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 – January 17, 2023

10-11:30 a.m. – Drop-in Morning Coffee at Joussard Homesteaders.

1 p.m. – Coffee Time at Kinuso Seniors Centre.

7 p.m. – Whist games at Big Meadow Hall north of Enilda.

Today’s Celebrity Birthdays – January 17, 2023

1706 – Benjamin Franklin, US Founding Father, inventor

1857 – Eugene A. Lauste, First sound-on-film recording

1882 – Arnold Rothstein, Fixed 1919 World Series [Black Sox Scandal]

1899 – Al Capone, American gangster

1900 – George Sperti, Preparation H inventor

1921 – Dehl Berti, Bonanza, Gunsmoke actor

1922 – Betty White, Golden Girls actress

1928 – Vidal Sassoon, CEO of Vidal Sassoon

1929 – Jacques Plante, Montreal Canadien

1931 – James Earl Jones, Darth Vader actor

1934 – Shari Lewis, Puppeteer [Lamb Chop]

1939 – Maury Povich, TV Talk Show Host

1942 – Muhammad Ali, Boxing Great

1948 – Mick Taylor, Rolling Stones guitarist

1949 – Andy Kaufman, Taxi actor

1956 – Mitch Vogel, Bonanza actor [Jamie]

1957 – Steve Harvey, Family Feud host

1959 – Susanna Hoffs, Bangles rocker

1962 – Jim Carrey, Canadian actor

1964 – Michelle Obama, US First Lady

1971 – Kid Rock, American rapper

1982 – Amanda Wilkinson, Canadian singer

This Day in Local History – January 17, 2023

Jan. 17, 1963: A farewell party is held for Jack Dryden, who is leaving his post as Royal Bank manager in High Prairie for Calgary. He served 6.5 years.

Jan. 17, 1970: A gas explosion destroys the High Prairie water treatment plant causing $250,000 in damages just prior to turning on the new filtering system. Residents are asked to conserve water. The town uses water wells for a supply.

Jan. 17, 1971: Peter Czelinski’s Kinuso rink wins the Legion Zone 3 Mixed Districts in High Prairie and advances to Districts in Fairview.

Jan. 17-18, 1971: Two meetings are held to save the High Prairie Regals from folding.

Jan. 17, 1973: South Peace News reports Buchanan Lumber in High Prairie is pondering a decision to build a new mill or shut down the current plant.

Jan. 17, 1979: South Peace News reports High Prairie town council is purchasing the Opportunity Corps building to house MITAA. Councillor Wilf Willier opposes saying, “It encourages drunks because they have a place to spend the night and food to eat.”

Jan. 17, 1981: Darwyn Peterson scores with one second left in the second period as the High Prairie Regals defeat the Manning Comets 7-1.

Jan. 17, 1982: Dorothy Savill’s High Prairie rink emerges as one of two winners at the Senior Ladies Zone Playdowns in Slave Lake.

Jan. 17, 1982: Esther Gray’s High Prairie rink emerges as one of two winners at the Junior Ladies Zone Playdowns in Valleyview.

Jan. 17, 1983: The High Prairie Recreation Board increases rates at the swimming pool for the coming season. An adult day pass rises to $2.50 from $2.

Jan. 17, 1985: Rick Dumont scores twice and Tommy Dlugosz adds three assists to lead the High Prairie Regals to a 6-1 win over the Valleyview Jets.

Jan. 17, 1987: Eddie Tallman is elected chief of the Whitefish Lake Indian Band thereby becoming its youngest chief ever.

Jan. 17, 1988: The 13-15-year-old High Prairie ringette team wins a bronze medal at the Alberta Winter Games. Meanwhile, the 10-12-year-old team and 13-17-year-old teams both win silver medals at the Grande Prairie Invitational Ringette Tournament.

Jan. 17, 1991: Denis Fontaine and Dan Dupuis score third period goals as the hometown Valleyview Jets defeat the High Prairie Regals 5-3.

Jan. 17, 1996: South Peace News reports Peter Paul Willier, of Sucker Creek, wins a court case allowing him to build the first liquor store on an Indian reserve in Canada.

Jan. 17, 2000: Ron and Debbie Rose take over ownership of Lyn-Mar Travel in High Prairie from Lynn Herben.

Jan. 17, 2001: Nick Parsons, of Dawson Creek, stops in High Prairie en route to Ottawa on his Massey Ferguson 860 combine to promote farmers’ concerns to the federal government.

Jan. 17, 2001: Dr. Robin Laughlin tells South Peace News that doctor walkouts are an option in ongoing negotiations with the Alberta government. Doctors were asking for a 22 per cent pay raise over two years. They later get what they want.

Jan. 17, 2007: South Peace News reports Town of High Prairie Mayor John Brodrick and CAO Larry Baran are adamant there will be no delays in the construction of Extra Foods. Westfair Foods [Extra Foods] Lori Stene says the plan is to start construction in the summer subject to weather and availability of labour.

Jan. 17, 2009: The Brulotte family catches a cougar in one of their traps near Whitemud Creek.

Jan. 17, 2010: The High Prairie Legionnaires and Mavericks both win their respective divisions at the High Prairie Midget Hockey Tournament. The Legionnaires whip the Wabasca Warriors 14-1 in the A Event final while the Mavericks win the B Event final over East Smoky, who forfeit.

Jan. 17, 2010: Brenda Anderson’s rink defeats Jocelyn Heyde 9-8 in the A Event final at the High Prairie Ladies Bonspiel. Kay Savill wins the B Event and Lisa Zabolotniuk the C Event.

Jan. 17, 2014: The High Prairie and District Regional Recreation Board unveils its new logo.

This Day in World History – January 17, 2023

1377 – Pope Gregory XI moves the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.

1562 – Edict of St. Germain recognizes Huguenots in France.

1718 – Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland.

1773 – Captain James Cook becomes first to cross Antarctic Circle.

1775 – Nine old women burnt as witches for causing bad harvest in Poland.

1871 – First cable car patented, by Andrew Smith Hallidie.

1893 – Queen Liliuokalani is deposed, Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic.

1905 – Punchboards patented by Charles Brewer & C.G. Scannell.

1912 – Captain Robert Scott’s expedition arrives at the South Pole.

1917 – US pays Denmark $25 million for Virgin Islands.

1920 – First day Prohibition comes into effect in the US.

1928 – First fully automatic photographic film developing machine patented.

1929 – Popeye makes first appearance, in comic strip “Thimble Theater”.

1943 – Tin Can Drive Day in the US, salvage collected for the war effort.

1945 – Auschwitz concentration camp begins evacuation.

1945 – Soviet army enters Warsaw and clears German resistance.

1946 – United Nations Security Council holds first meeting.

1950 – The Great Brinks Robbery – 11 men rob $1.2M cash in Boston.

1954 – Jacques Cousteau’s first network telecast airs on CBS.

1972 – Section of Memphis’ Highway 51 South named Elvis Presley Boulevard.

1973 – New Philippine constitution names Marcos president for life.

1977 – Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in Utah state prison.

1982 – “Cold Sunday” – lowest temperatures in several US states in 100 years.

1983 – Nigeria expels 2 million illegal aliens, mostly Ghanaians.

1989 – Murden & Metz are first women to reach South Pole overland on skis.

1991 – Operation Desert Storm begins, with US-led coalition bombing Iraq.

1994 – 6.6 earthquake hits Los Angeles killing 60, $30B in damages.

2007 – Doomsday Clock reset to five minutes to midnight.

2013 – Japan unveils plans to build the world’s largest wind farm.

2017 – Search for missing aircraft MH370 over Indian Ocean called off.

Today’s Horoscopes – January 17, 2023

Aries [March 21 – April 20] – Practical matters involving home and family might need some attention today. This is not anything alarming, just a few tasks you may have put off, such as house cleaning or yard work. Get other members of your household to help. You have other responsibilities to see to. It is not fair to have to do it all by yourself.

Taurus [April 21 – May 21] – Matters involving your community might require your attention. This is likely to involve communication in some way. Perhaps you want to make some phone calls, write letters, or place an ad or article in a local newspaper. Communication of all sorts should go well, and you might find that it opens new doors to understanding between you and those closest to you.

Gemini [May 22 – June 21] – Financial matters might need attention today. Bills may need to be paid, cheques deposited, and budgeting worked out. Your powers of concentration are high, so this is a great day to do this, even though you would rather be doing something more interesting. Do not despair. Your practical skills are good, so you are apt to finish quickly. Then you can go play.

Cancer [June 22 – July 22] – Some projects might require practical attention today, getting irritating little details cleared up and out of the way. Your natural efficiency is at a peak, so you will probably be able to get these matters done before you get too bored. The important thing is you will be able to achieve the results you want. Go to it.

Leo [July 23 – Aug. 23] – Relatives or old friends, particularly seniors, who visit you today are likely to awaken childhood memories you had long since forgotten. Some of them might come as a shock, but they will all release hang-ups you have been trying to expunge for a while. You might feel like you have just dropped a ton of weight – and you have. Psychological weight can be as heavy as anything physical.

Virgo [Aug. 24 – Sept. 22] – Today you might spend a lot of time on the phone with friends, some of them seniors. Your conversations will be loving, informative, and revealing. As a result, you might decide to attend some group events in your community. A letter, cheque, or delivery that had been delayed might finally arrive. This is going to release a lot of tension, as you may have feared it had been lost.

Libra [Sept. 23 – Oct. 23] – Today you could resolve to work harder than ever on whatever it is that brings the results you hope for. This is likely to involve nothing more glamorous than practical tasks, such as getting paperwork out of the way. Nonetheless, by the end of the day you should feel satisfied with your accomplishments. If nothing else, it should free you for more interesting chores.

Scorpio [Oct. 24 – Nov. 22] – Pursuing intellectual interests may be on hold today because of career matters. Your ambitions, whatever they are, could get a shot in the arm through some new information, possibly from far away. This could be uncovered in a newspaper, book, conversation with a friend, or online. Whichever it is, it is likely to work for you, so make use of it.

Sagittarius [Nov. 23 – Dec. 21] – Memories of past events that caused traumas you are still dealing with could come to light today. This is a positive development, as the release of these old emotions could make it possible for you to progress more quickly on material and spiritual planes. You may feel lighter, and you could experience a rush of joy. In the evening, go dancing and work off some of this energy.

Capricorn [Dec. 22 – Jan. 20] – Today you might see old and new friendships and romantic involvements reach a new understanding. This creates a stronger commitment between you and those who care for you. This is a great day to execute paperwork, particularly legal contracts. Your business sense is operating at a very high level. You are more apt to spot clauses that need work, so go for it today.

Aquarius [Jan. 21 – Feb. 18] – An important project could require intense concentration today, and you are in the right frame of mind. You could be pleased with the results and so could others whose opinions matter. Expect public acknowledgment of some kind. A boost to your self-confidence is in the works, perhaps even a raise in income. Work hard, enjoy the spotlight, and treat yourself to an evening out.

Pisces [Feb. 19 – March 20] – Your practical skills should be operating efficiently. A creative or intellectual discipline that fascinates you might require some intense concentration today. You could spend much of the day in the library. You will want to take meticulous notes, but do not worry about it if you do not quite catch everything. Your memory should be sharp right now.