Lacombe

What started as a grassroots idea to bring skateboarding into schools has grown into a high-energy, student-driven competition celebrating sports, creativity and community.

More than 50 students from across 20 central Alberta schools are expected to gather at the Glendale Skatepark in Red Deer on May 29 for the 8th annual GhostRaiders Invitational Skate Park Competition, hosted by Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School.

The event has been taking place for the last seven years and was spearheaded by Stephen Banks and the Delburne Ghost Ryders.

MPs are returning to Ottawa for the opening of the 45th session of Parliament, and among them is Alberta Foothills MP John Barlow, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food. Barlow is gearing up for what he describes as a challenging time for both the country and the agriculture sector, particularly due to ongoing trade and tariff issues.

King Charles is set to open a new session of Parliament on Tuesday, seated in a throne that incorporates a piece of English walnut from Windsor Great Park, a preserve of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth.

The Royal Family connection is especially appropriate given that the Queen was the first sovereign to deliver a speech from the throne in Canada, a role usually fulfilled by the Governor General.

Talks between Canada Post and negotiators from its union are expected to resume over the next few days, its union said Sunday after the two parties met amid warnings of mail delivery delays tied to a national ban on overtime for postal workers.

In an afternoon statement, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said its negotiators had "worked hard to carefully evaluate" Canada Post's latest offers and prepare responses ahead of the day's meeting with the employer and the mediators. 

Drivers on the QEII near Red Deer should expect delays starting Sunday evening and continuing overnight until 6 a.m. Monday.

Crews will be washing a bridge in the southbound lanes. The speed limit will be reduced to 80 km/h, and there will be lane closures at times.

Motorists are advised to drive with caution and plan for possible delays.

For the latest traffic information, click here.

The world-renowned RCMP Musical Ride will be featured during Westerner Days Fair & Exposition this year.

Each year from May to October, the RCMP Musical Ride travels across Canada, visiting up to 50 communities and rotating through provinces to ensure as many Canadians as possible can experience it.

This year, Westerner Days has been selected to host the riders for fairgoers to experience this Canadian tradition, which will be included with admission to the fair.

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) is celebrating the remarkable achievement of Dane Schmidt, a grade 12 student from St. Joseph High School, who captured the gold medal in the welding-secondary competition at the Skills Alberta Provincial Competition held last week in Edmonton. 

Among the tour groups converging on Parliament Hill under umbrellas this week, new and newly re-elected members of Parliament are getting acquainted with their offices and colleagues ahead of the opening of the House of Commons this week. 

The first order of business for MPs is the selection of a new House Speaker on Monday morning, and at least six returning members are asking their colleagues to support their bid to take the chair.