FortSask

Residents will be able to get rid of their extra yard waste this May.

From Monday (May 2) to Friday, crews for Fort Saskatchewan and Strathcona County will be picking up extra yard waste from households. Residents can leave an unlimited amount of yard waste out on their curb to be picked up on their regular collection day.

The waste must be put in brown paper bags and cannot exceed 50 lbs. Plastic bags will not be accepted.

Yard waste can include leaves, small twigs/branches, fallen tree fruit and garden trimmings. Large branches will not be picked up.

An Edmonton man has been given prison time.

In 2018, police found the body of 33-year-old Aldane Mesquita in a rural area of Strathcona County. Seven men were charged in the incident.

Mohammed Jawara was recently sentenced in court. He was given a verdict of 30 months in prison for kidnapping. He was initially also charged with first-degree murder.

Police are still looking for one man related to Mesquita's death. Christian Nyabirungu was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping but has evaded being arrested.

What will Canada Day in Fort Saskatchewan look like this year?

The city has needed to create a modified celebration for the last two years due to COVID-19 restrictions in place.

Now, the city plans to hold Canada Day events this year. They are expecting a more normal celebration but are currently finalizing details.

An announcement on Canada Day is expected on May 16.

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) has some tips for farmers before they hit the road this spring with large machinery.

Rob Gobeil is an Agricultural Health and Safety Specialist.

The AgriStability enrollment deadline for the 2022 program year has been extended from April 30 to June 30, 2022.

This extension allows farmers more time to sign up and take advantage of the support available under the program.

Police are concerned by a growing trend.

Over the last few months, the Redwater RCMP detachment has seized an above-average amount of counterfeit Canadian currency in the area. 

Most recently, in March, a local bank contacted the police after two counterfeit $50 bills were deposited in the bank’s ATM.

"We would like to remind everyone to pay close attention to the look and feel of money when they are accepting it," the Redwater RCMP stated in a release.

In 2021, police seized 29,918 bank notes in the country. Of those, 942 were found in Alberta. 

Emily Rutar had to triple-check her winning lottery ticket before she could believe what she was seeing.

The Ardrossan woman won $100,000 on the EXTRA she added to her LOTTO MAX ticket.

“I felt happy and shocked,” she said.

Rutar plans to use the funds to help finish building her home. 

The lucky winner bought her ticket from the Country Boyz Tempo off Highway 16. She won by matching the last six digits of the winning EXTRA number - 1116219.

The province is suing a former Sherwood Park family doctor.

Vincenzo Visconti was hit with the lawsuit after a review of his practice found he received almost $5-million in alleged overpayments.

Visconti had his medical license permanently cancelled by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta in 2019 after an investigation found he was overprescribing opioids. 

The Edmonton Elite are coming back to Fort Saskatchewan.

Introduced into the Alberta Football League (AFL) in 2020, the Elite chose Taurus Field in Fort Saskatchewan as their home field during their first season in 2021.

The Elite finished last year's regular season with three wins and one loss, second overall in the league. They were beaten only by the Central Alberta Buccaneers, who went undefeated the entire year.

Now, they will be returning for the upcoming season.

Wildfire season is underway in Alberta.

Over the last weekend, Strathcona County Emergency Services responded to several grass fires. According to deputy fire chief Dana Terry, it was the busiest weekend so far this year in terms of grass fires.

He said weekends like this are not uncommon this time of year.