Lacombe

The former head of Alberta's front-line health authority is suing the province and health minister alleging she was fired for looking into high-level government interference and overpays on multimillion-dollar contracts.

Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former CEO of Alberta Health Services, or AHS, also accuses Health Minister Adriana LaGrange of twice trying to shut down an investigation into questionable deals and conflicts of interest before engineering what she describes as her illegal dismissal last month.

Some highways in Central Alberta are snow-covered with icy sections this morning. 

Visibility is also reduced in some areas.

Click here for current road conditions.

Periods of light snow are expected to end around noon with mainly cloudy skies and a chance of flurries. The high today is minus 15. Wind chill near minus 23.

Click here for the forecast.

The Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) has confirmed that 31 breach notices have been filed across Alberta educational institutions following the PowerSchool cybersecurity breach.

Public Interest Alberta is requesting the RCMP launch a formal investigation into allegations within the UCP Government and Alberta Health Services (AHS) to determine whether corruption and breach of trust, among other criminal conduct may have taken place regarding the procurement of health services contracts.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says Health Minister Adriana LaGrange has her full support as they navigate allegations of high-level government corruption in medical contracts.

“I still have confidence in my health minister,” Smith told reporters Wednesday while in Washington, D.C. to lobby with other premiers against U.S. tariffs.

“We have to see if there's any wrongdoing first. And if there is, then we have to clean it up.”

The Red Deer Rebels have announced that 16-year-old forward Owen Shadrick has signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.

Shadrick, who is from Valencia, California, is currently with Chicago Mission 16U AAA and has 24 points (9 goals, 15 assists) in 31 games. He joined the Chicago Mission 18U squad for the recent Circle K Classic tournament in Calgary and had two points in four games.

In 2023-24, Shadrick played for Los Angeles Jr. Kings U15 AAA and had 77 points (32 goals, 45 assists) in 78 games.

The Sylvan Lake Wranglers are busy preparing for the second round of the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) playoffs.

The Wranglers received a first-round bye after winning their third straight Northern Division title with a 34-3-1 record. Sylvan Lake finished atop the HJHL standings.

Sylvan Lake is ranked as the #1 Junior B hockey team in Canada and is entering the playoffs on a 14-game winning streak. The team put together a 17-game winning streak from Oct. 5 to Dec. 6.

The Red Deer RCMP have located missing 27-year-old Skylyn Robicheau.

She was found safe.

She was last seen in Red Deer on Sept. 30, 2024, and reported missing on Nov. 15, 2024.

There was concern for her well-being.

Click here for the original story. 

The Red Deer RCMP have located a missing 26-year-old year safe.

Marissa Ann Hiltz was last seen on Dec. 30, 2024 in Red Deer.

She was reported missing on Jan. 7.

There was concern for her well-being. 

Click here for the original story.

Alberta RCMP are continuing to search for Jeral Maurice Rabbit, who was highlighted in this week's Wanted Wednesday social media post.

Rabbit's last known location was Maskwacis, however, he is also known to frequent Ponoka and Wetaskiwin.

If you spot Rabbit, do not approach. He is wanted for various crimes.

Report any information to local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).