WestCentral

 A 28-year-old man from North Battleford is facing several criminal charges after allegedly assaulting an RCMP officer and resisting arrest during a confrontation last week.

According to Saskatchewan RCMP, the incident occurred on April 22 around 5 p.m. when a member of the North Battleford Crime Reduction Team stopped a cyclist riding without a helmet — a violation of municipal bylaws.

The Government of Saskatchewan will launch a new funding program this fall aimed at helping schools across the province build or upgrade playground equipment.

Beginning in fall 2025, the province will invest $3.75 million annually into the School Playground Equipment Grant program, which will provide up to $50,000 in matched funding per project.

Regina is hosting the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference once again, showcasing Saskatchewan’s oil and gas sector to an international audience.

The three-day event runs from April 28 to 30 and includes a fireside chat with Premier Scott Moe focused on energy production. Energy and Resources Minister Colleen Young will also take part in a panel discussion with industry leaders.

One week ago, Macklin's Cole Reschny and the Victoria Royals were getting ready for a Game 7 showdown against the Spokane Chiefs. The Royals lost a double OT heartbreaker 5-4, but Reschny's season didn't end there, as fast forward one week and the local star is in Allen, Texas playing for Team Canada at the U18 World Hockey Championship.

Team Canada finished the group stage 4-0, their last victory coming 8-1 over Team Norway on Monday. After a day off Tuesday, the quarter-final round begins on Wednesday with Reschny and Canada set to face Czechia. 

Rosemarie Falk was the winning candidate out of the Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake riding in the 2025 Canadian federal election. In office since 2017, Falk was re-elected with over 75 per cent of the vote.

Falk's campaign released the following statement from the re-elected MP on Tuesday morning:

Liberal candidate Larry Ingram gathered with a small group Monday night to watch the election results come in — celebrating as the Liberals secured a national victory.

While the candidate for Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake didn't win the race, Ingram still finished second place behind the eventual winner in incumbent Conservative Rosemarie Falk. Ingram picked up 5,943 votes, good enough for over 17 per cent of the voting share, though only 90 per cent of polls were reporting at the time of writing.

The Government of Saskatchewan is doing their best to make life more affordable for seniors living in a personal care home.

They announced that a $10 million investment included in the 2025-26 Provincial Budget will be starting this month to increase Personal Care Home Benefit by up to $1,000 per month. This also includes another $120 per month towards residents under Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID).

April’s Classroom of the Month took us to Westberry School, where Mrs. Dimitroff’s energetic kindergarten class was treated to a lunch full of fun, food, and sunshine! The Country 104 crew brought the party with games, pizza, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk—turning the schoolyard into a colourful celebration.

A big thanks to our amazing sponsors for making it all happen: Edge Realty, Rocky Mountain Equipment, Good to Go Trucking, Good to Go Rentals, GPE Fluids Management, CJV The Carpet People, Luk Plumbing Heating and Electric, and Kindersley Castle Building Centre!

The Liberals have won their fourth mandate this time under the leadership of leader Mark Carney.

When Mark Carney formed government as Canada's 24th Prime Minister on March 14, 2025, he selected 34-year-old Kody Blois from the Kings-Hants riding in Nova Scotia as the Federal Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Rural Economic Development.

Blois is heading back to Parliament after winning his riding last night. Expectations are that Carney could keep him in that role, but that will be determined when he announces his new cabinet in the days ahead.

A southwest man well-known in rodeo circles across western Canada will be spending the next three and a half years behind bars after his recent sentencing on sexual assault charges.

Maple Creek's Cody Robert Lane appeared in Red Deer Court of King's Bench on Thursday, April 17, where he received a guilty verdict and a 45-month sentence. 

The 29-year-old had been in and out of court since the incident took place on June 20, 2020. 

He was required to register on the sex offender registry and was ordered to provide a DNA sample.