St. Paul News

Jim Wirsta has been driving the St. Paul Action Bus for over two decades, but as of today, he will be leaving the seat he sat in for the past 25 years, and looking to retirement.

Although the number of babies born in Alberta hit an all-time high in 2012, with 52,398 births, St. Paul saw a slight decrease in babies born at the local hospital, with 220 births in 2012, compared to 239 in 2011.

Following a recent move to Nashville, it appears that local musician Brett Kissel is finding success in the music industry. The 22-year old country singer from Flat Lake has signed with the well-known record label Warner Music.

Members of the Saddle Lake Community Cadet Corps experienced the trip of a lifetime earlier this month, as 18 cadets took on an exchange trip with the Brooklyn Youth Marine Corps from April 28 to May 5.

Portage College recently appointed Paul Pelletier as the new dean of food sciences, and he said he is thrilled to move into the completion stage of the project after 12 years of involvement.

Town of St. Paul residents will see a slight increase in taxes this year, despite council holding the line on its municipal mill rate. Council passed the 2013 budget on May 13.

As of Monday afternoon, the St. Paul Fire Department and the County of St. Paul issued a fire ban following a residential blaze that severely damaged a yard and caused serious concern in the Lafond area on Sunday evening.

This year’s Enerflex MS Walk saw a groundswell of support coming from all corners of the Lakeland, and converging in St. Paul on Saturday.

Local RCMP were called to Hwy 652, east of Saddle Lake Cree Nation, on the morning of May 4 when a highway clean-up crew leader saw what was believed to be a person laying in a ditch. The leader called police and RCMP found the male to be deceased.

The County of St. Paul held its annual general meeting on May 2, with nearly 30 people taking the time to listen to a brief overview of the county’s audited financial statements and taking part in a question and answer period with council.