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 21, 2025

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Chair Yoga at the Joussard Homesteaders Hall.

10 – 11 a.m. – Senior’s Coffee Morning at Nampa Foods.

10 a.m. – Noon – Drop-In Coffee at HP Golden Age Club.

1 p.m. – Kinuso Seniors Coffee Time at Kinuso Seniors Centre. New members welcome.

1 – 2 p.m. – Join Walk & Talk at Falher Centre Chevaliers. Please bring clean shoes!

3:18 – 5 pm. – Crafts/Games Homework Club at Kinuso Municipal Library.

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

7 p.m. – Darts Night at McLennan Legion Hall. Everyone welcome!

Today’s Celebrity Birthdays – January 21, 2025

1338 – King Charles V, Charles the Wise

1815 – Horace Wells, Pioneered use of anesthesia

1869 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk

1887 – Georges Vezina, NHL goaltending great

1905 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer

1921 – Barney Clark, First to get an artificial heart

1922 – Telly Savalas, Kojak actor

1924 – Benny Hill, Benny Hill Show actor

1935 – Ann Wedgeworth, Three’s Company actress

1938 – Wolfman Jack, American disk jockey

1940 – Jack Nicklaus, US golfing great

1941 – Placido Domingo , Opera tenor

1947 – Jill Eikenberry, LA Law actress

1947 – Jimmy Ibbotson, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band singer

1950 – Billy Ocean, Caribbean Queen singer

1953 – Paul Allen, Co-founder of Microsoft

1956 – Geena Davis, Beetlejuice actress

1976 – Emma Bunton, Baby Spice singer

This Day in Local History – January 21, 2025

Jan. 21, 1962: The Jean Cote Canadiens defeat the High Prairie Tuxedos 2-1 in the Smoky River Intermediate C Hockey League but High Prairie still sits in first place with a 7-3-0 record.

Jan. 21, 1963: The Athabasca Health Unit commences a two-week mass administration of the oral Sabin polio vaccine in the Lesser Slave Lake area.

Jan. 21, 1970: Fire breaks out in the basement of McLean’s TV Centre in High Prairie. No damage estimate is reported. The owner reopens the next day in the Roxy Theatre building.

Jan. 21, 1970: Mark Lamanda’s third period goal gives the hometown High Prairie Regals a 3-3 tie against the Fairview Elks despite the Regals outshooting Fairview 23-4 in the first period.

Jan. 21, 1973: The visiting High Prairie Regals are defeated at Grimshaw 6-1 for only their third loss in 16 games.

Jan. 21, 1984: Dean Kjemhus scores with eight seconds left in the game to give the High Prairie Regals a 6-5 win over the Falher Pirates.

Jan. 21, 1985: The High Prairie Recreation Board meets and hears from a delegation about the possibility of a second ice surface. Estimated cost for the rink is pegged at $700,000.

Jan. 21, 1986: Ron Rose and Harold Bellerose each score twice to lead the High Prairie Regals a 5-2 win over the Valleyview Jets.

Jan. 21, 1987: South Peace News reports John Nergaard takes over as manager of Dads ‘n’ Lads Clothing.

Jan. 21, 1987: South Peace News reports the High Prairie School Division office goes smoke-free.

Jan. 21, 1988: Ron Rose scores the eventual game-winner as the visiting High Prairie Regals defeat the Falher Pirates 3-2.

Jan. 21, 1989: The Slave Lake Bantams skate off the ice after what they termed “poor officiating” in a game in High Prairie. They were trailing 6-0 at the time. Curtis Hitchcock and Bobby Carifelle had scored goals 11 seconds into the game.

Jan. 21, 1990: Brian Bliss’s High Prairie rink wins the zone competition in Girouxville and advances to districts in Slave Lake.

Jan. 21, 1991: High Prairie pioneer Mike Porisky dies at the age of 97 years.

Jan. 21, 1992: High Prairie School Division approves the installation of condom machines at E.W. Pratt school in High Prairie and Kinuso School.

Jan. 21, 1994: David Lavoie scores four goals as the Peace River Midgets stop High Prairie’s seven-game winning streak with a 9-5 win. Before the game, Joe Muller in honoured for his commitment to High Prairie Minor Hockey.

Jan. 21, 1994: Steven Matthews scores 6:16 into overtime as the visiting High Prairie Regals defeat the Manning Comets 5-4.

Jan. 21, 1997: High Prairie Elementary School celebrates the opening of their $1.1 million new wing.

Jan. 21, 1997: The Town of High Prairie holds a tax sale on Riverside Plaza, owned by Ray and Marion Hassenstein. No one submits a bid so council begins transferring title.

Jan. 21, 2002: Driftpile First Nations Family Stop is fined $287 after pleading guilty in High Prairie provincial court to selling unmarked tobacco under the Tobacco Tax Act.

Jan. 21, 2004: Tolko Industries announces its intention to purchase Slave Lake’s Weyerhauser mill and secure its timber in the G5 area.

Jan. 21, 2010: Alberta Education Minister Dave Hancock dissolves the Northland School Division board of trustees.

Jan. 21, 2010: Ira Gladue scores three goals and adds two assists as the High Prairie Regals win 8-4 at Peace River.

Jan. 21, 2015: The year begins with Bethel Baptist Church still not having a new pastor after Eric Kregel’s departure in mid-November. Church board chair Kory Reimer says he expects the position to be filled in the next few months.

Jan. 21, 2017: Sucker Creek’s Leonard Willier wins $102,900.60 in the Lotto 6/49 draw after matching five numbers and the bonus. He says he will use his winnings to pay some bills and take a trip to Las Vegas.

Jan. 21, 2019: High Prairie Santa Claus Parade founder Anne Bankey passes away. The local parade was first held in 2005.

This Day in World History – January 21, 2025

1077 – German King Henry IV petitions Pope Gregory VII for forgiveness.

1793 – Prussia & Russia sign partition treaty, dividing Poland.

1793 – Louis XVI of France is executed by the guillotine in Paris.

1813 – Pineapple is introduced to Hawaii.

1813 – Spaniard plants coffee in Hawaii.

1853 – Envelope-folding machine patented by Russell Hawes.

1863 – City of Dublin leases part of Cattle Market for 100,000 years.

1908 – “Sullivan Ordinance” is passed in New York City making it illegal for a woman to smoke.

1941 – First commercial extraction of magnesium from seawater occurs.

1942 – Bronx magistrate rules all pinball machines illegal.

1944 – 447 German bombers attack London.

1944 – 649 British bombers attack Magdeburg.

1954 – First gas turbine automobile exhibited in New York.

1954 – USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, launched on Thames.

1976 – Supersonic Concorde has its first commercial flights.

1978 – Bee Gees’ album “Saturday Night Fever” goes #1 for 24 weeks.

1979 – Neptune becomes outermost planet [Pluto moves closer].

1985 – Defenceman Dennis Potvin ties Bobby Orr’s career record 270 goals.

1987 – B.B. King donates 7,000 record collection to the University of Mississippi.

1989 – Wayne Gretzky passes Marcel Dionne; now NHL’s 2nd all time scorer.

1990 – John McEnroe is first player to be expelled from the Australian Open.

1999 – Drug bust: US Coast Guard seizes ship carrying 4,300 kg of cocaine.

2002 – Loonie sets all-time low against the US Dollar [US $0.6179].

2008 – The Eyak language in Alaska becomes extinct; last speaker dies.

Today’s Horoscopes – January 21, 2025

Aries [March 21 – April 20] – Today may be an odd combination of social and financial, likely a combination of the two in some way! Perhaps you need to meet with an attorney and end up dining together! Or you and a casual acquaintance could decide to go out for a drink! Legal documents are highlighted, so be sure to carefully look over contracts of any kind!

Taurus [April 21 – May 21] – Even though you seem content with your career, you are ready for some change in your life! This is the time to consider joining a group! How about a local book club? Or if you are more actively inclined, sign up with a tennis team or local running club! There are lots of diversions to occupy your mind as well as body! The real upside is you are likely to make some wonderful new friends!

Gemini [May 22 – June 21] – Even though you think of yourself as a rational person, today your intuition is so keen that even you can not ignore it! Rather than try to will it away, why not embrace the messages that bombard you? Give yourself this one single day to embrace the possibility you may have some extrasensory ability! There is no harm in trying to understand the extent of your power!

Cancer [June 22 – July 22] – You may feel slightly bored and restless! If so, an opportunity may come your way today that should not be ignored! You may have a chance to take a trip to an exotic locale or attend a class or lecture that will open your mind to all sorts of interesting possibilities! Just because you only have one life, that does not mean you can not fit many different lives into it!

Leo [July 23 – Aug. 23] – You consider yourself a rational person! If you are not a scientist, you should be! You view life objectively and rarely let extraneous matters cloud your thinking! You are likely to be taken aback by today’s extraordinary events! Your intuition is so sharp you can almost read people’s minds! At first you think this is just a fluke, but you may be a believer by the end of the day!

Virgo [Aug. 24 – Sept. 22] – This is your lucky day, and you can expect all sorts of wonderful surprises! You may enjoy a financial surprise or someone could propose an interesting and potentially lucrative project! Take advantage of any opportunities that come your way today, as all signs indicate that new ventures will ultimately prove quite profitable!

Libra [Sept. 23 – Oct. 23] – Passion is very much on your mind! Unfortunately, you have a lot to do before you can concentrate on romance! Much as you would prefer to put paperwork off for another day, you really should buckle down and get it all done! You will be relieved to have it behind you, and you will be free to enjoy the evening pursuing other interests!

Scorpio [Oct. 24 – Nov. 22] – You are never at a loss for an opinion, and today is no exception! The energy of the day is such you are happier listening to conversations than participating in them! You can not help but smile at the misinformation that gets bandied about! Since no one has bothered to ask for your opinion, you are not about to offer it today! Tomorrow is another matter entirely!

Sagittarius [Nov. 23 – Dec. 21] – Finances are highlighted for you today! This is not necessarily a good or bad thing – it just is! Spend as much time as necessary sorting out your records and making sure everything is in good order! It is never too early to collect receipts and get organized! You may feel inspired to concentrate on budgeting as well!

Capricorn [Dec. 22 – Jan. 20] – Conversation and travel are highlighted today! You may sit next to someone fascinating on a plane ride! You two have much in common, and the time will pass quickly as you enjoy discovering more about one another! You are likely to exchange phone numbers, if not kisses, by the end of the trip! There is no denying the chemistry! The question remains whether you will act on it or not!

Aquarius [Jan. 21 – Feb. 18] – Today you may take a look around your home and see what needs improvement! A pending visit from a friend or relative may provide the incentive to get things in shape! A fresh coat of paint and some new window treatments and rugs will make a big difference! If you do not have time for that, fill the house with flowering plants as an effective camouflage!

Pisces [Feb. 19 – March 20] – Family and home are on your mind today! There may be a community event you attend out of a sense of obligation but stay for the sheer fun of it! Sometimes you get so caught up in work and the daily hassles of life you forget there is a whole world outside of work! It does your heart good to take in a wider view!