FortSask

Two people died Friday (Dec. 9) in a collision on Highway 21. 

Emergency services were called to a four-vehicle crash involving a semi near the Belevedere Golf Course. 

Reportedly, two other people in their 40s were taken to hospital. Two children were also assessed in the incident but not taken for emergency care. 

Police had Highway 21 blocked off near Township Road 514, it has since reopened. 

One of the vehicles, a semi, was flipped over. 

The fire chief of Gibbons, Eric Lowe, has dedicated the last 25 years of his life to serving his community.

On Saturday (Dec. 3), The Town of Gibbons and its fire department put together a Christmas party where they congratulated the chief for his commitment to the community.

In honour of his service, they made a surprise announcement that the Gibbons Fire Hall was to be renamed the Eric D. Lowe Fire Hall.

Lowe came to Gibbons back in 1996 when he was working as a combat engineer for the Canadian Military.

The Fort Saskatchewan U17 AAA South Fort Chev Rangers are having quite a successful season to date.

After 17 games this season, the Rangers sit atop the U17 AAA AEHL league with 13 wins and just three losses so far. 

Head coach, Mason Hawkes, says they have a good mix of players this season. 

"We had a lot of returning players from our U16 AAA team from last year and then we mixed them with the U15 AAA players from last year as well," said Hawkes. "We've had quite a bit of continuity, a lot of the kids have played together before." 

Fort Saskatchewan now has a new walk-in clinic operated by the pharmacists at the Westpark Shoppers Drug Mart.

Access to healthcare has been an issue lately. Luckily, the expanded scope of practice for pharmacists in Alberta should make things easier for patients to get the help they need.

Back in June, Loblaws launched Alberta's first pharmacist-led walk-in clinic in Lethbridge. 

Plans for a new $400 million dollar soybean crush plant at Grand Forks, North Dakota have been released.

Epitome Energy LLC says the new facility should process upwards of 42 million bushels of soybeans per year and is projected to strengthen the basis for soybeans by 20-25 cents per bushel. 

The plant is expected to produce more than 940,000 tons of soybean meal per year, 60 million gallons of crude degummed soybean oil and 84,000 tons of soybean hulls.

Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association director Carl Stewart was in Ottawa last week. They were in the federal capital for the GrowCanada Conference that was held from November 29th to December 1st. They had the chance to show support for farmers in a particular way as the Right to Repair bill is currently being debated in the house of commons. 

Researchers have been evaluating the use of a nitrogen inhibitor when fertilizing old forage stands. 

Nitrogen inhibitors are products that are used to prevent the loss of nitrogen through volatilization or through leaching, with the end goal to improve the retention and uptake of nitrogen by the crops.

A three-year ADOPT trial was done focusing on nitrogen inhibitors and fertilizing forage stands in Saskatchewan. 

Results from the trial could prove beneficial for producers across the prairies.

A veterinary professor at the University of Saskatchewan has launched a bovine health podcast that is available on your favourite platform.

Dr. John Campbell, a beef cattle specialist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine's podcast gives listeners a Canadian perspective on beef cattle health and nutrition.

The target audience is mainly cow-calf producers, but he also plans to include some content for producers involved in feedlot cattle operations.

Alberta NDP leader, Rachel Notley, and local UCP MLA, Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, commented on the availability of some healthcare services in Fort Saskatchewan. 

Last summer, the Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital was forced to close down its obstetrics unit multiple times due to temporary staff shortages. This prevented parents from giving birth in the city, instead having to drive to St. Albert or Edmonton. 

Armstrong-Homeniuk says that she doesn't expect this to be a regular occurrence moving forward. 

Not only are the U11 Rangers stars on the ice, they're also stars in the community!

The Fort Saskatchewan U11 Rangers are the December winners of the Half Grand Helping Hand from MIX 107 and Southfort Chevrolet.

The Rangers are taking part in the Edmonton Minor Hockey Family Day Classic Tournament in support of the Stollery Children's Hospital.