edmonton - a living history - december 2006
it will be a nice town once they finish building it
Selected recent events in Edmonton's modern history.
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the trial of Michael White | they were All Shook Up | the queen of kensington sets sail
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The Trial of Michael White >permalink<
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Of all the homicides that took place in Edmonton in 2005, the case of Liana White gripped the attention of area citizens and Canadians the most.
Liana was four-months pregnant and the mother of a three-year-old daughter when on July 12th, 2005 she seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
For five days, the story of the missing woman was on the front page and the lead story of radio and television newscasts.
On July 17th, her body was found face down in a ditch along Edmonton's northern outskirts. Her husband, Michael White, was charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead body.
Sixteen months after he was charged, the trial of Michael White got underway on November 2nd, 2006.
The story of Liana White and her murder was again the focus of media and coffee talk as Edmontonians followed the progress of the trial almost daily for six weeks.
On December 7th, 2006 Michael White was found guilty. Eight days later Justice Mary Moreau of Court of Queen's Bench announced her sentencing decision [full details].
They were All Shook Up >permalink<
A spectacular harness racing accident left a driver badly hurt and a horse that had to be destroyed.
It happened December 13th, 2006 at Northlands Park at the midway point of the 11th and final one-mile race of the night.
At about 9:30 p.m. Warren Grant and horse Red Star Alvin were trailing behind Larry Hastings and Im All Shook Up.
Im All Shook Up broke stride and fell to the track “in a heap” suffering a shattered front leg. Hastings' bike then overturned.
Following behind at more than 50 km/h, Grant avoided the horse but clipped his bike with Hastings'.
The collision catapulted Grant head-first into an aluminum rail on the inside of the track.
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Grant, 53, suffered a lacerated liver and broke his jaw, sternum, four ribs and a leg. He underwent emergency surgery at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Im All Shook Up had to be destroyed but Grant’s horse was not injured. Driver Hastings was also unharmed.
For safety reasons, most racetracks used only for harness racing don’t have inner rails. This allows for drivers who see trouble to run infield.
As the track at Northlands is used also for thoroughbred racing, the inside rails are required.
The accident was to be investigated by harness racing judges. Grant's condition was later upgraded to stable and he was expected to make a full recovery.
Story update: on February 21st, 2007 with the spring harness meet two days away, it was reported that Warren Grant was doing fine and recuperating in Calgary.
An investigation carried out by Northlands Park found there was no fault in the crash. An expansion to the track, scheduled a few years away, could see the inner "hug" rail removed.
The Queen of Kensington Sets Sail >permalink<
A 32-year-old dream passed from one owner to another as a prairie landlocked ocean-going sailboat was freed from a property in northwest Edmonton.
When area neighbours suddenly saw a crane move into place, they called out the media.
The boat, dubbed by CTV Edmonton as The Queen of Kensington, was hoisted from its backyard berth and placed on a coast-bound carrier.
CTV's Sheldon Larmand was at the scene, but crime reporter David Ewasuk provided the prose and post-production voice-over for Edmonton viewers [full details].
Related Pages
- deadmonton
The murdered and the missing in the metro area. - edmonton history and museums
The Last Link guide to local history. - final credits
Reflecting lives that have contributed to Edmonton and area culture. - it's our heritage
The Last Link guide to Lawrence Herzog's articles as published in Real Estate Weekly.