WestCentral

Saskatchewan's generosity was on full display Thursday for the Day of Caring radiothon in support of wildfire evacuees. 

The Canadian Red Cross reported receiving $643,156.30 by 5:50 p.m., with donations still flowing in and being accepted until Monday, when the final total will be revealed. The federal government's matching portion will then be added to the total.

Nutrien Ag Solutions matched donations up to $100,000 during the morning portion, and by the end of the day, up its support to $300,000.

Another busy weekend of baseball and softball is upon us around west-central Saskatchewan. Two events specifically caught the attention of the sports desk for this week's ball report, one of them not even featuring bats and balls, but rather bats and bulls as the main draw.

First, the Unity Panthers are hosting a tournament that will see all Unity Minor Ball competitors taking the field.

See the schedule below as each diamond in Unity will remain active into the playoff round on Sunday:

LLOYDMINSTER, Alta. — RCMP in Lloydminster are asking for the public’s help in identifying two suspects accused of using fraudulent financial information to make a high-value purchase at a local business.

Police say the incident occurred on Dec. 18, 2024, at around 1 p.m., when a man and woman entered a business near 40th Street and 50 Avenue and completed a transaction worth nearly $3,500.

The purchase was later flagged as fraudulent, resulting in a financial loss to the store.

Saskatchewan has launched a new initiative aimed at expanding the role of Nurse Practitioners in the province’s primary care system.

The provincial government issued a call Monday for expressions of interest (EOIs) from Nurse Practitioners (NPs) interested in providing publicly funded health services. The initiative is designed to improve access to primary care and allow NPs to work to the full extent of their training and expertise.

Financial support for wildfire evacuees in Saskatchewan is flowing in for the Saskatchewan Day of Caring radiothon.

The Canadian Red Cross reported at 11:50 a.m. that they have collected $222,879.50 in donations from the radiothon to aid those impacted by the wildfires across the province. This total includes a $100,000 matching sponsor from Nutrien Ag and a $25,000 donation from Saskatoon Co-op.

The federal government is matching all donations from the radiothon, but this is not included in the total raised.

The 2025 SJHL Draft came and went on Tuesday with the Kindersley Jr. Klippers making eight selections to bolster their prospect pool.

For anyone wondering what goes in the war room, Klippers assistant GM Ryan Gibson did his best to describe the setting.

"We set up in the office, pretty standard. We got a big list on the white board that someone is delegated to cross off all the time."

A Kindersley resident recently completed a trip north to deliver supplies to emergency crews doing their best to deal with the ongoing wildfire situation in northern Saskatchewan — and has plans to go again. 

Following the journey on social media, Selena Edmunds posted back on May 29 that she was headed to a temporary fire base in Choiceland with supplies. The initial post was a callout to the community for help collecting non-perishable food items, clothes, blankets, and amenities like games to keep busy during downtime.

The true meaning of community has been alive and well across the province this past week.

Numerous initiatives have been put into place throughout Saskatchewan to help support wildfire evacuees, including over the weekend in Kindersley, as a clothing drive at the Elks Hall saw overwhelming support. 

Physiological Leaf Spot is suspected in a number of winter wheat fields in Southern Alberta.

Physiological leaf spot (PLS) appears as round or oval lesions that may be yellow or bleached white to gray in color. Lesions may also have a dark center with a narrow chlorotic (yellow) halos and tend to be more numerous toward the tip of the leaf blade. PLS lesions are often found in the upper canopy, and missing or rare on lower leaves.

Three Factors Favoring Physiological Leaf Spot (PLS):

The Canadian citizen believed to be on an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff is a dentist from Mississauga, Ont., her family has confirmed.

The husband of Nirali Sureshkumar Patel said she was on board the London-bound flight that crashed Thursday, killing at least 240 people.

Patel's dental clinic referred The Canadian Press to the husband, who said that he was in the process of booking travel to India for himself and the couple's one-year-old child.