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Connie Ness can toss heat at 100 km/h, and the 18-year-old Edmonton softball pitcher's talents have been realized by a university south of the border. Ness, a 5'9'' right-hander has been signed to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as a serious prospect for the school's softball team.

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Young Native hockey players who have the caliber to go beyond the community or reserve level rarely do, but Warren Crowchild of the T'suu T'ina Nation wants to change that situation.

Crowchild is using the expertise he gained playing semi-pro in the United States to help Native hockey players improve their skills and their prospects.

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The public is being asked to forward their nominations for Aboriginal women who they see as being role models for other Aboriginal women in the community. The selected women will be honored at a special gala and banquet later this spring.

The Third Annual Esquao Awards Banquet will be held on May 15th, at the Chateau Louis in Edmonton. The gala event is again sponsored by the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW).

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Fara Palmer, 25, wiping tears from her eyes and cheeks, explains: "This part of the song always touches me. Some of my lyrics speak so directly from my heart I am sensitive to them."

The song "Pretty Brown", to which she weeps, is from her soon-to-be-released second CD. It is a song which shows the deep love of her People.

"People heard it, I hope it entered their hearts too," she said.

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The southern Alberta town of Pincher Creek opened up its doors from Jan. 21 to 25 for the eighth annual Cross Cultural Days. The special event is geared to increase awareness about Aboriginal culture and traditions within Native and non-native communities.

Pincher Creek's location makes for an ideal place to host the event as the town is bordered by the Peigan First Nation and the Blood reserve is also situated close by. The close proximity of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities leads to a lot of interaction between the different cultures.

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In non-Aboriginal communities, drugs are prescribed by doctors with very rare exceptions. Only when doctors have given permission to use their authority can nurses prescribe antibiotics and perhaps other drugs.

In Janvier, Fort Chipewyan and Gregoire Lake, the Medical Services Branch of Health Canada hires registered nurses to prescribe drugs, said Jodi Rutley, communicable disease nurse for the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre in Fort McMurray.

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Aboriginal women in rural communities have faced many barriers in the past when dealing with the health and well-being of their own bodies. But now, with help from Screen Test, an Alberta program for early detection of breast cancer, and the Red Road Healing Society in Edmonton, Aboriginal women will have better access to breast cancer awareness in their own communities.

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A new board game is hoped to bring the new generation of Aboriginal people closer to traditional, healthier lifestyles. Caring Together is an interactive game developed by a panel of Native educators and health officials. Unlike other board games, Caring Together isn't about winning. It is a game which relies on the responses of the participants to bring everyone to the finish at an equal level.

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Terrying About

Tansi!

Big things already in the new year

Say, how many of you out there have managed, so far, to keep your New Year's resolutions? Good luck to all of ya.

In Edmonton, the Provincial Museum of Alberta is fast becoming a mecca of sorts as the public beats a path to the doors of the Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture. If. you have the opportunity to tour this huge exhibit, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion(s) regarding the display. Write to me care of Sweetgrass at 15001-112 Ave., Edmonton, AB T5M 2V6.

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People and Places

Oki. How are you this fine February?