In what police are calling an unrelated incident, sometime between May 16 and yesterday, unknown person(s) broke into a commercial condo along the 400 block of W.T. Hill Boulevard. The inside of this business was also damaged.

Areas from Vulcan,  past the U.S. border and into Montana, experienced freezing temperatures for at least 8 hours on the night of May 11. Temperatures reached as low as -8° C in some areas.

“With canola and frost occurrences, it’s a function of how hot it was the day before, and then how cold it got, etc, so it’s those extreme changes that actually cause more damage,” said Troy Prosofsky, the Canola Council’s agronomy specialist at Lethbridge. “There was definitely a lot of high mortality rates in some regions. What I did find was no two fields were exactly the same. It was a difference of what stage the crop was, the topography, what their plant counts were, et cetera. However, despite the damage, there weren’t any fields that I saw that needed to be reseeded.”

Neil Whatley, crop specialist with the provincial Ag-Info Centre at Stettler, recommended farmers wait at least four days to check their crops after a frost before taking action.

“If there’s still one or two per square foot, you don’t want to reseed. With canola you never want to reseed unless you’re down to about three plants per square foot,” he said.

Prosofsky said at this point in the season it may not be worth it for farmers to reseed.

Research done by Ross McKenzie, agronomy research specialist for the provincial ag ministry, shows that in southern Alberta, 1.8 bushels are lost for every day crop is planted after May 1, Prosofsky said.

“If we’re seeding this late in the game, we’d already be losing 25 bushels of potential yield. So you’ve got to consider if I’m going for 65-bushel yield, and I only get 40 if I reseed. Or, if I lost 10 per cent, maybe I’m down to 55 bushels.”

Candice Vercillo, who began her teaching career at Nicholas Sheran, where she has taught Grade 5 and served as the school’s Inclusive Education teacher, will continue as Acting Assistant Principal for Nicholas Sheran Community School.

Vercillo completed a double bachelor’s degree from the University of Lethbridge and earned a master of education degree from the University of Lethbridge, according to Barry Litun, the Lethbridge School District superintendent.

“Candice’s strength as an instructional leader and her experiences and commitment to early and balanced literacy will be strong assets in her role as Assistant Principal,” said Litun.

Chris Harris, a teacher in the Student Assistance Instruction Centre (SAIC), has been appointed to serve as Administrative Assistant at Mike Mountain Horse School.

“Chris’ wide range of experiences, combined with his communication skills and passionate desire to serve all students will be assets in his role at Mike Mountain Horse School,” said Litun.

Lenee Veres-Fyfe, the AISI Lead Teacher at GS Lakie Middle School, will serve as Assistant Principal at Fleetwood-Bawden School upon completing her master of education degree from the University of Calgary later this year.

“Lenee is respected across the province as a presenter and facilitator. Her leadership in curriculum implementation and development combined with her high energy and strong communication skills will serve her well in her new position.”

David Nussbaumer, teacher at Ecole Agnes Davidson School, has been appointed Assistant Principal at Galbraith School.

Nussbaumer, who completed a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alberta and a master of education degree from the University of Northern British Columbia, has previous teaching experience with the Edmonton Public School Board, Saskatoon Public School Board, and Prince George School District, said Litun.

“David’s wide range of experiences, enthusiastic support of co-curricular activities, and ability to build relationships will provide strong support to the Galbraith School Community.”

Kathy Mundell, Inclusive Education Teacher and Coordinator at GS Lakie Middle School, has been appointed to serve as Assistant Principal at Gilbert Paterson Middle School.

Mundell earned a combined bachelor of arts/education degree from the University of Lethbridge and completed her master of education from the University of Lethbridge, said Litun.

“Kathy’s strong communication skills, her ability to foster relationships, and her commitment to support all students’ social, emotional and academic needs will assist her in this position.”

Doug Checkley has been appointed as Assistant Principal for Chinook High School, effective 1 December 2012.

Checkley, the Science Curriculum Leader, ESL Lead Teacher, and Advanced Placement Lead Teacher at Chinook High School, earned a combined bachelor of science/education degree from the University of Lethbridge and completed his master’s degree with a focus on physical education, technology, leadership, and research from the University of Lethbridge.

“Doug has the ability to create positive relationships with students, colleagues and parents. He believes in building a strong sense of community. These attributes will serve him well in the role as assistant principal.”

David LeGrandeur has been appointed Administrative Assistant for Westminster School.

LeGrandeur, who teaches math, science, and a hockey option at GS Lakie Middle School, received both his bachelor’s and master”s degrees from the University of Lethbridge, said Litun.

“David is innovative, collaborative, and compassionate. His drive to provide a safe and caring learning environment for students will be a valuable trait in his new position.”

The school district also announced Rebecca Adamson, a teacher at G. S. Lakie Middle School, has been appointed for a three-year term as the District AISI Lead Teacher.

Adamson holds master of education, bachelor of education and bachelor of arts degrees from the University of Lethbridge.

“Over the course of her career, Rebecca has taken on several leadership roles, not only at the school level but at the District and provincial levels as well,” said Litun. “Her breadth of experience, interpersonal skills, enthusiasm, and her work as an Alberta Assessment Consortium Associate Specialist will be assets in her new role.”

This StartUp Canada initiative is the first of its kind in Canada, and participants in the roundtable will contribute to future policy and direction by the federal government in ensuring our country has a strong entrepreneurial culture and environment, according to Jaylene Ulmer, Manager Marketing and Communications at EDL.

“EDL is engaging with many local organizations to encourage participation and to use the results of the local event to identify ways in which Lethbridge and the surrounding area can also make a difference and help entrepreneurs be successful,” says Ulmer.

Research indicates that more than half of all new private sector jobs are created by fewer than 3% of companies, said EDL CEO Cheryl Dick. Businesses are an integral part of a vibrant economy and we want to ensure this region has the resources to support them.

“This is an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs of all levels and interests to come together in a collaborative environment to identify issues, share ideas and develop solutions that will contribute to a shared national vision for Canada’s entrepreneurial future,” says EDL CEO Cheryl Dick.

The event will take place in Lethbridge on June 7 and 8, at tecconnect (3582 30 Street North).

For information, including identification requirements for entry into Canada, and any other questions you may have visit the Canada Border Services Agency website.

Declare all purchases made abroad

Know your personal exemptions, including those for alcohol and tobacco. Declare all purchases made (including duty-free purchases), and have your receipts totalled and readily available upon your return to Canada.

The Canada Border Services Agency reminds all travellers that recently announced changes to personal exemption limits come into effect on June 1.

Firewood, firearms and fireworks

The importation of certain goods is restricted or prohibited in Canada. To avoid the possibility of penalties, including seizure or prosecution, make sure you have the information you require before attempting to import these items into Canada.

The Canada Border Services Agency understands that travellers may feel anxious when crossing the border and want you to know that secondary referrals should not be viewed as an indication of wrongdoing. They are a normal part of the cross-border travel process, which any returning resident or visitor to Canada may experience.

Kickstarter.com is a platform where people can gift large or small amounts of money to help fund creative projects. The website is usually only available to those living in the United States, but Jen Alston of Imajen
Photography and Aaron Keeling of Keeling Creative have successfully finished a campaign, raising over $5000 through the website.

The photographers have regularly visited Waterton over the past 11 months collecting images of rain, snow, wind or shine, according to Keeling.

“There is a Canadian Rockies calendar that has one token image of the Prince of Wales Hotel in it each year, but it was felt that Waterton had enough economic activity including 350,000 annual visitors from all over the world to feature the Park in it’s own calendar,” said Keeling.

The funding has come from 34 people, living in both the United States and Canada. One donator, who grew up near Waterton Park, passed away during this Kickstarter campaign, and one of her last wishes was that she wanted to see this calendar funded and produced, said Keeling.

“After her passing, her family gave enough to bring the project to our funding goal. This calendar has become a dedication to her memory and will be part of her legacy. Waterton is an area that is in the hearts of those who visit there.”

Keeling expects the calendar to be finished and available for purchase in early June.

“We have visited the shops at Waterton Park and have let them know this project is in the works. The shopkeepers were very excited about this.”

Police remind the public that it is an offence to discharge weapons in the City of Lethbridge unless at an authorized location. It can also be an offence to access private land without landowner permission or to operate vehicles in parkland within the city.

Upon arrival, police found the back door to the building had been forced open. The culprit forced open a second interior door to one store but nothing appears to have been taken. Culprit(s) gained access to a second business through an unsecured interior door. The culprits then pried open another door to the business office at that location. A quantity of cash was missing from inside the office.

Police have no suspects at this time.

In an unrelated incident, a local bank received a counterfeit $20 bill in a deposit from a local business. It was not stated when this took place.

In a third incident, a wallet was stolen from an apartment along the 1200 block of 7 Avenue South. A bank card inside the wallet has since been used three times.