Cochrane

This year’s Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge in Calgary on June 8 holds special meaning for Cochrane Fire Services.

A record 21-member team will climb the 57 storeys of Brookfield Place in memory of Capt. Huw Jeffries, a respected leader and mentor who died last year from a cancer-related illness.

Firefighter Chris Chyka says Jeffries' impact on the department continues to be deeply felt, and this climb is their way of honouring him.

The undefeated Medicine Hat Tigers are heading to the Memorial Cup final.

On Tuesday night, the Western Hockey League champions punched their ticket with a 3–1 win over the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights.

It was a huge night for Cochrane’s Ethan Neutens, who scored his first Memorial Cup goal. Acquired from the Kelowna Rockets earlier in the season, Neutens stepped up with the equalizer, lingering low along the goal line to fire home a Tanner Molendyk rebound just over five minutes into the second period.

Canada Post on Wednesday laid out its "final offers" to the union representing 55,000 workers after negotiations resumed Wednesday morning, as tensions run high over the future of the beleaguered institution.

Included in the proposal are an end to compulsory overtime, a signing bonus of $1,000 for urban employees and $500 for rural and suburban ones, cost-of-living payments that are triggered at a lower inflation threshold.

Parliament gets back to work Wednesday with a new Speaker, a new prime minister and plenty of new faces in the House of Commons.

Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia will preside over the House of Commons for the first time today, while his office has confirmed that all 343 members of Parliament have now been sworn in.

Roughly a third of those MPs, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, were elected for the first time in April and will face their first question period today.

Five members of the Cochrane Cobras football players are in the running to suit up for U18 Team Alberta.

At the final round of tryouts held last weekend in Red Deer, Brock Van De Kraats, Jackson Hughes, Ronen McClelland, Evan Samoleski, and Tyler Clazie all finished in the Top 100.

The final roster of 40 players, who will represent Alberta at the U18 Canada Cup in Antigonish, N.S., from July 12 to 21, is expected to be announced later this week.

Selected players will return to Red Deer for a training camp from June 13 to 15 ahead of the national competition.

A tragic backcountry skiing accident near Moraine Lake has claimed the life of a 34-year-old woman from Lake Louise.

According to RCMP, the incident occurred early Tuesday morning. At around 7 a.m., Parks Canada received a report that a skier had fallen a significant distance while skiing in the remote area.

Visitor Safety Specialists were dispatched to the scene, and the woman was extracted via long line by Alpine Helicopters. STARS air ambulance also responded; however, the skier was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Environment Canada has issued a Heat Warning for Rocky View County near Cochrane, with temperatures expected to soar starting Wednesday.

Daytime highs are forecast to reach or exceed 29°C, with overnight lows near 14°C, lasting into Thursday night. The elevated temperatures may increase the risk of heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Residents and visitors are urged to take precautions, including:

• Rescheduling outdoor activities to cooler times of day

• Staying in air-conditioned or shaded areas

Questions raised by the public regarding the proposed development of a Francophone secondary school next to École Notre-Dame des Vallées on Quigley Dr. have prompted a non-statutory public hearing scheduled for June 16.

The meeting follows a resolution passed by town council on April 14 to gather public feedback before considering the transfer of land to FrancoSud, pending provincial funding.

InteliRain is like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but for irrigation farmers — getting their fields “just right” for water distribution.

The Calgary-based company uses an automated variable rate irrigation system that allows growers to maximize yields, minimize workloads and conserve water.

There’s always been a strong turnout at the Cochrane and District Horticultural Society’s (CDHS) Spring Plant Sale—but nothing quite like this year.

CDHS president Anne Hayter said the semi-annual charity event saw a record number of both plant buyers and contributors.