Calgary Citizen Newsletter Tuesday January 9

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Good morning, there!

Happy New Year! I am not excited about the cold wintery weather but we have been spoiled up until now. I tried to have a relaxing break and I sure got it—because I was sick for a week in bed! While it wasn’t the break I wanted, I was at least able to catch up on sleep. Now I just have to try to get into the swing of 2024.

Krista Sylvester, Managing Editor

👀 In today's edition:

• Our fave stories from the end of 2023

• Catch up on the news from the start of 2024

• What the mayor had to say to our readers

Today’s read time: Approx. 4 minutes

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WORTH KNOWING

☁️ Today: High -1C, Low -16C. See the 7-day forecast.

🚗 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation, and find the city’s traffic report and road closures.

A look back at our favourite stories from the last six months of 2023

We wanted to share our favourite stories of 2023 and why stop at just five; we are bringing you one from each of the last six months of the year after sharing the first six months in our last newsletter.

July: Powerhouse David Nicholson brings home three gold medals from the Special Olympics.

August: A Calgary man built a machine to sort trading cards. Now with 150 machines sold, he has sorted 100M cards.

September: A Calgary mother is raising awareness about Prader-Willi Syndrome, a disorder that affects one in 15,000.

October: Ukrainian woman celebrates one-year milestone in Calgary.

November: Broadway’s Hadestown is set to transform Calgary audiences with a blend of beautiful music, choreography, and characters.

December: An ironing board, a tiki torch, and a rifle, oh my! The bizarre items that end up in recycling bins.

Related Story

Need to know

🐕 Calgary foster homes desperately sought for puppies and dogs ahead of cold spell.

🚑 ‘Are you ready to go back? There’s more calls waiting’: Alberta EMS workers are burnt out, paramedic says.

🔥 Overnight fire in Sage Hill that destroyed multiple buildings is deemed suspicious by police.

🏠 Calgary transforms old offices to apartments; experts say other cities should follow.

💻 Bill Gates-backed Calgary startup preparing for major scale-up, large workforce expansion.

👮 Several people were injured during an incident at a Calgary Sikh temple. 

🥶 Incoming polar vortex to drive temperatures down in Calgary region.

🏈 Burke Dales, former Calgary Stampeders player is dead at 46.

💔 Woman who suffered 141 wounds in domestic homicide 'fought for her life,' court hears.

SPONSORED BY ARCHOIRS

Sing with us this January

With three choirs to choose from, ARC's non-auditioned programs offer a blend of fun and growth. Open Rehearsal Week begins January 16; Come to one, two, or all three rehearsals that we are offering as "Open Rehearsal" evenings; no reservation or fee required! More information is available on the website.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Our year-end interview with Mayor Jyoti Gondek

We had a chance to chat with our mayor in December to ask her what strengths and challenges the city and Calgarians can expect to face in 2024 and this is what she had to say.

What are some of the challenges the city faced in 2023 that we should tackle heading into the new year?

One of the things that we're seeing is that there are so many Calgarians who are in positions of vulnerability right now. There are so many challenges around food security, around housing, and people are feeling that times are tough right now. I want to thank Calgarians for having such a giving spirit and for helping out in any way that they can.

What are some exciting things on the horizon that Calgarians can look forward to?

Well, there's some pretty incredible work that's going on in the city right now; our parks district, downtown with the revitalization of Arts Commons, the Olympic Plaza right across from it, and the facade is going up on the Glenbow. These are amazing places in our city that celebrate arts and culture, the culture and entertainment district over in East Village and the rivers district area and that's going to be a beautiful place for people to come together. There are a lot of projects that are going to create a strong public realm in our city. We continue to see a lot of investment into our downtown conversion program and I'm very excited about people being able to move into those homes that have been built. Really, just seeing the investment coming to life and people being able to enjoy those things.

Are there any New Year’s resolutions?

Everyone breaks New Year’s resolutions as soon as they make them. I would say trying to make sure that we are making decisions that are in the best interest of Calgarians and that we're out there listening to folks and providing the best possible services that we can.

Is there a message you want to leave our readers with?

It’s been a rough few years. We are trying to come out of an economic recession right now and we're still struggling with inflation. We are coming out of a pandemic and still seeing many respiratory illnesses out there. I would say to everyone, focus on the future that I know we can build together where we are stronger. And we are resilient, we will be okay. But we can only do that if we're working together. And we're focusing on each other's strengths and building that sense of community.

Things to do

🎟️ National Geographic Live presentation of Sandesh Kadur: Wild Cats Revealed: On Jan. 28 and Jan. 29 in the Jack Singer Concert Hall at Arts Commons, enjoy this intimate look at the life of wild cats.

🎟️ Mean Girls musical: The hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey comes to Calgary on Jan. 16 for a one-week stint at the Jubilee.

🎟️ Calgary Hitmen Home Games: Get into the fun and excitement at the Scotiabank Saddledome as the Hitmen take on seven rivals on Jan. 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, and 28.

🎟️ Tasty, Low Salt Cooking Jan 23 - Learn how to cook delicious meals with less salt in this FREE virtual cooking demo with registered dietitians from the South Health Campus Wellness Kitchen. Recipes included!*

Have an event suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

*Sponsored Listing

Where to eat & drink

🍴 Fringe Coffee: This specialty coffee shop prides itself on serving ethically-sourced, high-quality coffee beans, as well as a selection of pastries and snacks, perfect for any time of the day.

🍴 Brix + Barrel: Feel like being fancy with delicious cocktails and tasty fares such as truffle risotto, spicy butter shrimp, short rib, and more.

🍴 Lil Empire: Serving up classic cheeseburgers and hot dogs with delicious toppings. Make sure to enjoy a scoop of Made by Marcus ice cream while there as well.

Have a food or drink suggestion? Message us and we might share it!

Local specials

💸 Annabelle’s Kitchen + Bar: Get 50% off pizza and pay only $7 for house red and white wine, Spritzs, and Peroni from 3-5pm on Tuesdays.

💸 F45 Training: At your local F45 Training centre, start your New Year’s resolution with a trial! Prices vary between locations.

💸 Stage West: Check out the latest show for a great price with these weekly specials at the dinner theatre.

Know of any hot specials or deals? Message us and we might share it!

That’s it! Thanks for reading. If you have a hot story tip you want to share, feel free to reply back anytime. We’ll see you back here on Thursday, same time, same place 🫡

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