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Severe thunderstorm watch

July 29, 2015, 10:42 am
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thunderstorm1A storm near Highway 9 and 21. Photo by Nathan Crosby.

This watch has ended.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for communities in the Drumheller area.

Environment Canada say conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms near Drumheller, Three Hills, Beiseker, Carbon, Acme, Rockyford, Rosebud, Rumsey, Rowley, Michichi, Delia, Morrin and Munson. They may be capable of producing strong wind gusts and large hail.

Thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon along the foothills and move towards the east-southeast throughout the day.

These thunderstorms have the potential to become severe with the main threats being strong winds and large hail. Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles.

Remember, severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes. Be prepared for severe weather. Take cover immediately, if threatening weather approaches. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors.
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Drumheller skatepark nearing completion

July 29, 2015, 11:54 am
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skatepark1Crews working on the new skatepark (Wednesday, July 29). Photo by Nathan Crosby.

Construction on the new skatepark is ahead of schedule, which means it won't be long until skateboarders, BMXers and rollerbladers will get the green light.

Tyler Eddy of the Drumheller Area Skateboard Enthusiasts (DASE) told the 99.5 Drum FM morning show the earliest the park will be available for use is Friday, August 7.

"The weather has been great and the guys have been out there working long days and are super far ahead of schedule," said Eddy.

"They're looking to be wrapping in the next week and a little bit. They're doing final touches, doing some final pours of concrete, removing forms. After that, you can't just leave a perfectly good skatepark fenced off, so as soon as those guys are done and out of there and that cement is cured up, we'll tear the fences down and let the people of Drumheller have at it."

Eddy noted DASE is now at 95 per cent of their fundraising goal, but there is still opportunity for sponsorship, visit their Facebook page for more details.

DASE is planning a grand opening on August 29, details to come.
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Drumheller gets loud this weekend

July 29, 2015, 12:31 pm
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Geoff-BourrieGeoff Bourrie. Photo by Bob Brown.

Drumheller's metal festival returns this weekend.

For the fourth year the Loud as Hell festival will take over the Dinosaur Downs Stampede Grounds.

Thirty different bands are taking stage between July 31 and August 3, they'll be coming from all over the country.

"This is a chance for them to have a big gig during the summer. We have a big professional stage with big racking and stuff. A lot of the bigger bands we have don't even play on stages this big,"  explained organizer Geoff Bourrie.

They're expecting between 500 and 600 people to attend this year.

Entrance for the festival for all four days is $100, which includes camping. Tickets are available at Jurassic Ink downtown Drumheller, or at the door for $120.

"It's a real wide spread. You're not going to come in there and hear a bunch of screaming and yelling for the whole weekend, it's not like that. We've got a very diverse lineup," Bourrie added.

This year's headlining act is Obey the Brave, Kenmode and Striker are the co-headliners.

The weekend will feature a main stage for the bands, a second stage for freak-shows, and a slip n' slide to help festival-goers beat the heat.

More festival info can be found here.
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South Hill medians looking better

July 30, 2015, 5:39 am
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South-Hill-01Photo by Bob Brown.

The medians located at the bottom of Drumheller's South Hill are finally getting a revamp.

Alberta Transportation crews have installed planters full of flowers on the median at the bottom of the hill and Drumheller mayor, Terry Yemen says they are expecting to get more medians done shortly.

"They look awesome," noted Yemen. "It means a lot to the community when you come down the hill and see those medians."

Plenty of other Alberta communities have eye catching medians, and the mayor credits CAO, Ray Romanetz Drumheller for pointing that out to Alberta Transportation.

"Ray put up a pretty compelling argument, so now they have changed it around,"explained Yemen.

It's still not clear if a pull out lane will be installed for people coming into town from the south to stop on the side of the highway.

"I did write a letter, but I have not received a response yet," stated the mayor.
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Classical music for all ages Thursday

July 30, 2015, 7:53 am
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Chamber-musicPhoto courtesy Rosebud Chamber Music Festival.

A quartet of classical musicians takes over the Canadian Badlands Passion Play site this evening as Beethoven Returns to the Badlands.

It began Wednesday night, July 29, in Rosebud and wraps up in the hamlet on Sunday evening, August 2.

In the meantime, members of the foursome will be in Drumheller this afternoon to lead local children on a musical journey.

"I'll be doing a program called 'Kids Making Music, at the Freemasons Hall,'" explains double bassist, Tim Dawson. "It's free for kids, it's from 12:00-3:00 and at 2:30, there's a concert for parents and interested people."

"What I'm going to be doing is a musical play, culminating in a composition that we make up together," he added. "Kids don't need any musical experience, we're just going to play some musical games and have some fun and work towards our very own Drumheller composition."

"All they need to do is be willing and open, bring a drink and a maybe snack. If they have an instrument that would be great, even if it's just a box of macaroni to shake or some pots and pans to hit; I'm sort of thinking eight years old and up."

The Freemasons Hall children's concert is scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon. There is no charge to attend. Tonight's Passion Play site concert begins at 7:30.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through Rosebud Theatre (403) 677-2001 or at the gate.
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Great anniversary for Homestead Museum

July 30, 2015, 8:12 am
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Gilles-Danis 2Gilles Danis. Photo by Bob Brown.

It was a record setting weekend at Drumheller's Homestead Antique Museum as they celebrated 50 years in the valley.

"The Homestead Museum wants to thank everybody who came; we had the best time," said museum manager, Gilles Danis. "We had so many people that some actually couldn't find a place to park, but we had fun, we had music, we had cake, we had all kinds of stuff and we met all these people. It was exactly what we wanted to see happen."

Danis didn't have exact visitor numbers when he visited the 99.5 Drum FM studios, but he said there were more people than he's ever seen at the Homestead.

"Quite a few people comment on the way out how great it is and some people actually say 'I relate way better to this one than to the dinosaurs,' "he added. "Dinosaurs are fun, but they're not your life, your know. These peolple come in and see their ancestors; it's not just objects, it's a museum about people."

Now that the semi-centennial is out of the way, Danis already has his sights set on the future.

"I'm thinking about the 100th already," he told 99.5 Drum FM. "History is history, it's behind us and we have to remember that somewhere along the line is going to be Old Farts Day and it's going to have to be in the museum somewhere."
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Solar power taking off in Starland County

July 30, 2015, 8:52 am
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Solar-panelPhoto by Bob Brown.

Hot, sunny weather is forecast for the Drumheller area this weekend and perhaps no-one is happier to hear that than some farmers in Starland County.

Dozens of farms throughout the county have been converting to solar power in recent years.

"We installed over 100 kilowatts last year and we're hoping to work with people throughout Starland County this year and, hopefully, we can do that again," reports Jordan Webber, economic development officer for the county.

"There's no maintenance, there's no management of the systems - they work on their own and have no moving parts," he explained. "Everyone is just impressed with how little upkeep it takes and at the end of the day, the results on their power bill in most cases are exceeding our expectations."

Webber told 99.5 Drum FM the cost of installing a farm based solar power system has gone down from 2014.

"We're still offering an incentive; it's a little bit lower than it was last year, but that's to match the cost of the systems coming down extensively," he said. "You can install a (solar) system in Starland County this year for cheaper than you could last year and all in all, people are really excited to get onboard at this price range."

For more information on solar power in Starland County, contact Jordan Webber at the county office, (403) 533-3793.
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Liam and Olivia remain most popular baby names in Alberta

July 30, 2015, 10:50 am
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dez1Baby Dezmond. Photo submitted.

Liam and Olivia remain the most popular names for baby boys and girls in Alberta.

For the third straight year, Liam was the top boy name, while Olivia is the top girl name for the second year in a row.

In 2014, Alberta parents welcomed 55,587 babies to the world, 27,147 girls and 28,440 boys.

"Alberta is a vibrant and thriving province with a growing number of young families and an exceptionally bright future. Our government is working every day to ensure that all parents are able to share the benefits of a prosperous future with their children," said Deron Bilous, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Service Alberta.

Albertans definitely took inspiration from pop culture when it came to naming their kids in 2014. Creative boys’ names included Tyrion from the Game of Thrones, Aragon which is similar to a character in The Lord of the Rings and Olivander which may be inspired by a character in the Harry Potter series.

Unique girls’ names included Primm, which is much like the character from the popular Hunger Games trilogy; Sookie from the True Blood TV series, Cosette from Les Miserables, Wednesday from The Addams Family TV series, and Khaleesi from the Game of Thrones.

Some of the more stand-out names for boys include Thunderboy, Goodness, Huckleberry, and Innocent. For girls, parents chose creative monikers such as Valkyrie, Meadow, Melon, Disney, and Bandit.

Albertans who are trying to choose the perfect name for their new arrivals can download the free Alberta Baby Names app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The app has more than 95,000 Alberta baby names dating back to 1980.

The Vital Statistics branch of Service Alberta recorded 6,110 distinct boy names and 7,409 distinct girl names in 2014. The figures are based on reports to date from hospitals and birthing centres.

Alberta’s top names for baby boys:

Boy Names (2014)    Boy Names (2013)    Boy Names (2012)

1 Liam                     Liam                        Liam
2 Ethan                    Lucas                      Ethan
3 Benjamin              Ethan                       Jacob
4 William                 Noah                        Logan
5 Logan                   Logan                      Mason
6 Noah                    Benjamin                 Benjamin
7 Jacob                   William                     Lucas
8 Oliver                   Jacob                       Alexander
9 Lucas                   Mason                      Carter
10 Carter                Carter                      Noah

Alberta’s top names for baby girls:

Girl Names (2014)    Girl Names (2013)    Girl Names (2012)

1 Olivia                    Olivia                      Emma
2 Emma                   Emma                     Olivia
3 Emily                    Emily                      Emily
4 Sophia                  Sophia                    Sophia
5 Ava                      Ava                         Ava
6 Isabella                Avery                      Lily
7 Abigail                  Abigail                    Ella
8 Ella                      Charlotte                 Isabella
9 Charlotte              Chloe                      Abigail
10 Hannah               Lily                         Chloe
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Skatepark gets support from ATB Financial

July 31, 2015, 3:55 am
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Skateboard-ATBPhoto submitted.

The Drumheller Skatepark is closer to being paid for thanks to a $10,000 cheque from ATB Financial in the valley.

Adrian Hartman, ATB branch manager told 99.5 Drum FM he thinks the Skatepark will be a huge success and he is pleased to have given a donation.

"It's for a great cause, something like that is amazing for us to get a facility like that in Drumheller,"Hartman explained. "More things for the youth to do, that's incredible."

Hartman also mentioned ATB and local business, Shredz, have teamed up to assist the grand opening.

"We're partnering up to provide a couple skateboard packages to youth in the community that aren't as fortunate, and we're also having a draw at ATB to give away a Shredz skateboard package at the grand opening," reported Hartman.

Hartman will be at the Skatepark's grand opening on August 29 to give away the skateboard package to the lucky winner of the draw.

"I think for ATB to support the youth in the community and community events was a nice thing and to be able to partner with the initiatives in the community," noted Hartman.

For an update on the Drumheller Skatepark, click here.
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Drumheller RCMP preparing for long weekend

July 31, 2015, 9:56 am
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RCMP-bikeConstable Eric Doucette of the Drumheller RCMP.

Drumheller RCMP will be busy this weekend.

The Heritage Day long weekend and Loud as Hell Metal Festival will bring a large volume of travelers into Drumheller, Corporal Rod Guthrie of the Drumheller RCMP told 99.5 Drum FM the focus is keeping roads safe.

"The sheriffs will be in town, and the traffic services unit, so they'll be doing extra stuff through the weekend."

Cpl. Guthrie added that there will be checkstops in town Saturday night as part of National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day.

The RCMP want to remind motorists to drive safely. These are a few reminders to keep the roads safe:
- Obey posted speed limits.
- Don't drive distracted, put away electronic devices and concentrate on driving.
- Wear seatbelts and ensure children are safely buckled in an appropriate child restraint.
- Don't drink and drive.
- Be aware of others on the road, summer weather means sharing the highway with motorcyclists, pedestrians, and cyclists.

From May 15 to July 29 Alberta RCMP responded to the following:
- 1,071 collisions involving an injury.
- 65 of this collisions resulted in 75 fatalities.
- 125 collisions involving 125 motorcycles.
- 2 pedestrians were killed in 2 incidents.
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Grace Lutheran welcomes new pastor

July 31, 2015, 11:38 am
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Scott-GamblePhoto submitted.

Hello and welcome to Drumheller, Scott Gamble and family. He's the new pastor for Grace Lutheran Church in Drumheller.

"He originally hails from Markerville, Alberta," reports church member, Lynn Hemming. "He's married, they have three children and one more on the way and we're very excited to have him as our new pastor. This will be his first congregation."

"We've been a year without a pastor; we've been really blessed to have an active congregation with really strong lay leadership that has carried on the services," noted Hemming. "(We) also had some help from a young pastor at Airdrie who helped to fill in, but there's nothing like having your own pastor again."

Members of the Grace Lutheran congregation will get together this Sunday, August 2 at the Badlands Community Facility at 4:00 p.m.

"We're having a special service...for his installation and ordination, followed by a supper afterwards," explained Hemming. "He actually will be preaching his first sermon on August 16."

Hemming told 99.5 Drum FM the Gamble family are "very outdoorsy, active folks," and Drumheller was their first choice of a place to work and live.
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Raffle for Rumsey Ride for STARS

July 31, 2015, 12:46 pm
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rob-richmondRob and Joanne Richmond and their quilt. Photo by Kendra Carey.

The Richmond family is working again this year to support the 26th annual Rumsey Ride for STARS.
Rob Richmond, who is a spokesperson for the Rumsey Ride told 99.5 Drum FM they have tons of prizes to give away.

"We have the quilt, Freson Bros. donates a $250 gift card, which is awesome," noted Richmond. "We also have a trip for two on a steam train out of Stettler, a patio set, a swimming pool, and some $100 gifts cards from Central Alberta Co-ops."

Richmond and mother, Joanne, will be at Freson Bros until at least 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31.

"We've been doing this for a few years now and it's always lots of fun," explained Richmond. "We dedicate this (raffle) in memory of my father, Leonard Richmond, he is the one that set up the raffle."

The trail ride will take place at the TL-Bar Ranch located just east of Trochu on August 9. Along with the trail ride and a pancake breakfast, Richmond mentioned there will be several fun activites available to participate in.

"We've got the Goouch's Gang Freson Bros. lunch, the Country Cookers BBQ and a silent auction," reported Richmond.

More information on the Rumsey Ride for STARS can be found on their Facebook page.
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Last Chance Saloon to host Waynestock

August 1, 2015, 11:16 am
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kirbyThe Kirby Sewell Band.

The Last Chance Saloon will be contributing to the excitement during Tough Mudder, September 4-6.

Paula Sutherland, manager of the saloon, is preparing to host Waynestock, which will be a weekend of live music entertainment featuring local talent as well as other gifted artisits.

"This year we're hoping to have a minimum of 15 bands," explained Sutherland.

Confirmed artists include: Tim Hus, The Kirby Sewell Band, Netty Mac, Joe Vickers and Dooley Noted.

Sutherland also mentioned Waynestock won't include free admission, like many of their live performances do.

"This year is our first year so we're trying to keep it relatively small, so that's why you do need a ticket so that we know that we're staying within our seating limitations," noted Sutherland.

She's hoping Waynestock will have a decent turnout and depending on its popularity, it could be something they would expand on in 2016 

Tickets:
Weekend Pass – $80 (includes 3 nights camping)
Friday Pass – $25
Saturday Pass – $35
Sunday Pass – $10

Tickets can be purchased here or by calling (403)823-9189.
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Water slide rules under review

July 31, 2015, 10:49 am
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aquaplexPhoto by Kendra Carey.

It's been open for two months now and the new water slide at the Drumheller Aquaplex is receiving rave reviews for the most part.

"I've talked to some people and they really enjoy it; they didn't think you were going to get that kind of speed out of it," said Drumheller mayor, Terry Yemen. "It is geared for the older kids and that, but the ones that are using it are really enjoying it."

The matter came up at the last town council meeting on July 27. Councillors were told that while no count has been made of the people using the water slide, staff have noticed it's been very popular. However, there were still some complaints about restrictions on people with smaller children.

"There's some things that maybe we can do some adjustments on," allowed the mayor. "(However) the manufacturer is suggesting that you do it this way, and to go against that you're opening yourself up to a lot of liability, so we're going to have to work it out (and) find a happy medium there."

For a full list of Aquaplex rules, click here.

"That's what we're looking at right now, the definition of arm's reach," explained Yemen. "That's what administration is doing right now."
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Federal election called for this fall

August 2, 2015, 11:06 am
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Parliament-hillParliament Hill in Ottawa. Photo submitted.

Canadians will go to the polls on October 19.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper triggered an 11 week election campaign after asking Canada's Governor General David Johnston to dissolve parliament on Sunday, August 2.

Stephen Harper is looking for his fourth straight win as leader of the Conservative Party, who have been in power since 2006. The Conservatives finished the session with 159 seats in the House of Commons.

Thomas Mulcair enters his first election as leader of the NDP, a party who had 95 seats before Parliament was dissolved. 

Justin Trudeau is also entering his first election as leader of the Liberal Party, who will try to improve on the 36 seats in the last Parliament.
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New banners ready to fly

August 2, 2015, 1:05 pm
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paulsalvatorebannerPaul Salvatore showcases the new banners. Photo by Bob Brown.

Travel Drumheller is bringing beauty and an advertising opportunity to the valley.

There will be new banners on the light posts around downtown to advertise some the local businesses.

"There's four banners to the theme of shop, eat, play and sleep," explained Travel Drumheller's executive director Chris Curtis. He added there could be around 60 banners up by the end of the summer. 

Businesses who purchase banners will have the until 2016, after they will be replaced annually.

In addition to customising their banners, companies can choose where they want their banners to be located, there are approximately 130 locations for the banners to be placed.

Banners will be approximately $160 to purchase.

"This is just part of a general effort to make Drumheller a more attractive and welcoming place."
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Tom Cochrane concert fast approaching, tickets selling well

August 3, 2015, 9:21 am
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Tom-CochranePhoto courtesy of Tom Cochrane's Facebook page.

The valley's biggest concert (ever) is less than a month away.
Over 1,600 tickets have been sold for the Tom Cochrane and Red Rider concert on August 22 at the Passion Play Site.

"It starts at 7 (p.m.), but you can come earlier and there's other acts playing around, smaller local stuff going on," executive director of the Passion Play Vance Neudorf told 99.5 Drum FM.

Capacity is around 2500.

He added the ultimate goal is to have many more concerts like this in the natural amphitheater.

"Why not Drumheller? I mean, Red Rocks, down in Colorado, they have the Red Rocks Amphitheater, and its booked all the time, major acts coming and going, doing their thing. We got it here, we can do this."

It isn't too late to get seats to the concert, and although most of the central seating has been sold, there isn't a bad seat at the site.

"You can see from anywhere in there, you're not hidden behind anyone, so there's lots of great seating left."

Tickets can be found here or by calling (403) 823-2001.
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Summer phone scams in the area

August 3, 2015, 11:22 am
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The RCMP are reminding everyone to be cautious of phone scams.
There has been a few hitting the area recently.

"They phone and they say a family member of theirs is in jail, and they need money for that. They just try to be convincing that the person needs to get them the money for it," Corporal Rod Guthrie of the Drumheller RCMP explained.

No one is exempt from the calls either, the RCMP office recently received a call from someone claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency.

"(They said) if they didn't forward the money to the given address, they would be arrested."

Cpl. Guthrie says the only advice police can give is not to trust phone calls, and to verify the claims in other ways.

"Most reputable companies, they won't do business over the phone or over the internet, like they won't send emails, or they'll put in the emails do not provide any personal information."
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Road work in the valley this week

August 4, 2015, 8:54 am
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South-aug-4Photo by Kendra Carey.

Some local motorists could be a little inconvenienced starting on Tuesday, August 4.

"We're going to be doing spray patch in the area and we're going to attempt to do part of the hill this morning, the South Hill," explains Rob Bancroft of Carillion Canada. "We will have cones going up both sides of the middle lane (and) we'll have a barricade at the bottom with a flag person directing you to whichever lane we have to get you to go through."

It's the first part of a week long fix of Highway 9 through Drumheller.

"Once we've done that, weather permitting, we do from the bottom of the hill to the lights at Boston Pizza," said Bancroft. "Weather permitting again, (we'll be) on 906 going west from Boston Pizza to the lights at Winks."

Bancroft adds it really shouldn't be much of a bother with the exception of Tuesday's South Hill work.

"We'll have all of our sign packages up and we won't be blocking off any part of the road," he told 99.5 Drum FM. "We'll have our big truck with a half ton or something behind, with our flag person in behind that, directing you to the other lane."

Bancroft says the work shouldn't take longer than three or four days.


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Super speeders corraled by RCMP

August 4, 2015, 11:04 am
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TRAFFIC-STOP-1Photo courtesy www.discoverairdrie.com.

It was a quiet August long weekend for the most part for Drumheller Mounties, but those on highway traffic patrol had their eyes opened a little.

"Police responded to 57 calls for service; two of them were collisions, but they were minor," reports Corporal Kevin Charles. "We had two impaired complaints, but both of those were determined to be unfounded. Fortunately, no other impaired charges were laid and, overall, it was a good weekend."

Outside the valley, however, things got a little hairy when RCMP stopped a motorcycle near the intersection of Highways 9 and 21 doing 204 km/h on Friday evening, July 31.  Two other vehicles were reported to be doing upwards of 200 km/h and their drivers will be appearing in Drumheller Provincial Court.

"Of course, when you're going more than 50 kilometres (per hour) over the speed limit, there is no set fine for that, it's a summons and you must attend court and speak to the judge," notes Charles.

The offense could carry a fine of up to $2,000 and a six month driver's license suspension, but Charles insists it's not about punishment, it's about saving lives.

"The majority of people are driving safe and they're being patient, but it just takes one person to think the have to get to where they're going faster than everyone else," he told 99.5 Drum FM. "I don't think they understand that when they're traveling that fast they put everyone else at risk."
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