News for the Non-Newsy

Deerfoot Trail facelift finally finished. Calf Robe Bridge construction has finally ended and the expressway returned to normal, with three lanes open, Tuesday, October 25th.

The province says construction could begin again on Deerfoot Trail next year to add a new bridge over Glenmore Trail that will see traffic cruising on four lanes each way.

On Wednesday, October 26th an Alberta Transportation consultant will outline a reconstruction and expansion of the Macleod Trail-Highway 22x interchange, where east-west traffic is now squeezed from two lanes to one lane in each direction, with traffic flow further hampered by signal lights.

Calgary's new science centre opens its doors on Saturday, October 29th sporting a brand new name: Telus Spark. The centre says the name signals a new direction after over a decade of planning, as it opens four exhibit galleries: Energy & Innovation, Earth & Sky, Open Studio and Being Human.

The Calgary Board of Education is taking steps towards providing more counselling and guidance for students geared towards trades rather than solely focusing on University bound individuals.

Ford of Canada says it has appointed longtime executive Dianne Craig as its new president and CEO. Craig will replace David Mondragon, effective Nov. 1.

Long-guns.... without a trace? The controversial Long-gun registry is currently in debate in Ottawa, with the Conservative government introducing legislation to scrap the registration of rifles and shotguns. While some individuals feel the registry is an important tool for police to keep track of firearms, others think it's an expensive burden for otherwise law-abiding gun owners. The general consensus appears to be that the bill is certain to pass. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews states that provincial governments "are free to proceed as they wish" but Ottawa would not assist them in setting up another registry and records held by the Canadian firearms program would not be shared with the provinces. In addition to eliminating the long-gun registry, the government’s new legislation would destroy all records related to the registry. With the Harper government poised to scrap the long-gun registry, some police groups and gun-control advocates are indeed pressuring politicians to tighten controls on civilianized military-assault weapons before police lose the registry — which allows them to know who owns legal firearms. So far, the federal government has declined to prohibit these intimidating, ultramodern rifles.

Amid the tragedy of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Eastern Turkey on Sunday, October 24th, hope and miracles prevail as survivor rescues continue. Such as 2-week old, baby girl Azra Karaduman along with her mother and grandmother who were pulled from the wreckage 48-hours later and 9 year old Oguz Isler who was rescued along with his 16-year-old sister, Ela, and 12-year-old cousin, Irem. Condolences and offers of assistance have been plentiful world wide.