Strathmore

A Manitoba man convicted of murder 50 years ago has been acquitted.

Clarence Woodhouse was found guilty in 1974 of fatally beating and stabbing a restaurant worker in downtown Winnipeg.

He was granted parole in 1983 and filed last year for a ministerial review of his conviction.

His lawyers argued a confession Woodhouse supposedly made was in fluent English, although he primarily spoke Saulteaux.

Students and staff at Rocky View Schools have been without internet and phone access since Wednesday (Oct. 2).

The issue stems from a fibre optic cable that was cut near Calgary.

"Schools remain open and classes will continue without Internet access. For urgent messages, parents and guardians can contact the school principal or assistant principal through email which will be received on their phones," says the division in a news release.

Attendance will be recorded on paper and put into a program for a later date.

A team of firefighters from Drumheller were in Kamloops taking part in several Firefit competitions.

According to the Drumheller Fire & Rescue Facebook page, the Canadian Nationals and World Firefit competitions both happened over the weekend, which brought in over 190 competitors from seven countries to take part. 

With autumn underway, foxtails are starting to become a problem in the area.

That's according to the Animal Care Centre of Strathmore who made a post on their Facebook page warning dog owners about the issues that foxtails can cause. 

"Foxtails become a problem when the grass heads start to break apart," wrote the centre. "The spiky seeds can easily get stuck in your dog's fur, ears, paws, or throat leading to irritation or even infections."

If you're a volunteer looking to get involved in hockey in Strathmore, the Agra Risk Wheatland Kings are looking for helpers.

The Kings are seeking a full-time in-arena music coordinator and an in-arena announcer to fill in occasionally.

You can contact Cody Holdaway, general manager of the Kings at manager@wheatlandkings.com if you're interested in joining the club.

Up next for the Kings is a home-and-home weekend series as they look to keep their undefeated win streak alive.

Get ready to make a splash in the Strathmore Aquatic Centre pool once again.

The pool has now reopened following annual maintenance.

According to the town, chlorine levels were recently checked to align with Alberta Health Services guidelines.

"Tiles were fixed, new drain grates were acquired, and some problematic pipes are no longer problematic," added the town in a Facebook post.

The Town of Strathmore is switching green cart collection back to bi-weekly pickups starting November 1.

The decision is being made made due to less yard and food waste during the winter months.

"You likely won't be raking your lawn or pulling weeds in the middle of winter," says the town in a Facebook post.

Black carts will still be collected weekly.

During the cold temperatures, residents are being encouraged to not place carts on top of snow banks, and clear the lids of snow and ice before they're picked up.

Strathmore is getting its first taste of sub-zero temperatures this season.

According to our weather forecast, Wednesday night is expected to reach an overnight low of -2 C alongside some light winds.

Alysa Pederson, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), said these temperatures are not unusual for this time of the year.

As war spread in the Middle East on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly "unequivocally" condemned Iran's move to fire dozens of missiles into Israel and called for no further escalation in the war from all sides.

Joly also begged Canadians in Lebanon to leave immediately as Israel began what it is calling a limited ground operation against Hezbollah targets in the southern part of that country.

Cereals Canada recently released their 2024 Canadian Wheat Crop Progress and Harvest Assessment Update.

Harvest operations are still underway in many areas of the Prairies.

Stats Canada surveyed farmers in June with estimates showing Canadian farmers planted over 8.2 million hectares of non durum wheat this year, a 3% decrease from last year, while durum acreage showed a 5 per cent increase to nearly 2.6 million acres.

Non-durum wheat is grown across the country in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and in southern Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.