Lacombe

April 16, at around 10:15 a.m., Wetaskiwin RCMP responded to a report of an individual carrying a handgun outside the employee door of a local business in the area of 56 Street and 48 Avenue.

RCMP quickly located the person involved and an arrest was made without incident. 

A gas-powered revolver and knife were seized off of the suspects. 

The investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending.

RCMP would like to advise that there is no ongoing threat to public safety. 

Alberta's United Conservative Party says it has expelled former infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie from caucus over his repeated criticism of the government's handling of the health-care contract scandal.

Guthrie gave up his ministerial position in February over concerns about government contracts and has been sitting as a backbencher for his Airdrie-Cochrane riding.

His pushback against Premier Danielle Smith also led the caucus to suspend him from voting in caucus matters.

The Town of Rocky Mountain House, in collaboration with Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services (CRFRS) and Alberta Forestry and Parks, is planning to conduct a hazard reduction burn (HRB) within the Town during the spring of 2025 in alignment with the Town of Rocky Mountain House Wildfire Mitigation Strategy.

What is a hazard reduction burn?

The Bank of Canada left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday as it waits to get a clearer picture of how global trade uncertainty is going to impact the Canadian economy.

The central bank held its policy rate steady at 2.75 per cent, the first time it has left the key rate unchanged following seven consecutive cuts since June.

That decision arrived in the midst of the United States' ever-shifting global trade war, and Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem made clear that the disruption from south of the border was the clear focus of Wednesday’s decision.

Independent Zarnab Zaffar is a candidate in the Ponoka-Didsbury riding.

Originally set as the Liberal candidate, Zafar did not get enough signatures to be on the ballot for the Liberal party, so she is now running with no affiliation.

CentralAlbertaOnline.com reached out for an interview with Zafar but did not receive a response at the time of publication. No official bio for Zafar could be found.

Lacombe city council has approved amendments to the North Area Structure Plan (NASP), helping advance closer to the development of a new fire station on Woodland Drive. 

Two sections of the NASP were amended to allow the land use for the new station.  

The land can now be used for an emergency facility and isn’t limited to use solely as future cemetery lands.  

The stage will look different than originally planned Wednesday night, when Canada's major party leaders square off in the first of two nationally televised debates.

Instead of five podiums on the stage, there will now only be four.

The Green Party had its invitation rescinded less than 12 hours before the debate is set to start, with the Leaders' Debate Commission saying the party no longer met the criteria to be included.

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault called the "last minute decision" both "unfounded" and "undemocratic."

Motorists across Central Alberta are enjoying some much-needed relief at the pump, with gas prices continuing to decline in the weeks following the Liberal's carbon tax pause.

According to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, a combination of local policy and global market shifts is contributing to the downward trend.

As news of Rory McIlroy’s long-awaited Masters victory echoed around the golfing world, few in Central Alberta felt the pride quite like Eamon McCann, owner of Gull Lake Golf Course.

McCann, who hails from Ireland and has run the nine-hole Gull Lake course for 36 years, says the win was more than just a tournament result — it was a deeply meaningful moment for Irish golf fans everywhere.

Red Deer Polytechnic is expanding its leadership in clean energy innovation, thanks to a $600,000 donation from the RBC Foundation. The funds will support the creation of a new Energy Test Hub located within the Polytechnic’s Energy Innovation Centre.

This new facility includes a flexible microgrid where students and researchers can test emerging energy technologies like solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, electric vehicle charging stations, and battery storage.