Lacombe

On May 10, at 9:40 a.m. Rimbey RCMP received a report of a two-vehicle collision involving a grain truck and a passenger vehicle on Highway 20 at Township Road 412 in Lacombe County.

Upon arrival, emergency responders located the lone occupant of the passenger vehicle deceased.

The deceased has been identified as a 21-year-old female resident of Rimbey.

The driver of the grain truck was assessed by EMS and did not sustain any injuries.

RCMP remained on scene for several hours conducting an investigation.

Update: 3:18 pm RCMP have now reopened the highway and are calling it a fatal collision.

An Alberta 511 report updated at 12:24 p.m. is showing a closure of Highway 20.

The report states that Highway 20 at township road 412 South of Rimbey is closed due to a motor vehicle collision. 

All lanes are closed and 511 Alberta is asking motorists to consider an alternate route.

An update will be provided when more information becomes available. 

Motorcycle season has arrived, and your Alberta RCMP is reminding riders and other motorists to be aware of each other on roadways.

By respecting traffic laws and practicing safe driving behaviours, everyone can get to their destinations safely.

Last year in Alberta there were 235 collisions involving motorcycles.

As a result of these collisions, 204 were injured and 26 were fatally injured. 

In order to stay safe this riding season, follow the below tips:

The Ponoka Splash Park is open for the season for children and their families to enjoy.

Located at Lions Centennial Park, the outdoor facility for all ages continues to be a popular destination each summer.

It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Town of Ponoka washroom facilities are also open for the season at Lions Centennial Park for guests to use and are cleaned daily.

For more information on the Ponoka Splash Park, please visit the town website.

Indigenous groups in Canada say they want to see Pope Leo XIV continue the reconciliation work started by his predecessor, the late Pope Francis.

Francis was recognized as an ally of Canada's Indigenous Peoples and was known for advancing reconciliation efforts and apologizing — both in the Vatican and in Canada — for the Catholic Church's role in widespread abuses at residential schools.

His visit to Canada in 2022 was described as a "penitential pilgrimage" as Francis insisted on meeting with Indigenous survivors of residential schools and hearing their stories.

Alberta Sugar Beet Growers and Rogers Sugar have reached a new 5-year agreement.

The new supply agreement was announced in a press release on Friday.

Roger's Taber location is the only sugar beet processing facility in Canada. Established almost 75 years ago, the Taber facility is supported by approximately 200 Southern Alberta farm families, which supply the refinery with sugar beets. 

According to the ASBG website, those farms harvest about 900,000 tonnes of sugar beets annually, which are turned into 125,000 tonnes of sugar or nearly 2 million cups!

Lack of progress means time is growing short to get a successfull crop into the ground in Southern Alberta.

Contract negotiations are dragging on for Alberta sugar beet producers.

It’s already early May, and Alberta Sugar Beet Growers and Rogers Sugar, the sole sugar-beet processing plant left in Canada, still haven’t hammered out a deal.

Jennifer Crowson, executive director with the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers, cautioned the Western Producer in an email that she was limited in what she can share, other than that they are still in active negotiations.

Ponoka mayor Kevin Ferguson penned a letter today thanking residents for their generosity and unity following a multi-family house fire on Tuesday.

Thank You Ponoka!  

The past week has been devastating for the six families in our community who lost their homes to fire. Out of that devastation has come an overwhelming and immediate outpouring of strength and caring from our community.  

Ponoka has rescheduled a temporary power outage that was planned for this morning due to the rainy weather.

The new power outage time will be tomorrow (May 13) from 8:30 a.m. to about 10 a.m. (weather permitting).

The planned outage will affect properties along the following streets as crews conduct electrical maintenance:

• Between 51 Street and 50 Street; and

• Between 59 Avenue Close and 60 Avenue located north and west of the Kinsmen/Kinette Park ball diamond.

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) officially broke ground on the expansion of its Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing – Technology Access Centre (CIM-TAC) today. Scheduled for completion in fall 2026, the expansion will increase the facility’s size from 15,000 to 25,000 square feet.