MEDICINE HAT, AB – Several news stories went viral in Medicine Hat this month, including Redcliff’s Dark Knight and a fish found with plastic wrapped around its body.
New economic opportunities, and the arrival of Westjet, also had readers coming to the website.
Here are some of the stories which caught the attention of readers in November.
A Suffield man trick-or-treating in Redcliff helped subdued a 23-year-old man who crashed into parked cars while impaired. Nathan Learmont eventually pleaded guilty to impaired driving in December.
Nov. 1 – Fisher warns about plastic in river
Adam Turnbull was fishing in the South Saskatchewan River when he found a pike that had a piece of plastic wrapped around it. He cut it loose and set the fish free, and warned fishers about cleaning up after themselves by the river.
Nov. 2 – New power plant online
The city’s newest power generation unit, located near Box Springs, officially went online in November.
Nov. 2 – Cody Michell pleads guilty
Michell, arrested following a pair of motor vehicle collisions that left an 18-year-old woman dead in September, pleaded guilty to all of his charges. He will be sentenced in February.
Nov. 2 – Company seeking to build helium facility in Medicine Hat
Weil Group Canada is looking to commission a central helium liquefaction facility in Southern Alberta. The timeframe for the decision is listed as within the next 20 months.
Nov. 3 – Casino could be moving to Box Springs
A parcel of land in the Box Springs Business Park is mentioned as part of six listed subdivision applications up for renewal in a Development and Infrastructure committee agenda.
One of the items, an 18-acre parcel of land between the Keg and the McDonald’s along the Trans Canada Highway, is linked to a new location for the casino. The casino has not confirmed if it is moving to Box Springs, and currently is planning a move to the Southside Events Centre.
Nov. 3 – Snow returns to city.
The city received its first sustained snowfall of the season in November, which stuck around for much of the month. Police responded to more than 40 collisions in one day due to the weather.
Nov. 24 – Westjet Link coming to Medicine Hat
Westjet announced a new airline service with flights from Calgary to Medicine Hat will arrive in May 2018.
Nov. 28 –Piche family still looking for answers
The family of Glenn Piche, who died from suicide in June 2013, is still looking for answers following his death and wanting to see recommendations from a fatality inquiry earlier this year to be put in place
Nov. 30 – Hilda fire cause revealed
“The Office of the Fire Commissioner has determined that the fire’s point of origin was a burning pit, which had been used under a fire permit from Cypress County on October 13,” reads the statement from Kevan Jess, Provincial Fire Commissioner. “That fire had been thought by the permit holder to have been out at the end of that day. It has been determined that it is most likely the elevated wind speeds on October 17 that provided additional oxygen to a remaining ember or embers from the previous fire. The ember or embers were spread into the surrounding vegetation.”
