Kirsty Hanson

With Concussion Awareness Week beginning this week, it's the ideal time to remind southwest residents about the symptoms and dangers associated with concussions.

Concussion Awareness Day, also known as Rowan's Law Day, is set for September 25 in honour of 17-year-old Canadian high school rugby player, Rowan Stringer, who lost her life in 2013 following multiple concussions leading to second impact syndrome.

Swift Current's Great Plains Colege recently received a $100,000 donation to establish a new bursary in honour and memory of long-time southwest resident, Philip Gobeil.

The Philip Gobeil Memorial Bursary is set to provide five $2,000 bursaries to selected students each year for the next decade.

Brad Mahon, president and CEO at Great Plains College in Swift Current, was delighted that the college would be able to help provide students with the means and support to get an education.

Residents of Saskatchewan are filled with pride as a core symbol and the embodiment of the province turns 55 years old today.

Saskatchewan Flag Day not only celebrates the creation of the flag but the mastermind behind it, Anthony Drake, who designed the flag as a part of a competition.

Gail Hapanowicz, owner of the old Hodgeville High School, noted that after she and her husband purchased the old school they learned about the flag and that its creator had once been a teacher there.

A local group fighting to restore Stewart Valley to its pre-fire state was recently awarded a more than significant grant from the Innovation Federal Credit Union.The

Stinger Strong Community Fire Rebuild Fund received $20,000 through Innovation's Legacy Community Development Grant Fund which will be used to develop and reconstruct a sports area.

Jennie Moen, board member of the Stinger Strong Community Fire Rebuild Fund, was thrilled that the group was approved for such a substantial amount of funding for a project close to the community's hearts.

Families in east central Saskatchewan are encouraged to be aware of a highly contagious infection called pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

Whooping cough gets its name from the gasping sound a person with whooping cough makes after coughing, other symptoms can include nasal congestion, extreme fatigue, vomiting, and can even be fatal. 

Residents, families, and community members from the Town of Herbert will soon have access to improved emergency health services with an accessible and efficient care strategy.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority announced yesterday that Herbert will be implementing a virtual physician program.

Everett Hindley, Saskatchewan's Minister of Health, noted that Herbert will be the ninth community to receive the benefits of a virtual physician program.

Landowners and rural residents across the region are encouraged to be mindful of a threatened species that's young are beginning to head out and explore at this time of the year.

The ferruginous hawk is the largest hawk species in Saskatchewan, resembling an eagle with white and rust-coloured plumage, and can commonly be found in pasture land and native prairies.

Local landowners and rural residents are being asked to keep an eye out for a threatened species that calls southwest Saskatchewan home.

Sprague's pipit is an elusive at-risk species that prefers prairie grass that isn't too tall or too short, earning it the nickname the 'Goldilocks bird'.

Emily Putz, habitat stewardship coordinator for Plovers on Shore, Shrubs for Shrikes, and the Stewards of Saskatchewan banner program at Nature Saskatchewan, encourages community members to watch for these special birds.

Debut song, It's Summer, was recently released by 10-year-old Saskatchewan artist, Sienna Supreme.

The upbeat, feel-good song was released on June 11 of this year and a music video and complete choreography will be coming soon.

Eden Sienna, who goes by the stage name Sienna Supreme, enjoys singing and dancing and hopes to be a worship leader or kindergarten teacher when she grows up.

"This was my first song that I made," she said. "I started singing when I was really young actually, I started singing other people's songs and I loved it.

With school officially out for the summer, the Saskatchewan government aims to remind river and lake-goers about provincial watercraft inspection stations.

Watercraft owners are advised to thoroughly clean their crafts and all equipment and drain all water. As well as allow time to dry, ideally for five days, and remove the plug before transporting, as it's mandatory. 

This includes boats, canoes, kayaks, jet skis, paddleboards, and more, even if the subject is just passing through.