Lacombe

Aspire's “Park IT” summer day program returns to Central Alberta for its 20th season.

Aspire Child Development Centre is celebrating the 20th season of its beloved "Park IT" program, a free, drop-in playgroup designed for children with diverse needs, their families, and the community.

Running now through till August 15, "Park IT" travels between Red Deer, Penhold and Blackfalds, offering developmentally appropriate recreational activities that support the unique needs of children with disabilities while welcoming all families who wish to participate.

County of Newell takes over Crop Diversification Centre South and hopes to attract dozens of tenants for the $100 million facility

Like the mighty Phoenix, the County of Newell is hoping the Crop Diversification Centre South in Brooks, Alta., will rise from the ashes and regain the prominence it once had in agricultural research.

June brought its share of thunderstorm activity to the Prairies.

The Canadian Crop Hail Association says mid-June thunderstorms damaged crops across Western Canada, dropping pea- to toonie-sized hail.
 
CCHA member companies are investigating more than 900 claims of crop damage from hailstorms that occurred June 13-20. The majority of the claims were filed in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Farmers have been out evaluating crop damage to determine the impact, as some crops can recover depending on the damage and the stage of the crop.

The Wolf Creek Recycle Depot has a new contractor, which means less sorting for Lacombe residents.

The City of Lacombe has announced that the Wolf Creek Recycle Depot is now under the management of a new contractor.

Residents are assured that depot operations will continue as usual, with one key improvement: less sorting will be required, making recycling even easier for the community.

Looking ahead, the city also announced that curbside recycling will return to Lacombe next year through Alberta’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program.

The Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) Queens Basketball program is entering a new era with the hiring of Dante Dinter as head coach for the 2025–26 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) season.

Dinter, who previously served as an assistant coach with the MacEwan University Griffins of U Sports, takes over the role following the departure of Avery Harrison.

Night construction begins on Hwy 2A near Penhold.

Last night Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors began the task of seal coating approximately two kilometers of Highway 2A, from just north of Highway 590 to just north of Highway 42.

The project is expected to take three to five days to complete, weather permitting, with construction occurring during nighttime hours, seven days a week.

The work will begin roughly one kilometer south of Penhold and end about one kilometer north of the town.

Final swim party planned before Innisfail Pool closes for renovations.

The Innisfail Aquatic Centre is set to close this summer for major upgrades but not before one last pool party.

First opened in 1987, the facility has not undergone any significant mechanical or structural work since then.

In April, Innisfail town council approved a project to modernize the building, which will require the pool to remain closed until 2026.

While the idea of constructing a new facility was explored, rising costs led to the decision to move forward with upgrades instead.

With the grazing season underway there are some things producers can look at to help gauge the health of their rangelands. One indicator is the species composition; this includes which species and types of plants you are seeing as well as amount of each species. 3 terms that we often hear when talking about range health are decreaser, increaser, and invader which can be used to describe how plants respond to grazing pressure.

The Old West will be on full display as thousands clad in tassels, boots and buckles march through city streets today to kick off the Calgary Stampede.

Country superstar Shania Twain will saddle up and lead the parade on horseback before performing Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Stampede runs until July 13.

The “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” singer, who was raised in Timmins, Ont., last took the stage at the Stampede in 2014.

A local lacrosse team made up of players from Lacombe, Ponoka and Clive has claimed the Central Alberta Lacrosse League (CALL) championship — and they’re not done yet.

The Lacoka Locos U17 team took home the league title as five of their players prepare to move up to junior lacrosse next season.

Head coach Zac Coubrough, who has coached many of the players since their U13 days, said it’s been rewarding to watch them grow.