Lacombe

When a concerned citizen found a baby Osprey outside of its nest at 3 Mile Bend last week, it sparked a combined community effort to safely return the chick to its mother.  

The Medicine River Wildlife Centre was quickly called, and after an examination, it was determined that the chick was healthy, and needed to be returned to its nest.  

A global technology outage had grounded flights, disrupted hospitals and backed up border crossings in Canada on Friday, as reported issues persisted hours after the issues with Microsoft services were said to be getting fixed.

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said that the issue believed to be behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack.  The issue affected Microsoft 365 apps and services, and escalating disruptions continued after the technology company said it was gradually fixing it.

Ponoka and area residents are invited to treasure hunt this weekend, during Ponoka’s Community-Wide Garage Sale.   

The event is a chance for residents and visitors to find something special while exploring garage sales throughout the community.   

At 4:40 PM MDT, Environment Canada meteorologists are tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of producing very strong wind gusts, nickel to ping pong ball size hail and heavy rain.

This thunderstorm is located near Stolberg, 15 km east of Nordegg, and is nearly stationary.

For the latest forecast click here

Large accumulations of hail are possible. Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Take cover immediately, if threatening weather approaches.

With the prolonged heat, a fire restriction is now in effect for all of Lacombe County.  

The county has cancelled current fire permits, suspended any fire permit requests, and asks that all fires are extinguished until conditions improve.  

What’s permitted during a fire restriction:  

• Safe wood campfires  

The Town of Sylvan Lake is currently experiencing reduced water levels in it's reservoir. This current dry spell combined with high temperatures is impacting available water. Wells only refill at a certain rate. That rate slows when conditions are dry and hot. If we use water faster than the wells can refill, we will enter restrictions.

The announcement was released during the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Agriculture Ministers annual conference.

In a statement they note that : "After years of work and widespread industry participation, all major retailers have agreed to join the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct. This includes Loblaw, Sobeys, and Metro, and most recently, Walmart and Costco. "

Gen. Jennie Carignan was a little emotional on Thursday as she spoke to reporters about what it means to take over command of the Canadian Armed Forces. 

It's an honour that felt like the natural next step in her career, she said, something she's worked toward for the last 38 years. It also means, for other women or marginalized people, that "it's possible, folks — the door is open."

"This is actually what my parents used to tell me: 'Anything is possible. You can do anything,'" she said. 

Organizers of this year's Westerner Days are thrilled with the turnout on day one of the five day fair and exhibition.

Despite a heat warning and temperatures in the 30's, thousands lined up for this year's Westerner Day's Parade. There were 120 businesses and community organizations who put a float into the annual event.

After the parade, the main grounds opened with The North American Pony Chuckwagon and Chariot Races, over 15 musical and entertainment acts and of course the Midway.

Charges have been laid against six suspects following a year-long investigation into an organized auto theft and re-vinning operation.  

One of the suspects is a wanted murderer, whose whereabouts remain unknown. 

Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) Auto Crimes unit arrested four of the six suspects between June 18 and July 2, with a total of 20 charges laid.  

ALERT alleges the group was involved in a sophisticated auto theft and re-vinning operation, which was based at a rural location in Parkland County near Evansburg.