Lacombe

Red Deer RCMP have located 37-year-old Bradley Velton.

He was missing since Aug. 4 and there was concern for his well-being.

RCMP thanked the public and media for their help in locating Velton.

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The Town of Blackfalds is wrapping up its Summer Culture Series with a community favourite making its return.

The Blackfalds Street Dance will take over Broadway Avenue this Thursday (Aug. 21) from 5:00 p.m.– 8:00 p.m., closing the road from Railway Street to Indiana Street.

The event is a collaboration between the Town of Blackfalds, the Heart of Blackfalds Society, local businesses, and community organizations.

Attendees can expect live music, a DJ, games, food, charity fundraisers, glitter tattoos, aerial silks, a beer garden, and plenty of space to dance.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will consider reversing a recent policy change that ended the public disclosure of expense receipts over $100 for ministers and other government officials.

Smith, asked about the change Thursday at her Alberta Next panel town hall in Edmonton, told the crowd that it caught her off guard but was made for safety reasons.

It could be another chaotic day for travellers as a labour dispute continues between Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants. 

Flight attendants with the Montreal-based airline represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees are expected to remain on the picket lines today as a battle against a federal return-to-work order continues. 

The Ellis Nature Centre outside of Lacombe is inviting visitors to take part in a new hands-on project designed to track pollinators in the area.

The initiative, called “Buzzing Biodiversity”, asks community members to become citizen scientists by recording the types of pollinators spotted in the centre’s water garden and newly developed pollinator garden.

Visitors can participate by picking up a pamphlet and data sheet, then using a “counting square” to observe and record insects for 15 minutes.

The Queer Neighbours Society of Red Deer (QNSRD) is organizing a rally to protest provincial government funding cuts that, they say, threaten vital local services.

The demonstration is set for Sunday (August 24) at 1:00 p.m. outside Red Deer City Hall.

In a statement posted on social media, QNSRD said they were informed of plans to reduce funding for preventive programming in Red Deer, which provides education and support to vulnerable residents.

Health experts, advocates and unions are sounding the alarm over Alberta’s plan for paid COVID-19 shots, calling it concerning and confusing.

On Monday, two months after the province announced it was adding a fee, it opened online pre-ordering for the vaccine. Albertans still need to book appointments for the shots, starting in October.

Air Canada cancelled hundreds of additional flights on Sunday after the union representing its flight attendants announced the workers would remain on strike in defiance of a back-to-work order.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees said it filed a challenge in Federal Court on Sunday to an order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board that said its members must return to work by 2 p.m. ET.

"Our members are not going back to work," CUPE national president Mark Hancock said outside Toronto's Pearson Airport. "We are saying no."

Ukraine and its allies held a virtual meeting Sunday as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares for a high-stakes discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's office said in a Sunday afternoon statement that he took part in the call with the "Coalition of the Willing," a group of nations that have agreed to support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian's full-scale invasion. The statement did not indicate that Carney would be part of Monday's discussions.

The Sylvan Lake Gulls came up just short in their bid for a WCBL championship, falling 5–4 to the Regina Red Sox in Game 3 of the final Saturday night (August 16).

The game was tight from start to finish, with scoreless second, fourth, eighth and ninth innings keeping fans on edge.

In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and 1,895 fans on their feet, the Gulls had Michael Quick on second base representing the tying run and Bryce Turner on first as the potential winning run.

A fly ball to center field ended the game, leaving both runners stranded.