Cochrane

Two Cochrane Cowboys alumni are bringing home international hardware after impressive performances at the 2025 U20 Pan-American Wrestling Championships in Lima, Peru.

Annika Fines, competing in the women’s 50kg division, struck gold for Canada during the women’s competition on July 11. It was a standout showing for the young wrestler, who powered her way into the final match, continuing her climb on the international circuit.

A 36-year-old woman facing charges in Cochrane and several other southern Alberta communities has been arrested after allegedly tampering with her electronic monitoring device and going unlawfully at large.

On July 10, the Southern Alberta RCMP Crime Reduction Unit (SAD CRU) located and arrested Chaylee Eagle Plume Bruised Head, a resident of the Blood Tribe First Nation, at a home in Lethbridge. A warrant had been issued after she allegedly removed her court-ordered monitoring device while out on bail.

A bear closure is in effect for the Rawson Lake trail and Sarrail Ridge route in Kananaskis Country, after a grizzly bear with cubs bluff charged a group of hikers.

The closure began on July 11 and will remain in place until further notice to protect both the bears and the public.

It was a historical day on Sunday at the Calgary Stampede.

Breakaway Roping was introduced this year, giving women their second event to earn $50,000 in.

It didn't disappoint either, as Langdon Alberta's Shelby Boisjoli-Meged won it with a blistering time of 2.2 seconds.

Boisjoli-Meged was the only Canadian top nine finalist in the event.

There were a few more major Alberta moments from Championship Sunday.

In Saddle Bronc, Zeke Thurston from Big Valley, Alberta, won it again, for the fourth time, but his first since 2017.

Calgary's Chanse Vigen, the 'Rangleland Rockstar', finally won the Calgary Stampede.

Alberta's premier says "pornography is a problem for young adults" in remarks defending her government's move to remove sexually explicit content from school library shelves this fall.

Danielle Smith was responding to criticism received via text on her provincewide phone-in radio program on Saturday that a lack of education funding and overcrowded classrooms were more important issues than library content.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says the economy is becoming the primary focus of Canada's relationships in the Indo-Pacific — a shift that appears linked to Canada's recent moves to overcome its security dispute with India.

Anand was in Japan and Malaysia this week for her first trip to the region since taking over as foreign minister in May. Her message coming out of that trip was that Canada's foreign policy is shifting — though not abandoning — the priorities set by the previous Liberal government of former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Cochrane RCMP are searching for a man whose whereabouts remain unknown after a single-vehicle crash yesterday on Highway 66, south of Bragg Creek.

Mounties were called to the scene around 12:30 p.m. on July 13, after a motorist reported being flagged down by the driver involved in the crash. The good Samaritan went to call for help, but when officers arrived, the driver was gone.

Police have identified the missing man as 40-year-old Leo John Richard Gaspar. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and beige pants.

Cochrane is under a Rainfall Warning as a significant weather system is set to bring heavy rain and the risk of localized flooding starting this evening.

Thunderstorms are forecast to develop across southern Alberta tonight. As these storms track through the region, they are expected to merge into a prolonged rain event lasting into Monday. Total rainfall amounts are expected to range between 50 and 80 millimetres.

Alberta is rolling out new regulations this fall banning transgender athletes from playing women’s sports, but the province will still welcome out-of-province transgender competitors.

Tourism and Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko said the discrepancy is out of his hands.

“We don't have authority to regulate athletes from different jurisdictions,” he said in an interview.

In a followup statement, ministry spokeswoman Vanessa Gomez added it's due to outside sporting organizations being bound by out-of-province or international guidelines.