Lacombe

There will be a bridge washing today at Highway 50 at the junction of Highway 12 east of Lacombe expected from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.   

Drivers should expect one lane alternating traffic and reduce speed to 50km/h in the area. 

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Chinook Edge School Division (CESD) has cut funding to the Penhold & District Library, meaning a six per cent budget reduction for the book haven. 

The end of the longtime partnership might also see a wall constructed between Penhold Crossing Secondary School and the public library. 

Today, April 28, marks the National Day of Mourning, also known as Workers’ Mourning Day — a time to honour and remember workers who have died, been injured or suffered illness due to workplace incidents.

Flags across Alberta will fly at half-mast until sunset in remembrance.

Alberta’s minister of jobs, economy and trade, Matt Jones, issued the following statement:

Southern Alberta irrigators enter the growing season with full reservoirs following the much drier conditions of previous years.

Irrigation reservoirs in southern Alberta are looking a lot better than they have in recent years.

“We are going into the year with full reservoirs, which is nice, especially since the snowpack in the mountains is still in that lower quartile,” said Alex Ostrop, chair of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association (AIDA) and board member of the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID).

If you are driving around Red Deer this week, here are a few planned construction projects that may affect your commute.

MONDAY

Traffic disruption for Utility Work on 49 St eastbound (52 Av to 51 Av) by City of Red Deer - Engineering

Starts Mon Apr 28, at 7am and is scheduled to end Mon May 12, 7 pm

TUESDAY

Road closure for Manhole Repair on 55 St & 45 Av Intersection by City of Red Deer - Utility Services

Starts Tue Apr 29, at 7am and is scheduled to end Wed Apr 30, 5pm

The following is a sponsored Partner Profile article.

Honest. Knowledgeable. Experienced.

These three words sum up everything you can expect from the team at Blackfalds Automotive & Collision Centre. But now it’s time to meet the team behind the honesty, knowledge, and experience.

Partners Rick Trachy and Odean Nistico opened the business in November 2024. Trachy is a 47-year veteran of the automotive repair trade. Joining him on the shop floor is longtime mechanic and friend Terry Franz, with 40 years of experience in the mechanical trade.

Today, Monday, April 28th is official election day across Canada.

Polls will be open today from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm.

Once the polls close, check regularly at Central Alberta Online for the latest local and national numbers. 

If you haven't voted already in an advanced poll, here's what you need to know before heading to vote today.

Where to vote?

Because of decennial redistribution process that was completed in 2023, Central Alberta riding boundaries have changed. 

As the number of measles cases in Alberta continues to rise, the organization representing its doctors says the government needs to ramp up public messaging and prevention. 

In its latest numbers posted Friday, the provincial government reported 137 total cases since March, exceeding the most recent high of 123 cases reported in the province 25 years ago. 

The federal government, provinces, and territories have made a key change to AgriStability that will benefit producers.

Given the pressures and uncertainty facing the agricultural sector, they have agreed to extend the 2025 AgriStability enrolment deadline from April 30th to July 31st.

The extension gives producers more time to evaluate their needs and the potential impact to their farming operation for production losses, increased costs, and changing market conditions. 

This is the second change to the program as farmers deal with tariff issues.

After a short, intense and heated election campaign of just 35 days, Canadians go to the polls today to elect a new federal government.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spent weeks pitching their cases to voters.

Carney, the former central banker and political neophyte, presented himself as a safe pair of hands for a country threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump, while Poilievre focused on addressing crime and the high cost of living and Singh pushed to protect social programs he argued are under threat.