Lacombe

After the recent cold snap, warm weather is expected to continue this week throughout the Central Alberta region.   

“We're really locked into a flow of warmer flooding across the Rockies and that's pushing our temperatures well above seasonal,” said Brian Proctor, Meteorologist with Environment Canada.  

Throughout the week, daytime highs ranging from 3 to 7 are expected, with overnight lows around freezing, possibly down to –7.   

The RCMP's 2025 #NameThePuppy Contest is officially underway.

Canadians between the ages of 4 and 14 are invited to send in their suggestions for names of future RCMP Service Dogs. 

This year, all names must start with the letter "A", be one or two syllables long, and be no more than nine letters long.

Submissions can be made online at www.rcmp.ca/puppy 

One entry per person.

The contest closes March 19, 2025.

More than a quarter of Canadians — 28 per cent — consider artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT reliable sources of information, a new survey suggests.

Among generation Z Canadians — those born between 1997 and 2012 — 41 per cent say they see AI systems as reliable information sources. That’s not far off from the 49 per cent of gen Z respondents who said they trust stories on news media websites, according to the annual CanTrust Index published by Proof Strategies.

He wasn't on the stage but U.S. President Donald Trump's shadow towered over the Liberal leadership race during Monday night's French-language debate.

The candidates — former central banker Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, former government House leader Karina Gould and former MP Frank Baylis — spent much of the debate talking about the threat Trump poses to Canada's economy and sovereignty.

Carney said that Trump has changed since his first term and is now more "isolationist, more aggressive."

As prairie farmers prepare for the upcoming growing season, entomologist John Gavloski with Manitoba Agriculture is urging them to keep a close eye on flea beetles, an insect that continues to pose challenges for canola growers.

“Flea beetles have been a chronic test for a long time, and I would say just bank on the fact that they're going to be there in high levels,” 

He eXplained that ideal growing conditions could minimize the need for foliar spraying, but if cooler weather lingers and delays plant development, flea beetles could become a much bigger problem.

The Town of Bowden has released a statement on a controversial billboard that was on the QEII Highway just outside the town. In a story that Central Alberta Online reported on February 21st, the Mayor of Bowden said that the Town has nothing to do with the advertisement.

On February 18th, The Town of Bowden posted this on their official town website.

The Town is aware of an electronic billboard advertisement that has appeared on northbound Highway 2 promoting a call for Alberta to join the USA.

Residents of Red Deer who purchase and install a smart thermostat can take advantage of a rebate offered through The City’s Smart Thermostat Rebate Program. This initiative is designed to help reduce energy consumption and enhance energy efficiency in local homes, offering a $50 rebate for those who replace their current thermostat with a smart one.

Due to a clinical personnel shortage and inability to secure temporary coverage, the Rocky Mountain House Hospital and Care Centre emergency department (ED) will be closed from Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. to Feb. 25 at 7 a.m.

During this time, nursing staff will remain on-site in the emergency department assisting in redirecting/referring patients to alternate emergency departments in neighbouring communities, or other appropriate levels of service, as needed.

Canadians have noticed an unexpected detail in Google Maps, where several provincial parks are labelled as "state parks," prompting questions and concern.

The issue came to light over the weekend as Canadians began sharing screenshots in Facebook groups dedicated to supporting Canadian businesses amid tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. The screenshots showed several provincial parks across Canada being mislabelled as "state parks" in Google Maps.

Due to the warm weather, the Town of Sylvan Lake has closed all outdoor rinks.

The lake rinks, lake rink parking lot, and lake access gates on Lakeshore Drive are also closed.

Rinks will stay closed until it's cold enough to re-open. 

Warm temperatures can mean unsafe ice. 

Ice safety is only monitored in the lake rink area. Beyond that, users are responsible for their own ice safety.