Gov of Sask news release
The Trans-Canada Highway in southwest Saskatchewan has re-opened to traffic following recent flooding in the area.
“In many cases our crews and contractors have been working full-out and around the clock to get this important highway re-opened,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Jim Reiter said. “I sincerely thank them for their outstanding effort.”
Motorists are advised that Highway 1 will now operate as a two-lane highway for about 3 km. For west-bound traffic, the two-lane section starts about 2 km west of the Highway 21 junction. For east-bound traffic, …

-PRESS RELEASE from the Town of Maple Creek

state of emergency still in effect

The Town of Maple Creek would like to tell people that the dams did not rupture.   Several roads and bridges have been damaged, so please pay attention to road signs.
The clean up process has started.  Volunteers have been going to each house and registering people.  If you have not been registered, please go to the Legion Hall, or if you can’t get there, you can call the Town Office at 662-2244.
If you …

The banks of the Maple Creek have spilled over. All trailer courts are on alert and/or evacuated. The Maple Creek Hospital is reporttedly beign evacuated.
The Legion, Armoury, as well as the Salvation Army Hall are all being used to house evacuees.
The Badger is on the scene and will continue to monitor and record the details. Check for updates.

By Sheri Monk
Over 100 residents attended a meeting last Tuesday (June at Leader with NDP health critic Judy Junor, pleading for the politician to bring attention to the healthcare crisis. As of May 31, the Leader Hospital was closed to inpatient care, emergency service and anything other than routine services during normal business hours until further notice.

By Sheri Monk
Approximately 400 people attended a meeting at the Leader Community Hall May 27 to learn about the loss of the community’s use of the hospital.
As of May 31, the hospital will not provide emergency services, accept admissions or remain open 24 hours per day. Instead, it will be open during business hours for pre-booked services such as dressing changes, blood pressure checks, etc., as well as lab and X-ray services. Home care, community health services and long-term care are unaffected by the changes.

The Cypress Hills received approximately 12″ of snow over the weekend and now, the saturated area is expecting 50 mm of rain before tomorrow (May 25) morning.
The rainfall warning issued by Environment Canada extends east to Shaunavon and south to Val Marie.

By Sheri Monk
While a couple of inches of rain might not make the front page of any big city newspaper, it’s a different story in the Southwest.
Some areas have an average amount of moisture in the ground and for some, average is a whole lot better when stacked up against recent years.
“It’s well over the banks already and it was up another three feet this morning when I left to go into town,” said Art Unsworth of Bear Creek near Piapot.
Though not near the flood levels of 1996, Unsworth says Piapot …

By Sheri Monk
Smoke billowed out of the building at 40 Pacific Avenue on April 2 just after 8 p.m., turning a holiday into Black Friday for at least two businesses and one resident made homeless as a result of the blaze.
Seven hours later, all that remained of Maple Plumbing and Heating, Pacific Avenue Dental and the upstairs apartment was a pile of smouldering rubble.

The Badger has learned that the man arrested at a Hutterite Colony last weekend created a false identity – possibly to attract potential victims met on the Internet.
“He basically uses dating websites to cherry pick women who are in a more vulnerable sort of state. He gives them all kinds of bullshit – he’s a pilot, that he’s in the military, that he’s a widower – to play on sympathy,” said the family source close to 40-year-old  Keith Currie and who doesn’t want to be named publicly for fear of retribution.

By Sheri Monk
A man who followed a Tompkins woman home from work and caused area schools to be locked down on Friday was finally captured by police. RCMP arrested the 40-year-old Keith Currie on Friday, after he somehow escaped capture at Tompkins on Thursday. Prior to his March 19 arrest, the school division was allegedly advised to keep children indoors in the event the suspect was intent on abduction. The man is answering several sexual charges in Ontario, including sexual assault with a weapon.
“The school emailed me the police bulletin and …