Lacombe

Chinook’s Edge School Division was pleased to welcome Pam Lashmore to the gathering of Indigenous Leads on Friday April 4. Lashmore is a Métis person from Central Alberta who has visited a number of Chinook’s Edge schools in the past. Lashmore shared her story and experience with Indigenous Leads.

“The majority of the division’s Indigenous students and staff are of Métis heritage,” says Karyn Barber, Associate Superintendent of System Services. “We were thrilled to have Pam Lashmore join us and share her perspective on cultural teachings and what it means to be Métis.”

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In Lacombe, Alberta, there's a fantastic spot called Rangeland Meat Shop, and they operate on a simple but important idea: "the more natural your food, the better it is for you." It's this belief that drives everything they do, from sourcing to serving local families with protein they can truly trust – 100% naturally grazed and humanely raised. 

Cochrane’s Kyla Lightfoot has been crowned Miss Ponoka Stampede 2025, marking her third rodeo queen title and a major milestone in her journey through Alberta’s rodeo royalty ranks.

Lightfoot, who previously held the titles of Miss Cochrane Lions Rodeo Queen and Miss Airdrie Pro Rodeo Queen, was officially selected during Ponoka Stampede's one-day competition on April 7. The selection process included horsemanship challenges, impromptu questions, a personal interview, and a formal dinner with judges and board members.

On April 8, 2025, High Prairie RCMP were conducting traffic enforcement on Highway 2 in Big Lakes County when they clocked a vehicle on Laser at 206 km/h in a 100 km/h zone. 

The driver was given a mandatory court date for exceeding the maximum highway speed limit, along with driving carelessly.

Assistant Commissioner Trevor Daroux will be assuming command of the Alberta RCMP from Deputy Commissioner Rob Hill.

Daroux has over 36 years of experience in policing, serving with both the Calgary Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 

In 2017, he retired from the Calgary Police Service as the Deputy Chief in charge of the Bureau of Community Policing. That year, he joined the RCMP and served as the Director General National Crime Prevention and Indigenous Policing Services. 

The arrival of spring weather also means the arrival of potholes.

Lacombe's director of operations, Doug Halldorson, says crews are already out making repairs.

“We were on them a couple of weeks ago — we started pothole filling and we're continuing here and there when we find them,” he said. “More the higher traffic areas that have a few in them, so they get a little more abuse.”

Halldorson says this year is on par with other years in terms of pothole numbers.

Larry Gratton is the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) Member of Parliament (MP) candidate for the Ponoka-Didsbury riding.   

He became involved with the PPC after reading their platform and found that he aligned with the policies.   

Liberal Leader Mark Carney took his promise of making Canada an "energy superpower" to the heart of Canada's oil industry Wednesday, becoming the second party leader in three days to promise to speed up the review process to greenlight major national energy projects.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made a one-project, one-review promise at a campaign stop in northwest British Columbia on Monday. Both parties are trying to convince Canadians they can ditch Canada's reputation as a place where big projects take far too long to get built.

Ponoka residents are invited to stop by the town’s booth at the Ponoka Trade Show on April 11 and 12 to offer input and ideas on a conceptual design for a new Civic Plaza in downtown Ponoka.

Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the project, watch a video showcasing the Civic Plaza design, and provide feedback via a survey.

Lacombe Legion Branch No.79 will be busy this evening with their annual Vimy Night/Honours and Awards Celebration in remembrance of not only the Battle of Vimy Ridge but also the men and women who served during the First World War.

"So, it's a memorial for the Vimy conflict that many of our veterans died in and didn’t come back from, so we always recognize that April 9 and, of course, we combine it with the awards. What's more appropriate than having our Legion members come in and be recognized?" says Kathy Hobbs, president of the Lacombe branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.