WestCentral

May 23 marks National Don't Fry Day, an annual reminder of the risks associated with overexposure to the sun and the importance of sun safety for all Canadians.

In Saskatchewan alone, approximately 4,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, including more than 300 cases of melanoma, according to Sun Smart Saskatchewan. While anyone can develop skin cancer, the risk is higher for individuals with fair or freckled skin, a large number of moles, or those who use tanning beds.

Crop would be eligible for biofuel tax credit under recent budget proposals in Congress

U.S. President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” could contain some beautiful news for Canada’s canola growers.

The U.S. House of Representatives’ ways and means committee has released its draft proposals for the U.S. budget reconciliation bill.

The proposals include provisions to amend the controversial 45Z clean fuel production tax credit so that canola oil-based biodiesel and renewable diesel would be eligible for the credit.

Construction is underway at the University of Saskatchewan that will see critical facility improvements within the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.

Two new facilities are being built - the Harrington Plant Growth Facility and the Soil Science Field Facility - while a portion of the Crop Science Field Lab is being renovated to provide additional workspace for the Crop Development Centre. 

Producers are entering the home stretch for seeding operations around West Central. The Ministry of Agriculture’s May 13–19 crop report shows seeding in the region is now over 80 per cent complete, thanks largely to dry conditions that have allowed farmers to stay in the field.

West-central Saskatchewan saw the biggest jump in progress this past week at 38 per cent, now tying the northwest region at 81 per cent, those regions second only to the southwest which leads the province at 89 per cent complete.

Senior baseball around west-central Saskatchewan will be in full swing after the weekend with the final league left to start play, the Fertile Valley Baseball League, finally getting things going with a pair of games in Rosetown and Oyen. 

A packed house of over 19,000 lacrosse fans will be cheering on their Buffalo Bandits on Saturday, 'Banditland' welcoming in the Saskatchewan Rush for this weekend's winner-take-all Game 3 of the NLL Finals.

Beautiful purple flowers from a local greenhouse helped make a difference once again in 2025, all thanks to organizer Pam Kosolofski and her dedicated team of volunteers sending the flora in question to different directions around west-central Saskatchewan. 

KYLE, Sask. – Kyle RCMP responded to a range of calls for service from May 16 to 22, including a child luring complaint, impaired driving, and vandalism at a regional park.

On May 16, officers received a number of calls from the Rosetown area, including a suspicious person at 8:26 a.m., a lost cellphone at 10:51 a.m., and a stolen e-bike at 11:14 a.m. That same morning, at 11:21 a.m., a semi collided with a bull in the Rural Municipality of Lacadena. No injuries were reported.

I joined in on a fun topic Friday morning on the Country 104 morning show with host Nick Cooper. 

All morning, he was asking the audience if they have ever come across their name in media, or any other form of entertainment. The idea came to him after watching a show where "Nicholas Cooper" was admitted to hospital. 

While I have never met another Cooper Douglas in person, on a screen, or on the internet, I am aware of NFL player Cooper (Douglas) Kupp. Other than that, I don't have many examples.

ROSETOWN, Sask. — A woman at the centre of a human trafficking trial in Rosetown says she didn’t believe she would lose her government job in Bangladesh, despite warnings from her employer that her absence could lead to termination.

The complainant, whose name is subject to a publication ban, testified Thursday she left Bangladesh in 2022 on a 15-day leave intended for travel to the United States. Instead, she flew to Toronto on a visitor visa and began applying for jobs in Canada, eventually accepting a position at Empire Diner in Gull Lake, Sask.