WestCentral

A pair of investigations has the Luseland Police Service on the lookout for two alternate forms of recreational transportation.

Shared Thursday evening, recent service files out of Luseland noted a pair of possible theft investigations involving a golf cart and a horse, and police are seeking input from the public to help track them down.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious and severe disease that affects cattle, sheep, swine, and other cloven-hoofed animals making it hard for them to eat and walk, leaving them weak and sick.

The FMD vaccine bank builds on existing protections for the livestock industry and equips producers with another tool to control and eliminate the disease should an outbreak occur.

Budget 2023 committed $57.5 million over five years, with $5.6 million ongoing, to the CFIA to establish the FMD vaccine bank and response plans.

Two years ago, more than 120,000 federal public servants went on strike after negotiations broke down.

Now, the union representing those workers is going back to the bargaining table with the government with the goal of securing greater job security and remote work options for its members.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says next week's initial meetings offer its first opportunity to present priorities identified by members, such as better wages, greater job security and stronger provisions for remote work.

This year's wildfire season in Canada is shaping up to be the second-worst on record and federal officials are warning of a dangerous summer in parts of British Columbia.

Officials with several government departments held a technical briefing Thursday in Ottawa with an update on the state of multiple wildfires and its forecast for the coming months.

Saskatchewan's generosity was on full display Thursday for the Day of Caring radiothon in support of wildfire evacuees. 

The Canadian Red Cross reported receiving $643,156.30 by 5:50 p.m., with donations still flowing in and being accepted until Monday, when the final total will be revealed. The federal government's matching portion will then be added to the total.

Nutrien Ag Solutions matched donations up to $100,000 during the morning portion, and by the end of the day, up its support to $300,000.

Another busy weekend of baseball and softball is upon us around west-central Saskatchewan. Two events specifically caught the attention of the sports desk for this week's ball report, one of them not even featuring bats and balls, but rather bats and bulls as the main draw.

First, the Unity Panthers are hosting a tournament that will see all Unity Minor Ball competitors taking the field.

See the schedule below as each diamond in Unity will remain active into the playoff round on Sunday:

LLOYDMINSTER, Alta. — RCMP in Lloydminster are asking for the public’s help in identifying two suspects accused of using fraudulent financial information to make a high-value purchase at a local business.

Police say the incident occurred on Dec. 18, 2024, at around 1 p.m., when a man and woman entered a business near 40th Street and 50 Avenue and completed a transaction worth nearly $3,500.

The purchase was later flagged as fraudulent, resulting in a financial loss to the store.

Saskatchewan has launched a new initiative aimed at expanding the role of Nurse Practitioners in the province’s primary care system.

The provincial government issued a call Monday for expressions of interest (EOIs) from Nurse Practitioners (NPs) interested in providing publicly funded health services. The initiative is designed to improve access to primary care and allow NPs to work to the full extent of their training and expertise.

Financial support for wildfire evacuees in Saskatchewan is flowing in for the Saskatchewan Day of Caring radiothon.

The Canadian Red Cross reported at 11:50 a.m. that they have collected $222,879.50 in donations from the radiothon to aid those impacted by the wildfires across the province. This total includes a $100,000 matching sponsor from Nutrien Ag and a $25,000 donation from Saskatoon Co-op.

The federal government is matching all donations from the radiothon, but this is not included in the total raised.

The 2025 SJHL Draft came and went on Tuesday with the Kindersley Jr. Klippers making eight selections to bolster their prospect pool.

For anyone wondering what goes in the war room, Klippers assistant GM Ryan Gibson did his best to describe the setting.

"We set up in the office, pretty standard. We got a big list on the white board that someone is delegated to cross off all the time."