SwiftCurrent

A fundraising project at Cypress House has officially reached the halfway mark.

The end goal for this project is the purchase of an upgraded blood pressure machine for residents, similar to the one seen in the emergency room at Cypress Regional Hospital. 

The aging machines that Cypress House currently has do not accurately reflect the full spectrum of care needed by some residents. 

Which is why the donation project was created a year ago. 

SaskEnergy has advised southwest residents of controlled natural gas flaring being conducted on Tuesday morning at a compressor station in the RM of Riverside.

The compressor station is located roughly six kilometres southwest of the Village of Success, and the flaring is expected to take place from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. 

During this time, a 40-foot flame coming from the flare stack temporarily attached to the infrastructure may be visible to residents and motorists in the area. 

As Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola products continue to hamper the cash price of one of the country's most valuable crops, farming experts say producers have big decisions ahead of them.

Market analyst Chuck Penner with LeftField Commodity Research said while future prices are down slightly, the cash price farmers receive for their canola, also known as the basis, is much lower.

A competitive training camp has wrapped up for the Swift Current Broncos.

They brought in over 135 players through five days as the Broncos build a team for this season and the future.

Southwest Saskatchewan is forecasted for a chance of some northern lights. 

Monday evening will be a little cloudy, but there is supposed to be a large aurora storm in the atmosphere, casting a light show. 

According to the Aurora app, which offers a forecast for its namesake, the region should see the strongest chance for this particular storm early in the night and into midnight. 

However, local smoke in the area may obfuscate the lights to the naked eye. 

An air quality warning has been issued for Swift Current and the surrounding region.

Residents are advised that wildfire smoke has lowered local air quality to a 10+ on the air quality health index.

This alert stretched from Eastend, up to the top of the province and into Alberta.

Anyone experiencing symptoms such as a cough, headache, eye irritation, or nose or throat irritation is advised to take a break indoors. Any outdoor activity should be kept to a minimum.

With hot weather and heavy traffic expected over the Labour Day long weekend, Alberta RCMP are reminding motorists and boaters to make safety a priority.

Police say officers issued nearly 1,100 tickets during last year’s Labour Day weekend, including 990 for speeding, 35 for distracted driving, and 55 for not wearing a seatbelt. Ninety-two impaired drivers were also removed from the road.

The RCMP has launched a trial drone corridor along parts of the Canada-U.S. border in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to help combat smuggling and drug trafficking. The corridor extends up to 500 feet in altitude and one nautical mile north of the border. Local pilots are asked to provide advance notice before entering the corridor to ensure safe operations.

A man from Tramping Lake stood trial in Kindersley provincial court this week, arguing the RCMP violated his Charter rights during his arrest.

Curtis Skinner, 43, represented himself at the Aug. 26 trial after making a plea of not guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, impaired operation, and refusal to comply with a breath demand.

The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 30, 2024, in Kerrobert.

Federal public servants were less likely to call in sick to work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, new government data shows.

The figures shared by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat indicate that in 2020-21, when the pandemic had most office employees working entirely remotely, the average number of sick days for the public service was 5.9.

That number grew to 8.1 in 2021-22, 8.8 in 2022-23 and 9.2 days in 2023-24.