Airdrie

Canola oil would be one of the main beneficiaries of proposed changes to the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit making their way through U.S. Congress, says an analyst.

The feedstock is not eligible for the credit under the current rules because of its unfavourable carbon intensity (CI) score.

However, under new rules contained in the budget bill that recently passed through the U.S. House of Representatives, canola’s carbon intensity score drops to 38.5 grams of carbon dioxide per megajoule from 54.9.

A severe thunderstorm watch issued earlier Monday for Rocky View County near Airdrie and Crossfield has been lifted.

Environment Canada ended the alert just before 6 p.m. MDT, after warning for several hours that conditions were favourable for storms capable of producing strong wind gusts and large hail.

Ryan Straschnitzki says he was "flooded with emotion" as he rolled onto the mound at Rogers Centre to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays game last week.

Related Stories:

• Airdrie’s Ryan Straschnitzki will be featured in a new docu-series: 'It's about as real as it can get.'

"It was really cool… I’m really glad I had the opportunity to do that," he said.

Quebec Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia was elected Speaker of the House of Commons on Monday — after an unusually dramatic race that saw the only Conservative contenders drop out of the running at the last minute.

Conservative MPs Chris d'Entremont and John Nater both put their names forward but withdrew on the House floor before the election began Monday morning.

The Liberals currently have 169 seats in the minority Parliament, leaving them three seats shy of the 172 required for a majority.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon says the NDP will not be granted official party status because the law says a party needs at least 12 seats to be recognized.

The NDP was reduced to just seven seats in last month's election.

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies has told The Canadian Press he spoke with the Prime Minister's Office about obtaining official party status for the NDP in the House of Commons.

Davies pointed to several past instances of provincial legislatures granting party status to an opposition party.

It’s shaping up to be a gorgeous final week of May, with a high of 26°C forecast for Monday and sun expected through Thursday. But as drivers take to the roads, the City of Airdrie is advising caution — several road closures and lane restrictions are already in effect, with more scheduled to begin this week.

A temporary road closure at 780 40th Avenue SE is scheduled to begin Monday, May 26, to accommodate a utility tie-in. The City of Airdrie lists the closure as running through June 9.

RCMP in Three Hills, located northeast of Airdrie in Kneehill County, are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect who fled police in a stolen vehicle earlier this month.

At approximately 11:05 p.m. on May 6, officers with the Three Hills detachment attempted to stop a stolen Toyota Camry in the parking lot of the Get N' Go gas station.

A cold front moving across the province is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms to parts of southern and central Alberta Monday afternoon, with Airdrie on the southern edge of the threat zone, according to Environment Canada.

"Now we do have a feature moving through the area in the form of a cold front that will move from west to east across Alberta that will initiate showers and thunderstorms today," said Justin Shelley, meteorologist with Environment Canada.

He said the system is interacting with a warm air mass already in place.

Airdrie residents should expect pool closures and parking disruptions at Genesis Place this summer as the City completes two major maintenance projects.

In a May 23 update, the City confirmed it will undertake biennial aquatics maintenance and repave the west Fitness Centre parking lot — timing both during what it says is the facility’s lowest period of use.

All pools and aquatics amenities will be fully closed from Aug. 22 to Sept. 12. Service is scheduled to resume at 7 a.m. on Sept. 13.

With graduation season underway, a recent firearm complaint involving Strathmore High School has drawn renewed attention to "Senior Assassin" — a game that Strathmore RCMP say is circulating among graduating students across Canada.

Strathmore RCMP said they received a report of a firearm at Strathmore High School shortly before noon on Friday, May 23.

"Based on the information provided, RCMP advised the school, and other buildings in the area, to initiate lockdown procedures," the detachment said in a statement.