CTV Calgary's top five stories for January 2024

A person draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday Jan. 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

At CTV Calgary, we strive to bring attention to the stories that matter to the community and resonate with our audience.

Here are the top stories from the month of January.

5. Woman killed in front of Calgary elementary school, police say

At 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 16, police were called to John Costello Catholic School in the northwest community of Strathcona Park for reports of a stabbing.

When they arrived, they found a woman had been stabbed in what they was a domestic assault.

The suspect, identified as the woman's partner, was found dead of self-inflicted wounds a short distance away.

Calgary police are seen outside John Costello School in Strathcona Park on Jan. 16, 2024.

A CTV News investigation in the days after the incident discovered the couple was involved in a court battle and the man was wanted on warrants for sexual assault.

4. Calgary police investigate assault at Sikh temple

A protest involving members of Calgary's Sikh community outside a northeast temple turned violent on Jan. 8.

Officials said between 50 to 100 people were involved in the fight at the Dashmesh Culture Centre, but only two people suffered minor injuries.

Protest leaders later spoke to CTV News and said the demonstration was the results of a disagreement between members of the congregation and its leaders.

The protesters accused the leadership of a lack of communication, an unwillingness to settle conflicts and general negligence.

3. $70M Lotto Max ticket sold in Alberta

A record jackpot was won in Alberta on Jan. 16, and details of the winning were released the following day.

The $70 million prize was won somewhere in the province, outside Calgary and Edmonton, while another big prize in the draw – a ticket that matched six of seven numbers and the bonus number – was won in Calgary.

As of Feb. 2, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation has not released any details about either winner.

2. Calgary corruption: 911 calltaker charged for sharing personal data

Questions of privacy swirled after Calgary police released details about a woman, employed as a 911 calltaker, charged with breach of trust, fraud and mischief on Jan. 25.

Mariana Buonincontri, 58, is alleged to have shared personal information of individuals connected to organized crime with other individuals, also believed to be connected with organized crime.

Mariana Buonincontri, 58, is shown in undated Facebook photos. (Obtained)

Investigators reassured members of the public that their personal data was safe and they took the allegations very seriously.

"This level of breach of trust impacts all of us in public service, our officers, the public and the people we engage with every day whose private information is closely guarded," said Insp. Shawn Wallace with the CPS professional standards section.

Buonincontri is expected in court on March 7

1. Payouts coming for hundreds of Alberta health workers impacted by COVID-19 vaccine rules

CTV Calgary's top story of January was the revelation that Alberta Health Services employees, who were unvaccinated against COVID-19, were being paid after filing grievances with their union.

At the time of publication, our reporter learned that 95 out of 260 workers who filed grievances were eligible to receive payments.

Further investigation determined that more payouts were likely to occur, given that approximately 1,650 full and part-time staff were put on unpaid leave for being unvaccinated.