Estevan

As the Saskatchewan Summer Games concluded, the Southeast Team wrapped up with a total of 20 medals.

Calder Johnson was a standout, clinching his third gold of the games in the male discus event. The Southeast male athletics team sprinted to silver in the medley relay, adding to their impressive haul.

Bronze medals shone brightly too, with the female 4x100 relay team racing to the podium, Anaya Krueger leaping to a medal in triple jump, and Brodie Steeves powering through the 400m male race to secure his place.

After a couple of weeks of extremely hot temperatures, some cool air came in over the weekend and brought in some seasonal temperatures for the southeast, but heat is going to return soon.

While it's unlikely to reach the same extreme temperatures as last week, the weather will be a bit above normal for this time of year.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Andy Yun goes over the conditions that'll settle in the southeast this week.

Richard Ireland's eyes well up with tears as he gazes in silence towards his home and sees memories of a lifetime burnt to ashes.

The mayor of Jasper then leans over what remains of the small, cosy home he grew up in — a piece of a concrete wall — and says all he can think about is a framed photograph that was taken after his family moved in when he was two years old, lost somewhere in the rubble.

Five more medals for Team Southeast heading into the final day of competition at the Saskatchewan Summer Games. 

Athletics continued to be a strong suit for the Southeast team as Chase Himmelspach won his first gold medal of the games in the male javelin. Anya Krueger and Calder Johnson earned a second gold medal in the female high jump and male hammer throw, respectively.

Luke Hollman also won his second medal, bringing home a bronze in the male 800m race. He had previously won silver in the male 1500m race. Brodie Steeves secured a silver medal in the male 200m race.

Statistics Canada released their newest crime severity index numbers, which have placed Estevan in a high position.

In the data, 2023 had a crime severity index of 163.92, up from 117.69 in 2022. The previous 10-year peak was set at 156.51 in 2021.

Estevan Police Chief Rich Lowen says looking at the incidents over the year shows that the numbers aren't the whole story.

One-third of all structures in the townsite of Jasper are gone, burned to the ground in this week’s wildfire, officials confirmed Friday.

Premier Danielle Smith said there are 1,113 structures in the picturesque Rocky Mountain resort community.

She said Wednesday night’s wildfire destroyed 358 of them and damaged seven more.

The structures were homes and businesses. Much of the damage was contained to the west side of town.

Smith said critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and water treatment services, remain intact.

As wildfires continue to plague areas across the country, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has lifted the provincial fire ban effective as of noon today.

While the ban primarily affected areas in the northern part of the province, the SPSA reminds the public that provincial parks, municipalities, and R.M.s may still have their own local fire bans, restrictions, or advisories in place.The SPSA noted that precipitation that entered the northern region overnight and is predicted over the next day or so will bring fire hazards down.

After a year and a half with no pool in Radville, the Radville-Laurier Regional Park opened its brand new pool on Canada Day and held a Grand Opening on July 12th. The new pool now also features a water wheelchair. 

Board Chair Claude Carles said they had planned the pool to be fully accessible for all ages. 

An Estevan Street will continue to be blocked off over the weekend after construction was extended into today.

The 900 block of 2nd Street will be closed off through the rest of the day along with Saturday and Sunday with no through traffic.

That's expected to be cleared on Monday next week.

You can find an update on the ongoing 4th Street Revitalization Project here.