Lacombe

The Town of Sylvan Lake has announced a new long-term partnership with Diamond Valley Pressure Services Ltd. as the primary sponsor of two major facilities within the NexSource Centre.

Canadians scattered among the tens of thousands in and around St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope Francis described the ceremony as profoundly beautiful. 

While dignitaries such as Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon were seated near the front of the square, members of the general public were positioned farther back or gathered in the streets of Rome to watch on large screens.

Falguni Debnath says being at the back of the square didn't dampen the effect of the familiar ritual.

The U18 Central Alberta Sox recently won the Best of the West Icebreaker Tournament held in Kamloops from April 10 – 13, defeating the Okanagan A’s in the final by a score of 8-4. 

Held by Big League Experience, the baseball tournament invites competitive teams from across Canada to participate. 

Ponoka Town Council has lowered the municipal property tax increase to 1.25 percent as opposed to the previous 3.25 per cent raise approved last fall in the interim budget.  

According to Ponoka Mayor Kevin Ferguson, the lower portion is to help taxpayers with the unexpectedly high 10.8 per cent increase in the education tax. 

A large grass fire has led to the Maskwacis Fire Department calling a state of emergency, according to the Samson Cree Nation on Facebook.  

The blaze is along the highway between 2 Mile Rd and 3 Mile Rd and forced road closures in the area. 

There is a heavy police and firefighter presence around the area, with smoke visible from far away.  

A fire advisory is in place for all of Lacombe County effective April 25, 2025, due to warm temperatures, windy conditions, and a lack of anticipated precipitation in the coming days.

At this time, Lacombe County continues to issue fire permits for minor burns; however, permits for large scale burn activities will not be approved until conditions improve.

The following activities are allowed during the Fire Advisory:

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) are investigating a situation involving an Alberta RCMP officer involved shooting and residential fire.  

Yesterday night, Maskwacis RCMP were asked to assist Edmonton Police Service with the investigation and subsequent arrest of occupants who fled from a stolen vehicle into a residence in Montana First Nation, Alta.  

Alberta Education is awarding $42,000 to support public school teachers in building international language skills they can bring back to their classrooms. 

This year, bursaries of $4,200 have been awarded to 10 teachers. This money will support teachers participating in language and culture programs in Spain, France, Ecuador, Brazil and Mexico. 

The Blackfalds RCMP Detachment responded to 138 calls for service during the week of April 15 to April 21, 2025. The calls included a variety of incidents ranging from thefts and break-ins to motor vehicle collisions and disturbances.

Alberta’s government is investing $15 million over three years to create a new grant program through budget 2025 that empowers trades unions to provide additional apprenticeship training in high demand areas. 

The new funding for union training providers to deliver apprenticeship training is expected to open 650 new apprenticeship seats per year.