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Warning issued by wildlife officials for Slave Lake

Page 17

"Watch out for the elk with orange and red tags. Do not kill and if you do, do not eat," said Andy Davison, Fish and Wildlife Officer in Slave Lake, located 280 km north west of Edmonton.

"Some of the elk have been shot with tranquilizer guns and our concern is that a hunter may kill one for food and may be affected with the sedative from the drugs in the gun. The drug usually stays in the animals' system for a couple of months," he said.

Substance abuse program uses different approach

Page 16

Reaching out for help to deal with a substance abuse problem is the first step that people usually need to take when they have run out of their own solutions to change their lives.

It is a terrifying step for most people to admit there is a problem that they need help with and it takes courage to reach out, but courage is what the graduates of the Rising Sun Substance Abuse Day Program have got in abundance.

Alternative learning environment offered

Page 15

Trend College in Stony Plain is a place for young adults who are having trouble fitting into mainstream society. Classes are held in a plain country church, surrounded by farmers fields.

This "school in a church" is a place for 18 to 30 year olds who are running out of options.

They come from many backgrounds, all of them with personal struggles. They are released inmates, single mothers, and people who have drifted in and out of jobs without direction. Others are from well-to-do homes. Most have not finished high school.

Increase your chances, be neat and thorough

Page 14

It is no secret that the cost of education can leave students with a debt burden that is into the tens of thousands of dollars. People pursuing a post-secondary education, therefore, are looking for all the financial help they can get. Sweetgrass contacted several people with professional experience in academic institutions to find out how students can prepare for and acquire a scholarship or bursary.

Feather of Hope reaches out to help young people

Page 13

Life on the streets of the city is often referred to as the mean streets, because life on the streets often leads, for many young Aboriginal people, to self-destructive behavior that can lead to the deadly disease called AIDS.

The Feather of Hope, an Aboriginal AIDS prevention society in Edmonton, is focusing on reaching young Aboriginal people with the Mean Street youth outreach project.

Opening eyes about AIDS with the Be Aware video

Page 14

"Open your eyes and be aware, baby." If you hear young people rapping these lyrics, you can thank Ken Ward, the Enoch Spirit Fire Ensemble and rapper Conway Kootney for raising their awareness to the consequences of HIV/AIDS.

The music video Be Aware follows the story of a young woman on the powwow trail who enjoys the parties and the tipi creeping, but doesn't know how to protect herself from HIV.

Using traditional and modern symbols and storytelling, the video depicts her anguish about who will raise her young daughter when she's gone.

Gift Lake goes for gold as it continues winning ways

Page 12

The dynasty continues. And how!

In its 10 years of hockey history at the annual Federation Cup tournament considered the Grand Prix of Metis hockey, the Gift Lake Islanders once again dominated going undefeated through the entire April 1 to 4 tournament at the Enoch Recreation Centre on the Enoch Reserve. That makes seven wins in 10 years.

In a 5-4 thriller over Peavine, the Islanders notched the winning goal with just 48 seconds remaining in regular time, retaining the title they had won the year before.

Peewee Braves bring zone title home to Hobemma

Page 12

The peewee Braves I team convinced their opponents from Wetaskiwin that resistance was futile on March 11, jumping out to a seven-goal lead in the two-game total goal Zone 4 hockey final.

Realizing it wasn't in the cards for them to come back and win Game 2 by a minimum of seven goals, which they would have had to do to overcome the 8-1 licking Hobbema put on them in the opener, Wetaskiwin conceded the round and the zone title to the Braves.

Edmonton's rap scene on Won-18

Page 9

No one has to tell Edmonton's Won-18 they are taking the long road to success, a hip hop group from Edmonton with no plans to relocate to a place with more exposure? Sounds a little risky.

It seems the last time any Edmonton act took their music outside the prairies to a wide audience was when Moe Berg and the Pursuit of Happiness were telling everyone they were "adults now." And that was rock n' roll, for which there is perhaps just a tad more interest.