FortSask

Fort Saskatchewan Rangers Hockey alumni Sebastian Cossa has made a donation to Hockey Gives Blood, an extension of Canadian Blood Services. 

Hockey Gives Blood was formed in 2018 when former players wanted to contribute to the hockey community, especially following the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy. 

The number of coronavirus deaths fell by 9% in the last week while new cases remained relatively stable, according to the latest weekly pandemic report released by the World Health Organization Wednesday.

The U.N. health agency said there were more than 14,000 COVID-19 deaths in the last week and nearly 7 million new infections. The Western Pacific reported a 30% jump in cases while Africa reported a 46% drop. Cases also fell by more than 20% in the Americas and the Middle East.

The IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship began yesterday at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Team Canada is set to play their first game Wednesday (Aug. 10) against Latvia. Puck drop is at 4 p.m.

This year's roster includes Fort Saskatchewan's Olen Zellweger and former Fort Ranger Sebastian Cossa.  

Team Canada is in Group A for the tournament, and the rest of their games are as follows:

Defence Minister Anita Anand says two miners who were trapped in an underground mine for 10 days in the Dominican Republic have been rescued with the help of Canada. 

In a tweet on Tuesday, Anand said the Royal Canadian Air Force transported mining equipment to Santo Domingo following a request for assistance from the Dominican government. 

Two miners with the Dominican Mining Corporation, known as Cormidom, had been trapped since July 31 in an underground mine. 

According to Environment Canada, Fort Saskatchewan is in for a warm August. 

Wednesday’s high (Aug. 10) is 29 C, and Thursday will be warmer with a high of 30 C.

“Normal for this time of year is around the 23-24 degree mark, so we are certainly going to see above normal temperatures over the next week or two,” explained Jesse Wagar, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. 

Wagar said it is normal to see stretches of above-average temperatures each year.

Police and municipal enforcement are conducting a back-to-school drive. 

The Fort Saskatchewan RCMP and Municipal Enforcement Services building will have a donation bin available for people wanting to donate school supplies from now until Aug. 15.

After that, there will be a main donation drive outside Staples' Fort Saskatchewan location (9410 86 Avenue) on Aug. 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with RCMP members collecting school supplies.

Canola generates about one-quarter of all farm crop receipts in Canada, so any problem is a serious threat for producers.

That includes blackleg, a fungus that's spread widely over Western Canada, and can cause serious damage to crops.

Recently, researchers completed the first large-scale resequencing of the blackleg pathogen in the world. This resequencing helps them get a good understanding of Canadian populations of blackleg.

The Royal Canadian Legion Gibbons Branch recently celebrated its 75th anniversary.

On Saturday (Aug. 6), the Legion held a celebration in honour of the milestone. The night started with cocktails and dinner before a grand ceremony.

This was the first anniversary celebration the Legion had held for a while, according to Louise Bauder, vice president of the Legion.

"[The] official date was May 5. We haven't done a lot up to this point; today's just a celebration with a little get-together."

The Robin Hood Association has received the Half Grand Helping Hand prize from MIX 107.9 and South Fort Chevrolet.

Formed in 1963, The Robin Hood Association helps individuals with developmental disabilities. They are a non-profit, charitable organization that serves Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, and surrounding areas. 

“We serve families that have children and adults that have disabilities here in Fort Saskatchewan,” said Ann Marie Lepan, the CEO of the Robin Hood Association. 

An NDP critic wants the provincial government to do more following the closure of a local hospital unit. 

Due to a lack of staffing, Alberta Health Services suspended labour and delivery services at the Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital. The suspension took effect on Aug. 6 and is expected to last until the 21st.

In a statement, Janis Irwin, the NDP critic for the status of women, said that the closure is “unacceptable” in a city of nearly 30,000 people.