you do, do it with passion! Let your courageous nature shine through!

Aquarius [Jan. 21 – Feb. 18] – Get out of the mud! Have fun and do not worry too much about the consequences! Put your to-do list aside for a while and focus on enjoying yourself! People close to you are going to need some extra attention today, so be generous with your time! Your emotions are powerful and dynamic! The intensity behind your words reflects your passion!

Pisces [Feb. 19 – March 20] – Your emotions may be volatile right now! There is passion behind your words! You have the power to instigate major changes in your life! If you are wise, you will consider multiple ways to make them! Find the part of you that needs a boost, the area that lacks passion! Jump-start the battery that rules this aspect of your being, and make sure all your cylinders are firing!