Lacombe

Roster spots aren’t the only thing on the line at this year’s Red Deer Rebels training camp.

Players will also compete for the inaugural Mikel McIver Cup in honour of the long-time Rebels dressing room attendant, who is entering his 25th season with the club.

Player check-in takes place Wednesday, Aug. 27, with ice sessions at the Marchant Crane Centrium beginning the following day.

Pool fun in Ponoka will pause Aug. 25 as the Aquaplex closes for annual maintenance and improvements, with reopening expected in early October.

The work includes a full renovation of the changerooms with new flooring, tiles, fixtures, vanities and paint; installation of a new water filtration system; and deep cleaning of all pools, the sauna and pool deck. Painting will also be done throughout the facility.

The Harvest Dinner on Saturday (August 23) prompts for updates on programming from the Lacombe Museum & Ellis Nature Centre

The Ellis Nature Centre will be closing early at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday in preparation for the annual fundraising gala.

Visitors are asked to plan their trip accordingly so staff can begin event set-up, and regular hours will resume on Sunday (August 24).

The Lacombe Museum will also be adjusting its schedule.

The weekly Downtown Walking Tour is cancelled on Saturday but will return for the final tour of the summer on August 30.

Chinook’s Edge School Division has appointed Jason Drent as associate superintendent of corporate services.

Drent previously served as associate superintendent of learning services for the division. He said he has enjoyed ensuring teachers receive high-quality support in curriculum instruction and assessment, and looks forward to continuing to keep the organizational focus on teaching and learning in his new role.

Red Deer RCMP have located a missing youth last seen Aug 18.

There was concern for her well-being and she is now safe.

RCMP thanked the public and media for their help.

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Athletes from Red Deer are helping push Team Alberta into medal contention at the 2025 Canada Summer Games.

In men’s volleyball, Alberta advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-1 pool record and will face Newfoundland on Friday (August 22).

Red Deer’s Tyson DeZutter, who recently represented Canada at the FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship in Uzbekistan, is among six players on the roster with national-level experience.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday her government's sudden shift in COVID-19 vaccination policy was prompted by union demands. 

Earlier this week, her health ministry said COVID-19 vaccine coverage would be extended to all health-care workers this fall under the first phase of the province’s rollout.

That came two months after the government said most Albertans, including health workers, would have to pay for a COVID-19 shot — potentially a cost of $110.

When it comes to restoring our canola trade with China, the Canadian canola industry wants to see action and engagement from all levels of government with everyone working together to protect our market share.

Premier Scott Moe along with his Agriculture Minister Darryl Harrison and Trade and Export Minister Warren Kaeding met with federal/provincial canola groups, as well as exporters, canola crush and value-added companies.

The Crown will not appeal the acquittals of five former world junior hockey players after their high-profile sexual assault trial, one of the defence lawyers in the case said Thursday.

Daniel Brown, who represented Alex Formenton, said he has been informed of the prosecutors' decision. The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Formenton, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted of sexual assault, and McLeod of a separate charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

Air Canada says it expects to be operating close to its full network schedule by Friday. 

The airline says it is continuing to ramp up its operations in a press release Thursday. 

This comes after the airline reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants on Tuesday to end a strike that began on Saturday. 

The strike disrupted the airline's operations, resulting in the cancellation of flights. 

Mark Nasr, Air Canada's chief operations officer, said in the release that the airline is restoring operations ahead of its plan.