Lacombe

Two youths have been arrested and charged with arson and damage to property after a bus bench was deliberately set on fire in Red Deer.

On July 12 at approximately 10:08 p.m., Red Deer RCMP responded to a report of a bench fire on Addington Drive. An investigation by the Red Deer RCMP General Investigation Section led to the arrest of a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old.

Because both are under 18, their names cannot be released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The youths were released on undertakings and are scheduled to appear in Red Deer court on Aug. 28.

The golfer who went viral for a physical altercation with former NHL player Nick Tarnasky is owning up to his actions in an apology video.

Trevor Ogilvie, a resident of Red Deer, posted the video to his Facebook account with the caption: “Went viral for the wrong reason. Time to move on.”

Ogilvie admits his wrongdoings, saying it wasn’t his finest moment, and that excessive alcohol played a role, commenting, "My mouth ran faster than my brain.”

Red Deer was in the national spotlight as the Season 11 premiere of The Amazing Race Canada kicked off with its first leg filmed at locations across the city.

Eleven teams raced through local landmarks including Canyon Ski Resort, The Silver Buckle, and Fort Normandeau.

Contestants learned a line dance routine with help from the Country Pride Dance Group and rode the Canyon Coaster at the ski resort. The finish line for the first leg was at Fort Normandeau, located at the historic Red Deer River crossing.

A Summer-long garage sale is happening in support of the Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre (CACPC).

The CACPC in Red Deer is facing funding issues this year that may impact services.

The operation has had to reduce staff and operating hours, resulting in less capacity to provide crime prevention programs and services that support residents and partner organizations such as Crime Stoppers, MADD, Neighbourhood Watch, and Citizens on Patrol.

As a fundraising initiative, the CACPC has brought back its summer-long garage sale.

A new recreation field could be coming to Lacombe County, and residents are invited to share their ideas.

Lacombe County is inviting the public to an open house tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Lacombe County administration building.

The Abma family donated the property — a gravel pit located near the intersection of Township Road 410 and Range Road 275 — to Lacombe County in 2012.

One of the conditions of the donation agreement was that the land would be used for recreational purposes to benefit the public once gravel extraction activities were completed.

Adrian Paolinelli will become the new principal of Beacon Hill Elementary School in Sylvan Lake this September. 

He joins Chinook’s Edge School Division from Alix MAC School, part of Wolf Creek Public Schools. 

Alberta's premier says "pornography is a problem for young adults" in remarks defending her government's move to remove sexually explicit content from school library shelves this fall.

Danielle Smith was responding to criticism received via text on her provincewide phone-in radio program on Saturday that a lack of education funding and overcrowded classrooms were more important issues than library content.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says the economy is becoming the primary focus of Canada's relationships in the Indo-Pacific — a shift that appears linked to Canada's recent moves to overcome its security dispute with India.

Anand was in Japan and Malaysia this week for her first trip to the region since taking over as foreign minister in May. Her message coming out of that trip was that Canada's foreign policy is shifting — though not abandoning — the priorities set by the previous Liberal government of former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The Lacombe Police Service is now offering online Police Information and Vulnerable Sector Checks.

The Lacombe Police Service is pleased to announce that citizens can now apply for Police Information Checks and Vulnerable Sector Checks online through the Forest Green system.

This new service provides a convenient, secure and efficient way for Lacombe residents to complete the application process from the comfort of their own home.

Whether required for employment, volunteer work or other purposes, applicants will now experience a more streamlined process.

Alberta is rolling out new regulations this fall banning transgender athletes from playing women’s sports, but the province will still welcome out-of-province transgender competitors.

Tourism and Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko said the discrepancy is out of his hands.

“We don't have authority to regulate athletes from different jurisdictions,” he said in an interview.

In a followup statement, ministry spokeswoman Vanessa Gomez added it's due to outside sporting organizations being bound by out-of-province or international guidelines.