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 – May 17, 2024

10 a.m. – Prayer Shawl knitting at HP St. Mark’s Anglican Church Parish Hall. Everyone welcome!

10 a.m. – Kinuso Seniors Coffee Time at Kinuso Seniors Centre. Ne members welcome.

1:30 p.m. – Enjoy trump & whist games at the HP Golden Age Centre, 4824-53 Ave.

7:30 p.m. – Darts Night at HP Legion Hall. Come out and enjoy the fun!

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

Today’s Celebrity Birthdays – May 17, 2024

1749 – Edward Jenner, “Father of Immunology”

1836 – Sir Norman Lockyer, Co-founder of helium gas

1868 – Horace Elgin Dodge, US auto manufacturer

1888 – Selmer Jackson, The Grapes of Wrath actor

1911 – Maureen O’Sullivan, Pride & Prejudice actress

1912 – Archibald Cox, Watergate special prosecutor

1929 – George Weinberg, Coined “homophobia”

1936 – Dennis Hopper, True Grit actor

1938 – Pervis Jackson, Spinners singer

1949 – Bill Bruford, Genesis drummer

1956 – Bob Saget, Full House actor

1960 – Fiona Hutchison, One Life to Live actress

1961 – Enya, Orinico Flow singer

1967 – Cameron Bancroft, Beverly Hills 90210 actor

1968 – Dave Abbruzzese, Pearl Jam drummer

This Day in Local History – May 17, 2024

May 17, 1913: The Grouard News reports that Georges Signori will open a tin shop and plumbing business in Grouard.

May 17, 1913: The Grouard News reports that the Diamond P. Company is erecting a 10-foot by 70-foot dam on the Heart River to float logs down to the mill.

May 17, 1913: The Grouard News reports that the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia railroad will reach Sawridge by the time the snow flies.

May 17, 1915: Grouard town council hears the Minister of Railways and Canals, Frank Cochrane, says the railway branch line must be built to Grouard and the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia railroad must live up to their agreement. “This is the best news we have heard yet,” says Mayor Verner Maurice. ED&BC Railway officials maintain it will still not be built.

May 17, 1964: Four grain elevators burn during a spectacular fire at Falher.

May 17, 1972: The High Prairie Swimming Pool Fund tops $20,000.

May 17, 1972: South Peace News reports that the Town of High Prairie is advised by Municipal Affairs they are in a cash poor situation.

May 17, 1972: South Peace News reports that the High Prairie Lions Club is sponsoring the formation of a new club at Falher.

May 17, 1980: About 125 cowboys and cowgirls compete in the High Prairie Indoor Rodeo. Donna Redlak is crowned Rodeo Queen.

May 17, 1982: The High Prairie Recreation Board decides to drop out of the running to provide satellite TV service in High Prairie. Earlier, their proposal had met with anger from some residents.

May 17, 1986: Claude and Giselle Hebert celebrate the grand opening of Radio Shack.

May 17, 1986: Amber Perry is crowned High Prairie Indoor Rodeo Queen.

May 17, 1988: The Driftpile Swingers clobber the Peavine Rangers 20-7 in one of three games as the High Prairie and District Men’s Fastball League opens its season.

May 17, 1991: Driftpile Indian Band manager J.R. Giroux estimates damages on the reserve due to floods at about $30,000.

May 17, 1994: HPSD teachers vote 82 per cent in favour of taking a five per cent pay cut for one year.

May 17, 1995: South Peace News reports over 700 people apply for 65 jobs at Tolko Industries.

May 17, 2000: The Peace River Ohm Runners score 10 runs in the first inning but High Prairie roars back for a 16-11 win to open the Wheatbelt Baseball League.

May 17, 2005: Yvonne Fornahl celebrates the opening of Have Needle Will Sew.

May 17, 2005: A blackout affects thousands of people in the High Prairie area. A $25 insulator malfunctions causing the blackout.

May 17, 2006: Lori Stene, director of public affairs for West Fair Foods [Loblaw], says an announcement on construction of the grocery store can be expected very soon.

May 17, 2006: High Prairie School Division meets and agrees to apply for funding for larger gym for Joussard School.

May 17, 2007: Five records fall at the HPSD Track and Field Meet in High Prairie. Matthew Johansson of Prairie River Junior High sets a record in the senior boy’s javelin while Geoff Beaudry of E.W. Pratt High School sets a new mark in the junior men’s 800 metres.

May 17, 2010: Two records are broken or tied at the High Prairie School Division Divisional Track and Field Meet in High Prairie. Jessica Basarab breaks a 15-year record in the Senior Girl’s Triple Jump with a leap of 9.50 metres. Kelsi Ching of Slave Lake Roland Michener School ties a record in the Senior Women’s 800-metre race with a time of 1:54.00 seconds.

May 17, 2012: One man dies in a crash at the Sawn River Bridge just east of Kinuso. Police do not release his name.

May 17, 2016: Verna Ogg is elected the new chair of the High Prairie Community Beautification Association.

May 17, 2017: Long-time Kinuso resident Cecile Tanasiuk passes away in Edmonton at the age of 77 years.

This Day in World History – May 17, 2024

  218 – Seventh recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet.

1620 – First merry-go-round seen at a fair in Philippapolis, Turkey.

1630 – Italian Jesuit Zucchi, 1st to see 2 belts on Jupiter surface.

1672 – Frontenac becomes Governor of New France [Canada].

1803 – John Hawkins & Richard French patent the Reaping Machine.

1814 – Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden [National Day].

1824 – “Greatest crime in literary history” – Lord Byron’s diaries burned.

1875 – First Kentucky Derby: Oliver Lewis aboard Aristides wins in 2:37.75.

1876 – Seventh US Cavalry under Gen. Custer leaves Fort Lincoln.

1877 – Edwin T. Holmes installs first telephone switchboard burglar alarm.

1883 – Buffalo Bill’s first Wild West show opens in Omaha, Nebraska.

1884 – Alaska becomes a US territory.

1897 – First successful submarine launched [under water “considerable” time].

1900 – “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” first published by L. Frank Baum.

1910 – Canada sets the designs for the 1-50 cent coins.

1920 – First De Havilland double-decker flight lands in Schiphol.

1926 – Chiang Kai-shek is made supreme warlord in Canton.

1932 – US Congress changes name “Porto Rico” to “Puerto Rico.”

1939 – First TV baseball game is broadcast on NBC.

1943 – Millionaire Howard Hughes crashes into Lake Mead.

1944 – General Eisenhower sets D-Day for June 5.

1948 – Soviet Union recognizes Israel.

1960 – First atomic reactor system patented by J.W. Flora.

1961 – Castro offers to exchange Bay of Pigs prisoners for 500 bulldozers.

1964 – First Tim Hortons coffee and donut shop opens in Hamilton, Ont.

1968 – European Space Research Org launches first satellite.

1969 – Russian probe Venera 6 lands on Venus.

1975 – Mick Jagger punches a restaurant window, gets 20 stitches.

1975 – NBC pays $5M for rights to show “Gone with the Wind” one time.

1980 – V.S. Kumar Anandan from Sri Lanka balances on one foot for 33 hours.

1985 – Les Anderson, catches record 97 lb 4 oz Chinook Salmon, off Alaska.

1989 – Longest Cab Ride Ever: 14,000 miles costs $16,000!

1990 – “Cheers” star Kelsey Grammer sentenced to jail for 30 days for DWI.

1990 – WHO takes homosexuality out of its list of mental illnesses.

2004 – Massachusetts is first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.

2009 – Video game Minecraft is first released to the public.

2018 – Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo spreads to Mbandaka.

Today’s Horoscopes – May 17, 2024

Aries [March 21 – April 20] – It has been fairly easy for you to detect the truth behind the situations you have encountered lately. However, beginning today, your analytical abilities will not be so reliable. The ups and downs of your relationships puzzle you in particular, and no amount of analysis yields a solution. A certain lack of commitment from other people will stir doubt, and you will begin to wonder if you are truly appreciated and understood.

Taurus [April 21 – May 21] – How intense the past few days have been! You could spend months just reflecting on these recent experiences. But the mood is not conducive to introspection right now. A change of temper today encourages you to share your life more generously. But with whom will you share it? That may well be the question of the day.

Gemini [May 22 – June 21] – The day ahead may help you break away from the surrounding gloom and doom. A more playful influence is trying to make its way into your relationships, especially your emotional commitments. It could refresh your interest in your love life. If you have not been spending enough quality time with your partner, you had better make up for it now. Your mate will be overjoyed.

Cancer [June 22 – July 22] – Sometimes you feel like you are navigating through a thick fog, but the obscurity will finally lift today. The skies ahead are sunny and clear! You can expect an invitation to take a little trip or an offer to belong to a special group. Do not pass up any opportunities to have fun! You can benefit from a diversion right now!

Leo [July 23 – Aug. 23] – Was someone close to you rude without any provocation? Were you the target of unpleasant criticism? You take these slights to heart. Beginning today, and throughout the days to come, you can expect to withdraw somewhat in order to lick your wounds. You need more harmony and gentleness in your love life, and you are likely to obtain that soon. Be patient!

Virgo [Aug. 24 – Sept. 22] – Having a personal opinion on any question is not the most difficult thing in the world to do. More difficult is confronting with some objectivity the opinions of others. The current celestial energy is marking a change toward a mindset that is more scientifically oriented. This is no longer the moment to affirm yourself but rather to learn from others.

Libra [Sept. 23 – Oct. 23] – Enough of thinking about yourself! The hour has now arrived to draw some conclusions. You are at the end of the lengthy volume you were writing on your inner life. You will have to integrate what you have learned with the different emotions and situations you are in now. “Normalization” will be the key word in the days to come.

Scorpio [Oct. 24 – Nov. 22] – Seduction through words is your real power! You have a great talent for anything involving words. So you are going to be able to attract even more admirers around you today! With the current planetary energy at work, you will surely get first prize in any contest of words. If you have been thinking about writing a love letter or a profile for a dating website, by all means, do so now!

Sagittarius [Nov. 23 – Dec. 21] – With today’s celestial energy, you are going to feel like you are on vacation. This planetary configuration often gives people the feeling of having a fresh mind and calm disposition. Problems that once seemed so complicated now appear simple and surmountable. You could also have some fun writing. Try it. You may be surprised by the results.

Capricorn [Dec. 22 – Jan. 20] – Do you say yes every time someone asks for a favour? Is it sometimes hard to find time for yourself because you are so busy coming to the rescue of a friend or family member? Today’s celestial energy asks you to think about you. Say no to your sister’s tenth babysitting request in two weeks. Do absolutely nothing if that is what you wish. Take care of yourself before taking care of everyone else!

Aquarius [Jan. 21 – Feb. 18] – Do you think your body reflects who you are? If you have the feeling that it does not, it is probably because the image you have of yourself is not quite right. Take a close look at yourself in order to readjust that image. You will see your body is the exact mirror of who you are at the moment. The alignment of the planets will help you see this more clearly now.

Pisces [Feb. 19 – March 20] – Has it been difficult these past few days to communicate with those close to you? Are you a little skeptical about your charm? In fact, have you been feeling somewhat unsure of yourself in general? The day ahead is excellent for a fresh start. You are full of confidence. You have a natural gift for diplomacy, and your sense of refinement will once again be noticed and appreciated.