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Year in Review – July 2017

Dec 25, 2017 | 5:00 AM

 MEDICINE HAT, AB — Who said anything about the dog days of summer?

July was a busy month in Medicine Hat, with a significant house fire and explosion, an earthquake being felt in the city, and a heat wave through much of the month.

Here are a few of the stories which resonated with readers in July.

July 4 – Medicine Hat under heat wave 

For much of July, a heat warning was in place for Medicine Hat due to regular temperatures above 30 degrees.

July 6 – Earthquake felt in Medicine Hat 

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit just after midnight on July 6 about 9.7 kilometres southeast of Lincoln, Montana. It was followed by several smaller quakes, clustered in the same general area. Residents in Medicine Hat reported feeling the earthquake as well.

July 11 – Online post from parent group sent to Education Minister 

A post on the Concerned Parents of School District 76 blog, titled ‘Policy 622 Endorses Child Abuse,’ raised some concerns with the school board, who forwarded it to the office of the Education Minister over concerns of defamation

July 16 – Stampede Royalty crowned for 2017

Lacey Palichuk was crowned Queen and  Ava Padfield was named Princess for the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede for the year.

July 19 – One dead following explosion and house fire on Hudson Way 

A house on Hudson Way caught fire as a result of an explosion on July 19, killing one person inside the house. Police say the man’s death was not criminal in nature, and caused by a tampered gas line.

July 20 – Local woman’s property tax increases due to assessment error

Julie Tracey opened her property tax assessment and noticed the value of her home increased $120,000 and she would be paying more in monthly property taxes due to an error from the city’s assessment department. One day later, Mayor Clugston said the city would fix the error, a promise that later went unfulfilled.

July 28 – Owner of notorious drug house found dead 

William Jussila, the owner of a house on Aberdeen Street that was shut down twice within a year due to drug activity, was found dead. A family friend of Jussila said he died from an overdose.

July 31- Arena closes its doors 

After 47 years, the former home of the Medicine Hat Tigers was officially closed by the city. The future of the site is expected to be known in 2018.