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Currie to be invested into Order of Alberta

    Dr. Phillip Currie, who was instrumental in the creation of the Royal Tyrrell Museum will be one of eight to be invested into the Alberta Order of Excellence.
    Dr. Currie’s involvement in the valley predates the Tyrrell Museum. He was involved in the conceptual plans put forward to the Government of Alberta in 1981 for the Tyrrell Museum. When it opened in 1985, he became the Curator of Dinosaurs, a position that he held until 2005 when he departed to work as a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta. He is also currently a research associate at the Tyrrell.
    “I still want to be a resource to the museum as much as I can be,” he told The Drumheller Mail in 2005. “It’s a great institution and the collection…we have all made contributions to it, and it is a world class collection. We’ll continue, all of us, no matter where we go, to always have roots there, and certainly all want to be resources for them.”
    In addition to the reams of research he has completed in the badlands, he has led, or been a part of expeditions all over the globe including the Gobi Desert, China, Argentina and Antarctica.
    His research interests focus on dinosaur palaeontology, with a particular interest for theropods.
    Dr. Currie is being inducted along with many other notable Alberta personalities including former Premier Ralph Klein, artist Alex Janvier and Robert Steadward, founder of Landmark Homes.
    The objective of the Order of Alberta as written in the legislation is to “accord recognition to those persons who have rendered service of the greatest distinction and of singular excellence for or on behalf of the residents of Alberta.”
    It is the highest honour the province can bestow on a resident.
    “One of the things I’ve always valued about the Alberta spirit is our ability to pioneer fresh approaches and different ways of thinking,” said the Honourable Norman Kwong, Lieutenant Governor and Chancellor of the Order. “These eight remarkable Albertans have all made very positive contributions to our province, and they have done so while forging a unique path and encouraging others to follow their lead.”
    The new members will be invested in a ceremony on October 20, 2010

Arrests made in alleged fraudulent use of credit card information

    The Drumheller RCMP have made arrests that led to the seizure of hundreds of credit card numbers, and the information to make them usable.
    On Saturday, April 10, police learned from a local business of four people attending to the store and using a credit card in a suspicious manner. RCMP officers located the subjects and they were arrested on a variety of charges.
     Subsequent investigation revealed they were in possession of hundreds of credit card numbers, and the associated security codes that were stolen from a Calgary business, the place of employment of one of the subjects. They were in possession of credit card blanks, and had the ability to make additional cards. In addition, property related to crime, and illicit drugs were located and seized.
    Ashley Whitt, 32, of Calgary, is charged with forging a credit card, fraudulent possession of credit card data, possession of stolen property and possession of morphine. He is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, April 23.
    Valery Zielinsky, 46, of Calgary has been charged with fraudulent possession of credit card data, possession of stolen property, and possession of methamphetamine. She is to appear in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, May 28.
    Anthony Golka, 43, and Holly Boutland are both charged with possession of stolen property and are also to appear in court in Drumheller on Friday, May 28.
    Police say the matters are still under investigation and it is believed there will be other charges laid. These credit card numbers have been used in other jurisdictions. Other police departments and credit card companies have been advised.

Tyrrell helps Paris museum with international exhibition

    The Royal Tyrrell Museum was called upon by the Paris-based Museum of Natural History to help with an international exhibition which opened its doors on April 14, 2010, themed “In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs.”
    Bringing together specimens from many countries, including China, Belgium, Bolivia, Morocco and Germany, as well as the Paris museum’s own collection, the exhibition displays five of the Tyrrell Museum’s specimens, the largest one being an Albertosaurus.
    “It’s always good to be recognized in these major institutions around the world," said Andrew Neuman, the director of the Tyrrell Museum, who attended the opening in Paris.
    "International collaboration is something we like to do and it’s nice for a fairly young player like us to be able to cooperate with a museum that was started during the French revolution. There’s an important historic collection there."         Approached over five years ago about the possibility of taking part in an international travelling exhibit, the museum received a contingency from Paris for an initial discussion with Dr. Phil Currie, then the curator of dinosaurs for the museum.
    About three years ago, plans started to firm up and the project, spearheaded by the French, became serious.
    Originally, the grand plan was to use the Tyrrell’s Tyrannosaurus rex, but due to logistics and space available, the project got scaled back to something more manageable.
    Five specimens were shipped to France at the end of February. Pieces sent included a large mammal and three dinosaurs, the largest one being the Albertosaurus, and is on display as you enter the exhibition.
    As well as offering to help with supplying specimens, one of the Tyrrell museum’s scientists, François Therrien, who studies the palaeoecology of extinct animals, also became a consultant for the project, to plan the storyline and ensure its accuracy
    Divided in four sections, it explores the reasons for the dinosaurs’ extinction and also tries to see if any conclusions can be drawn to prevent further extinction on the planet.
    The story line first establishes what was alive at the same time as the dinosaurs. It then tells the story of the extinction and explains the growth and development of the other groups without the presence of the dinosaurs. To conclude, the exhibition discusses man’s role in potentially speeding up the next extinction.
    The exhibition ends on February 2011 and, depending on its success, may then travel to other localities.

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