WestCentral

A 25-hectare slice of a rapidly disappearing ecosystem is set to be preserved in southwestern Saskatchewan. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada announced last week that they've partnered with a local couple in a conservation agreement to support a landscape vital for flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, and home to countless species of fauna and flora.

After 55 years in broadcasting, Phil Johnson is signing off from his daily morning show on AM1150, marking the end of an era for the iconic radio host.

Johnson, 77, began his career in broadcasting at CKKR in Rosetown, Sask., where he worked night shifts, connecting with truckers and listeners across the province. “I was talking to truckers and everybody else as they were making their way across Saskatchewan,” he recalled.

Elections Canada is launching a probe into problems with special ballots in the last federal election.

"We really have to look at the controls in place to make sure that they are sufficient," and make improvements where possible, Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault told reporters at a press conference on Parliament Hill on Monday.

Plans for the review were outlined on Monday in the agency's report on the 45th general election held on April 28. The report promises a "comprehensive review" that will examine training, control mechanisms and processes."

After talking up the prospect of cross-party collaboration in the House of Commons, Liberal and Conservative MPs wasted little time after Parliament resumed Monday before reverting to partisan attacks over housing and the cost of living.

The tone was set early Monday afternoon, when the first-ever question period exchange between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre began cordially before turning belligerent.

A 25-year-old Saskatchewan woman is currently serving a prison sentence in the United States for offences related to child exploitation, including the distribution and attempted distribution of sexually explicit material involving minors.

Melissa Markwart, who is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Aliceville, Alabama, was sentenced to three years in custody and has already served approximately one year of her sentence. Court documents indicate she was involved in producing, distributing, and possessing material depicting the sexual abuse of children.

An online fundraising campaign has been launched to support a family in Outlook living with brittle bone disease.

Katie Bell and her two youngest children, Maizie and Atlas, have all been diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a rare genetic disorder that weakens connective tissues and prevents proper bone development. The disease makes even minor falls or bumps potentially life-threatening.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders had already secured a playoff spot heading into Saturday’s game, but they were unable to tighten their grip on a home playoff date, falling 48-31 to the visiting Montreal Alouettes at Mosaic Stadium.

Montreal struck first on a 52-yard field goal by Jose Maltos Diaz, but Saskatchewan answered immediately with Brett Lauther’s 46-yard field goal to tie the game at 3. The Alouettes then pulled ahead with a 59-yard touchdown pass from McLeod Bethel-Thompson to Tyson Philpot, who got behind the Riders’ Kerfalla-Emmanuel Exume.

A 69-year-old Wilkie man is facing charges of uttering threats, mischief, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle after police responded to a complaint about an unwanted individual at a residence last week.

In a separate case, a youth has been charged with assault and mischief following a report of an assault.

From Sept. 2 to 8, Wilkie RCMP also received complaints of property damage, breach of an undertaking, and a suspicious vehicle, with investigations ongoing in some cases.

A man has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for sexually assaulting a minor and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Jarrett Pearce, who was 21 at the time of the offences, pleaded guilty in Rosetown provincial court to one count of sexual assault and one count of unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon. A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the victim, who was 15 years old when the offences occurred.

The Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) wants to see two key pieces of infrastructure upgraded at the Port of Vancouver, the country's largest port.

The GGC says the federal government's major projects list remains incomplete if the 1969 Second Narrows Rail Bridge and 1904 New Westminster Rail Bridge upgrades are not included.