Battlefords News-Optimist

The 34th SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, after a year-long wait, returns this summer with four headlining artists that includes Juno Award winners Wide Mouth Mason. The festival, cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set from Aug.

Saskatchewan has 340 active cases of COVID-19 as of Saturday, an increase of 28 over yesterday and up from 262 a week ago . There was one death reported, in the North Central zone, bringing total deaths to 578.

Between the evening of July 22, and the early morning hours of July 23 culprits stole three coin machines that operated the showers at Del Frari Park in Maidstone. Maidstone RCMP are seeking information related to this crime.

RCMP are asking the public to be on the lookout for a silver 2005 Pontiac Pursuit that was stolen from the Meadow Lake area in the first week of July.

The North American Chuckwagon Championship wrapped up nine days of competition on Monday night in Lloydminster with Logan Gorst taking the title.

Heritage Day was always spent with my dad. He’d put on his best cowboy hat and we’d drive to Weaver Park in Lloydminster, where we’d spend the afternoon looking at exhibits from a bygone era.

A fire ban has been called for the RM of Battle River No. 438 due to the dry, hot, conditions and severe fire risk. The ban goes into effect immediately.

Severe thunderstorms developed in southeastern Saskatchewan late Thursday afternoon to the evening due to a trough of low pressure. The weather, however, did not cause any major damage at the Battlefords Provincial Park.

Vaccines Reported An additional 8,204 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 1,374,210.

A man who was involved in a 15-minute armed standoff with RCMP and escaped police custody has avoided jail time.