Seven things you need to know: Taylor Swift movie premiere

....Are you ready for it? 

The Eras Tour movie premieres at Okotoks Cinemas tonight (Oct. 13). 

We've invited 200 of our closest friends to the exclusive Taylor Swift-themed evening and here are seven things you need to know. 

1. The pre-show starts at 5:30. Come early to enjoy some music, contests, Taylor-themed concession items, selfies, and more. 

2. Win a prize for being the best dressed. Some of those prizes include gift cards to Browns Socialhouse, Sephora, and Taylor Swift vinyl records.

Barlow applauds province's freeze on renewable energy projects

Foothills MP John Barlow has released a statement on Alberta's recent pause on new renewable energy projects.

The federal Shadow Minister for Agriculture applauded the decision, saying it will allow Alberta's agricultural land to remain productive while advancing clean energy goals.

The seven-month moratorium was put in place on August 3 to review the rules and regulations around renewable energy projects.

Investigation into fatal collision near Okotoks still underway

The RCMP continue to investigate a fatal collision in the Foothills on Friday.

At around 5 p.m. on September 22, police responded to a three-vehicle collision on Highway 7 near 70th St. west of Okotoks.

A 62-year-old woman from Diamond Valley was declared deceased at the scene, and the driver of one of the other vehicles was transported to hospital.

According to RCMP media relations, drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been a factor.

Wood Automotive Group celebrates a significant milestone

The Wood Automotive Group is celebrating an anniversary.

Woodridge Ford has been around for 40 years as of this month.

Gerry Wood purchased Southridge Lincoln Mercury in 1983, and while it wasn't his first dealership, it was the catalyst to the Woods' longstanding relationship with Ford.

Since then, the Wood Automotive Group has expanded to include Okotoks Ford Lincoln, Okotoks Volkswagen, Advantage Ford, Big 4 Motors, Village Honda, and South Centre Volkswagen.

Canadians now blocked from seeing news on Facebook

Discovering news articles, photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram will soon become a relic of the past, as Meta has begun ending news availability in Canada. 

Already many Facebook and Instagram users in Okotoks and the Calgary area have noticed they no longer have access to posts from The Eagle 100.9.

In June, Meta started running a test that limited news for up to five per cent of users, but now it says it is moving out of the testing phase.  

Okotoks Fire Department rescues group of ducklings

Okotoks Firefighters recently saved a group of ducklings who found themselves in a jam.

At around 11 p.m. on July 21, the fire department received a call from some residents who'd found seven ducklings that had fallen down a sewer grate.

Captain Neil Rowan with the Okotoks Fire Department was on scene and describes a pretty clean and efficient rescue mission.

"They went down into the hole, about six feet down, and put all the ducklings into a five-gallon pale. They found mum and returned the ducklings to her out in the field there."

War Amps key tags being sent out to Okotoks and area

Tags from the War Amps' 2023 Key Tag Service are on their way to Okotoks and the surrounding areas.

The service provides donors with a key tag, each with a unique identifying code.

If the keys are lost, the person who finds them can call a number on the tag, place them in a mailbox, and the War Amps will return them to their owner free of charge.

It was established in 1946 both as a way of providing work for amputee veterans and funding War Amps programs.

Okotokian receives award for mentorship in engineering technology

An Okotokian was recently recognized for her role as a mentor.

Jennifer Stewart received the 2022 President's Award for Excellence in Mentoring from the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET).

Stewart is a civil engineering technologist who creates horizontal and vertical geometry for roadways and sanitary storm and water pipe systems using 3D drafting software.

Young Okotokian forgoes birthday presents for a selfless cause

A young Okotokian recently made a selfless decision on a day that was all about her.

Dr. Morris Gibson student Tessa Mak celebrated her ninth birthday in December, and when she was asked what she wanted, she gave a surprising answer.

Her father Matthijs says she wanted to help out some local animals in need.