Strathmore

As winter approaches many Albertans are closing their properties for a longer period.

According to an RCMP news release, there have been 348 break-and-enters to seasonal properties and cottages this year across the province.

"This is an 8 per cent increase from the previous year. The off-season tends to be when these incidents occur the most, as there are less people around and less chances of being discovered quickly," wrote RCMP.

The RCMP also provided updated numbers for Strathmore and Wheatland County.

Over the last few years, a real emphasis has been put on the importance of making your mental health a priority and removing the stigma around reaching out for help.

Farming is known to be one of the most dangerous occupations, it involves a lot of stress and factors unique to agriculture like the weather and markets both of which can have a major impact and are totally out of farmers' control.

Learning ways to recognize and release stress is key especially when trying to stay focused when working with large farm equipment or unpredictable livestock.

Four Albertans have won the lottery, but none of them have redeemed their tickets.

According to the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC), someone in Calgary won the October 9 Lotto 6/49 draw, winning $5 million.

The lucky numbers were 20, 22, 23, 36, 46, and 47, with the bonus number being 42.

There was also another Calgary player who won the second-top prize of $126,788 along with a second player from British Columbia. 

A Toronto artist based in Florida says he's anxiously waiting to ensure the safety of his friends in the state and assess the potentially catastrophic damage to his property as Hurricane Milton barrels towards his community just outside Sarasota.

He's just one of many Canadians who own homes in the state. Like him, many have fled because of this hurricane or its predecessor Helene, which unleashed devastation across several southern states just a few weeks ago. 

Calgary Police are asking the public for help to find a man accused of harassment and stalking in the southeast neighbourhood of Cranston.

According to a news release, on Saturday (Sept. 21) police received reports of a man walking by the 0 to 100 block of Cranbrook Gardens S.E., as he appeared to be looking into homes in the unit.

Police say he was found on CCTV footage returning to the home multiple times between Sunday (Sept. 29) and Monday (Sept. 30).

HOB's Hobbies, Strathmore's local game shop and cafe, will be moving across town next month.

The store has been operating in the downtown area next to Joyland Theatre since it first opened eight years ago. 

"When we started, we had all sorts of things. Model trains, radio-controlled cards, and a used bookstore," said John Hilton-O'Brien, owner of the store. "People didn't buy the other things very much. In the end, we wound up becoming a straight game store with a play space."

A sign has popped up near Gleichen offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the discovery of Desiree Old Woman.

Desiree, an Indigenous woman was 21 years old when she was last seen in 2011 at her Siksika Nation home on the night of August 27. Her family reported her disappearance to the RCMP the following day. Desiree is autistic and non-verbal, which has her family concerned.

"One morning my mom, Desiree's guardian, was ready for breakfast. Someone had gone to grab Desiree, and she wasn't there," said Cherie Spotted Eagle, Desiree's aunt. 

A special pickleball session for youth in Strathmore was recently cancelled, but adult sessions are still available.

That's according to the town who says the beginner event will be held at the Strathmore Motor Products Sports Centre on Tuesday (Oct. 15) from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The sport of pickleball has seen a rise in the number of people wanting to play it.

In an interview with StrathmoreNow, Sheila McLeod, an administrator with the Strathmore Pickleball Club said the sport is gaining traction.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has released a report on the latest recommendations and feedback relating to modernizing the seed regulations in Canada.

The process began in 2021 and covers several areas from import to export, seed conditioning, storage, testing and labeling to seed sales.

The National Manager for the Seed Section of the CFIA, Wendy Jahn says a number of the regulations, policies and programs interact with each other and rather than making changes one at a time it makes more sense to take a holistic approach to modernizing the system.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team says an altercation resulting in the death of a man was not criminal.

According to ASIRT, on Aug. 6, 2023, members of the Medicine Hat Police Service received a call that a man had a machete and was screaming about an imaginary person.

The man threatened the officers and members of the tactical force were called in to help.

Crisis negotiators were also brought in to speak with the man, but he said all the phones were bugged. He proceeded to yell and then went back into his apartment.