A warm reprieve before the blistering pace returns 100 years ago

Everyone can be forgiven for feeling a bit overloaded these days. The news cycle certainly is.

The long empty times of disrupted lives ruled most of the spring before a hopefully more relaxed summer.

Now a chinook gives us time to finish ripping out the rest of the gardens we so lovingly tended.

The news is spinning faster and faster, and now COVID cases are again on a steep rise.

Warm weather is also a brief reprieve from a jolting shock of winter we thought would never get here, then begrudgingly dealt with last week.

But there’s no escaping reality for long.

If you’re having a hard time with 2020, we’re almost down to 60 squares left on the calendar — nine weeks, or two months, same difference.

We’ve also got about 72 hours before the U.S. presidential election.

Were those four years fast or slow? It’s hard to tell.

It was certainly jam-packed with items best categorized as off-the-wall, and, what’s left to come?

Big biz bits

Spider-Sense being what it is, we here at the Medicine Hat News business desk are predicting a tingle this week of substantial economic development news. That’s after no lack of veiled mentions from top city officials since the summer.

And that’s not likely anything to do with the big news broken by “The” News regarding CF Industries’ plans to shift towards low-carbon production and hydrogen market.

Also of note, natural gas is likely heading north of $3 per gigajoule in Medicine Hat in November. The rate is announced Monday, but you can get an idea from several of the already posted rates around the province.

Watch the skies

It’s a full moon for Halloween, but that’s not the only creepiness in the night sky. Mars, named for the god of war, has been visible as a bright orange dot in the southeast sky for sometime. It you know where to look Jupiter and Saturn, too, can be sighted. As well there’s some speculation about the Northern Lights making an appearance considering recent solar activity.

In earthly matters, it’s fall back to standard time this weekend, leading to another hour of sleep for those without pets or young children who don’t care about clocks.

On the topic of Daylight Saving Time, if a switch were to be made, how long would it be before complaints about dark afternoons would start breaking the internet?

A look ahead

Council meets Monday and will discuss a potential increase on tax penalties that is a first step in a fee review that continues later in the week with committee discussion about planning fees.

Next week also features the annual Rural Municipalities of Alberta convention, which comes weeks after the province took a new direction on linear assessment.

That avoids the worst case from a county perspective, but extends a one-third tax discount on unprofitable wells.

Both the County of Newell and Cypress County will be out about $3 million each per year in revenue.

Brass from three national parties criss-crossed Western Canada in late October looking for support from farmers, the News reported Nov. 1, 1920.

Progressive party booster Thomas Crerar toured Saskatchewan (The former Minister of Agriculture in the Tory-led Union government, had quit in a row over farmer’s support for greater free trade with the U.S.). Meanwhile Liberal Leader Mackenzie

King was in Manitoba and Conservative Prime Minister Meighen in B.C.

Having completed a TransCanada Flight last week, pilot Gen. A.K. Tylee said there was nothing to prevent a regular, 40-hour air service between Halifax and Vancouver.

From the Society page: Mrs. J.M. Swan, 512 First St., sparred no pains on

Halloween to create a “fairyland” in her home for neighbourhood girls to visit. “Merry games were enjoyed and a delicious supper served before the unwelcome arrival of the sandman.”