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The furor over the exit of the Stoney Nation's tribal administrator Rick Butler last month seems destined to die down and only a few will know why he went. Sweetgrass didn't hear one voice raised to condemn Butler. In fact there were indications from a couple of sources that he was doing a good job. But he's gone, and will get $65,000 in severance pay, according to one Stoney councillor, Greg Twoyoungmen.

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The blame for the suicide of a Stoney Nation youth in 1998 falls squarely on inept and dishonest band leadership that gutted programs that could have helped him, said a judge who directed an inquiry into the death.

Sherman Laron Labelle was 17 when he hanged himself on the Morley reserve May 21,1998.

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October 21 was a special day for four Alberta police officers, three of whom are Aboriginal. Officers Alex Courtoreille, as well as Corporals Cam Alexis, Kelly Bielert and Raymond Arcand had cause to be proud as they were singled out for recognition for their exemplary service at an awards ceremony at RCMP headquarters in Edmonton.

Two of the first officers recognized with commendations were Cpl. Bielert, a non-Aboriginal police officer from Cardston and Const. Courtoreille, a Metis with the Peigan First Nation and Pincher Creek detachments in 1996.

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A celebration to launch the inaugural gas development project of Keyano Pimee Exploration Co. Ltd., owned jointly by Saddle Lake and Whitefish Lake 128 (Goodfish Lake) First Nations in Treaty 6, took place on the Saddle Lake reserve Oct. 21. The ribbon cutting is an early milestone in what promises to be a beneficial relationship for the First Nations and their business partner, Auburn Energy Ltd. of Calgary, Alta. The project ties in two gas wells and a three-well exploration and drilling program.

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Red Man Caravan, a newly opened performing arts studio in the city, is operated by film stars Dakota House, Nathaniel Arcand and A-Channel's camera man Shane Blyan.

It opened its doors at the beginning of the year to welcome Aboriginal youth and adults who are interested in becoming involved in plays or musical theatre. Red Man Caravan, affiliated with Theatre Arts Community Outreach Society and the Aboriginal Bone Marrow Registries Association, shares a building on Edmonton's south side.

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Saskatchewan-born singer-songwriter, Laura Langstaff, performed at the City Media Club in Edmonton on Oct. 14. Her voice, the style of which is a close blend of Joni Mitchel and Sylvia Tyson, delivered her music with raw emotion. Langstaff's music, which she writes as well as performs, is based on her Metis culture.

Langstaff put her singing career on hold to raise four children, one of whom is a son with multiple disabilities.

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There's no question that Brenda and Paul Legere love kids. They must. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, their lives are filled with children. Brenda runs a day home. Paul supervises a group home. They have three children, aged one, two and eight. And for the past five or so years, the couple have been foster parents.

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Kathleen Beulah Eagle Speaker of the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta was 19 weeks pregnant when she got the news to start planning for more than a single addition to her family - to plan for three, to be exact. She almost fell off the examining table.

Fourteen weeks later, she and partner Colin Mountain Horse were able to wrap their arms around their three bundles of joy, all boys, born Sept. 23 in the Lethbridge Regional Hospital: Dennis Wainwright (4 lbs 15 oz), Trez Riley (3 lbs 12 oz) and Colin Trey (3 lbs 9 oz).

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Jannine Wabasca is the young mother of a happy, healthy three-year-old son, Justen, and she credits one of Canada's Prenatal Nutrition Programs for giving her the information and support she needed to give her son a good start in life.

Wabasca was at Edmonton's Boyle Street Community Services Centre on Oct. 29 where she, and other young mothers, met with federal Health Minister Allan Rock who announced that the prenatal nutrition program in the province would see an additional $2.6 million over the next three years.

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On Dec. 1, in recognition of World AIDS Day, people will be wearing a red ribbon, an international symbol of support of the continuing fight against AIDS. It is intended as a symbol of hope of finding a vaccine or a cure that will stop the suffering created by HIV/AIDS.