Reach

1 John 4:17–19

Each morning you awaken to an unpredictable set of hours filled with surprises and trials and anxieties. You know before your feet ever touch the floor you are in for another who-knows-what day. You could be in an accident on the freeway, fired from the job, the victim of a personal attack, mistreated, robbed, slandered, or threatened with a lawsuit. Sounds pretty bleak, but it’s true. Happens to hundreds like us daily. 

Recently, two Canadian artists got to team up and go on the road together. Matt LeFait and Dan Bremnes did multiple shows near the end of 2024, but leading up to it, LeFait said there was something scary happening. 

"It wasn't funny, but it was funny. We [Family] had pneumonia. That was August into September. And then we went on tour with Dan over some dates in October. And I was literally just getting my voice back. So it was kind of scary having multiple nights in a row. You really need to be careful. So it was a lot of prayer and water to get through."

Odyssey House, a dedicated organization committed to supporting individuals and families affected by domestic abuse, is announcing a change in leadership. After five years of exemplary service, Lisa Watson has stepped down as Executive Director.

Under her leadership, Odyssey House supported 1,115 women and 937 children through programs including a 24-hour crisis line, safe housing, 1:1 support and group sessions. Some notable achievements from Watson’s time at Odyssey House are the inception of GrandeCon and the launch of the 100 Families Initiative.

The Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection (GPRSC) has announced a leadership transition, with Executive Director Karna Germsheid moving on to a new role with KidSport Northern Alberta.

Karna has been instrumental in the growth and success of the GPRSC since its inception 11 years ago.

Campsites in many BC Parks can be reserved to prepare for the 2025 spring camping season.

Campsites can be reserved four months ahead of the desired arrival date. Reservations for the May 2025 long weekend open this week for many BC Parks campgrounds that accept reservations.

This year, 60 new campsites located in three BC Parks are being added to the reservation service. This includes:

The Fort St John RCMP are requesting the public’s assistance with a suspicious occurrence potentially involving a young child in the area of 108th street and 102nd Avenue, Fort St John, BC.

On Friday, January 10, 2025 at 3:10pm, the Fort St John RCMP received a report of a suspicious occurrence involving a young child wearing a one-piece pink snow suit and a purple touque that had been walking in the area.

Potentially, a black sedan car with potential front-end damage may be associated to the incident.

The City of Grande Prairie resumes its Traffic Signal Maintenance Program January 14 to ensure the safety and reliability of traffic signals throughout the city.

This project involves inspecting and upgrading traffic signal infrastructure at select intersections.

Scheduled work locations include:

• 108 Avenue and 100 Street
• 68 Avenue and 108 Street
• 98 Avenue and 100 Street

In the spring, work will continue at the following intersections, tentatively set to begin in May:

The cost to send a letter in Canada is increasing by about 25 per cent, effective today.

Canada Post says the cost of stamps for domestic mail bought in a booklet, coil or pane has increased by 25 cents to $1.24 per stamp. 

The cost of a single domestic stamp is now $1.44, up from $1.15.

Canada Post proposed the increase in September last year. It says the higher price is required to better align stamp prices with the rising cost of providing letter mail service to all Canadians.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, fresh off a weekend visit with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, says if Ottawa uses an energy embargo to combat Trump's promised tariffs, it would spark a "national unity crisis."

"Oil and gas is owned by the provinces, principally Alberta, and we won't stand for that," Smith told reporters in a virtual news conference Monday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly hasn't ruled out an energy embargo in response to Trump's promise to impose punishing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian products.

Seven-time Grammy winner, TobyMac is gearing up to release his ninth studio project, Heaven On My Mind. 

One of the 12 tracks on the project, "God Did It," shares stories of overcoming trials and how it is only possible with God. It also explores the idea that life is about perspective and can be seen either as a coincidence or the hand of God. The track follows "Nothin' Sweeter," which saw success spending nine weeks at number one.