Scott Boulton

Saskatchewan residents are being reminded to take precautions against Hantavirus as spring cleanup continues.

Hantavirus infection is caused by breathing in contaminated airborne particles from the droppings, urine, or saliva of infected deer mice. It can cause a rare, but potentially fatal lung disease known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Hantavirus infections are rare but are serious. Between 1994 and 2023, 38 cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome were reported in Saskatchewan; 13 of those cases were fatal.

CAA has released its Worst Roads Top 10 for the year, and Highway 2 near Cudworth ranks 3rd on the not so honour roll.  

The portions of Highway 2 between the north junction of Highway 5 and the junction of Highway 27 were rebuilt in the last decade or so. Venture north of Highway 27 and things have deteriorated on the stretch to Wakaw with potholes being the major concern.  

CAA's rankings are as follows: 

With the big game draw coming next month, hunters are preparing for the upcoming hunting season.

The draw begins May 1, with a deadline of May 30, and draws are expected to head out to hunters sometime in July.

Matthew Weiss, licensing and allocation specialist with the Ministry of Environment's Fish and Wildlife Branch, gives some advice on the draw.

The Estevan Police Service has laid charges on a 40-year-old Estevan man for his role in a shooting incident which took place Monday night.

On April 8, at approximately 8:23 p.m., the Estevan Police Service received a report that an individual had been shot in the 1600 block of 3rd Street in Estevan and that the armed male suspect had fled the scene. 

The Government of Saskatchewan introduced some recent legislation to provide relief to small businesses in the province.  

As outlined in the 2024-25 Budget, The Income Tax Amendment Act, 2024 maintains the small business tax rate reduction in Saskatchewan at one per cent until June 30, 2025.  

"Small businesses are the backbone of our provincial economy," Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said, "We are pleased to maintain the small business tax reduction to help support their growth and allow owners to reinvest in their businesses."

The Government of Saskatchewan's most recent petroleum and natural gas public offering, held on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, raised $15,454,748.02 in revenue for the province.

That's an increase from last year's April offerings, which received $11,113,459.75 for the province.

Of the 147 parcels posted for this sale, 123 parcels received acceptable bids, which covered 16,065.020 hectares. Six parcels received bids that were rejected as unacceptable after a technical review, and no bids were submitted for the remaining 18 parcels. 

The Carnduff RCMP is looking for more info after they received a complaint of suspicious persons and vehicles in the RM of Moose Creek near the Moose Creek Regional Park and Moose Creek Golf Glub reported to have taken place April 4 at approximately 3:30 a.m.

The suspicious vehicles were described as being a black Dodge truck and an older model compact car described as being silver with 4 doors and a white Browning decal on the back window.

The late season snowstorms that trekked across the province have helped out when it comes to this season's spring runoff, and that's good news for the main reservoirs that supply much of Saskatchewan's water to residents and industries. 

Saskatchewan's Water Security Agency has been measuring that melt and seeing what kind of effect it's having on the province's reservoirs.

Spokesperson Patrick Boyle says that the province is looking good as far as most reservoirs are concerned.

Saskatchewan anglers are getting their gear ready with fishing season around the corner and the province releasing its yearly Angler's Guide.

That includes information on fishing limits, laws, and other pertinent pieces of info for anglers.

Kory Bertrand, a fishery biologist with the Ministry of Environment, talks about some of what the guide will cover.

The Government of Saskatchewan introduced some recent legislation to provide relief to small businesses in the province.  

As outlined in the 2024-25 Budget, The Income Tax Amendment Act, 2024 maintains the small business tax rate reduction in Saskatchewan at one per cent until June 30, 2025.  

"Small businesses are the backbone of our provincial economy," Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said, "We are pleased to maintain the small business tax reduction to help support their growth and allow owners to reinvest in their businesses."