Lacombe

A Public hearing set for today (June 23) is the final step in MCC review for the City of Red Deer.

Citizens are invited to attend a public hearing tonight to share their feedback as city council considers transitioning the city's electric utility to a municipally controlled corporation (MCC).

The public hearing marks the culmination of more than three years of focused work on the Utility Governance Modernization Project.

Town of Ponoka announces Stampede traffic control measures with the Stampede starting on Wednesday, June 25.

The Town of Ponoka, in cooperation with Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors, will once again implement its annual traffic control plan to help ensure pedestrian and vehicle safety during the 2025 Ponoka Stampede.

The following traffic control measures will be in effect 24 hours a day from Monday, June 23, to Wednesday, July 2:

For drivers in Lacombe County, more paving work will be done for the next few weeks.

The following roads will be affected:

• Sunbreaker Cove (Range Rd 22) from the Boat Launch to Rainy Creek Road for 2.1 km, starting July 10.

• Sandy Point Access Road starting July 8, from Range Rd 11 to the “T” Intersection for 1.5 km, from the “T” Intersection to the Beach Access for 0.147 km from the “T intersection to the South Parking Lot.

Bridge maintenance on QEII near Lacombe to cause traffic delays today (June 23)

Motorists traveling on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway near Lacombe can expect traffic delays today, due to scheduled bridge maintenance and testing near the Highway 12 interchange.

Alberta 511 has announced that maintenance crews will be conducting bridge testing from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with lane closures in effect throughout the day.

As a result, traffic will be reduced to a single lane in both directions in the affected area.

The Town of Olds Administration Office is relocating to a new address on Monday.

This move is part of a long-term plan to reduce administrative costs, improve efficiency in core operations, and to prioritize needs at other Town facilities.

The new Location (as of July 21) will be in the Olds Municipal Centre 3501 70 Avenue, north of the Rotary Athletic Park.

Key Dates:

• July 4 Last day open at the current Town Office (4512 46 Street)

• July 5–20 Town Office closed for the move

Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi is looking to finally win a seat in the legislature after a year of sitting on the sidelines.

He's running in one of three provincial byelections today as a candidate in Edmonton-Strathcona, where his predecessor Rachel Notley last won 80 per cent of the vote.

In Edmonton-Ellerslie, NDP candidate Gurtej Singh Brar could solidify the opposition party's hold on the city, but United Conservative Party candidate Naresh Bhardwaj is hoping to make an inroad.

Most areas of the prairies received some rainfall over the weekend. 

Environment Canada issued a number of special weather statements warning about significant rainfall and the potential for flooding in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

Many areas saw torrential rain and even tornadoes that caused significant damage, along with cooler temperatures and a risk of frost in some areas in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Ariana Zapata's favourite subject in school is social studies.

For the 13-year-old in Edmonton, this means lessons on historical societies, colonialism, how worldviews are developed and so on.

The eighth grader's own worldview is still being built, but she has pillars in place: family, fight for what you believe in, don't be too trusting and, critically, education is a right.

That's why, when Zapata gets home from school every day, she passes on what she learned to her three younger siblings.

With summer break about to start and children expected to spend more time online, ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit is warning parents about the growing online trend of deepfakes involving artificial intelligence (AI).

“AI and deepfakes are a new trend we’re starting to see online and in some of our investigations. It’s an area that continues to grow and evolve rapidly. It’s important for us to be responsive in not only sharing our concerns, but also educating parents,” said Const. Stephanie Bosch of ALERT ICE.

Due to an unexpected gap in clinical personnel, the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre emergency department (ED) will be temporarily closed overnight from 10 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, to 8 a.m. on Monday, June 23.

During this time, nursing staff will remain on-site in the emergency department providing assessments and referrals for patients to alternate emergency departments in neighbouring communities, as needed.