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 – August 25, 2026

9:30 a.m. – Northern Sunrise County meets in council chambers.

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

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Senior Drop-In Craft at HP Native Friendship Centre 4919-51 Ave.

1 – 2 p.m. – Join Walk & Talk at Falher Smoky River Community Hall. Bring clean shoes! $2 fee.

7 p.m. – Whist games at Big Meadow Hall north of Enilda. Contact Stella Sware at (780) 523-2009.

7 p.m. – Drop-In Pickleball at Joussard JCA Hall. $2 fee. Beanbag toss if enough interest.

Today’s Celebrity Birthdays – August 25, 2026

1530 – Ivan the Terrible, First Tsar of Russia [1533-84]

1877 – Joshua L. Cowen, Electric Train Inventor

1913 – Walt Kelly, Pogo Cartoonist, Animator

1916 – Erich Von Stroheim Jr., Sunset Boulevard Actor

1918 – Leonard Bernstein, West Side Story Composer

1921 – Monty Hall, Let’s Make a Deal Host

1930 – Sean Connery, James Bond Films Actor

1931 – Regis Philbin, Regis & Kathie Lee Host

1938 – David Canary, Bonanza Actor

1938 – Frederick Forsyth, Day of the Jackal Author

1939 – John Badham, Dracula Director

1942 – Walter Williams, O’Jays Vocalist

1944 – Anthony Heald, Silence of Lambs Actor

1944 – Conrad Black, Canadian Newspaper Magnate

1949 – John Savage, The Deer Hunter Actor

1951 – Rob Halford, Judas Priest Singer

1951 – Bob Mayo, Peter Frampton Keyboardist

1954 – Elvis Costello, English Rock Vocalist

1954 – Marty Jourard, Motels Vocalist

1958 – Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands Director

1961 – Billy Ray Cyrus, Achy Breaky Heart Singer

1962 – Vivian Campbell, White Snake Rocker

1964 – Blair Underwood, LA Law Actor

1977 – Jonathan Togo, CSI: Miami Actor

1987 – Stacey Farber, Canadian Actress

1987 – Blake Lively, Gossip Girl Actress

This Day in Local History – August 25, 2026

Aug. 25, 1913: Grouard town council takes its oath of office.

Aug. 25, 1957: Rev. Father Dube leaves Joussard School to take charge of Ste. Anne Parish in Falher. He spent 10 years in Joussard. He is replaced by Father P. Lachance, O.M.I.

Aug. 25, 1962: The High Prairie Progress reports Peace River MP Gerald Baldwin accepts an appointment as parliamentary aide to Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

Aug. 25, 1962: Yvonne Flaman, 22, and her five-year-old son, Raymond, are killed in a head-on crash one mile east of town.

Aug. 25, 1962: The High Prairie Progress reports chamber of commerce president Ernie Fortier says they will hold a celebration to open the town’s new $110,000 water treatment plant.

Aug. 25, 1975: High Prairie town manager Maurice Yusep resigns.

Aug. 25, 1985: High Prairie Dolphins swimmer Andrew Howard wins a bronze medal in the open men’s breaststroke at the Alberta Swim Meet in Calgary.

Aug. 25, 1986: The seeding of the grass greens at the High Prairie Golf Course nears completion.

Aug. 25, 1990: The Edmonton team of John Cox and Norm Johnson win the second annual Golden Walleye Classic with a catch of 22.55 pounds.

Aug. 25, 1991: High Prairie Dolphins swimmer Ian Griffiths, 16, wins a gold medal at the Alberta Swim Meet in the boy’s 15-16 100-metre freestyle event.

Aug. 25, 1993: South Peace News reports the Alberta government will pay for reclamation of the old Wagner mill site at Enilda.

Aug. 25, 1999: South Peace News reports on the opening of Prairie View School above the post office. The school is designed for students who can not attend regular classes.

Aug. 25, 1999: South Peace News reports Shane and Michelle Kachnic purchase Fas Gas from former owners Mike and Gale Larose.

Aug. 25, 2001: Dwight Haugen scores twice as the High Prairie Highlanders place third in the Grande Prairie Men’s Soccer League by blasting McSwiggins 6-1 in a third place playoff game.

This Day in World History – August 25, 2026

1609 – Galileo demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers.

1689 – Montreal taken by Iroquois.

1718 – French colonists arrive in Louisiana; New Orleans founded.

1768 – Captain James Cook departs from Plymouth on his first voyage.

1825 – Uruguay declares independence from Brazil.

1894 – Discovery of the infectious agent of the bubonic plague.

1910 – Yellow Cab is founded.

1912 – First time an aircraft recovers from a spin.

1912 – The Kuomintang, the Chinese nationalist party, is founded.

1922 – Cubs beat Phillies 26-23 in highest scoring major-league game.

1932 – Amelia Earhart completes transcontinental flight.

1936 – Odourless cornstarch is patented.

1940 – First British night bombing of Germany [Berlin].

1940 – Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia incorporated into Soviet Union.

1943 – German occupiers impose 72-hour work week.

1947 – World aircraft speed record of 1,047 kph is set.

1958 – First package of precooked instant noodles marketed.

1976 – Harm Wiersma becomes world checker champion.

1981 – Jeff Schwartz, sets solo record for trampoline bouncing [266:09].

1981 – Voyager 2’s closest approach to Saturn [100,000 km].

1988 – Serious fire destroys historic centre of Lisbon.

1988 – Iran & Iraq begin talks to end their 8 year war.

1989 – After 4-billion-mile journey, Voyager 2 flies over Neptune.

2006 – Former Ukrainian PM Pavlo Lazarenko is sentenced to 9 years.

2012 – Voyager 1 spacecraft is first spacecraft to enter interstellar space.

2017 – Indian spiritual leader Singh convicted of raping two followers.

2017 – Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong jailed 5 years for corruption in South Korea.

Today’s Horoscopes – August 25, 2026

Aries [March 21 – April 20] – A great deal of wind fills your sails today, so set your course for a long-distance trip to an exotic place! Things are coming to a dramatic climax right now! You could find some serious pieces of your life are taking a dramatic turn! Change is necessary for growth! If tension exists in certain areas of your life, do not fight it! Think about taking a different path!

Taurus [April 21 – May 21] – There is a light-hearted, whimsical quality about the day you might not appreciate at first! You will find the more open and accepting you are of this energy, the more you can make it work positively for you! Use this feeling to balance the seriousness in your day! Do not get caught up in unnecessary drama that has nothing to do with your situation!

Gemini [May 22 – June 21] – You can probably sweet-talk your way in or out of any situation today! You have a great deal of power within, and you can accomplish anything as long as you are not afraid to use it! Do not fear failure! If you never try, you will never succeed! If you see missing pieces in the plan, do not worry! Trust that things will fall into place as needed! Keep your eyes on the prize!

Cancer [June 22 – July 22] – Find comfort in the people around you today! Try not to take things too seriously! Do not feel like you need to internalize everyone else’s problems! Take a step back from any situation that does not seem right to you! You may find conversation with new people to be extremely stimulating and rewarding! Keep your guard up, but do not let it block you from new experiences!

Leo [July 23 – Aug. 23] – Someone has just turned the fan up high! There is no lack of air to fuel your fire! Information is flying left and right and there is a lot of opportunity associated with it! To take advantage of this powerful day, keep the air circulating around you! Stretch and take deep, powerful breaths to enhance your nervous system and make the best use of this energy!

Virgo [Aug. 24 – Sept. 22] – The time has come for you to be more flexible in your approach! Things are changing quickly, and if you are not prepared to change with them, you will be left behind! Be aware of the fluctuating atmosphere around you and be prepared to make the necessary internal adjustments that help you fit in better with the external environment! Do not fear change!

Libra [Sept. 23 – Oct. 23] – This is a wonderful day for you! You will find you are holding all the cards you need to be successful! Today, luck and prosperity meet with discipline to create a perfect situation for wealth! Your preparation is finally paying off! You will find the more in tune you can be with yourself, the better integrated you will be with the people around you!

Scorpio [Oct. 24 – Nov. 22] – Things will be extremely light and airy today! You may find people are a bit less sensitive than you! Moving out of your comfort zone is the key to growth! Do not hesitate to move into the unknown! You can achieve a greater sense of balance between yourself and your environment if you are open to change and accept it!

Sagittarius [Nov. 23 – Dec. 21] – The wind is blowing briskly today, helping you keep your internal fire burning bright! You will be a social butterfly today! Your energy may be scattered, but this can actually work to your advantage! Picking up tidbits of information and hints from different places and people will help you integrate your energy with your environment! Capitalize on this exciting energy!

Capricorn [Dec. 22 – Jan. 20] – The key for you today is to not take things too seriously! You will find the more you deliberate over a decision, the harder it will be for you to make! You may miss your opportunity while you are weighing the facts! Be spontaneous! Try something you have never tried before! Vary your experiences so things do not get boring! Variety is the spice of life!

Aquarius [Jan. 21 – Feb. 18] – This is a terrific day for you and you will find long-term trends are moving in your favour! Your sense of discipline combined with a little bit of luck is setting the stage for you to perform! The audience is waiting anxiously, and you have a great deal of humour, knowledge, and happiness to share! Engage in witty conversation and remember life is an easy flow!

Pisces [Feb. 19 – March 20] – It may be necessary to hire a translator in order to get through to people today! You may find the more adamant you become, the more people shut you out! Keep things light and energetic! Too serious a tone could lead to disaster! Try not to make things more complicated than they need to be! You are holding the right cards, and now it is time to play them strategically!