Strathmore

The Brooks area is cleaning up after a major storm brought strong winds, hail, and rain to the area last night.

Power lines were downed, and roads in the area were closed down as clean-up efforts began.

Power outages currently affect areas in Newell County.

According to Fortis Alberta, crews are working on restoring power to hundreds of customers by 6 p.m. on Thursday.

A long-awaited playground reopening has finally taken place. 

The Langdon Community Association announced the reopening of the playground in Langdon Park on Aug. 20.

The playground had been closed since early June for upgrades, including the installation of a new asphalt surface. It was initially expected to reopen by June 25, but frequent rain throughout the summer caused construction delays.

The Langdon Community Association thanked residents for their patience during the extended closure.

Strathmore's Domino's Pizza is launching a back-to-school initiative for students and pizza lovers alike. 

In addition to a chance to win a free pizza, Domino's is giving away 24 free backpacks to local schoolchildren in need ahead of the new school year. 

"The start of the school year can be rough for many families. The cost of getting your kids ready for school can be overwhelming," Domino's wrote in a Facebook post. 

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is meeting in Saskatoon today with Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Cody Blois, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, along with representatives from the canola sector. The focus: responding to China’s steep tariffs on Canadian canola products.

Last week, China announced a 75.8% tariff on Canadian canola seed, adding to the 100% tariffs placed in March on canola meal and oil. 

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is set to meet today with federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, along with industry groups, to discuss the steep Chinese tariff on Canadian canola seed. 

Kody Blois, the parliamentary secretary for Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison are also to attend the meeting in Saskatoon.

A press conference is scheduled following the discussion. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to have her first official meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington today amid ongoing tensions in the bilateral relationship.

Anand and Rubio have previously spoken by phone, including in June ahead of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc cycled through Washington in July looking for a tariff offramp but instead U.S. President Donald Trump boosted duties on Canada to 35 per cent.

A powerful thunderstorm tore through Brooks and surrounding communities Wednesday evening (Aug. 20), bringing damaging winds, heavy rain and large hail.

Environment Canada had issued a severe thunderstorm warning, with some areas reporting hail as big as golf balls to baseballs.

The storm knocked out power to thousands of FortisAlberta customers and forced road closures, including Highway 36 at Highway 1 because of downed lines and disabled vehicles.

Highway 36 is closed due to severe weather.

According to Brooks RCMP, the highway is closed at Highway 1, with the east and westbound lanes not passable.

"It is suggested that travellers take Highway 876 north and Highway 544 west to get around the city," wrote police. "Do not go southbound on Highway 36 to Highway 1. It is not passable."

There are several vehicles disabled on the highway with downed power lines.

An update will be provided once Highway 36 reopens.

Agriculture Canada modelling expects above average yields for most crops

 Agriculture Canada is predicting solid yields for most crops on the Prairies, based on computer modelling that was done at the end of July.

“At the national level, the CCYF (Canadian Crop Yield Forecaster) model predicts above-average yields per unit area for 11 of the 12 spring-planted crops compared to the average yields of 2020-24,” says an executive summary of the Agriculture Canada predictions, published on a website called Canadian Crop Metrics.

World Humanitarian Day is designated as day to honour people who risk everything to do good.

Being a humanitarian should be the world’s safest job, instead, it has become one of the most dangerous.

From conflict zones to disaster-stricken regions, aid workers face increasing threats, including violence, abduction, and harassment. According to the Aid Worker Security Database, 265 aid workers have died this year so far increasing the likelihood that 2025 will surpass 2024 as the deadliest year on record (383 deaths) for humanitarian workers.