Okotoks

With a crown on her head and a sash across her dress, Okotoks teenager Arianna Ramsay saw her life change in a split second. 

The Holy Trinity Academy graduate was crowned Miss Teenage Canada at the annual pageant held last weekend in Toronto. 

Ramsay was announced as the winner with Kaixin Zheng of B.C. as the first runner-up, Reyna Bao of B.C. as the second runner-up, and Reece Dunn, Miss Teenage Southern Ontario as the third runner-up. 

Hot weather conditions have prompted another Alberta county to impose restrictions on fires.

On Tuesday the County announced that they have moved to a Fire Restriction, which limits where fires are allowed in the area.

If any open fires require a permit and are currently burning, they must be extinguished fully, and all open burning permits are suspended.

On top of the suspended fire permits, the County is not allowing fireworks, torches, and lanterns with an open flame at this time.

It appears the wine war has come to an end.

Alberta and B.C. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will allow Albertans to get their hands on wine straight out of B.C. The same is true for B.C. residents in acquiring wine from Alberta.

It's a move that the provincial government has already touted as an economic driver, with Albertans now having access to a wider selection under the province's fully privatized liquor industry.

The intense heat we've been dealing with over the last couple of weeks has resulted in signs of heat stress starting to show up in some crops.

There's a real concern about the potential impact on canola crops at the flowering stage.

Curtis Rempel, vice president of crop production and innovation with the Canola Council of Canada says when the temperatures are in the 30's, it's especially hard on flowering canola plants.

It’s not just the heat that's hitting the Foothills, as now there’s a chance of thunderstorms. 

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Foothills County, Okotoks, High River, and nearby communities. 

The weather agency says that storms are expected to develop Tuesday afternoon, with the potential of some becoming severe, the thunderstorm risk could end by the evening. 

Sam Stuhr, a former pitcher for the Okotoks Dawgs from 2022, had his name called yesterday at the MLB draft being selected 137th overall by the Oakland Athletics. 

Stuhr played last year with the Portland Pilots in the West Coast Conference (WCC) of the NCAA. On April 8, 2024, Stuhr was named the Pitcher of the Week in the WCC.

He accumulated 100 strikeouts for the Pilots last season in just 80 innings pitched and only allowed 445 batters to walk. His record was 3-2 during the 2024 season.

The Hamlet of Granum will be doing some sidewalk and road construction for the next few weeks.

Starting this week, there will be crews doing sidewalk removal and replacement, as well as asphalt paving, and they are expecting the work to take roughly three weeks to complete.

The work is happening to replace end-of-life infrastructure, so they are asking those who are affected by the work to be patient while the work is being completed, and because this work can be an inconvenience, they will be doing their best to finish the work as promptly as possible.

This year marks the 10th Anniversary for Ag in Motion. 

Western Canada's largest outdoor farm show at Langham, Saskatchewan, features over 600 exhibitors and is expected to attract about 32,000 visitors over the three days.

Show Manager Rob O'Connor says Ag in Motion is also attracting a number of international visitors with over 230 guests coming from Australia, Africa, Europe, Mexico and the United States.

He notes what sets this show apart from others is the crop plot trials, live equipment demonstrations, and the always popular ride n drive area.

Another television series will be filming soon in High River.

The second season of Netflix's 'My Life with the Walter Boys' will be shooting in town toward the end of July.

The show is based on the Ali Novak novel of the same name, which centres around Jackie Howard, a recently orphaned teen who moves cross-country to live with the Walter family and their 11 boys (changed to seven in the series).

The show's first series was filmed in Cochrane and Crossfield and released in December of 2023.

Daggett Street in Okotoks will be getting some work done this summer.

Starting on July 16th, crews will work on the Town's Daggett Street Parking Improvement Project along the CPKC railway.

The project is expected to be finished by the end of August, as long as the weather cooperates.

Construction at this site will include paving a parking area, installing fences, Electronic Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, and landscaping.