Southwest Booster Staff

Ten of the 11 scouts working for the Swift Current Broncos this season will be entering their first campaign identifying players for the defending Western Hockey League champions. Yesterday, the Broncos announced on their website they have named the new scouting staff who will be working with newly hired Broncos Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Dean Brockman. The lone...

The Chinook Power Station is still over a year away from being completed, but the project recently reached a series of important milestones. Back on August 7, power was successfully brought to the station just outside of Swift Current, allowing functional tests to be performed at the site. This week also marked one million hours of work being completed on the...

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan has asked the federal government for a 2018 Livestock Tax Deferral Program for all Saskatchewan producers who cannot feed their livestock due to lack of feed and poor pasture conditions. “Two extremely dry years have left some of our producers with no choice but to sell some of their herds because hay is not...

Southern Saskatchewan endured back-to-back days of record heat during the final two days of a memorable August heatwave. The communities of Val Marie, Assiniboia, and Broadview all set all time record highs on Saturday, August 11, while extreme heat enveloped Western Canada. Val Marie rose to an all time record high of 40.9 Celsius on Saturday to edge past the previous...

A trio of Southern communities reached the 40 Celsius mark during a record setting hot August 10. While a total of 18 Saskatchewan communities set new daytime records highs, Friday’s extreme heat was most potent in the South. Both Maple Creek and Assiniboia reached a scorching 40.1 Celsius, while Swift Current climbed to 40.0 Celsius. Maple Creek’s new record of 40.1...

Six new summer heat records were the main contributing factors in the new summer power demand record recorded by SaskPower on Thursday. On August 9 Saskatchewan established a new summer peak record of electrical consumption, reaching 3,520 megawatts of electricity consumption, breaking the previous summer record of 50 megawatts. The additional consumption is the equivalent amount of electricity needed for...

Lumsden-Morse MLA Lyle Stewart is stepping down from his duties as Saskatchewan’s Minister of Agriculture to focus on his battle with cancer. Stewart will continue in his duties as MLA, but will relinquish his responsibilities for his cabinet position in order to focus on his health. “I was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer and will be undergoing several months of pretty...

A five-day search for a missing hiker at the Grasslands National Park came to a tragic end on Monday, August 6. Ponteix RCMP reported that Donald Stoliker, 63, was located deceased south of Grasslands National Park. The death of the Newburgh, Ontario man is not considered suspicious, but an investigation is ongoing with the assistance of the Provincial Coroner’s Office. Stoliker...

Environment Canada is forecasting a week of sizzling temperatures in Saskatchewan, with the mercury reaching 30 degrees Celsius and higher for the entire week. Earlier this morning Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for all of Southern Saskatchewan advising that a prolonged period of extreme heat is possible later in the week. The forecast highs for Swift Current and...

A search is still ongoing for a missing hiker last seen in the Grasslands National Park on August 1. Don Stoliker, 63, has not been seen since Wednesday, and Parks Canada is continuing their search efforts along with partners including the RCMP, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA), and local volunteers. They are searching by foot, vehicle, air, and...