Janice Huser

From the annual Pow Wow Days in Lac La Biche to the Haying in the 30's fundraiser in Mallaig, the Lakeland region is in for a busy long weekend.

A media conference on July 29 that focused on a provincial-federal partnership to support new housing in Alberta resulted in talk about immigration, and the current situation where hundreds of international Portage College graduates are having trouble securing Post-Graduation Work Permits.

Tier 2 and 3 Lakeland FC soccer teams travelled to Lethbridge and Calgary to take part in Alberta Soccer Association provincials, Aug. 7 to 9.

Alberta Health Services has issued water quality advisories for three lakes in the Bonnyville and St. Paul areas following the detection of elevated bacteria levels.

It has been a busy summer for youth soccer in the Lakeland, with six local teams recently competing in Tier 2 and Tier 3 provincial championships.

Health officials are advising the public that contact with or ingestion of water at three Lakeland beaches could lead to gastrointestinal illness or infections.

From mastering lunch containers to establishing new sleep routines, local families are busy preparing for the upcoming school year.

With nearly 290,000 special ballots already requested, provincial election officials are adjusting timelines to handle the high volume of mail-in voting.

A storm on Aug. 24 caused a temporary shutdown of the Town of St. Paul’s ozone treatment system, leading to aesthetic water issues for some residents. Smell and taste issues are still being noted by some residents.

Excessive rainfall this spring has left some local gardeners facing stunted crops and overgrown weeds as the harvest season approaches.