Lacombe

01 - The Ottawa Senators fired general manager Pierre Dorion. The team announced that hockey operations president Steve Staios will take over the job on an interim basis.

02 - Montreal-based broadcaster TVA Group says it is laying off nearly one-third of its workforce as the company contends with declining audiences and ad revenues. It says the shift involves overhauling its news division and ending its in-house entertainment content production.

As the Town prepares for the New Years Day fireworks on January 1, they are asking residents and visitors NOT to watch from the ice surface on Sylvan Lake this year.

Why?

• The ice is unpredictable right now
• Due to warm weather, the ice is not as thick as it normally is this time of year
• Too much weight on the ice can result in people falling through

Be advised, there will be NO lake access for vehicles. The gates will remain closed. Parking can be found in the following areas:

1 – Two people died after a bear attack in Alberta's Banff National Park. Parks Canada staff euthanized the grizzly bear for public safety.  

1 – It went down to the wire, but the U.S. government avoided a shutdown after Congress rushed to approve a bipartisan deal, keeping federal agencies open until Nov. 17. The deal was reached after Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy abruptly abandoned demands for steep spending cuts, and relied on Democrats to pass the bill.

Here is a list of some family-related events happening for New Year's Eve in Central Alberta

Town of Ponoka

New Year's Eve Family Pool Party

From 4:00-6:00 pm at The Ponoka Aquaplex

refreshments, belly flop contest, dive competition

Kids 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult

Kids 9 and under must be within arms reach

toddlers must wear swim diapers

Free Admission

Town of Blackfalds

New Year's Eve Family Skate with the Blackfalds Bulldogs

On Dec. 23, 2023, Olds RCMP responded to a call of shoplifting at a business on 46 Street in Olds. While en-route, RCMP were updated that one suspect had left in a vehicle, and another remained inside the store.

Olds RCMP, with the assistance from Didsbury RCMP conducted queries on the vehicle, which showed the license plate as stolen. RCMP conducted a roadside stop on the vehicle, and arrested the male driver without incident. The second suspect was located exiting the store and was subsequently arrested.

Search of the suspects vehicle revealed the following property:

If you are looking for a fun way to get some exercise in the new year, then maybe you will want to try underwater hockey.

The Kinsmen Aquatic Centre is holding sessions January 3rd to January 5th. These sessions will run from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm.

The only requirements are that you are comfortable being underwater, and able to swim one width of the pool. No experience is necessary.

There will be National players as coaches to teach you. 

A look at news events in September 2023:

01 – Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett died at the age of 76. His song ''Margaritaville" was released in 1977 and spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

04 - Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated pop rock band Smash Mouth, died of acute liver failure at the age of 56.

04 - Ontario's housing minister Steve Clark resigned from his role days after a damning report from the integrity commissioner found he violated ethics rules when the province opened up parts of the protected Greenbelt for development. 

If you have a real tree for Christmas, the question is always, "What do I do with my old Christmas tree?"

It's important that you dispose of the tree following local guidelines, as most communities have their own services for pick up or disposal.

Here is a list of tree disposal for some communities in Central Alberta:

Sylvan Lake

01 - The last surviving miner from the October 1958 Springhill, Nova Scotia coal mine disaster died. Harold Brine was 91. Only 19 of the 174 men working in the mine were rescued after a seismic shock wave trapped them near the bottom of North America's deepest coal mine. Brine was just 26 at the time.

02 - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau announced they decided to separate after 18 years of marriage. They announced the decision on Instagram, saying it follows what they describe as many meaningful and difficult conversations. 

The Alberta RCMP is issuing a warning to Central Albertans reminding them to practice ice safety this winter. With the changing weather conditions and above average temperatures, it is hard to tell the strength or thickness of ice by its appearance.

RCMP have responded to multiple occurrences over this past weekend and want to remind the all Albertans the dangers of unpredictable thin ice and open water. If you choose to go out on the ice, keep in mind the following safety tips: