Melfort was the scene of a major fundraising announcement Thursday, as the provincial and federal governments allocated more than $300-million towards critical housing infrastructure in Saskatchewan. The Canadian Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) is now accepting applications.The funds will give money to communities t...

As students prepare their back-to-school gear, so too is the North East School Division. Director of Education Stacy Lair said a new school year beginning is always exciting. The division has been working to sort out the transportation department as they were short mechanics, bus drivers, and buses. Lair said thankfull...

The Town of Nipawin hosted a group of Saskatoon residents looking to see if rural living better suits their needs. The visit was part of the Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan (CECS) initiative Rural Sask: Work Live and Thrive. General Manager of Community Services Derek Seckinger told no...

The former Mayor of Tisdale has issued a statement regarding his resignation.Roy Skoglund resigned as mayor effective last Thursday, and the Town issued a statement notifying the public of his decision Tuesday night. "After much consideration, I have made the difficult decision to resign as mayor for the Town of T...

Humboldt/Lanigan RCMP are investigating damage to a spray plane. Police say the plane was being used near Lanigan and Esk Aug. 10. When the plane landed, the pilot noticed damage to the right wing. Investigators say the damage looks like the wing was pierced by something small that could have been a bullet, but that ha...

A Forest Health Specialist with the Ministry of Environment is weighing in on the high number of Dutch Elm Disease (DED) cases in Melfort. The city hired a Dutch Elm Disease expert to inspect elm trees across Melfort, and his report indicated there were 127 infected trees. That is an increase from the 102 found in 2024...

The final local beach under an E. coli advisory has been cleared. Swimming is once again allowed at St. Brieux Beach after a follow-up test showed E. coli levels had dropped dramatically. Advisories for beaches at Wakaw Lake, LeRoy Leisureland, and Marean Lake were lifted on Friday. All four beaches were closed to swim...

Putting the fun in fundraising. The Melfort Food Bank is hosting an interesting fundraiser at Spruce Haven Park on Sept. 6. 'The Great Inflatable Costume Race' will pit participants in a race, but most importantly, they will also be collecting pledges for the Melfort Food Bank. Secretary Ellen Zuck told northeastNOW it...

A man charged with firearms-related offences after an incident on Red Earth Cree Nation has received his sentence. Jeff McKay of Red Earth will spend two years behind bars for discharging a firearm with intent and pointing a firearm. All other counts were stayed. Carrot River were called about an armed man on the reser...

The Ministry of Health is weighing in on recent E. coli advisories at local lakes. Samples taken at four local beaches Aug. 6 indicated high levels of E. coli and swimming was prohibited. Since then, beaches at Wakaw Lake, LeRoy Leisureland, and Marean Lake have been given the all-clear after follow-up samples from Aug...

A traffic stop in Red Wing on Wednesday ended in positive results for Prince Albert RCMP and a less positive outcome for the people in the vehicle. Officers were doing proactive patrols on Aug. 13 around 3 p.m. when they pulled over a car in a parking lot in the small community north of the city. A loaded sawed-off rif...

This year's Dutch Elm Disease (DED) survey in Melfort is out, and the news is not good. The City hired a Dutch Elm expert again this year to inspect local trees to see if they have the disease. Infected ones have been marked with a ring around them, either spray-painted or tied with a red ribbon.Director of Community S...

A fun and unique event to highlight Indigenous culture. The Marguerite Riel Centre is hosting Family Culture Camp Aug. 25 through 28. The camp will be held at Camp Tawow at Candle Lake, and is open to anyone. Transportation, accomodation, and meals are also free of charge. Children must be over the age of three, and be...

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is reminding the public to register to become an organ and tissue donor. You may not be aware that the process to do so has changed in recent years. The Saskatchewan Organ and Tissue Donor Registry was established almost five years ago, and signing up to become a donor has change...

Two men face charges after separate incidents in the Wadena area. The first happened Aug. 6., when Wadena RCMP stopped a vehicle in Kylemore. The driver didn't stop for police and pulled into a driveway where he refused to comply with officers' directions. The driver was soon arrested and during a search of the man, th...

The 19-year-old man who was shot and killed by RCMP officers near Deschambault Lake had pointed a gun in their direction right before he was shot, according to an update by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) on Thursday. Two members of the Deschambault Lake RCMP detachment were approaching a group o...

A man originally charged with second-degree murder in a death on the Yellow Quill First Nation last summer has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Cole Smokeyday of Yellow Quill was sentenced at Melfort Court of King's Bench for his role in the death of Terrance Tony-Kishayinew on Aug. 18, 2024. The defence and Crown pr...

The two people accused in a break-and-enter and assault case in Nipawin earlier this year will be tried together. Thirty-six-year-old Scott McKay of Red Earth Cree Nation and 33-year-old Noreen Head will have their trial begin in Nipawin Sept. 29. The two face several charges, including break-and-enter, assault, witnes...

Some concerning numbers from the Fire Department's Monthly Report at this week's council meeting in Nipawin. The July Fire Department report revealed a disturbing month as it relates to needles in the community. There were 2568 sharps removed from the community last month alone, bringing the yearly total to 3427. Two o...

It's another step closer to preservation of Melfort's Historic Post Office. The aging facility was built well over 100 years ago, and a local initiative hopes to get more quality years from the historic building. Council in Melfort unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Historic Post Office A...

A new display at the Melfort Museum looks back thousands of years. The Bison Bones display is set up and the public is invited to take a look. Curator Brenda Mellon told northeastNOW the museum was fortunate to receive the collection of bison bones from Peter Burns, who came across the bones while out on the North Sask...

A man and woman arrested in Deschambault Lake following a shooting incident with RCMP that saw another man killed, have had bail hearings set. Earl Ballantyne and Sherri Custer will be back in front of a judge on August 18 in Pelican Narrows Provincial Court. Ballantyne's new charges were read out in court as he sat in...

Youth reigned supreme at the 37th annual Saskatchewan Premier's Walleye Cup on the weekend. A team of brothers with a combined age of 33 won the two-day event on Tobin Lake at Nipawin and District Regional Park. Winston Stockdale and his brother Will, aged 18 and 15 respectively, were the grand prize winners. The Regin...

Four local beaches are off limits to swimming after elevated levels of E-coli were found in water samples. Swimming has been halted at the main beach of Wakaw Lake Regional Park, St. Brieux beach, the beach at Marean Lake, and LeRoy Leisureland's main beach and pool area. (St. Brieux Regional Park and Golf Course/Faceb...

RCMP have released more information about the officer-involved shooting in Deschambault Lake yesterday. Police said that at 8:41 a.m., two Deschambault Lake RCMP officers came across five people gathered in a wooded area near the community. During the encounter, a confrontation sparked between the officers and one of t...

The rebuilding of some parts of Northern Saskatchewan is well underway after wildfires devastated some regions earlier this summer. One of the hardest hit parts of the province was Narrow Hills Provincial Park, roughly 70 km northeast of Candle Lake, where the massive Shoe fire torched much of the area at the beginning...

City of Melfort crews will be out checking roads and catch basins over the next couple of days. A rainfall warning is in effect and upwards of 75 mm could fall in the northeast by the time the system leaves early Sunday. Director of Public Works Kalyna Cipywnyk told northeastNOW that anyone with concerns about water dr...

The investigation is underway into a fatal officer-involved shooting in Deschambault Lake. RCMP say the incident happened Friday morning, and they are unable to publicly identify or provide further information about the deceased person as it is an unfolding situation. The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SI...