By Connie Burton
Five local athletes at the midget level were invited to join Team Southwest for the Saskatchewan Winter Games held at Moose Jaw from Feb. 14-20, 2010, simultaneous to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games Feb. 12-28, 2010.

By Sheri Monk
Shaunavon, a bustling, thriving town nestled in relative isolation from larger urban centres, was hit with an overdose of the city life on March 3 after an attempted armed robbery at the Rexall drugstore.
The Tuesday morning incident happened at 10:03. A lone male wearing a mask approached the pharmacy counter with a knife.
But before he could make any demands, he was scared off.
“The bottom line is, he was spooked. They (staff behind the counter) would have started yelling. Obviously there was a bit of a panic and I …

By Sheri Monk
The Leader and District Make a Splash Fund received a $50,000 cash infusion from Sandhills Credit Union last week.
To date, a total of $265,000 has been committed – the committee wants to raise $700.000.
“The basin is cracked. We had it sandblasted and painted five years ago and it helped prolong the life a little bit, but now last year, it had that problem again,” explained Jackie Mertin, speaking on behalf of the committee.
The new pool may be bigger than the existing facility and will feature a beach …

Irene Florence Winzer, born April 20, 1929 to Henry and Lydia Biederman, passed away peacefully with family at her side on November 14, 2009.
Irene is predeceased by her parents, Lydia (1978) and Henry (1980); two sisters, Alma Louise who died in infancy and Edna Hostland in 2008; a baby brother in infancy, as well as Edwin (1965) and Fred (1997).
Irene was raised on the family farm north of Maple Creek attending school at Northridge until its closure at which time she attended the Galaway School. At the young age of …

By Sheri Monk
The new Cypress Credit Union building under construction at Maple Creek will not feature brick as included in original designs, but will be entirely stucco.

By Sheri Monk
With Valentine’s Day fresh on the minds and wallets of couples everywhere, fresh flowers still grace the counters of kitchens the world over.

By Sheri Monk
North of the river hills, past the transition of grazing land into fertile farmland is the town of Eatonia, nestled in a comfortable, somewhat isolated quiet between Leader and Kindersley.

By Sheri Monk
On Feb. 8, CEO of Cypress Health Region Jim Hornell announced his resignation to accept a position in healthcare in Ontario. On Feb. 12, a deal for a new healthcare facility at Maple Creek offering increased services was announced after months of negotiations and temporary impasses. On Feb. 10, between the major announcements, a grief-struck woman with years of healthcare service experience granted The Badger an interview in an effort to illuminate what she believes must be done to save the system and ultimately, its patients.
When Brenda Andreas …

By Sheri Monk
A Leader-area man has been charged with three counts of possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of unregistered firearms and unsafe storage of firearms.

By Sheri Monk
Aigul Fritzke, owner of Maple Creek’s MC Nail, took her skills to a higher level last month with a celebrity makeup artist.