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Coyote Pancake Mix celebrates 100 years in Magrath

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsRockport Flour Mills in Magrath is celebrating 100 years of production of the famous Coyote Pancake Mix in Magrath.Although the Magrath operation has been open since 1923, the history of Rockport Flour Mills dates back to 1895. The first milling operation was established in Alexandria, South Dakota on land owned by the Rockport Hutterite Colony. Shortly after, the Coyote Pancake Mix brand name was registered in 1897. In the mill’s infancy, water flow from the nearby James River drove a forty-barrel flour mill. This flour would later become a staple ingredient in the iconic Coyote Pancake Mix. Years later, Magrath become home to an offshoot of the South Dakotan settlement, and the second mill was made operational in 1923.Despite the brand’s humble beginnings and a rich history in southern Alberta, Coyote Pancake Mix is now a national brand with 100 years of history.The product took off as a convenience item taking the mixing and measuring out of pancak...

Horsefly spillway expansion project starting

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

By Trevor BuschSunny South [email protected] Horsefly Regional Emergency Spillway project sunk shovels in the ground earlier this month to commence Phase 1 expansion of the key flood mitigation project for southern Alberta.Once complete, the Horsefly Spillway project will help address overland flooding concerns and stormwater runoff problems impacting several regions in southern Alberta which have sometimes seen extensive flooding in recent years.Federal, provincial and municipal dignitaries gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony near ongoing work on the project just north of Taber Lake.“Flood irrigation is one thing, but uncontrolled flooded irrigation is not what we need. I remember the ditches and the shovels and the dams, but it was too big of a flood, too big of a challenge,” said Bow River MP Martin Shields, referencing regional flooding in 2018. “There’s people standing around in this crowd here who took leadership – they took real leadership – they went out and di...

Former Jays southpaw Ricky Romero talks about his road to MLB success

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

By Trevor BuschSunny South [email protected] Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero headlined the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball Awards and Scholarship Dinner earlier this month, imparting words of wisdom for up and coming athletes while reflecting on his career in the big leagues.Romero was a first round draft pick by the Blue Jays in 2005 at sixth overall, was a 2011 MLB Allstar, pitched opening day for the Blue Jays in 2012, and currently works as an analyst with Sportsnet. Romero was with the Jays at the MLB level from 2009 – 2013, and posted a career 51-45 win-loss record.As the keynote speaker at the VAB banquet, the southpaw initially talked about his life before baseball growing up as the child of first-generation Mexican immigrants in East L.A., and the special relationship he had with his father.“To this day, he’s still on cloud nine with everything that I accomplished,” said Romero. “And you know, he had a vision for me at a young age. And it’s crazy how...

New labelling program to help consumers choose local

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsA new labelling program will make it easier for consumers to support Alberta-made products.On March 23, the Government of Alberta announced the Alberta Food Processors Association (AFPA) was awarded a $5-million agreement to deliver the Made in Alberta labelling program until May 31, 2027.Although the Made in Alberta labelling program is voluntary for local producers and processors, the labels are aimed to, “help producers and processors market their products,” and make it easier for consumers to choose and support the locally-produced food products and support the growing agricultural and agri-food processing sector in Alberta.As part of the Province’s announcement, Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Nate Horner, said, “This new voluntary label celebrates the safe, high-quality agricultural and food products that Alberta is known for here and around the globe. It will help consumers more easily identify Alberta products so they know the...

Briefs from March 21 Coalhurst council meeting

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsThe following are selected briefs from the regular March 21 meeting of Coalhurst town council.Appointment to Recreation and Culture CommitteeCouncil unanimously passed a motion to appoint Lori Harasem as a member-at-large for the Recreation and Culture Committee, with her appointment commencing immediately, and her term ending Oct. 17, 2023.Cell Tower ReportRogers Communications has proposed that a cell tower goes up at 5300 1 Street. The property is privately owned, and they entered into a lease agreement with the property owner. CAO Jeff Coffman said that council has no role in it, noting the involvement of the CRTC and different processes, but, as per the town’s land use bylaw, they could choose to formally require that Rogers hold a public open house. The results of the open house would be presented to council, and Coffman said at the end of the process, they would like a letter of support or resolution of concurrence issued by council.With the e...

Coalhurst council to consider reallocation of funds from debenture payments

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsCoalhurst council has a variety of options available on how to allocate funds previously marked for debenture payments.During their regular March 21 meeting, Coalhurst town council was presented with possible options they could put freed up funds towards.Previously, during their regular Jan. 17 meeting, Council had passed a motion to pre-pay the remaining balances on four debentures, and during a Feb. 21 meeting, had passed a motion to postpone discussion regarding options for re-allocation of the debenture prepayments, following the discovery that some of the funding came from different sources than originally thought.The debentures in question have been prepaid and closed in February.Since then, the CAO, the Director of Operations and the Director of Corporate Services for Coalhurst have since met and added options to the list.A total of $117,000 went towards prepaying the debentures, with $87,000 coming from utilities and $30,000 is from taxation....

Are libraries the right place for drag performance?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

Dear Editor, C’mon folks, nothing wrong here: Shakespeare already did it. It’s been done in “child-appropriate movies” for a long time. What’s wrong with a man dressed up as a scantily-dressed woman reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to little boys and girls in the library? If the words “pervert” or “pedophile” come to your mind, it probably “has more to do with discrimination and less to do with a genuine sense of justice,” we are told in the Sunny South editorial of March 14. In other words, you’re probably not concerned about the safety of your children; you’re likely just a hateful, bigoted person, or at the very least misinformed and misguided. After all, the article goes on to tell us, every day on the screen, kids are already exposed to “intimate partner violence, misogyny, predators who groomed children, such as Michael Jackson,” etc. I guess being exposed to the real thing is only a logical next step. I must say I shudder when I follow the reasoning of the article, and w...

5 tips for DIY success

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsCrafty, industrious, or resourceful; call it whatever you wish, but the ability to alter or create something new out of existing materials and breathe new life into them is the hallmark of a true DIY-er.Also known as up-cycling, DIY offers access to nicer things, paid for with the commodity of time.As a catch-phrase, “one person’s trash, is another’s treasure,” does technically encompass the essence of thrifting or up-cycling, it fails to touch on the transformative process of taking something and altering it in some way to reinvigorate its purpose. A more fitting phrase might be, “one person’s trash, is another’s project.” DIY has limits, absolutely, but many people avoid taking on projects because they are worried about messing it up. If done responsibly, there are no real downsides.5) Safety first: An overused catch phrase? Yes. However, it is a fundamental guiding principle to any DIY project. Part of this tenant is knowing your current limits at ...

Indian Act again under attack

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

Political attacks on the Indian Act are back in the news, and that is a good thing.However, Canadian politicians, including First Nation politicians, need a credible plan about what to do before we pull out the champagne.Attacking the Indian Act is not a big deal for these politicians. First Nation leaders routinely criticize this relic of our distant colonial past, but nothing seems to happen to make their lives better. The Indian Act is, in fact, the Pinata of Indigenous political life in Canada.Recently, it was Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre’s turn to swing a stick at the Pinata. “The Indian Act is a disaster. It is a racist, colonial hangover that gives all the control to self-serving, incompetent politicians and bureaucrats and lobbyists in Ottawa and takes away control from the First Nations themselves,” Poilievre told Global News.Of course, he is correct. Racist? Check. The architects of South Africa’s apartheid regime looked to the Indian Act for inspiration. Col...

KA drama production gives revitalized take on Shakespeare

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:21 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsThe Kate Andrews High School Drama department wrapped up their annual production last week after months of rehearsals.The play, titled “I Hate Shakespeare”, involved students in grades 9-12 for acting and technical roles. The cast of the production began rehearsing in November 2022.Although some of the characters and costumes are inspired by Elizabethan times, and much of the dialogue is taken from some of the playwright’s most recognizable soliloquies, the play quickly reveals the production is a nod to the literary icon which provides modern context to help introduce some of Shakespeare’s most famous works. The quick pacing, unconventional characters (including Jerry Springer), and pie-throwing made for an amusing and light-hearted production and stellar performances from the talented group of players.With lots of laughs throughout, ELA and drama teacher at Kate Andrews High School, Amy McDougall said, “The script was selected because it’s funny,” b...