HighRiver

The RCMP are investigating an incident involving a dirt bike driven inside an Okotoks high school on Friday (March 28) morning.

Kerry Welsh, principal of École Secondaire Foothills Composite High School (FCHS), briefed parents on the incident in an email.

A person reportedly entered the school through the door near the drama space, with help from two others, and left through the modular doors.

North Railway Street in Okotoks will be closed for several weeks due to construction.

Crews will be working on the Foothills Okotoks Regional Waterline, which will cause North Railway Street to be closed from 32 Street E to 40 Street E.

The closure will begin at 5 a.m. on March 31 and is expected to remain until April 22.

While the road is closed, the traffic will be detoured to go north on 48 Street E to Milligan Drive.

Foothills County apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks everyone for their patience.

A High River woman was reunited with her dog after a river rescue from the High River Fire Department earlier this week.

By chance, local photographer Mike Sturk was out for a stroll in the area on Wednesday, March 26, and was able to capture images of the local rescue personnel at work.

"I usually walk almost every day at the Mercer property, and I thought, 'Well, it's about that time of year I should check out the osprey nest to see if the birds were back,'" says Sturk. "As I was walking over there, I heard a dog, which sounded like it was in distress."

The annual contest in Okotoks will once again have people guessing when a massive snow pile will melt.

Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn has been hosting a snow pile melt contest for several years, with locals encouraged to pick the exact day they think the town's snow pile will melt.

The pile is located just south of Meadowridge School on 32 Street, and the person who picks the correct day the pile will be fully melted will win a prize.

According to Mayor Thorn, the snow pile was completely melted by April 26 last year.

The weather most of Alberta has been experiencing has caused some traffic issues.

According to the Alberta RCMP, they responded to 147 motor vehicle collisions across the province on Thursday, March 27, but luckily there were no fatalities,

Even though it is technically Spring, snow storms this time of year are still common, so the RCMP are asking drivers to continue to drive safely.

The Rowan House women's shelter has been operating in the Foothills for 25 years now.

They held a special brunch fundraiser to recognize the milestone and celebrate those in our community who help and give back.

The theme was 'Honouring Our Roots, Building Our Future.'

Held at the Highwood Golf Club on Thursday, March 27, from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m., it was well received.

The Foothills School Division (FSD) is looking for feedback from parents and guardians with children in grades 4, 7 and 10.

Surveys were emailed to parents and guardians earlier, but Alberta Education has extended the deadline to Friday, March 28.

Alberta's health authority is claiming its fired former executive breached her employment agreement by holding on to confidential emails with information pertaining to allegations in a high-profile court case.

A new affidavit filed Wednesday by Alberta Health Services says the agency is looking to amend its statement of defence in light of the emails, which the agency says it only became aware of last week. 

With U.S. tariffs on many Canadian goods, many Canadians are trying to shop for Canadian goods at grocery stores.

Many local retailers have started putting a red maple leaf on shelves to indicate which products are Canadian in some way.

According to Sobeys' website, the 'Made in Canada' designation means that at least 51% of production costs are from Canada, with any imported products listed on the back label. The 'Product of Canada' label refers to products for which at least 98% of production, including ingredients, processing and labour, comes from Canada. 

It is currently slow-moving eastbound on Highway 1 between Banff and Canmore.

The Town of Banff reported earlier this morning that the eastbound portion of the TransCanada Highway 1 between Banff and Canmore was completely closed near the Parks Canada gate, due to a transport truck blocking the road.

Emergency crews are on scene, but there are no injuries.

At just before 8:30 a.m., the Town of Banff provided an update, stating that the crews on site have opened one eastbound lane to allow traffic to pass.