Strathmore

The Strathmore Fire Department is looking to hire more paid-on-call firefighters.

On Wednesday (July 9), the Town of Strathmore announced the opportunity through social media.

"They’re teachers, mechanics, parents, students, office workers, and everything in between," wrote the town. "They have day jobs and weekend plans, but in their spare time, they give back to their community."

Several events are going on in Strathmore this weekend.

1. Real Canadian Wrestling - Tag Wars

Real Canadian Wrestling (RCW) returns to the Strathmore Ag Grounds for their Tag Wars event on Friday (July 11)

According to local wrestler Steve Wilde, the show will feature a blend of tag team and singles matches.

The end of the regular season is right around the corner for the junior Strathmore Venom lacrosse team.

The Venom began practice in April, having their first season game towards the end of the month.

As the season comes to a close, the junior Venom have two games left before they take a break for the summer.

On Saturday (July 12), the Venom will be playing the Cochrane Rage at the Cochrane Aquatic Centre Spray Lakes Centre.

After that, the Venom will have their home finisher on Sunday in a game against the Stingers.

Both games begin at 2 p.m. 

Strathmore events and businesses may be back in full swing after the impacts of COVID-19, but one young man is using poetry to rebuild something more elusive: human connection.

"I felt there was a decline in the connection people have with each other, especially in the youth community. I think, owing to the COVID event of 2020, a lot of people just seemed disconnected right afterwards. Not many people were trying to make those connections anymore," said Micheal Ajirireloja, the organizer of the Poetry Cafe. "It seemed to me that everyone was just that much more lonely."

The Strathmore community gathered together for a barbecue fundraiser.  

Western Financial Group held its second annual barbecue lunch at Ranch Market on Friday (July 11) from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The event was pay-by-donation, with the proceeds going to support the Kakato'si Kristian Ayoungman Foundation's Lead by Example Powwow.

The powwow honours the legacy of Kristian Ayoungman, a local hockey player and champion dancer from Siksika Nation who is remembered for his leadership and his work to bring communities together. 

Mounties in Alberta are looking for help from the public after the body of a teen girl was found in an abandoned car close to the U.S. border.

Police say Jordyn (Rylie) Dines was found in the abandoned Toyota Camry on July 4 near Glenwood, 50 kilometres from the border.

The 16-year-old was last seen the day before at the Chinook Centre shopping mall in Calgary.

Police say Dines died under suspicious circumstances, but didn’t elaborate.

Canada’s labour market topped expectations in June amid a surprise surge in hiring.

Statistics Canada said Friday that the unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percentage point to 6.9 per cent in June as the economy added some 83,000 jobs.

The vast majority of those jobs were part-time, the agency said, with 47,000 positions added in the private sector.

A Reuters poll of economists heading into Friday’s release had expected the jobless rate would rise to 7.1 per cent in June as employment levels held flat.

The Calgary Stampede had Albertans rooting for five of the 10 Saddle Bronc riders as Pool C kicked off Thursday.

The Hay brothers from Wildwood, AB, are always top contenders, having both won the Calgary Stampede before.

Dawson Hay took the top score of 91.50 as brother Logan finished in 3rd with a score of 88.00.

Ben Anderson (Rocky Mountain House, AB) scored an 84.00 on a re-ride as Quinten Taylor (Nanton, AB) scored an 83.50 and Millarville's Layton Green came in 10th with a score of 80.50.

Thursday night was a good one for High River's Jason Glass.

The defending Rangeland Derby champion at the Calgary Stampede had a penalty-free heat and finished with the top time of the night.

Glass' checkered wagon was the only one to crack the 1:13 mark with a time of 1:12.15.

The first-place finish moves him into the coveted 3rd place in the aggregate.

Only the top 3 in the aggregate after Saturday night's races will go to the final heat on Championship Sunday.

There are no semi-final heats this year.

The NDP's leadership race to replace Jagmeet Singh will formally begin in September, with a six-month race to follow according to a rules framework adopted by the party's national council. 

A new leader will be chosen no later than March 29, when the party holds its 2026 convention in Winnipeg.

An entry fee of $100,000 has been set for candidates to show their "organizational and fundraising capacity."

Debates and other leadership events hosted by the party will be streamed online in both official languages, according to the framework.