Okotoks

The Southern Alberta Music Festival is ready to two-step into your campsite at Aspen Crossing in Mossleigh this Friday and Saturday.

It's the 12th annual event of country and western music and Jason Thornhill with Aspen Crossing says he can hardly wait to get started.

"So, Friday night you know we got High Steppin Daddy opening things up, and Devon Cooper, Mariya Stokes, and the one thing about this festival is you sure can't beat the after party."

High River's Jason Glass is having an excellent year on the WPCA circuit.

He finished in second place Thursday night in Dawson Creek, B.C. during the Battle of the North.

Glass broke the 1:14 mark along with Chad Fike with Fike picking up the top day money.

The fast penalty-free heat moves Glass into second spot in the aggregate after two nights of racing.

The top four wagons in the aggregate after tomorrow night will run in the Championship Finals on Sunday in the $30,000 dash for cash final.

The first-round best-of-three 2024 WCBL series between the Okotoks Dawgs and Lethbridge Bulls will go to game three with the Bulls taking a 5-4 win at Spitz Field on Thursday night. 

Game two saw 2024 WCBL All-Star Garrett Maloney take the mound off the top. Maloney pitched a full four innings and put out seven Bull batters with K's. Greg Ross, Cade Herrmann, Aaron Hammer, and Easton Corey came in as relievers. Herrmann pitched two-thirds of an inning and struck out both batters he faced.

Global Affairs Canada says it has approved the temporary relocation of the children and their guardians to a safe third country.

Embassy staff are expected to remain in Israel.

"The Embassy of Canada to Israel in Tel Aviv, the Embassy of Canada to Lebanon in Beirut, and the Representative Office of Canada to the Palestinian Authority, all remain fully operational and continue to provide essential services to Canadians, including consular services," Global Affairs Canada said in a statement Wednesday evening. 

Strathmore RCMP have discovered a potential witness to the shooting that happened in Rocky View County on Tuesday.

Police say they are looking for a dark grey Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen, model years 2013 to 2015.

The car was spotted on dash cam video driving past the area of the shooting at the time the incident occurred.

On Wednesday, the RCMP confirmed that Rocky View County employee Colin Hough died as a result of the shooting, and a FortisAlberta employee suffered injuries.

The suspects remain at large.

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) will be one of the organizations helping to host the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, this year taking place in Saskatoon.

Ryder Lee, the general manager for the CCA, says it's good to be in the province.

A High River student has been awarded the prestigious Beaverbrook Vimy Prize.

Along with 13 other students from Canada, the U.K., and France, Kate Hagens, a high school student in High River, was awarded the opportunity after applying.

The Beaverbrook Vimy Prize program is an educational opportunity for youth between the ages of 15 and 17 with a focus on pivotal moments in both of the World Wars.

The five-step process is time-consuming with each student asked to submit an essay, art analysis, personal statement video, resume, and a letter of reference.

Pound Rescue is holding a free barbecue in Okotoks this weekend.

The event is being held as a fundraiser and will include a raffle for a 60'' TV, as well as plenty of adoptable puppies and kittens.

It's scheduled for Saturday, August 10, in the parking lot of Christine's No Frills in Okotoks, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

No Frills is providing all the food for the barbecue, and Global Pet Foods will be providing pet treat samples too.

Fiona Haynes, longtime volunteer with Pound Rescue, says the funds are mainly used for medical expenses.

The Canadian Cattle Association has laid out its nominees for The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) with farming operations across Canada being nominated.

Carol Reynolds, the CCA's communications manager, talked about how they've been supporting those farmers with the awards.

The Bar U Ranch has been around since 1883 and is now a National Historic Site showcasing the ranch's role in Canadian ranching history.

The Ranch is down along Highway 22 and Highway 540, just outside of Longview, and each August the Bar U Ranch hosts an Old Time Ranch Rodeo.

This year's rodeo will take place on Sunday, August 18th.

At that rodeo, contestants will be competing in several different events, such as Team Branding, Team Sorting, Team Doctoring, and Stray Roping, which are all things cowboys and cowgirls would've had to do while working on the Ranch.