WestCentral

May 19–25 marks Myopia Awareness Week, a global initiative to shine a spotlight on one of the most pressing vision health issues today. The campaign aims to raise awareness about myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, its causes, impacts, and the importance of early detection and management.

The Saskatchewan government is launching a new bursary to support young business owners across the province. Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding announced the Young Entrepreneur Bursary on Tuesday alongside Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce CEO Prabha Ramaswamy.

The bursary will provide up to 57 entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 with $5,000 each to support business development. Applicants must have been in operation for 10 years or less. The province is committing $285,000 annually for three years, plus administrative costs, to fund the program.

Plant 2025 is well underway across the prairies and generally ahead of the seasonal averages.

Canada's Outlook for Principal Field Crops came out yesterday.

Some of the highlights for the 2025-26 growing season:

As farmers continue their seeding operations, the latest crop report brings a mix of optimism and caution. 

Crop Extension Specialist Tyce Masich says at this point 72 per cent of the provincial crop is now planted; that's an increase of 23 per cent from last week. 

He notes it's a smaller increase than the week before, largely due to rain delays in parts of the south and east regions of the province. 

In a historic sentence, Richard Dyke was sentenced to 17 years in prison for multiple sexual offences against children in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Wednesday. 

The sentence was handed down by Judge Brian Hendrickson is the longest sentence ever handed out in Saskatchewan for sexual offences against children. 

Dyke, 48, was in the court and sat in the inmate’s box looking down for the majority of the proceedings. 

Seeding progress around west-central Saskatchewan is moving at a faster rate than anywhere around the province.

In the Ministry of Agriculture's latest local crop report released Thursday, it was shared that seeding in the region is 81 per cent complete. That represents a 38 per cent jump from one week ago and is well above the five-year-average of 60 per cent.

With nice weather expected this weekend, more people will likely be spending time outdoors.

It's the time of year where people need to be aware of ticks, most commonly found in areas with tall grass, brush, and wooded areas. Anyone who spends a considerable amount of time outdoors in these conditions is susceptible to ticks, and that goes for your pets too.

ROSETOWN, Sask. — A former Saskatchewan MLA grew visibly agitated on the stand Wednesday as the high-profile human trafficking and sexual assault trial of two rural restaurant owners continued in a Rosetown courtroom.

Hugh Nerlien, who represented Kelvington–Wadena from 2016 until 2024, was cross-examined by defense counsel about his involvement in the case. At one point, he accused the lawyer of seeking a “gotcha moment,” prompting multiple reminders from Judge Martinez to remain composed and respond directly.

The union representing about 55,000 Canada Post employees said the latest offers from the postal service "fall short" with hours to go until a looming strike deadline.

Canada Post meanwhile said Thursday it's already seeing mail volumes decline ahead of another possible labour disruption and is pushing for an urgent resolution.

Spokesperson Lisa Liu said Canada Post hasn't yet received a response from the union about its proposals issued a day earlier.

The postal service is ready to resume bargaining "as soon as possible" with a mediator at the table, she said.

Rainy skies have been hanging around since the long weekend, but don't worry, a jump to nicer weather is right around the corner.

Current gloomy skies are being caused by a stalled system along the southern edge of the province, making for isolated thunderstorms coming from the east, and even funnel cloud risk for parts of southwest Saskatchewan. West-central has been lucky enough to stay free from the brunt of the rain showers even though the storm has been working hard to move its way west.