West Central Online Staff

The Town of Kindersley held their regular council meetings on Monday. Notes from the session are available here, as Council was also visited by a group of Rosedale residents looking for a follow up on the storm drainage saga that left numerous basements in the Kindersley neighbourhood flooded.

The Town of Kindersley pleaded guilty on August 13th in a joint submission with the Crown related to the tragic death of town employee Wilmer Gonzalez on August 30, 2022.

Gonzalez, 48, a public works employee, was responding to a sewer blockage alongside other members of the public works team at the intersection of 11th Avenue West and 14th Street West in Kindersley. Upon entering a manhole, he was overcome by poisonous gas. Despite urgent rescue efforts, Gonzalez succumbed to the lethal atmospheric conditions.

The Town of Kindersley pleaded guilty on August 13th in a joint submission with the Crown related to the tragic death of town employee Wilmer Gonzalez on August 30, 2022.

Gonzalez, 48, a public works employee, was responding to a sewer blockage alongside other members of the public works team at the intersection of 11th Avenue West and 14th Street West in Kindersley. Upon entering a manhole, he was overcome by poisonous gas. Despite urgent rescue efforts, Gonzalez succumbed to the lethal atmospheric conditions.

UPDATE: Monday, Aug 12 2024, 1:05PM

Police have confirmed the collision was between two semi-trucks.

One occupant in one of the vehicles was transported by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

Police say the highway will be closed for another hour to facilitate clean up.

ORIGINAL: Monday, August 12, 2024, 12:40 PM

Police are currently on the scene of a motor vehicle collision on Highway 7.

The latest provincial crop report came out on Thursday. The first report of August showed quality concerns, that are becoming more clear as we get closer to harvest.

The Biggar RCMP narrowly avoided a pair of devastating incidents looking at their August 6 report.

CN police reported a near-miss between a semi and a train at the Oban Road crossing. Dangerous driving combined with a lack of awareness nearly caused the end of a blue semi pulling super-bs filled with grain.

"Disobeying the control signals and trying to beat the train can be a dangerous game. (CN) would like drivers to be aware of these safety concerns and avoid having your grain unload unconventionally."

Keep an eye out for Kenzi and Halle.

Not only are they helping to keep everyone hydrated and cool, but they are also raising funds for the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, already reaching a few hundred dollars for their cause.

Do you have a lemonade stand running this summer that you want to share? Click HERE to join The Lemonade Network.

If you have a lemonade stand that needs some recognition let us know by emailing news@westcentralonline.com

Biggar RCMP opened investigation into 26 recent reports. A pair of arrests headlined the July 15 list.

"43-year-old Lyle Silbernagel was arrested and charged for assault and on another unrelated incident, 36-year-old David Montgomery was arrested and charged with assault. Both individuals will be appearing in Biggar Provincial Court September 4th on their matters."

Annual art exhibition at the West Wing Gallery at the Kinetic Exhibition Park had its opening reception on Saturday July 13th. The South West Open art exhibition has bee running for close to fifty years now, and gives an opportunity for talented artists from south west Saskatchewan to display their art for public viewing. The exhibition runs from June 27th-August 18 on Fridays and Saturdays 1-5pm

The west-central region was hit with a plume of smoke on Sunday night. With poor air quality, and reduced visibility being noticed at the time, a special air quality statement was released at 7:26 PM on Sunday. 

"A trough of low pressure is concentrating wildfire smoke and PM 2.5 and will be moving south and east throughout the night." it stated, before giving a timeline. "Smoke should slowly disperse throughout Monday improving conditions by Monday night. The fine particles in wildfire smoke pose the main health risk. As smoke levels increase, health risks increase."