By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

THE GOINGS-ON THROUGH 2021

The year’s top local stories at rdnewsNOW.com

Dec 31, 2021 | 2:00 AM

Over the course of 2021, Red Deer and its surrounding communities have gone through a lot.

There was a lot of bad. There was a lot of good. But through it all, central Albertans, our readers included, have persevered and come together.

Below is just a smattering of stories from throughout the year which you, the reader, told us you cared about by clicking on one of our social media links, or heading straight to rdnewsNOW.com and seeking it out.

We thank you for reading, following and providing not only feedback and story tips, but for allowing us into your lives to tell your stories. The rdnewsNOW team wishes everyone a great 2022.

JANUARY

very high risk as of saturday night

Special Air Quality Statement issued across Alberta as wildfire smoke from B.C. rolls in

2h ago

talks at monday's council meeting

Council to discuss next step in permanent shelter saga

8h ago

doubled in federal budget 2024

Increase to volunteer fire fighter tax credit lauded by Penhold fire chief

May 11, 2024

Jan. 2: It’s revealed Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan travelled to Arizona over the holidays, part of a scandal that dogs the UCP after several MLAs took similar trips. Stephan is welcomed home with a display outside his office; he issues an apology a few days later.

Jan. 7: The organizer of a pro-Trump rally in downtown Red Deer is charged for violating health act

Jan. 7: Lacombe Mayor Grant Creasey admits he exercised a “lapse in good judgment” going on a safari trip to Namibia in November.

Jan. 13: New job numbers show 22,000 fewer people working in Red Deer region compared to two years earlier

Jan. 13: The Red Deer hockey community mourns the loss of revered coach Scott Odegard.

Jan. 19: A 36-year-old central Alberta man is handed an 18-year sentence in connection to one of Alberta’s largest ever child pornography busts. The man pleaded guilty to 26 charges, while 50 others were dropped.

Jan. 26: The new Gasoline Alley market reports early success after long-awaited opening weeks earlier.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 2: A local middle school teacher is in the running for the NHL and NHLPA’s Most Valuable Teacher award, and later wins $10,000 technology grant.

Feb. 12: Community members speak out after decision by Red Deer Public Schools to deny Pride Week. Students at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School organize a Pride Day anyway later in the year.

Feb. 15: Red Deer’s Olymel plant shutters temporarily after confirmation of a COVID-19 outbreak which would go on to infect 550+ of nearly 2,000 employees, and killing three.

Feb. 16: Following multiple safety incidents, Red Deer’s peace officers tell rdnewsNOW they’re ready for whatever comes their way in the line of duty

Feb. 22: A speedy fireball lights up central Alberta skies.

Feb. 24: Red Deer hits the peak of its second wave of COVID with 574 active cases, and by this time 22 Red Deerians have died since the city’s first fatality on Dec. 18, 2020.

MARCH

Mar. 4: Trial dates are set for three men charged in what was described by police at the time as the largest fentanyl seizure in Red Deer’s history. The accused, who are all under 30 years of age, will be on the stand from Feb. 14-Mar. 4, 2022.

Mar. 5: Environment Canada says Red Deer experienced its driest winter in 99 years with just 9.6 mm of precipitation.

Mar. 20: The Red Deer Rebels wear mismatched socks for World Down Syndrome Day, honouring longtime team dressing room attendant Mikel McIver.

Mar. 26: The still name-unchanged Red Deer College is granted its first baccalaureate degree outside applied programming, a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences.

Mar. 30: A months-long process is kicked off keeping the Safe Harbour-operated homeless shelter near downtown when Red Deer city council grants a permit extension. As of December, the permit is extended under a State of Local Emergency and a public hearing is set for January.

APRIL

April 1: Red Deer RCMP charge a driver for allegedly going 102 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. The driver receives a $567 ticket.

April 7: Several UCP MLAs, including Red Deer-South’s Jason Stephan, take a stand against their own party’s COVID restrictions.

April 26: With the Canada Winter Games and Memorial Cup in the rearview mirror, and another crack at the World Juniors on the horizon, The City of Red Deer announces a collaborative strategy to become a top major event destination by 2030.

April 27: The Nature Conservancy of Canada announces a new 193-acre conservation site located along the west bank of the Red Deer River. The land belonged to the Bower family for nearly a century.

April 29: The province announces tighter restrictions for COVID “hotspots,” including Red Deer. Our city hits a third wave peak of 911 active cases just nine days later.

MAY

May 6: An injunction is granted against the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror ahead of planned weekend gatherings which go ahead anyway. Owner Chris Scott was charged and ultimately sentenced later in the year. A partial stay of enforcement is then granted. Days earlier, a restrictions-defying rodeo event goes on in Bowden.

May 8: The beloved maker of a popular central Alberta droid is remembered by his family after passing away the previous month.

May 22: RCMP say a loss prevention officer at Red Deer’s south Walmart location is stabbed by a shoplifter. The accused is scheduled for trial on July 27, 2022.

May 24: A man with a compound bow is shot and killed by police near Red Deer Regional Hospital.

May 28: Following the peak of the third wave of COVID-19, Red Deer reopens rec facilities.

JUNE

June 4: Red Deer swimmer Tammy Cunnington is preparing for her second Paralympics and a chance at redemption. She goes on to retire following the Tokyo Games in September.

June 11: The province announces a north-end site for Red Deer’s new 75-bed recovery community, which is scheduled to open in August 2022.

June 12: Half a duplex in Red Deer’s Rosedale neighbourhood is severely damaged and perhaps beyond repair, after an interior explosion.

June 15: A Rocky Mountain House man, accused of shooting and killing his former partner’s sister, admits to crime. He is convicted of second degree murder, and in October, Marshall Stone, 47, is sentenced to life in prison with no parole for at least 13 years.

June 28: After announcing that a modified edition of the event would take place, officials share the Westerner Days Fair & Exposition has been cancelled for 2021. The decision to cancel was made after the midway provider, North American Midway Entertainment, was unable to follow through on its contract.

JULY

July 3: A train carrying liquid asphalt derails just south of Lacombe. There were no major injuries.

July 10: The Alberta Sports Hall of Fame unveils new LGBTQ+ athlete exhibit, gets visit from Olympian and inductee Mark Tewksbury.

July 20: An ambulance is struck en route to Red Deer Regional Hospital. The driver of the vehicle which struck the ambulance was issued a $243 ticket in October for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. No one was killed in the collision.

July 20: O’Chiese First Nation celebrates taking ownership of the Cambridge Hotel in Red Deer; “We have big plans ahead of us over the first five years,” says Chief Douglas Beaverbones.

July 27: Despite pandemic, Wagons at Westerner goes off successfully. Sadly, one horse is euthanized following crash.

July 30: Former city councillor, Buck Buchanan, is sanctioned for social media comments, and required to apologize. It was revealed Mayor Tara Veer filed the complaint.

AUGUST

Aug. 9: Surfing enthusiasts say they hope to bring a new rec experience to the Red Deer River in coming years

Aug. 6: RCMP release details about a fatal shooting west of Red Deer which left one person dead. No charges were laid.

Aug. 12: Olympian Rebecca Smith returns home with silver medal to visit Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

Aug. 20: After 17 years on city council, Mayor Tara Veer announces she will not seek re-election in the October municipal election; a few days later, Councillor Ken Johnston announces his intention to seek the mayor’s seat.

Aug. 28: Red Deer dance instructor, Jody-Lynne Liptak, who passed earlier in the month after a courageous battle with cancer, is lovingly remembered.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 2: The Red Deer Rebels introduce new head coach Steve Konowalchuk — following a 4-15-4-0 2020/21 regular season, and a 2019/20 campaign where they went 24-33-3-3, the Rebels start the 2021/22 season with an impressive 21-9-1-1 record.

Sept. 9: An election forum taking place at Red Deer Polytechnic is cancelled after half an hour due to a disruptive anti-mask protest.

Sept. 13: Overcapacity concerns at Red Deer Regional Hospital reach new heights as COVID ICU admissions stretch beds thin.

Sept. 17: Red Deer records its 50^th COVID-related death days ahead of reaching record high 915 active cases on Sept. 27

Sept. 20: Dreeshen, Calkins are re-elected as members of Parliament for Red Deer-Mountain View and Red Deer-Lacombe, respectively.

Sept. 22: A 13-year-old boy suffers serious injuries after an apparent assault in southeast Red Deer. RCMP are seeking video surveillance from the night of the alleged attack.

Sept. 24: Alberta Health Services says Red Deer doctor’s claims about COVID-19 ‘false and disappointing’ as video surfaces on social media

OCTOBER

Oct. 6: A viral speech suggesting horse deworming drug Ivermectin was used for COVID treatment at central Alberta hospital is slammed by Alberta Health Services

Oct. 6: Red Deer Polytechnic Queens soccer star nets 11 goals… in one game.

Oct. 18: Ken Johnston is elected the 34^th mayor of Red Deer after spending two terms as city councillor; Jim Wood is re-elected as mayor of Red Deer County.

Oct. 21: The ‘iconic’ Black Knight Inn in south Red Deer will be demolished, realtor says, after 44 years

Oct. 25: Ground-penetrating radar work begins at the site of the former Red Deer Industrial School.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 1: A Sylvan Lake man convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his father two years ago has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 13 years.

Nov. 1: A Red Deer woman waiting for her leg to be amputated has surgery delayed due to a backlog caused by pandemic’s strain on hospitals

Nov. 4: A Red Deer Crown prosecutor confirms the death of a man accused in the killing of a local doctor in 2020. Deng Mabiour was set to go to trial just a few weeks after his death.

Nov. 5: Red Deer extends its State of Local Emergency, which allows emergency homeless shelter to stay open through early winter. A public hearing in January will determine its long-term fate as the city waits for shovels in the ground on a $7 million permanent shelter.

Nov. 19: The Blackfalds Bulldogs — the AJHL’s newest team — win their first game at the new Eagle Builders Centre.

Nov. 22: A mother and daughter from Calgary speak out about a crash they were in last spring just outside Red Deer; meantime, a central Alberta man faces a long list of charges.

Nov. 26: City employees claiming to represent about 100 of the municipality’s 1,500-person workforce, file a petition against immunization policy.

DECEMBER

Dec. 8: Jim Elliott and son A.J. organize the longest Christmas lights tour to date, bringing cheer in a glum time.

Dec. 13: Red Deer’s top cop, Superintendent Gerald Grobmeier, resigns after a 29-year career, including six in Red Deer, with two as officer in charge. Grobmeier takes on a role as deputy chief with Lethbridge Police Service, while Red Deer detachment names Inspector Holly Glassford as acting officer in charge.

Dec. 14: The Red Deer Dream Centre, a 40+ bed residential treatment facility, will open in early 2022, officials say.

Dec. 16: Crystal Lee Maurice, 32, pleads guilty and is sentenced for role in Dec. 2019 fatal shooting outside Red Deer Walmart.

Dec. 18: COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the IIHF World Junior Championship being co-hosted in Red Deer; pre-tournament games are cancelled, a preliminary round game between USA and Switzerland is forfeited, and capacity is cut to 50 per cent. The Rivalry Series game between Canada’s and USA’s women’s teams in early January is also cancelled.

Dec. 21: It’s been one year since Red Deer recorded its first death from COVID-19 — how will we remember those 84 citizens?

Dec. 24: Red Deer hockey minds react to the U18 Women’s Worlds being cancelled as men’s tournament plays on.

Dec. 27: At 2 p.m., RCMP say they are searching for a father believed to have abducted his son. They say the pair was last seen in Red Deer on Christmas Eve. The father turns himself into RCMP late the same day, both he and child unharmed.

Dec. 29: The International Ice Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada jointly announce the cancellation of the World Junior Championship in both Edmonton and Red Deer.