City digging out: Nineteenth death attributed to storm

The blizzard of 2007 is being blamed for another death, raising to nineteen the number of lives lost to the blinding conditions.

  The total was perilously close to being much higher had it not been for the considerable efforts of emergency personnel on snowmobiles and many private citizens rescuing stranded travelers.

  A 57-year-old woman from the Leader area was found dead at noon Thursday after stumbling from a vehicle rollover confused about her whereabouts. After leaving the home of a friend near Shaunavon about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, the woman wandered off in the wrong direction, according to RCMP, who responded to the call and found the abandoned SUV.

  It is believed the woman thought she was heading back toward the home she had just left. Instead, she was going the opposite direction and likely died from hypothermia, say RCMP.

  A search party found her body 1.5 kilometers from the home of her friend. Her family has asked that her name not be released.

  "We are fortunate in and around Saskatoon, there were only three fatalities," said Chief Brian Bentley, general manager of Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services.  All three were lost when they tried to walk from stranded cars to shelter.

  There were plenty more close calls, however. Bentley estimates his crews rescued 35 people stranded in various locations throughout the day, including a Quebec couple passing through Saskatoon. They became stranded from 9:30 a.m. until 4:20 p.m. Wednesday.

                                                                See Blizzard of 2007/A3

Attempted Murder

  Saskatoon Police Service responded to an attempted murder complaint which occurred in the 1400 block of Avenue F north at approximately 3:30 a.m. on January 6th. A woman was sleeping when her ex-husband broke into her residence and threatened her with a knife. She was injured in the ensuing struggle but managed to get control of the knife and flee the house.

  The woman called police from the home of a nearby neighbor.  Police arrived on the scene and quickly apprehended the 32 year ex-husband at the scene, still in possession of the knife.  Also still in the house was the former couple's two year old child, who was not injured.  The man was charged with attempted murder, along with two charges of breaching a probation order.

Downtown club with a checkered past

  The Seven Sins was barely open for a year, but it has quickly become one of the most storied nightclubs in Saskatoon.  The local business owner who ran the club, Vanessa Carter, was a notorious figure whom some said had ties to organized crime and wanted on arson charges. The original building the Seven Sins was in was the victim of its own arson attempt this past summer, severely damaging the building.

  Six months later, the club is ready for reopening under new management.  Twenty-two year-old Darren Whitebear is a first-time business owner, but said he had to take the chance on re-opening the club because “Saskatoon has a lot of people who really dig this scene, and the loss of the club was a huge blow to the local goth scene.” 

See Goth Club Reopens/E2