Estevan

The city is advising people that the 4th Street Downtown Revitalization project will expand into the intersection of 13th Avenue and 4th Street.

That will lead to the intersection being closed off, beginning at 7 a.m. on August 7 and lasting until the end of the project.

The city advises people to follow detour signage posted on 5th Street and to drive carefully near the area.

The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) has set out its principles for sustainable trade and what it hopes to see from international organizations in the future.

Those include global food security, trade stability, climate measures, and pest practices for countries and organizations.

Micheal Harvey, the Executive Director of CAFTA, talks about the need to get out and let others know about Canada's values.

The Estevan Humane Society (EHS) successfully found homes for numerous cats through its summer adoption drive, easing the strain on its limited capacity.

EHS Executive Director Tayja Lakusta said the promotion went well, and they were able to find homes for 25 animals, opening up a few spaces. However, space for dogs remains limited.

The EHS can house 40 to 60 cats. For dogs, there are eight in-house spaces, with foster homes also taking in the animals. “That’s just dependent on the dog’s personality and how many we can hold that way too,” Lakusta said.

The Saskatchewan government says students won't be allowed to use cellphones in class in the upcoming school year.

The move, announced Tuesday, applies to all kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms. 

Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a news release that too often phones are taking students' attention away from what they should be learning.

"This new policy will allow students to be more engaged with their teachers and focused on learning the skills and knowledge they need to reach their potential," he said.

Saskatoon police say they have found the remains of a missing woman in a city landfill and that a suspect in her death has since died.

Officers began searching the landfill in May for 22-year-old Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who was reported missing in December 2020.

Police said at the time they had collected evidence from electronic devices that led them to the landfill.

Chief Cameron McBride says an autopsy could not determine the cause of the woman's death.

But he says a suspect in the death died of a drug overdose in 2023.

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault says the federal government is considering new regulations that could make fewer employers eligible to hire temporary foreign workers.

It's part of a suite of changes the minister is announcing in an effort to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada. 

He says he told a group of large business associations today that the program cannot be used to circumvent hiring Canadian workers.

Vice President Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, marking a major milestone since her move to the top of the Democratic ticket ahead of the November presidential election. 

They are expected to appear together at a rally this evening after Harris formally clinched the nomination on Monday. 

The search for a running mate began just two weeks ago, after President Joe Biden removed himself as the nominee amid concerns over his age and endorsed Harris. 

The weekend saw barrel riders converge in Estevan with the Fountain Tire Barrel X event happening in town.

Lindsay Collins is one of the organizers of the event, and she says that the weekend had plenty of entrants with 95 open entries, 52 youth entries, and nine peewee entries. 

She says the whole weekend was full of great events.

The Estevan Police Service was busy over the long weekend, with 82 occurrences being reported over a few days.

That included multiple fraud complaints, suspicious persons, theft of fuel criminal harassment, hit-and-run incidents, and several driving complaints.

One of the notable incidents saw a 19-year-old charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and driving over .08 following a traffic stop on the 500 block of 2nd Street. The individual was lodged in cells until sober, with her driver's license suspended indefinitely and her vehicle impounded for 30 days.

The City of Estevan has put out another update on the 4th Street Downtown Revitalization project, this time dated July 23.

General:

ASL Paving continues to work on paving along with Turnbull Excavating who are acting as the underground utilities subcontractor for the project. Work is progressing westwards, with the road torn up currently halfway up the 1200 block. Crews are currently focused on underground sewer, storm, and water mains, and the services to buildings.