Lacombe

Insects are always a challenge for farmers on the prairies. The unpredictable weather in Manitoba played a significant role in shaping that province’s insect activity in 2024. According to John Gavloski, an entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, the cold, wet spring had both positive and negative effects on various pest populations. Gavloski shared insights into the challenges farmers faced and what they can expect heading into 2025.

A powerful partnership that is helping to build Alberta’s future skilled trades workforce, the Central Alberta Collegiate Institute (CACI), is providing practical learning that brings together K-12 and post-secondary learning with on-the-job opportunities to central Alberta middle and high school students. 

At a recent gathering at Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), CACI partners provided an information session and update to a group of educational partners, industry representatives and government officials.

Sources close to Peavey Mart have said the company will close all its stores across Canada, including its locations in Central Alberta.

A call was made by Central Alberta Online and Sunny 94 news to confirm the closure of local stores but staff were instructed to provide no further comments.

Last year, the Cold Lake General Investigations Section (GIS) began an investigation into a drug trafficking network in the City of Cold Lake.    

With the assistance of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) in both Edmonton and Lloydminster, investigators eventually became aware of illegal drug flow through the Lakeland area spanning from Cold Lake to St. Paul.   

The City of Red Deer has partnered with Red Deer County and Red Deer Polytechnic to gather Business Retention and Expansion and Workforce Development (BREWD) information from local businesses.

The project, known as BREWD, is launching with the goal to support local business growth and address workforce challenges. This portion of the project is focused on collecting data that will be used to assess the needs of local businesses and develop a targeted action plan for economic prosperity.

Ponoka area resident Debbie Zepick was recently awarded the King Charles lll Coronation Medal.

Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson made the presentation at a fundraising concert in Clive on Dec. 14. The choir concert, featuring 120 children, raised nearly $10,000 for a Tanzanian orphanage.

Red Deer City Hall will be illuminated in yellow tonight as Red Deerians join the world in remembering the victims of the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Monday, Jan. 27 marks 80 years since the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where more than one million people were sent to gas chambers, was liberated. 

The National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa serves as a permanent reminder for Canadians to stand together against intolerance and hatred, and to renew our commitment to fight against racism, discrimination and antisemitism.

Central Alberta will experience warmer-than-average temperatures to start the week.

Rob Griffith is a lead meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

"Western Canada is under a ridge of high pressure," he explained. "We'll be seeing warmer than average temperatures for this time of year at least through the early part of the week."

The region is expecting a high of around plus six on Monday with sunny skies and plus one on Tuesday. The low tonight is minus seven.

The Town of Didsbury has announced that the main ice surface at the Didsbury Memorial Complex will remain unavailable for the 2024/2025 season. Efforts to restore it with a rental chiller unit have failed.

The update was shared in a Friday press release, following weeks of work to implement the plan approved earlier this month.

The Red Deer Rebels fell short Sunday in Calgary in their bid to win two in a row this weekend.

The Rebels were outscored 6-1 by the Hitmen after beating the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors 5-1 on Saturday.

Red Deer had lost 13 straight before Saturday's win at Peavey Mart Centrium.

Penalties were the big story in this matchup for Red Deer, who gave up a trio of power play markers.

Carter Yakemchuk opened the scoring for the Hitmen at 7:32 of the first with his 15th goal of the season. Tanner Howe would make it 2-0 at 6:52 of the second.