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Battlefords

Cockrill's Gaff
Cockrill apologizes for 'first-born' comments during Question Period
Battlefords MLA and Minister for Education Jeremy Cockrill is under fire for comments he made to a mother whose daughter passed away last year due to medical complications. During Question Period, MLA for Regina University Aleana Young shared a story about her constituent Taya Thomas coming to the legislature for a mee...
8h ago
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Fond Memories
North Stars' 20-year-olds reflect on junior hockey experience: Part 1
With the conclusion of their 2023-24 season, the Battlefords North Stars say goodbye to another class of 20-year-old players, who will graduate from the junior hockey ranks and move on to the next chapter, bringing with them many stories and memories from their time donning the North Stars' crest.#10 Riley GirodWhole-h...
12h ago
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CUPE Rally
Heathcare workers rally for better wages, retention
On a cold, blustery day, a group of healthcare workers came together outside the Battlefords Union Hospital with a message of alarm. "That challenge in terms of recruitment and retention...it has to do with the daily battle of our members - that is the rising cost of living," said Bashir Jalloh, president of ...
Apr 18, 2024
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DUTY TO CONSULT
First Nations leaders decry Sask. Party's neglect of Duty to Consult framework
Several Saskatchewan First Nations are calling out the Sask. Party for ignoring the Duty to Consult process.On Wednesday morning NDP Critic for First Nations and Métis Relations Betty Nippi-Albright, was joined by First Nations leaders and the residential school support team from Yorkton Tribal Council to draw a...
Apr 17, 2024
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Battlefords Volleyball Club
13U BVC Impact take provincial silver in Warman
The Battlefords Volleyball Club's 13U Team Impact is coming off a silver medal showing to cap their season at provincials in Warman. Playing seven matches total at the weekend tournament, the Impact showed resiliency on their road to the podium, bouncing back from three-set defeats to Saskatoon's Huskie Premier team (2...
Apr 17, 2024
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Spirit Group
Battleford Community Spirit Group needs members to stay open
Have a drive to help bring people together? The Battleford Community Spirit Group wants you. "They follow their motto which is 'Building a better community together,'" said President Kelly Halstead. She explained it was a friend of hers that brought her into the group last year when she first moved to the tow...
Apr 17, 2024
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Saskatchewan

Community support
Arts mentorship program receives $700K boost
A program that brings music education to remote and underserved communities in Saskatchewan, is receiving a big financial boost. The Community Arts Mentorship Program (CAMP) has been named the first recipient of the Downie - Wenjack Blanket Fund Capacity Building Grant - and will receive $175,000 per year for four year...
9h ago
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NEW HORIZONS
New aircraft bringing more capacity, flights to northern Sask.
It's not every day that a new airplane brings plenty of excitement, but for those who travel to the far north of Saskatchewan, it means more open doors and opportunities for the region. Last week, Rise Air announced it added a second ATR 42-500 aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop plane to its fleet. CEO of Rise Air Derek...
10h ago
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SELF GOVERNANCE
Métis groups will trudge on toward self-government as bill faces another setback
Métis organizations in Ontario and Alberta say they'll stay on the path toward self-government, despite the uncertain future of a contentious bill meant to do just that. The Métis Nation - Saskatchewan withdrew its support Wednesday for federal legislation designed to recognize Métis governments in...
13h ago
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Teachers response
Bargaining went nowhere, STF says. Teachers to vote on latest offer
Whether Saskatchewan teachers will accept the deal offered by the province is up in the air.At a virtual news conference on Wednesday morning, Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte said that despite high hopes last week, the offer from the province did not address the STF's concerns. She ad...
14h ago
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Saskatchewan invests $300K in agricultural manufacturing initiative
The Saskatchewan government is helping the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC) as it tries to grow the workforce in that sector.The province announced Thursday it had invested $300,000 to help the AMC create a mobile, virtual-reality skills lab. The lab is to visit school campuses and community events to promote...
15h ago
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Bootcut
Bahamas goes country before country-wide tour
Afie Jurvanen, also known as Bahamas, is leaning into country music with his recently released album Bootcut - a fresh collection of songs on an upcoming tour through Canada, starting in the West.Rolling Stone magazine recently hailed Nova Scotia-based Jurvanen for creating one of Nashville's most authentic country rec...
16h ago
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Local Sports

Fond Memories
North Stars' 20-year-olds reflect on junior hockey experience: Part 1
With the conclusion of their 2023-24 season, the Battlefords North Stars say goodbye to another class of 20-year-old players, who will graduate from the junior hockey ranks and move on to the next chapter, bringing with them many stories and memories from their time donning the North Stars' crest.#10 Riley GirodWhole-h...
12h ago
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Battlefords Volleyball Club
13U BVC Impact take provincial silver in Warman
The Battlefords Volleyball Club's 13U Team Impact is coming off a silver medal showing to cap their season at provincials in Warman. Playing seven matches total at the weekend tournament, the Impact showed resiliency on their road to the podium, bouncing back from three-set defeats to Saskatoon's Huskie Premier team (2...
Apr 17, 2024
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Mr. Volleyball
Wayne Hellquist reflects on induction to Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame
There are few names across Saskatchewan as synonymous with the sport of volleyball as Wayne Hellquist. A longtime president of the Saskatchewan Volleyball Association, who also served as Volleyball Representative to the Canadian Olympic Committee for two decades, and Chef de Mission for the National Paralympic Team at ...
Apr 17, 2024
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Joins defending-champion, Mariners
North Stars' Burgeson commits to Vancouver Island University
Battlefords North Stars forward, Hunter Burgeson is headed to the west coast for the next chapter in his hockey journey, having recently announced his commitment to the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL). The move out west brings with it some familia...
Apr 15, 2024
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2023-24 Team Awards
North Stars celebrate best of season with year-end awards
The Battlefords North Stars held their annual year-end team awards banquet Friday at the Access Communications Centre, giving the players, staff, families and billets one last chance to come together to celebrate the best of the 2023-24 hockey season. Kian Bell, who this season became the first player in SJHL history t...
Apr 13, 2024
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International Hardware
Local football player wins OneWorld Bowl Games in Germany
North Battleford's Keaten Osicki is coming off a trip of a lifetime, winning an international championship at the 2024 OneWorld Bowl Games, with the Sask Selects varsity football team in Emsdetten, Germany.The tournament marked the first time going overseas to compete on the gridiron for Osicki, currently a Grade 11 st...
Apr 12, 2024
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Canada

In the news today: New attempt to save stranded orca
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today... Rescue team gears up for new attempt to save orca A large seine fishing vessel capable of casting a net strong enough to hold a nearly 700-kilogram killer whale calf has arrived in Zeballos, B.C., to...
33m ago
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Bigger boats, more nets, people arrive in Zeballos, B.C., for new orca rescue attempt
ZEBALLOS, B.C. - A large seine fishing vessel capable of casting a net strong enough to hold a nearly 700-kilogram killer whale calf has arrived in Zeballos, B.C., to participate in the latest attempt to rescue the young orca stranded in a remote tidal lagoon. The flat-bottom aluminum vessel has a built-in crane-like d...
45m ago
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Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
OTTAWA - Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Guilbeault is taking the stand after Tuesday's federal budget promised to amend the Financial Administration...
47m ago
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Officer says B.C. hostage was lying on top of captor before police gunfire erupted
BURNABY, B.C. - The first police officer to enter a room where a woman was being held hostage in 2019 has told a B.C. coroner's inquest that he saw her lying on a bed on top of her captor, who was holding a knife to her throat with a gun in his other hand. Cpl. Chris Dibblee told the inquest jury that he almost immedia...
9h ago
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Thousands of short-term rentals in B.C. go back to long-term May 1: B.C. government
LANGLEY, B.C. - British Columbia Premier David Eby says his government is tilting the rules towards families who need a home, and speculators should invest in that instead of short-term rentals and houses to flip. Eby made his comments today in advance of the rule changes on May 1 that limit short-term rental units to...
12h ago
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Speaker of Ontario legislature stands by keffiyeh ban; Ford, opposition seek reversal
TORONTO - The Speaker of Ontario's legislature is standing by a ruling that bans people in the building from wearing keffiyehs, which he says are being worn to make a political statement, even after the premier and all opposition parties asked him to reverse it. The legislature has a long-standing rule that members can...
14h ago
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World

2 suspects detained in Poland after last month's attack on a Navalny ally in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) - Two people have been detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Russian opposition activist Leonid Volkov, an ally of the late activist Alexei Navalny, the Lithuanian president announced on Friday. Volkov was attacked in March outside his home in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, where he liv...
34m ago
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The Latest | Iran fires air defense batteries and diverts flights after explosions
Iran fired air defense batteries Friday and some flights were diverted or grounded after reports of explosions near a major airbase and nuclear site where drones were spotted. It was unclear if the country was under attack, but tensions are high after Iran's unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel. The Israeli...
3h ago
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The Latest | Iran says air defense batteries fire after explosions reported near major air base
Iran fired air defense batteries Friday reports of explosions near a major air base at the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. It remained unclear if the country was under attack, but tensions remain high after Iran's unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel. The Israeli military did not i...
4h ago
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Flights divert around western Iran as one report claims explosions heard near Isfahan
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Commercial flights began diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran without explanation as one semiofficial news agency in the Islamic Republic claimed there had been "explosions" heard over the city of Isfahan. The incident comes as tensions remain high i...
6h ago
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India starts voting in the world's largest election as Modi seeks a third term as prime minister
NEW DELHI (AP) - Millions of Indians began voting Friday in a six-week election that's a referendum on Narendra Modi, the populist prime minister who has championed an assertive brand of Hindu nationalist politics and is seeking a rare third term as the country's leader. Over 970 million voters will elect 543 members f...
7h ago
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Lawyers for Nassar assault survivors have reached $100M deal with Justice Department, AP source says
The U.S. Justice Department has agreed to pay approximately $100 million to settle claims with about 100 people who say they were sexually assaulted by sports doctor Larry Nassar, a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The deal has not been finalized, and no money has...
11h ago
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