WestCentral

The Rosetown Fire Department says it responded to a wide range of calls in August while also conducting training, equipment inspections and preparing for the arrival of a new vehicle.

The department’s first training night of the month focused on drafting water from a portable tank, pump operations, hooking hydrants and flowing water. A second training session involved running 1410 drills, which included hydrant hookups, deploying lines, relaying water between trucks and practicing nozzle control and flow patterns.

The Town of Biggar has announced a full slate of community activities for September, including family programs, crafts, fitness groups, and social gatherings.

Highlights at the Family Centre include clothing exchanges on Sept. 6, 13, and 20; Kids Craft Club on Sept. 9, 16, 23, and 30; Tween Craft on Sept. 9, 16, 23, and 30; Community Kitchen planning on Sept. 12 and cook day on Sept. 14; and Kids in the Kitchen on Sept. 22, 25, and 29. Adult Craft Club meets Sept. 28, while Teen and Toddler groups are scheduled for Sept. 19 and 21, respectively.

It's PBR week in Kindersley!

With the success of last year's Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational, the event was boosted up to a two-night show in 2025, along with being made the biggest purse on the PBR Canada Touring Pro Division calendar this season.

On Thursday, Country 104 morning show host Nick Cooper had Buttar, and event promotor Pete Gebraad on the air to give one final hype up before things start Friday night and continue into Saturday.

The Canadian economy lost jobs for the second month in a row as the unemployment rate climbed to its highest level since May 2016, excluding the pandemic period.

Statistics Canada said Friday the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.1 per cent in August, its highest level since August 2021, as the economy lost 66,000 jobs for the month.

The report follows the July labour force survey that showed a loss of 41,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent.

Farmers are in the field for harvest around West Central; but are moving at a slow pace as only 10 per cent of the region is done harvest to represent the lowest total in the province.

The latest Ministry of Agriculture crop report shared on Thursday noted that harvest is partially slow due to many crops not reaching maturity yet. Early harvested crops are seeing strong results, but overall progress is lagging behind notably with the 10 per cent mark well behind the five-year average of 43 per cent and 10-year average of 34 per cent. 

The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved to 9-2 and stayed atop the CFL standings with their 34-30 win over Winnipeg in last week's Labour Day Classic in Regina. 

The Kindersley Library is highlighting the reading accomplishments of local children this summer, celebrating a season full of books, stories, and learning.

Throughout the summer, children earned stars on the library wall each time they checked out books. Library officials shared photos showing the wall covered with stars, reflecting the community’s enthusiasm and dedication to reading.

“A big congratulations to all the kids who spent their summer discovering new stories, adventures, and ideas,” the library said on social media. “We’re so proud of you!”

A 32-year-old man from the RM of Wilton is facing 16 charges after Lloydminster RCMP say they seized drugs, firearms and weapons during a call on the east side of the city earlier this week.

On Sept. 3 at about 6:30 a.m., police responded to a report of a man passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle, believed to be a possible impaired driver.

Officers say they found the driver and, after approaching the vehicle, observed what appeared to be a controlled substance. The man was arrested at the scene.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday human smuggling across the border with Canada is getting worse — and that traffickers are looking north following the Trump administration's crackdown at the border with Mexico.

"The northern border, it always has been, but it's gotten much worse, much more prevalent because … it's a multibillion-dollar business, the smuggling of drugs, guns and humans," Bondi said during a news conference in Tampa, Fla.

Messages of condolences and support poured in for a Manitoba First Nation after a mass stabbing on Thursday, including from a First Nation in Saskatchewan that experienced one of its own exactly three years earlier.

Police say eight people were found severely injured in two homes on Hollow Water First Nation, northeast of Winnipeg.

An 18-year-old woman died while the suspect, her 26-year-old brother, died after the stolen vehicle he was driving collided with a vehicle driven by a police officer responding to the attack.