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When Connie Cunningham discovered she had talked two male friends out of suicide without even knowing it, she knew her career lay in social work.

"I was already doing it all the time," said the former Peace River Metis woman now living in Fort St. John, B.C. "Those guys thanked me later."

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A lunch-time rally against the proposed Cheviot Mine followed by a benefit performance is being hailed as a success by its organizers and they are promising more to come.

The Dec. 11 rally, in front of the Alberta Environment Protection Office in Edmonton, was to encourage the public to send letters of concern about the proposed Cheviot Mine. Protest organizers said that before the controversial open-pit coal mine can be licensed by the government of Alberta, politicians must address every letter of concern they receive.

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Terrying About

Tansi!

And, a Happy New Year to all of our devoted and new readers out there. I do hope you all had a super Christmas and look forward to '98. What kind of resolutions have you made?

Me? My resolution was to spend more time with my 11-year-old son and improve on my editorial deadlines. Hear that Deborah and Rob?

There is always a lot of activity at this time of year. There were a number of round dances, Christmas parties, open houses and so on.

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It's another new year for Kakisa Lake resident Madeline Simba. Unofficially, this makes 101 new years which the Deh Cho woman has been around for. That number, however, may be even higher.

Madeline Simba's exact age is not known.

Ten years ago, she told an interviewer that according to her grandmother, she was born in 1897 near Burnt Island in the Northwest Territories.

According to church records, Madeline was born on January 19, 1897.

She disputes that, however, insisting that she was actually born in the fall.

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People and Places

Oki. Did you miss me? I missed me. Just kidding.

The last month of 1997 was not a very good one for me. I mean, everything seemed to happen to me. I think it was El Nino's fault.

Anyway, I want to share something that happened just before Christmas. It kind of shows you how my December went.

I went to an Edmonton Oilers hockey game. You know, go cheer on my favorite team. People there thought I was cheering too loud, I guess.

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The northeastern Alberta community of Lac La Biche is helping to create a trust fund for the children of Bertha Castor, a 29- year-old Aboriginal woman who died after receiving massive burn injuries in an Edmonton house fire almost two years ago.

Castor, originally from Lac La Biche, died Jan. 20 at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, after clinging to life for more than 19 months.

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The Native Student Services department at the University of Alberta wants to enlist as many successful Aboriginal university graduates as they can.

The department plans to unveil the National Aboriginal Graduate Student Directory as a web site on the Internet by this summer.

"I think every university in Canada will benefit from it," said Art Beaver, the department head.

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Money is what makes the elk farming industry go round.

That, according to elk farmer Alan Gros-Louis of Wildwood, Alberta. Gros-Louis chose elk farming because of simple economics, said the Aboriginal man and former Indian Affairs employee.

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Losing a child in a busy shopping centre is harrowing. With adrenaline rushing, parents rush through the crowds looking for their toddler who has wandered off. Most times, the little guy or girl is spotted in a store or staring at a toy or candy through a window - most times. But what if your child simply disappears.

Statistics from Child Find Alberta are frightening for parents and guardians of children, but at the same time, the organization's recovery rate is very promising.

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In any given year across Canada, tens of thousands of children run away from home. Estimates from agencies who help to find missing children put the numbers anywhere from 75,000 to 200,000.

According to police agencies and organizations like Child Find Canada, runaways make up 75 per cent of all missing children.

Many runaways end up on the streets of major cities where it is easy for them to become statistics in crime, substance abuse or prostitution.