Lacombe

A pair of Central Alberta communities are on a list of the best downtowns on the Prairies.

According to WorldAtlas.com, an online geography resource, Didsbury came in second on the list, with Lacombe finishing seventh. Nanton ranked third with Strathmore holding down fifth spot.

The article recognized Lacombe's historic murals in addition to the Lacombe Memorial Centre and Lest We Forget Memorial Park. The Flatiron building was also highlighted.

A new KPMG survey shows that Albertans and Canadians are shifting to local products and calling on retailers to make them easier to find as U.S. tariff threats loom.

Seventy per cent of Canadians—including 11 per cent of respondents from Alberta—say they will boycott U.S. products, including groceries, if former U.S. president Donald Trump moves forward with a proposed 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian imports. Sixty-eight per cent think grocery stores should stop selling U.S. products in the event of a trade war.

Wetaskiwin’s Community Peace Officers (CPO) will be temporarily working with the RCMP to address fentanyl trafficking and social issues.

City Council approved the move at its regular meeting held Feb. 24.

The change comes at the request of Alberta's Safety and Energy Services Minister Mike Ellis.

In Wetaskiwin, the CPOs are housed in the RCMP building and are aligned in service delivery.

It will be the Lacombe Generals and Innisfail Eagles vying for the Vanberg Cup in the North Central Senior AA Hockey League Finals.

Lacombe swept Stony Plain in three straight to win the best-of-five second round series on Friday, while Innisfail came back to win three straight against Wetaskiwin after dropping the opening game of the series.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) says a confirmed case of whooping cough (pertussis) has been reported in a child in the Stettler area. 

To help prevent its spread, AHS Public Health has sent an information letter to local physicians and William E. Hay Stettler Secondary.

Pertussis is a bacterial infection that causes severe, prolonged coughing. It starts with cold-like symptoms and worsens over a week, often leading to repetitive coughing spells. 

In young children, these spells may be followed by a ‘whooping’ sound when inhaling. 

A new study says nurses, midwives and doulas can treat depression and anxiety symptoms experienced during pregnancy and after delivery.

The clinical trial, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, suggests training non-mental health specialists in short-term behavioural therapy can make treatment available for people who don't have a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Lead author Dr. Daisy Singla from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says depression and anxiety symptoms affect one in five women who are pregnant or postpartum in Canada and the U.S.

Canada is bracing to see whether U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on his threats of economy-wide tariffs — or whether another last-minute pause materializes, averting a North American trade war.

Trump's executive order to implement 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian products, with a lower 10 per cent levy on energy, was delayed until Tuesday after Canada agreed to introduce new security measures at the border.

Nine new projects have been funded under the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) 2024 call for proposals.

BCRC funding to the nine projects totals $1.43 million. Each project brings funding from other sources, leveraging producer funding with over $3.1 million.  

Funding decisions are made by the BCRC's producer council based on priorities identified in the Canadian Beef Research and Technology Transfer Strategy.  

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clearly signalled his view Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted to keep his word on any agreement to end his attack on Ukraine.

Trudeau expressed unwavering support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the Ukrainian president's explosive meeting Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

The government of Alberta has tabled its ninth Red Tape Reduction bill to further reduce regulatory burdens for Albertans and businesses.

"Since 2019, Alberta’s government has eliminated more than 209,000 regulatory requirements and implemented hundreds of red tape reduction initiatives. These efforts have generated cumulative savings of more than $2.9 billion for Albertans. Proposed amendments are designed to maintain that momentum," stated the province in a news release.