News
Wild week for Rocky Mountain House RCMP on the Sunchild and O’Chiese First Nations

From the Rocky Mountain House RCMP
Rocky Mountain House RCMP respond to incidents on Sunchild and O’Chiese First Nations
Over a period of three days, Rocky Mountain House RCMP responded to three different incidents involving guns, a pursuit and threats. Two of the incidents have been cleared with charges and one remains under active investigation.
Dec. 17 at 12:30 p.m. the RCMP were dispatched to a disturbance in progress at the O’Chiese First Nation. A male was alleged to be smashing up a residence and threatening to kill neighbours.
Responding members contained the residence and negotiated with the suspect male to exit. The male came out armed with a knife and began walking towards and threatening the RCMP members. He alternated between being outside and inside, and threatening to shoot the police. At one point he exited the residence with an object wrapped in a blanket, which he pointed at police. Eventually, he complied with directions, dropped the object, which turned out to be a cane, and after a brief struggle, was taken into custody.
Rodney Wayne Strawberry (31) is facing eight criminal charges as a result of this incident, including assault police officer with a weapon.
Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m., the RCMP responded to a complaint of a shot fired outside a residence on the Sunchild First Nation. No one was injured, and the suspects fled in a vehicle which was known to the RCMP.
Several responding units contained the area and located the suspect vehicle. A traffic stop was attempted but the vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit was initiated. Police Dog Services (PDS) and the Emergency Response Team (ERT) were both deployed. Drayton Valley RCMP provided resources to assist. During the pursuit, a firearm was discharged towards the police. A tire deflation device was successful in stopping the vehicle. Multiple occupants of the vehicle fled on foot into the woods. The area was contained for the arrival of PDS and ERT. Three suspects surrendered to the RCMP prior to ERT arrival, and following a PDS/ERT track – two males were located and arrested. Firearms were recovered and seized by the RCMP.
Elliott John Lagrelle (38), Evan Redcalf (26), Sonya Lynn Chipaway (20), Livia Eaglestar Goodrunning (26) and Seth Lagrelle (18) are jointly facing six criminal charges. Elliott Lagrelle is facing a further seven charges including fail to comply with conditions of an undertaking and assault with a weapon against a police officer. Evan Redcalf is facing four further charges, and Sonya Chipaway charged with uttering death threats.
It is very fortunate that no one involved; neither the original complainant, the police nor the accused, was injured throughout these events.
Dec. 19 at 4:55 a.m., Rocky Mountain House responded to assist with a male at a residence on the Sunchild First Nation. The male, who was outside of the residence and suffering from a gunshot wound was transported to the hospital. An investigation was launched, with assistance from the General Investigation Section (GIS).
The male remains in hospital and the RCMP continue to investigate this occurrence. Active soliciting of witness information is underway.
“The Rocky Mountain House RCMP is striving to work with O’Chiese and Sunchild First Nations in an effort to restore community safety” says Staff Sergeant Carl Dinsdale of Rocky Mountain House RCMP. “I recognize that these incidents are wearing on the spirit of both the communities and our Members. The leaders and Elders from both Sunchild and O’Chiese First Nations, as well as the Rocky Mountain House RCMP, are extremely concerned about the rise in violent crime. We intend to remain diligent in our escalated efforts to suppress the crime that has been happening. It is vitally important that the communities support and assist the police with these investigations by coming forward with any information they might have.”
If you have information about the above investigations, or any other crimes or suspicious activities, please contact the Rocky Mountain RCMP at 403-845-2881.
International
Germany launches first permanent foreign troop deployment since WW2

MxM News
Quick Hit:
Germany activated a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania — marking its first permanent foreign military deployment since World War II. The move strengthens NATO’s eastern flank amid Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
Key Details:
- The 45th Armored Brigade was formally launched outside Vilnius on Tuesday.
- Germany plans for the brigade to be fully operational by 2027 in Rūdninkai, near the Belarus border.
- The deployment marks a major policy shift for Berlin and a boost for NATO’s deterrence posture.
Diving Deeper:
Germany has officially entered a new era of military engagement, launching its first permanent foreign troop deployment since the end of World War II. The move, announced Tuesday, sees the activation of a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania as part of a broader NATO strategy to counter the perceived threat from Russia.
The newly formed 45th Armored Brigade was ceremonially inaugurated outside the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. German Brigadier General Christoph Huber assumed command, overseeing the establishment of a temporary headquarters and unveiling the unit’s crest. “We have a clear mission: to ensure the protection, freedom and security of our Lithuanian allies on NATO’s eastern flank,” Huber said, adding that the unit’s presence also directly contributes to the defense of Germany and NATO as a whole.
The deployment follows a pledge made by Berlin in 2023 — a decision that broke with decades of postwar defense policy rooted in military restraint. German officials had long avoided permanently stationing combat troops abroad. That posture has changed in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which has turned the Baltic region into one of NATO’s most vulnerable frontlines.
Germany’s commitment includes more than just fighting forces. The brigade will also feature key support elements, such as a medical center, communications specialists, and command support units dispersed across multiple Lithuanian locations. Troops will initially operate out of temporary facilities, with a permanent base under construction in Rūdninkai, located roughly 30 kilometers south of Vilnius.
Currently, 150 German soldiers are already on the ground in Lithuania. That figure is expected to rise to 500 by the end of the year as the new brigade scales up operations.
Media
Top Five Huge Stories the Media Buried This Week

NEERA TANDEN: “The military requires accountability. It’s the most accountable organization. You are supposed to be accountable to higher-ups. Politics isn’t supposed to have to do with any of this, and the fact that that’s happening, that they’re just basically saying nothing to do here, is a big problem, I think, for those who believe in accountability.”
@ScottJenningsKY: “I think Republicans aren’t interested in any lectures on accountability in the military after the Biden administration. I mean, the bar for getting rid of a Secretary of Defense is apparently pretty high. You can get 13 people killed and go AWOL and not tell the commander in chief, and that’s not a fireable offense.”
“But these lectures about accountability and national security after letting 10 million people into the country who raped and murdered and committed violent acts and no remorse or accountability.”
NEERA TANDEN: “What are you talking about? They closed the border.”
#4 – Bill Gates says we won’t need humans “for most things.”
During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon asked Gates a pretty direct question: “Will we still need humans?”
Gates responded, “Not for most things. We’ll decide … There will be some things that we reserve for ourselves, but in terms of making things and moving things and growing food, over time those will be basically solved problems.”
VIDEO: @TheChiefNerd
REP JORDAN: “Is NPR biased?”
MAHER: “I have never seen any political bias.”
JORDAN: “In the DC area, editorial positions at NPR have 87 registered Democrats and 0 Republicans.”
MAHER: “We do not track the voter registration, but I find that concerning.”
JORDAN: “87-0 and you’re not biased?”
MAHER: “I think that is concerning if those numbers are accurate.”
JORDAN: “October 2020, the NYPost had the Hunter Biden laptop story, and one of those 87 Democrat editors said, ‘We don’t want to waste our readers and listeners’ time on stories that are just pure distractions.’ Was that story a pure distraction?”
Video + Transcript via @Kanekoathegreat
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#2 – Utah becomes the first state to officially BAN fluoride in all public drinking water.
For decades, fluoride was accepted as a safe way to prevent tooth decay. Few questioned it.
But last year, in a dramatic legal twist, a federal judge ruled that fluoride may actually lower children’s IQ—and cited evidence that could upend everything we thought we knew.
That ruling sent shockwaves through the public health world.
Judge Edward Chen pointed to scientific studies showing a “high level of certainty” that fluoride exposure “poses a risk” to developing brains.
He ordered the EPA to reexamine its safety standards, warning that the margin for safety may be far too narrow.
At the center of the case: dozens of peer-reviewed studies linking everyday fluoride exposure—even at levels found in U.S. tap water—to reduced intellectual capacity in children.
It wasn’t just one paper. The National Toxicology Program, a branch of the U.S. government, also concluded that higher fluoride levels were “consistently associated” with lower IQ in kids.
They flagged 1.5 mg/L as a risk threshold. Some communities hover right near it.
In response to the growing evidence, Utah passed HB 81, banning all fluoride additives in public water.
The law takes effect May 7. It doesn’t ban fluoride completely. Anyone who wants it can still get it—like any other prescription.
And that’s the point: Utah’s lawmakers say this is about informed consent and personal choice.
This issue is no longer on the fringe. Across the country, cities and towns are quietly rethinking water fluoridation—and some have already pulled out. Utah is the first state to take bold action. It may not be the last.
The conversation surrounding fluoride has shifted from “Is it helpful?” to “Is it safe?” And for the first time in nearly a century, that question is being taken seriously.
VIDEO: @TheChiefNerd
#1 – RFK Jr. Drops Stunning Vaccine Announcement
Kennedy revealed that the CDC is creating a new sub-agency focused entirely on vaccine injuries—a long-overdue shift for patients who’ve spent years searching for answers without any support from the government.
“We’re incorporating an agency within CDC that is going to specialize in vaccine injuries,” Kennedy announced.
“These are priorities for the American people. More and more people are suffering from these injuries, and we are committed to having gold-standard science make sure that we can figure out what the treatments are and that we can deliver the best treatments possible to the American people.”
For years, the vaccine-injured have felt ignored or dismissed, as public health agencies refused to even acknowledge the problem. Now, there’s finally an initiative underway to investigate their injuries and to provide support.
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