Weyburn

After a year and a half with no pool in Radville, the Radville-Laurier Regional Park opened its brand new pool on Canada Day and held a Grand Opening on July 12th. The new pool now also features a water wheelchair. 

Board Chair Claude Carles said they had planned the pool to be fully accessible for all ages. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says up to half of the buildings in Jasper may have been burned after wildfires swept through the evacuated community.

Here are the latest developments on the wildfire situation in Alberta (all times are MT):

--

10:13 p.m.

Cool and wet weather is making a difference in Jasper National Park.

A statement from the park Thursday night says up to 15 millimetres of rain has fallen in the area since midnight, leading to minimal fire spread.

In a bid to bolster support for its furry friends, the Weyburn Humane Society is gearing up for its annual garage sale, which will kick off this August 8th and 9th at a new location on 56 10th Street. 

Clarissa Welsh, a board member, says this year's event promises a fresh twist with a change in venue. 

"This year, we're holding it a little bit differently. Usually it's at the curling rink, but this year we are having it at a volunteer's house at 56 10th Street," Welsh explained, adding, "And there's going to be lots of fun and cool stuff."

Statistics Canada released the police-reported crime statistics for 2023 Thursday morning.  

One of the biggest parts of the data is what is called the crime severity index. It looks at the number and the severity of crimes to help provide a context of a community. However, it doesn’t factor in demographics into the number, just the data. For this reason, Statistics Canada advised in the release the crime severity index is one piece of the much larger puzzle that helps Canadians better understand the country.  

The 2024 annual Tatagwa Tree Day is happening August 10th. The City of Weyburn is looking for fifty volunteers to help plant one hundred and forty trees along the Signal Hill Trail System. 

The species of trees being planted include Colorado blue spruce, poplar prairie sky, buffalo berry shrub, and Manitoba maple tree.   

The parks manager for the City of Weyburn, Curtis Block, says all ages are welcome to participate.  

A big day is coming up at Nickle Lake Regional Park on August 3rd. Nickle Lake Day will feature something for everyone, beginning with a free pancake breakfast and capping off the night with live music.

"There is lots of stuff to come out for, for the parents and the kids," said Office Supervisor Nikki McFadden. "In the morning we have a free pancake breakfast from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. We have our Show and Shine [Car Show] coming out from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Same with the Market that we have every long weekend."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta’s request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.

The park's social media account says the fire has caused significant loss within the townsite, but the specific locations or neighbourhoods affected are not being reported.

On the social media platform X, the account for Fairmont's Jasper Park Lodge says the flames have reached the hotel's grounds, but the extent of damage, if any, is not yet known.

The first half of the Saskatchewan Summer Games wrapped up in Lloydminster yesterday, and Team Southeast came home with a few medals.  

The first medal of the day was on the soccer pitch. The male soccer team would beat Regina 3-2 in the bronze medal game. Then, on the archery range, a pair of bronze medals. The first was in the male recurve, where Hunter Kirby would finish in third place. Then, in female recurse, Kenzie Bayliss would finish on the podium with a bronze.  

The Weyburn Beavers held the lead for most of the game last night against the Okotoks Dawgs, but errors would give the Dawgs an opening in the later innings. Over the final three innings, the visitors would score six runs to jump out to a 9-3 win over the Beavers.  

With wildfire season in full swing and smoke from northern Alberta, British Columbia, and northern Saskatchewan blanketing the southeast in a thick haze, the smoke isn't clearing quickly thanks to temperatures in the mid-30s. 

Brian Proctor, a Meteorologist with Environment Canada said this is thanks to the same weather system.