Edmonton Notes for 8/22/2010

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

• It was a smoky week here in Edmonton, as we felt the effects of forest fires in BC. Air quality was listed as poor until Friday, when it started to improve. You can see smoke forecasts for BC and Alberta here.
• Edmonton Airports released updated briefing notes on the City Centre Airport this week. CBC found closing the airport is likely to be a financial boon. The Journal pointed out some of the inaccuracies with Envision Edmonton’s views on medevac, and found that the group’s list of donors will remain private. Over at the City, officials continued to prepare to receive the signatures. Scott McKeen wrote about how public debate should not be a mudslinging free-for-all.
• Alex has a nice roundup of the local election races.
• Some love for the Edmonton tech scene this week! Local startup Beamdog was also profiled.
• The number of commercial properties sold in Edmonton in the first half of 2010 was 161, worth $754 million. That’s up from 120 worth $547 million in the first half of 2009.
• Where is Edmonton going? Interesting column in the Examiner.
• Congrats to the Edmonton Capitals who won their third straight game last night over the Calgary Vipers.
• According to CBC, the neighbourhood crime maps that the Edmonton Police Service makes available are intentionally incorrect. Just another reason why the crime maps are not open data.
• Sadly, it seems as though Bistro Praha will not be reopening in the near future.
• More money is flowing into Edmonton for nanontechnology research from the federal government.
• Community leagues want to sell ad space inside the boards of outdoor hockey rinks.
• For completeness: there was a bit of controversy in the local theatre scene this week.
• For more headlines from the past week, check out theedmontonian.com.
• The Fringe wraps up today! There are some holdovers, though.
• Saskatchewan is in town on Saturday night to take on the troubled Edmonton Eskimos.
• Maybe Saturday should be football day in Edmonton! Miami FC will also be in town, to take on FC Edmonton.
• The North Edge Business Community is hosting an Outdoor Nite Market on Friday.
• Don’t forget there are great activities happening for lunch all week at Churchill Square.

Here’s the smoke as it appeared downtown on Thursday afternoon.

The Treasury had its grand opening on Thursday evening. Signs for the new bar & eatery first appeared over a year ago.