Strathmore

The Tornado Warning issued for the Hanna region ended on Friday (June 13).

Communities in the path of the storm included Comet, Scapa, Garden Plain, and a stretch of Highway 36.

A few hours later, the warning was downgraded to a Tornado Watch.

According to the group, the watch had ended before 8 p.m.

The federal public service shed almost 10,000 people last year, with the Canada Revenue Agency and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada losing the most employees.

The last time the public service contracted was in 2015, when the number of people employed dropped just slightly from 257,138 to 257,034.

The number of public servants employed by the federal government fell from 367,772 to 357,965 over the last year.

Canada's fentanyl czar says the fight against the deadly opioid would get a boost from proposed new tools for law enforcement in the Liberal government's recently tabled border bill.

Kevin Brosseau, the federal point person on fentanyl, welcomes provisions in the Strong Borders Act to increase inspection powers, give police easier access to information, crack down on money laundering and improve control of chemicals used to make the drug.

Alberta's government announced Friday residents who are not immunocompromised or on social programs will soon have to pay to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a late afternoon news release, the government said that since provinces took over responsibility for procuring the shots in April, it has wanted to cut down on waste and recoup costs.

It said an estimated one million COVID-19 vaccine doses, or just over half of Alberta's supply, were not used during the 2023-2024 respiratory virus season. It said $135 million worth of shots were wasted.

A tornado warning has been issued by Environment Canada for parts of east-central Alberta as meteorologists track a severe thunderstorm.

The storm is currently located about 20 kilometres northwest of Hanna, moving east at 30 km/h. Officials say the system is capable of generating damaging winds, large hail, intense localized rainfall and possibly a tornado.

Communities in the path of the storm include:

The Strathmore REDS minor baseball teams are hosting two tournaments in town over the weekend.

The 13U AA league tournament will be taking place on Saturday (June 15) and Sunday at the Hillview ball diamonds.

On the other side of town, the 18U AA tournament takes place on the same days at the Kinsmen Park ball diamond.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for Wheatland County.

The watch was issued on Friday (June 13), and covers the areas of Strathmore, Lyalta, and Carseland.

"Thunderstorms are developing over the Alberta foothills and will move to the northeast through the afternoon and evening," wrote Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

"Some of these thunderstorms may become severe, producing large hail, heavy winds and locally heavy rainfall."

Police in Drumheller made a significant drug seizure earlier this week.

On Wednesday (June 11) officers stopped a vehicle along Highway 56. Police checks revealed that the driver had an outstanding warrant out of Edmonton.

Police say that they discovered what is believed to be methamphetamine while dealing with the vehicle's passengers. This led to all occupants being arrested and the vehicle being searched.

According to RCMP, they discovered:

A playground in Langdon is getting an upgrade. 

The Langon Park's playground is closing June 16 to 25. Construction crews are replacing the gravel with new, safety-approved material designed to improve water drainage, increase durability, and better absorb impact. 

The improvements overall aim to create a safer, more comfortable play area for children.

The park will remain available to the public; however, access to the playground area will be restricted during construction.