HighRiver

Five local performers were presented with Awesome Kid Awards at Monday's (Sept. 23) Okotoks Town Council Meeting.

Jack Leathwaite, Natalli Bencharski, Nash Bencharski, Hadley Janssen, and Cleavon Laquibla were among the over 100 Young Canadians School of Performing Arts performers to participate in the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show.

With recent cougar activity in the Foothills, residents are asked to keep watch and stay safe.

Foothill County stated in a recent release that with the cool temperatures making a presence, predator activity can increase.

Two recent incidents involved cougars attacking family pets, with one resulting in the death of a house cat.

A comet has gotten a lot of attention recently.

The comet C/2023 A3 was discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory in China on January 9, 2023, and was also found independently by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in South Africa on February 22, 2023.

This is the first time that this comet has been seen, because of how far away the comet came from.

Former Okotoks Dawg Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson was not only named as a Midwest League's (MWL) All-Star but also announced as one of the four captains.

The Vancouver-born pitcher put up impressive numbers in the single-A league under the Cleveland Guardians of the MLB with eight wins and six losses in the 24 games he played this season. Tugboat had an ERA of 1.90 while pitching in 118 and two-thirds innings with 174 strikeouts on the year.

The Highwood Curling Club is inviting current and potential new members to check out the sport with a morning practice session on October 7.

The event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and the morning practice session on October 7 will be held at the Bob Snodgrass Rec Plex.

If you have always wanted to try out the sport yourself or to learn more about what goes into the sport of curling, this is a great way to get started. The Highwood Curling Club offers OH and Curling, Sturling, and even night leagues with mixed doubles.

The Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival has announced that the launches scheduled for Thursday (Sept. 26) evening have been cancelled.

Strong winds have persisted following the cancellation of Wednesday's launches, and it looks like the balloons are remaining grounded for another day.

The cancellation was announced in a live stream on the festival's Facebook page.

Update: The RCMP have confirmed that Jeffrey Sikina was arrested.

On Wednesday (Sept. 25), a Facebook post from the Alberta RCMP featured a man last seen in the Foothills County area.

Jeffrey Sikina was included in their Wanted Wednesday initiative, which is posted each week on the RCMP's social media profiles.

Sikina was wanted for various crimes, with his last known location listed as Foothills County, and his known areas of activity are Pincher Creek, Coleman, Crowsnest, Rocky View County, and more.

The Alberta government is refocusing the province's health care system.

With the new health care system, Albertans are expecting improved outcomes and performance, including consistent, appropriate, and efficient care for all, across different sectors.

While they are refocusing the health care system, the government has created a Seamless Patient Experience Review, which will help to ensure that patients are still the priority while new provincial health agencies become operational.

Do you have low spots in your field where excess water drowns your crops or do you struggle with managing salinity? Fall dormant seeding of perennial forages may offer a solution to help manage these areas.

An NDP MP has introduced a bill that would criminalize residential school denialism, saying it would help stop harm caused toward survivors, their families and communities.

If the bill is passed, people could be charged under the Criminal Code for promoting hatred against Indigenous Peoples by condoning, justifying or downplaying the historical and lasting impact of residential schools.