Lacombe

Over the years, certain areas in Canada have seen an increase in wild pig populations. Wayne Lees from Squeal on Pigs Manitoba highlights the difficulty in tracking these animals, especially on foot. "In our experience, finding the pigs is the single hardest thing that we have to do. Our situation in Canada is very, very much different than the US under cold climate conditions. We don't have the large numbers of wild pigs that they experience in warmer climates.

At the April 29 Council meeting, Red Deer County Council approved the municipal tax rate bylaw for 2025. Tax rates vary on individual properties and taxation is based on their market value assessment. Changes to mill rates and levies are listed below:

With the dry weather conditions, there are multiple fire restrictions across Central Alberta.

The counties with fire restrictions include:

• Lacombe County
• Ponoka County 
• Red Deer County 

Clearwater County has a fire advisory, and Samson Cree Nation has implemented a fire ban.

Residents are encouraged to avoid non-essential burning and be aware that fires that fall under the restrictions must be extinguished immediately. 

Restrictions can be upgraded to fire bans.

WINNIPEG — Wheat growers in North Dakota have altered how they use fungicides to control fusarium head blight.

Many farmers now apply fungicides later, after flowers first appear on wheat heads, to cut the risk of fusarium damaged kernels (FDK) and reduce levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) in cereals.

Western Canadian farmers should make a similar switch, says a plant pathologist with Agriculture Canada in Alberta.

Right now, some agronomists and grower groups say the ideal fungicide timing starts when 75 per cent of wheat heads are fully emerged.

Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) has announced the appointment of Joe McQuay as the new Assistant Principal of Iron Ridge Secondary Campus (IRSC) for the 2025/2026 school year.

McQuay teaches mathematics and physical education at IRSC and is the school’s athletic director. Before joining Wolf Creek Public Schools, McQuay taught at Hunting Hills High School in Red Deer and Alix M.A.C. School.

Youth Week begins today; the week-long celebration is organized for young people in communities across Central Alberta.

Here's a list of activities happening for your youth to take part in.

🎉 Youth Week 2025

🏞 Sylvan Lake

May 1–7

• Pawsitivity Pups at École Beacon Hill School
  For EBHS students only.

May 2

The Sylvan Lake Men’s Shed group has found a permanent home in town. The old tourist office near the municipal library will soon house the tools and serve as the place for members to share projects and conversations. 

The group currently meets on Monday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. at the 2nd Wind Brewery & Eatery. 

Direct Energy Regulated Services (DERS) has announced default natural gas rates for May, affecting customers in the ATCO Gas North service area who do not have a competitive supplier.

The regulated rate is increasing to $2.419 per gigajoule from $2.210 per gigajoule in April.

This rate reflects a market price of about $2.136 per gigajoule, as reported by the NGX, plus an adjustment of 28.3 cents per gigajoule for April and previous months.

A typical residential customer using 6 gigajoules of gas in May can expect a bill of about $89.

Dress for Success Central Alberta (DFSCA) is celebrating 15 years of supporting women on their journey to economic independence.

The organization began operations in Red Deer in October 2008 and received official charity status on April 30, 2010.

Since then, DFSCA has helped thousands of local women through career services, leadership programs, styling services and community outreach initiatives.

In 2024, more than 600 women accessed DFSCA’s programming.

Communal grief following the ramming attack at a Filipino festival in Vancouver that killed 11 people on the weekend will likely persist for months, mental health experts in British Columbia warn. 

"Traumatic events, grief, is not something that is resolved in a week or two weeks, or a couple of months," said Heather Mohan, a clinical counsellor and executive director of the charity Lumara Grief and Bereavement Care Society.