WestCentral

Saskatchewan residents looking to evict unwanted winged tenants are being reminded that May is the best time to safely exclude bats from homes and other buildings, according to the Ministry of Environment.

Bats can be difficult to find once they enter buildings, and removal efforts are not always feasible or cost-effective. Instead, officials recommend the installation of one-way exits, also known as exclusion devices or bat cones, which allow bats to leave a structure without being able to return.

The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed April 27 to May 3 as Missing Persons Week, in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Missing Persons Partnership.

This year's theme, Coming Together for Hope, brings together government officials, police, community leaders and families to honour the province’s more than 140 long-term missing persons.

Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod, Status of Women Minister Alana Ross and RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore joined families and community leaders Monday morning to launch the week’s events.

The Western Dairy Expo wrapped up Saturday in Saskatoon. 

This year's event featured 200 Holstein and about 60 Jersey cows and heifers and was judged by Paul Trapp a product acquisition specialist with Semex USA out of Wisconsin, and his associate judge Jon Larson.

Some of the highlights from the Holstein Show:

Richard Le sent a text to his 16-year-old son on Saturday at about 8 p.m., saying the rest of the family would be leaving the Lapu Lapu Day festival shortly. Instead, Richard, his wife Linh Hoang and their five-year-old daughter Katie were run down moments after the text was sent, Richard's brother, Toan, said Monday.

Police and witnesses have said a black SUV raced down a street lined with food trucks, scattering people in its wake, killing 11 and injuring dozens of others, some of whom remain in hospital in critical or serious condition. 

Multi-species cover crops are proving to be a valuable tool in improving soil health and boosting farm productivity, according to ongoing research led by Dr. Bharat Shrestha at Beaverlodge Research Farm. Dr. Shrestha, the biology study lead in soil health and fertility development, is part of a collaborative project under the Peace River Living Lab initiative, funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Agricultural Climate Solutions - Living Lab program.

As final results roll in from the 2025 federal election, southwest Saskatchewan will remain Conservative after a landslide that left a local independent candidate with nearly double the votes as the previous federal election she'd run in.

Maria Lewans, independent candidate for the Swift Current-Grasslands-Kindersley, managed to secure over one per cent of the overall votes after running in her third federal election.

Headlines were made during the 2025 Canadian federal election as over 7 million Canadians casted an early ballot during the advanced voting period. Taking place over the Easter Long weekend, that number represented a 25% increase from the 5.8 million valid votes cast at advance polls in the previous general election in 2021, according to Elections Canada.

Saturday saw The Road Hammers featuring Julian Austin take the stage at the West Central Events Centre.

With a full house and some of the best country music, the night was as electric as it could be. 

A big thank you to all the sponsors, workers and everyone who made it possible to have such a great performance visit Kindersley.  

Graffiti tagged buildings in Kindersley over the weekend sparked a storm of online reactions. 

Three different posts across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this past weekend showcased graffiti in different spots around town. Judging by the comment sections, numerous houses, buildings, and even driveways and cars were targeted as well.

With files from Saskatchewan Rush

Saskatoon got its first taste of playoff lacrosse since 2019 on Saturday night. The Saskatchewan Rush rewarded their playoff faithful with a 13-9 win over the Georgia Swarm to advance to the NLL semi-finals, now set to take on the Halifax Thunderbirds in a best-of-three.

The atmosphere inside SaskTel Centre was turned up a notch with it being a single-game elimination. The building was silent early as the Swarm opened up a 2-0 lead, but Saskatchewan would find their groove to take a 6-3 lead into halftime.