FortSask

Strathcona County RCMP has laid sexual assault charges on an Edmonton man. 

This follows an investigation after police received a complaint on June 22 from a woman who claimed she was assaulted during a massage at a Sherwood Park massage therapy centre.

Edmonton resident John Dorion, 39, was charged with one count of sexual assault. He was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 22. 

The RCMP believe this might not be an isolated incident and is asking any potential victims to contact them.

Damien Starrett's sentencing hearing started on Monday, two months after the Fort Saskatchewan man was convicted of manslaughter in the death of his one-year-old son, Ares, and assaulting his daughter, whose name is protected by a publication ban.

Ares was pronounced dead shortly after being rushed to the Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital on the evening of Nov. 23, 2019. The paramedic working that night told the court most of the baby's head was purple, and there was "considerable swelling" to one eye. Ares also had no pulse and no signs of breathing. 

Residents of Fort Saskatchewan were given a free light show Sunday night (Aug. 28) as the northern lights danced above the community. 

A ribbon of bright green light unravelled itself over the community resulting in a beautiful scene. 

The phenomenon, often associated with the winter season, can happen anytime throughout the year. The process that creates the magnificent display is charged particles colliding with gasses located in Earth’s upper atmosphere. 

With the 2022 harvest started in many areas across the country, the federal government has compiled all the information it has to try and get a glimpse of how much is coming off the fields in terms of yield.

For the most part, numbers seem higher than they were in 2021 following a severe drought in the prairies, though some areas seem to still be working with little moisture.

Meanwhile, in Eastern Canada, much of southern Ontario experienced drier-than-average conditions, while eastern parts of Ontario and most of Quebec received higher-than-average rainfall.

Ongoing construction on the Fort Saskatchewan transfer and eco station will prompt a brief closure this week. 

Construction crews will be polishing up some final touches on phase one of the new station which will cause it to be closed from  Aug. 31 to  Sept. 1. 

The city has high expectations on what the new station can offer the community once construction finishes up this Fall.

Among the expected improvements include: 

A Sherwood Park man faces first-degree and attempted murder charges following a morning shooting in Calgary. 

The incident occurred around 8:20 a.m. on Aug. 18 in Calgary's southwest community of Evergreen. Police were called to a home for reports of a man and woman who appeared to have been shot. 

The woman, 31-year-old Nakita Baron, was declared deceased on the scene. The man is in hospital and in stable condition.  

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for political leaders to take a united stance against threats of violence and intimidation on Sunday, days after his deputy was confronted in Alberta by a man who repeatedly yelled profanity at her and called her a traitor.

A video circulating online over the weekend shows Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland arriving inside City Hall in Grande Prairie, Alta., on Friday, and then being confronted by the man while she approached and entered an elevator.

The community of Fort Saskatchewan gained an ironman after Barbara Bouwman, 53, successfully ran the 2022 Penticton competition this past Sunday (Aug. 28). 

The ironman race is one of the most physically taxing athletic events a person can take part in. The triathlon includes a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride, and a gruelling 41km run to finish things off. 

To undergo such a journey would require a lot of motivation, which Bouwman found in an unusual place. 

It's almost that time of year again. 

School zones in Fort Saskatchewan will come back into effect early next week as classes for most students in both the Elk Island Public and Catholic school divisions will begin on Tuesday (Aug. 30).  

Once classes are in, school zones are in effect from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Like playground zones, which remain in effect all year, the speed limit in school zones is 30 km/hr. 

The last time humans went to the moon, it was a destination.

But when NASA's Artemis 1 mission launches Monday, the moon will be more of a way station.

"It's really to learn how we can go further," said Isabelle Tremblay of the Canadian Space Agency, which is playing a big role in the Artemis missions. "It's really to learn how we can go to Mars."