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Local News

Chamber president says more support of local businesses needed

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Sitting behind his counter beneath a sign advertising 40 per cent off, Wyatt Waters’ face carries a certain degree of sadness for which there is good reason. After seven years in Morinville, Waters will be closing his GOBIKE business in a couple months, a business that has long supported community events, most notably and ironically Waters was one of the main people that lobbied for the town’s skateboard and bicycle park.

GOBIKE is the latest in a string of business closures in town and … […]

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Editorial & Opinion

St. Jean Baptiste Festival delivered as promised

A MorinvilleNews.com editorial

If you looked out your door Sunday night you would have witnessed something you don’t see often – a double rainbow. There amid a grey sky darkened by the rain clouds that largely managed to stay away from this weekend’s St. Jean Baptiste Festival were two arching bands of prismatic colour, a meteorological phenomenon that seemingly spanned the town from one end to the other.

It was almost as if Father Jean-Baptiste Morin, Morinville’s and the festival’s namesake was … […]

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Local News

Wildrose leader’s keynote address critical of Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA

By Morinvillenews.com staff

Red Deer – Approximately 800 Wildrose Alliance members gathered in Red Deer over the July 25 weekend for the party’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), an opportunity to vote on a number of proposed resolutions and to hear the party’s leader Danielle Smith speak about the future of the Wildrose Alliance.

Click Headline To Read Full Story […]

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Local News

Marathon of Freedom arrives in Morinville

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Watching para athlete Sonny Davis rolling down 100 Street in his wheelchair, one is left with the impression that it is easy. His hands seem to glide as effortlessly over the wheels as the ever-present smile glides across his face. But for a number of people who took the opportunity to follow Davis up and down the streets of Morinville in a wheel chair, any inclinations that it is as easy as Davis makes it look were soon shattered … […]

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Local News

Seniors’ housing benefits from Sturgeon County golfers

By MorinvilleNews.com staff

Sturgeon County – Two local seniors’ housing organizations will benefit from the generosity of the 172 golfers who took part in this year’s Mayor’s Golf Tournament held at Goose Hummock Golf Resort June 11. A total of $19,608 was raised at this year’s event. Of that amount, $16,807 is being donated to the Sturgeon Foundation and the remaining $2,801 will be given to the West Sturgeon Aging in Place Foundation.
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Arts & Culture

Community News Bites

St. Jean Baptiste Festival begins tomorrow

Not that you will want to miss a moment of what is going on in Morinville over the next three days, but there are some highlights you definitely won’t want to miss on any of the three days.
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Local News

Arson charges laid in Cardiff fire

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Morinville – A man has been charged in connection with last Friday’s fire that destroyed a Cardiff Echoes home. Mitchell Robert Hurst was charged with one count of arson, one count of mischief over $5,000 and one count of mischief under $5,000.

Hurst made his first appearance in Morinville Provincial Court June 24 via closed circuit television. […]

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Local News

Gibbons tables water bylaw, for now

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Gibbons – After a lively and sometimes heated twenty-minute debate, Gibbons Town Council agreed to table its water bylaw for a couple months until administration can filter some of the content councillors found objectionable.

Central to the opposition to the bylaw was just who was ultimately responsible for water bills for rental accommodations and exactly how big a deposit renters would have to pay the Town to get their water turned on.
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Schools and youth

Teachers say goodbye to Notre Dame

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Students won’t be the only ones saying goodbye to Notre Dame Elementary School this week, two of the school’s longest-tenured teachers will be as well. But unlike many of the school’s students, the teachers will not be returning to stroll the hallways this fall. Viviane Pezer and Linda Gibson are retiring after 15 and 28 years with Notre Dame, respectively.
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Local News

County severs agreement with St. Albert

By Stephen Dafoe

Sturgeon County – Despite eleventh-hour protestations from St. Albert Council, Sturgeon County withdrew from a nearly decade-long municipal planning agreement with the neighbouring municipality June 22.

Council voted unanimously on all three readings of a bylaw to repeal their participation in the intermunicipal development plan (IDP) it has shared with St. Albert since 2001, an alliance that governed how developments were handled along the two municipalities’ shared border.

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Local News

Morinville celebrates its mayoral heritage

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Bagpipes and Red Serge preceded the Honourable Ken Kowalski into packed council chambers June 22. Kowalski, Speaker of the Alberta Legislature and Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA, was given the honour of investing Morinville Mayor Lloyd Bertschi with the Town’s first chain of office, new ceremonial regalia that pays homage to Morinville’s administrative and mayoral heritage.

“What we’re doing tonight is doing something that basically has its tradition and its history that goes back nearly a thousand years … […]

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Local News

Arson suspected in Cardiff fire

By Stephen Dafoe

Cardiff – Sturgeon County Deputy Fire Chief Pat Mahoney said a fire that destroyed a Star Key Place home last Friday may have been arson.

“It’s still under investigation,” Mahoney said. “The RCMP were on scene as well and it’s believed to be arson at this time. There was one male individual that was taken into custody for it.”

The Deputy Fire Chief said the fire, which broke out around 12:45 in the afternoon, was the third fire in the Cardiff area that day.
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Local News

St. Jean Baptiste offering big prize pot

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Morinville – with just a few days to go before the start of what organizers are hoping will be the biggest and best St. Jean Baptiste Festival yet, tickets have just been printed for the latest add-on to the festival’s offerings.

Festival Committee member Tyler Edworthy said that 10,000 tickets have been printed and will be available for $1.00 each, giving festival goers a chance to win $5,000, an amount so large they are calling it “The Largest 50/50 Draw Ever.”
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Arts & Culture

Alexander First Nation ready for Pow Wow

]By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Alexander First Nation will be holding its annual traditional Pow Wow July 2 – 4, an event that has traditionally drawn aboriginal dancers and drummers from all over to take part in the three-day event.

This year’s Pow Wow will see Douglas Bonaise as MC, Albert Dequaine as stickman and Kipohtakaw as host drum.

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Arts & Culture

Smith Music students feed bellies and souls

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – It was a music lover’s feast at Smith Music over the Father’s Day weekend. The school held its annual concert series – five shows over three days with the only price of admission being a donation to the local food bank.

Approximately 80 students and instructors performed for approximately ten hours, singing and playing their hearts out with tunes, many of which were composed before the students were born.
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