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Wednesday, April 12, 2023 Vol. 46, No. 15
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Your LOCAL Paper!
Naslund out on parole
Whooping cough outbreak 'continues to grow' in central zone Patricia Harcourt Editor
Jana Semeniuk Staff Reporter
Former Holden resident, Helen Naslund, 58, was paroled late last month after serving part of a nineyear sentence for manslaughter for killing her abusive husband Miles, 49, in 2011. Naslund was initially sentenced to 18 years in 2020 but the sentence was reduced to nine years after a public outcry resulted in a 2-1 decision by the Alberta Court of Appeal, according to reports. Naslund’s son Neil, who was 19 at the time, received three years for helping his mother hide Miles’s body on the family’s farm and was paroled in 2021. Miles was first reported missing on Sept. 6, 2011, by Naslund who suggested he may have killed himself after disappearing in his Chevy Cavalier with a .357 Magnum handgun. In Aug. 2017, RCMP were tipped off upon learning that Darrell Naslund, Neil’s brother, told people what really happened to his father. Helen Naslund, pictured here barrel racing in this file photo prior to sentencing.
During her trial in 2020, Naslund admitted to shooting her husband twice in the head as he slept at their farm the morning of Sept. 5, 2011. In an agreed statement of facts, Miles spent the day before the killing intoxicated, ordering Naslund around with a gun and throwing wrenches at her before destroying a table set for Sunday dinner saying the meal was “not fit for a dog.” Naslund suffered for nearly 30 years at the hands of her abusive husband. Wesley Naslund, the eldest of the three sons, spoke to newspapers about growing up under his father’s obsessive controlling behaviour and feelings of never-ending dread. He said his mother tried leaving multiple times and his father always said he would track her down. Meanwhile, according to reports, the Parole Board of Canada said Naslund’s family is supportive of her although she is estranged from Darrell who Naslund feels betrayed her.
As if people needed another dangerous illness to worry about after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a dangerous bacterial infection is starting to spread in Alberta, especially among children. Whooping cough, officially called pertussis, is making its presence known in Central Alberta after first taking hold in the southern part of the province. Alberta Health Services has put out a warning stating: “Pertussis outbreak expands in South, Central Zones.” The illness first became apparent in January of this year in the South Zone, and AHS states it has “continued to grow.” The province now has 114 identified cases including “a small number in Central Zone,” which includes four cases in Willingdon and Red Deer. The majority of cases in the province have been in children 18 years old and younger, and 72 per cent of these are between one and nine years of age. Five children have had to be hospitalized. AHS says the communities involved have “significantly low childhood immunization rates, and there is evidence of transmission within households, community events, and gatherings, and at some schools.” “AHS is issuing a reminder to all people of the importance of immunization, particularly in small children, to prevent further illness,” said the statement. Whooping cough has been described as a bacterial infection causing severe and prolonged coughing
that can last for weeks. AHS warns that it can impact people of all ages but infants one year and younger are at greatest risk of serious complications, including pneumonia, convulsions, brain damage, and death. Symptoms start with a runny nose, sneezing, fever, and mild cough. Over the course of a week the cough would be expected to get worse with repetitive spells often followed by a ‘whooping’ sound, especially in younger children when inhaling. After a coughing spell, vomiting is also a common occurrence. AHS is offering practical advice to guard against become infected. And it sounds much like the advice given in the case of the coronavirus pandemic. “Immunization is the best method to protect against and limit the spread of pertussis, along with regular hand washing and remembering not to share drinks, food, or cutlery,” said the statement. AHS states that immunizing is safe and will prevent people from becoming severely ill. The shot is free for all children under 18 years of age, people in their third trimester of pregnancy (27 weeks), and adults who have not had a tetanus booster in the past 10 years. AHS is also urging people to keep up to date on their immunizations. Local community health centres and public health offices may be able to track down immunization records for individuals not sure of their status. For those wanting to know what immunizations their children should have, there is a website called “Alberta’s Routine Childhood Immunization schedule” that can offer more information.