Estevan

Saskatchewan continued on the path to recovery as another year saw conditions remain closer to normal following the droughts earlier this decade.

The ag sector is hoping to see more progress on that with a good snowpack over winter helping to balance that moisture deficit.

Daryl Harrison, Saskatchewan's Minister of Agriculture, talks about the province's economic fortunes over 2024.

2025 is off to a bit of a tumble for the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins. So far, they're sitting tenth in the SJHL standings and have lost their first two games of the year. However, according to play-by-play host Marty Martinson, the chase is still on. 

"Sitting six points back of that eighth and final playoff spot that's currently held by Humboldt - it's going to be a grind to get back in there. That being said, the Bruins do hold the two games in hand. And it's just about winning those games in hand."

The Estevan Police Service (EPS) is set for a transformative year in 2025, with new initiatives, an expanded team, and advanced technology aimed at boosting community safety.

One of the key changes is the addition of three new officers, which will enhance the force’s ability to meet growing community demands. The move reflects EPS's ongoing commitment to public safety and to maintaining an effective law enforcement presence.

Nearly $1.6 million has been awarded to 79 communities across Saskatchewan in the latest round of grants from the Provincial Traffic Safety Fund.

A total of 82 applications were approved, with almost three-quarters of the projects focused on speed reduction measures.

When you think back to 2024, what were the most impactful food stories?

The Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University has released its Top 10 list of most impactful food stories that shaped Canada's agri-food landscape. 

It served southeast Saskatchewan as a source of information for 122 years. Today, Estevan's newspaper has folded.

The Estevan Mercury has shut down production effective immediately, according to a social media post by its former editor David Willberg. In a Facebook post inside the newspaper's group, he shared that it was a decision made by its owners, Glacier Media. The Mercury's last publication was sent out on January 1. 

Willberg thanked its readers, advertisers, employees, delivery people and the southeast community for their support over the years. 

Leo Gress
1935-2025

With heavy hearts, the family wishes to announce that Leo Gress, late of Estevan, SK passed away peacefully at the St. Joseph’s Special Care Home on Monday, January 6, 2025 at the age of 89 years.

Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, January 10, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist R.C. Church, Estevan, SK with Rev. Thuy Nguyen presiding.  Interment will take place at the Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, Estevan, SK.  Please join the family for lunch following the interment.

Estevan’s city council held a detailed discussion on public works initiatives during the budget meetings, where Hayley DeConinck, the manager of public works, presented a comprehensive overview of snow removal and sidewalk maintenance plans for the year.

As winter approaches, one key focus of public works is snow removal and ice control. Councillor Shelley Veroba raised concerns about the snow buildup on Kensington and Souris Avenues, particularly how it forces pedestrians closer to traffic.

The Saskatchewan RCMP released their top ten calls that "missed the mark" over 2024.

While they receive plenty of calls over the year for emergency situations, some tend to be a bit less serious than first thought.

10. Who are you? A concerned individual called 911 to advise that they didn’t recognize someone on their social media friend list.

A southeast-born player is headed to the big leagues as the Saskatoon Berries announced that Carter Beck would be re-signing.

Beck, the 2024 WCBL Most Outstanding Player & Rookie of the Year, had a great performance in his first year, showing off a batting average of .374, 11 homers, 53 runs, 38 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 51 games played.

In their release, Beck said that "It was a super easy decision to come back, especially with how well the Jam Fam treated us all year."