Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter

Battlefords

education
'Hard transfer': Teacher shortage cuts early French immersion in northwest Sask.
A Loon Lake parent says his daughter will have to leave French immersion earlier than expected after a northwest Saskatchewan school division scaled back the program due to a teacher shortage."She's in Grade 2 right now, and she'll be having to make the move into English, which is going to be a hard transfer,"...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
ongoing investigation
Two-vehicle crash near Paynton sends four to hospital
Maidstone RCMP are investigating a two-vehicle collision near Paynton. On March 19, around 9 p.m., RCMP received a report of a vehicle collision on Highway #16, west of the community.Officers, local fire and multiple EMS services, including STARS, responded to the scene. The investigation determined a truck and a secon...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
Health Care
Saskatchewan eyes opening for North Battleford complex needs facility next winter
Saskatchewan's health minister said a Complex Needs Facility (CNF) planned for North Battleford could be operating as early as next winter."There's still some site selection work that needs to happen there, but that service will be coming to our community," said Jeremy Cockrill, who is also the MLA for the Ba...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
ORDER OF MERIT
Lasting legacy: two local residents honored for lifetimes of community impact
What started as a hometown hobby reached farther than Glenn Goodman ever expected. "He would have been absolutely thrilled," said Myrna Goodman, after receiving her late husband's Order of Merit award, which represents the achievement of local excellence. Glenn was described as a musical genius who stood out ...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
Investigations
RCMP investigate gun threat towards Spiritwood High School
RCMP are investigating a threat made towards Spiritwood High School.On March 19, at approximately 3:30 p.m., officers received a report of an online/electronic message of an individual threatening to bring a firearm to the school.Officers responded immediately. The school was placed on hold and secure for a brief perio...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
policing
Sask., Alta. watchdogs investigate death during RCMP response on Onion Lake Cree Nation
Saskatchewan's police watchdog has been called in after a man died during an RCMP emergency response on Onion Lake Cree Nation.The Saskatchewan RCMP said the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating the death, which occurred Wednesday following a reported forcible confinement involving a firearm.Officers ...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More

Saskatchewan

First facility in North Battleford
Funding allocated for Sask's upcoming forced addictions treatment program
The legislation that would underpin the Sask. government's forced addictions treatment plan has yet to pass, but money has been allocated in this week's budget for the first phase.According to Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr, that phase involves opening the province's first such facility in North Battle...
19m ago
Read More
Blitz
Police blitz on Northern Sask. highways takes 21 drivers off the roads
A five-day blitz by Saskatchewan RCMP officers in Northern Saskatchewan last week saw 21 drivers removed the roads.RCMP said in a news release on March 20 that the traffic safety initiative from March 11 to March 15 saw officers patrolling 2,400 kilometers of roads and highways.Police said officers stopped 90 drivers f...
19h ago
Read More
Budget reaction
Wildfire money in Saskatchewan budget isn't enough: Candle Lake fire chief
A fire chief who helped battle last year's devastating wildfires says he doesn't feel the funding in the Saskatchewan budget is enough to prepare communities for the upcoming fire season.Jim Arnold, chief of the Candle Lake fire department, helped defend the resort village from the flames as it was placed under a state...
19h ago
Read More
Financial transparency
FSIN ordered to pay over $28 million: audit
While signaling a near three week window to respond and provide documentation, Indigenous Services Canada has concluded their financial audit and has informed the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) they owe over $28 million dollars.The letter to the FSIN, dated March 13, is the latest update to a story t...
23h ago
Read More
Common goal: safer communities
"We're building capacity at all levels": Premier discusses future of policing, including Indigenous-led forces
While the province is investing in law enforcement capacity through additional police officers, First Nations leaders are weighing whether a community-based policing model could better address local needs.Premier Scott Moe said both approaches are ultimately aimed at the same goal: safer communities."What this is....
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
long-standing issue
Province cracks down on illegal outfitting
Legislative changes are coming that will make it harder for non-Saskatchewan outfitters to illegally do business in the province. Once passed, non-residents will only be able to buy three five-day term licenses to hunt game birds. One license can be used in the spring and two in the fall. "Over the past several ...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More

Local Sports

2-0 SERIES LEAD
Chaotic 3-2 win gives the North Stars a 2-0 series lead vs the Melfort Mustangs
For the second night in a row, the Battlefords North Stars survived a third period comeback attempt from the Melfort Mustangs took a 2-0 series lead after winning game two by a score of 3-2. Kaeden Serpa stopped 41 of 43 shots in the win, and has saved 81 of 85 combined in games one and two."Sigh of relief. I thou...
12h ago
Read More
SPHL FINALS
Meota Combines to play in winner take all Game 5 against Neilburg
The Sask. Prairie Hockey League (SPHL) season will come to an end on Sunday when the Meota Combines face off with the Neilburg Monarchs in Game 5 of the finals. After the Combines took down the Monarchs in Games 1 and 2, the Monarchs stormed back to win Games 3 and 4 to force a winner-take-all Game 5. Combines forward ...
23h ago
Read More
NORTH STARS TAKE GAME ONE
North Stars take 1-0 series lead with 4-2 win over the Melfort Mustangs
The Battlefords North Stars came out of the gate strong with a 4-2 win over the Melfort Mustangs to take a 1-0 series lead in the first round of the playoffs. North Stars goaltender Kaeden Serpa had 40 saves on 42 shots in the win. For the North Stars, it was huge to get the first win of the playoffs out of the way to ...
Mar 21, 2026
Read More
SJHL Playoffs
North Stars set for Game 1 vs the Melfort Mustangs
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) playoffs are finally upon us, and the Battlefords North Stars face off with the Melfort Mustangs in the opening round. The North Stars finished in the third seed in the SJHL with a 35-15-4-2. They finished the season strong with a couple straight wins over the Kindersley Kli...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
FERODUK CUP
Sharks hunting for first ever league championship against Swift Current
The Battlefords WPD Ambulance Sharks are back in the provincial finals for the second year in a row, which means another opportunity to win the Fedoruk Cup for the very first time in franchise history. After a season with just two losses combined through the regular season and playoffs, the Battlefords WPD Ambulance Sh...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
John Paul II to host 4A boys senior basketball provincials
With HOOPLA on the Horizon, the John Paul II Crusaders senior boys' basketball team is set to host their regional championships this coming weekend. It'll be their second year in a row hosting the regional tournament. Last year, the Crusaders finished third at regionals and after a bronze medal win at the North Battlef...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More

Canada

Public servant 'scared' to retire due to problems with Phoenix pay system
OTTAWA - A federal public servant says she's "scared" to take up the government's early retirement offer after being told that she owes the government about $10,500 because of a mistake in her pay file. Jennifer MacDougall got the letter from the pay ...
2h ago
Read More
'People are tired:' Canadians on humanitarian mission describe life in Cuba
Two Canadians on a humanitarian mission in Cuba say it's easier for locals to count the number of hours the lights are on than off. And when electricity is flowing, Leanne Isaak says Cubans can be seen scrambling to get as many tasks done as they can, ...
8h ago
Read More
Maritime historical groups earn UNESCO recognition for Black Loyalist archive
HALIFAX - Detailed ledgers, business receipts and church records from Black Loyalists in the 1780s and onward are more than just rich historical texts to Andrea Davis. "This is a part of my history... it means so much to us as a community," she said in a...
8h ago
Read More
Canadians living abroad looking to increase voter turnout ahead of byelections
OTTAWA - Canadians living abroad are calling for increased turnout among overseas voters and arguing that barriers to casting a ballot could be affecting election results. Timothy Veale, the director of Grits Abroad - an organization aimed at connectin...
8h ago
Read More
PBO nominee Annette Ryan enters spotlight at a pivotal time for federal finances
OTTAWA - Ottawa's nominee for federal fiscal watchdog will face questions from members of Parliament on Monday after a turbulent period for the budget office. Annette Ryan, a longtime public servant and currently a deputy director at Canada's financial...
8h ago
Read More
B.C. naturopath alleges suspects in Iran activist's murder sought to 'silence' him
VANCOUVER - An affidavit filed by Rosita Fatemi said her meeting with Arezou Soltani and Mehdi Ahmadzadeh Razavi took place in a parking lot in the Park Royal mall in West Vancouver, the heart of British Columbia's Iranian community. The document said ...
10h ago
Read More

World

Cuba's power grid collapses leaving it without electricity for the 3rd time this month
HAVANA (AP) - Cuba's power grid collapsed Saturday leaving the country without electricity for a third time in March as the communist government battles with a decaying infrastructure and a U.S.-imposed oil blockade. The Cuban Electric Un...
19h ago
Read More
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies
WASHINGTON (AP) - Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation's premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties...
Mar 21, 2026
Read More
Cuba refuses to let US Embassy in Havana import diesel for its generators
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Cuban government has refused a request by the U.S. Embassy in Havana to allow it to import diesel for its generators while the Trump administration continues to impose a fuel blockade on the island, two U.S. officials familiar wit...
Mar 21, 2026
Read More
Officials say at least 10 people were killed in a South Korean factory fire
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korean rescue workers on Saturday recovered 10 bodies from the charred wreckage of an auto parts factory in the central city of Daejeon, where a blaze likely triggered by an explosion injured at least 59 others and left ...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
As the US shifts missiles towards Iran, officials raise concerns of gaps in European air defenses
LONDON (AP) - A sizable number of U.S. Patriot air defense missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington diverts resources toward its war on Iran, leaving concerning gaps in Europe's air defenses against Russia, U.S. defense...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More
Guardians won't have to pay Clase, Ortiz while MLB continues gambling investigation and trial looms
NEW YORK (AP) - The Cleveland Guardians won't have to pay indicted pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz while Major League Baseball's investigation continues into allegations of pitch-rigging for gamblers. Ortiz was placed on paid leave last July 3 a...
Mar 20, 2026
Read More