Connor Gronsdahl

There have been reports of fresh bear tracks under the 4th Ave N. bridge Thursday morning the Town of Cochrane has revealed.

Bear sightings in Cochrane are not uncommon so it's important to know how to stay safe when Bears are in the vicinity, because of this the town has shared some tips to stay Bear-aware.

1. Only place the carts for organics and trash outside the morning of collection (store in a garage or shed until then).

2. Eliminate food sources, including bird feeders, pet waste, and areas near fruit trees.

3. Always leash your pets.

The Town of Cochrane announced today that construction will be shifting at the intersection of Highway 1A and Centre Ave.

The shift will start in the evening of Monday, July 25 and continue overnight.

The intersection will be changed to it's new alignments, as well the new 3rd St. W. turnoff will be open. While the shift is being made crews will be removing the old traffic lights, and wooden poles. New traffic lights will be set up at the new intersection.

Cochrane Lions Rodeo Queens typically only hold the title for a calendar year before the crown is passed to the next queen.

But due to the pandemic, incumbent Rodeo Queen Breanna Correia has held the title for nearly three years.

Looking back on her years serving the community, Correia says that one of the highlights for her was at this years Calgary Stampede.

After a two year pause due to the pandemic, the Cochrane Outhouse races are returning.

Event organizer Dan Kroffat says that the over 20 year-old event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 28th barring any complications.

The format for the races is similar to a popular Stampede event says Kroffat.

“It's almost like the chuckwagon's, we do them in heats and then we eliminate the teams that are losing in their heats, and then we have a final runoff between the two finalists to determine who will be the 2022 outhouse world champion.”

The Town of Cochrane is beginning to replace the old 4th Avenue bridge close to the intersection with Ranche Road, the town announced today.

While construction is ongoing there will be no access crossing Big Hill Creek. For local traffic, there will be a temporary reopening of the closed portion of Ranche Road running in between 4th Ave. N and Sunset Drive.

There will be no parking along Ranche Road for safety purposes, and 4th Ave. N will be closed to vehicular traffic past Suntera Road until after the bridge at the intersection with Ranche Road.

Local BMX biker Joshua Hagel is competing in the BMX racing world championships later this month in France.

Hagel will be riding against the other 131 best BMX bikers across the globe in the 14 boys category.

Hagel's journey to the world stage began about nine years ago when his dad first took him to the track.

"I just liked riding bikes. So, then my dad took me onto the track one day and I just loved it." Says Hagel.

The sport clicked with Hagel, who's been training with the help of a coach recently to prepare for the world championships.

Bragg Creek days is back this Saturday July, 16.

The typically annual celebration is returning to it's full format after having to cancel in 2020 due to the pandemic and having a modified version last year, something Bragg Creek Community Association Treasurer Dave Rupert says the community is looking forward to.

CochraneNow's tour of Stampede Breakfasts continued this morning in the parking lot of Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie's office.

Attendees were given complimentary pancakes, sausages, coffee and freezies. There was also a raffle draw.

Of course I was in attendance to give to official CochraneNow review.

The Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy is a travelling baseball camp that goes to communities across Canada and teaches kids skills and drills to help them improve their play.

Yesterday the academy came to Cochrane where 110 local kids aged between 8-13 signed up to take part in the four hour camp.

When the kids arrived they were placed into five different groups and ran through drills designed to "cover skills including: infield, outfield, hitting, throwing, agility, and baserunning." according to the academy's website.

CochraneNow with the help of Cochrane McDonalds gave the team at Cuore Di Mamma Italian grocery store a much deserved coffee break.

The McCafe Coffee break is a community driven contest where residents of Cochrane nominate a local business that they think deserves a coffee break courtesy of our friends at Cochrane McDonalds.

This weeks nomination read as such.

"The people at Cuore Di Mamma really deserve some free coffee, they are always so nice and welcoming. Plus I love their sandwiches!"