Olds News

Olds town council has approved spending $115,493.55 to replace the Olds Fire Department's inventory of self-contained breathing apparatuses. That money covers half of the purchase, with Mountain View County contributing the remaining balance.

Entrepreneur and well-known CBC Dragons' Den member Arlene Dickinson will headline the 14th Annual Olds College 'Growing the Legacy' Gala, which takes place April 7 at the Ralph Klein Centre.

Olds RCMP are investigating a break-in to the Easyhome furniture rental/leasing store in Cornerstone. The break-in occurred at about 5:30 a.m.

Despite some councillors' insistence that the 57 Avenue and Highway 27 intersection poses a danger to public safety, council opted not to include advanced green turning signals there, budgeted at $90,000, in its capital plan this year.

Retired Bowden chief administrative officer Andy Weiss has received a parting gift from town council. During the Jan. 25 town council meeting, Mayor Robb Stuart presented Weiss with a plaque thanking him for his service to the community.

Council further trimmed its 2016 capital budget before passing an amended version unanimously at its Jan. 25 meeting. The town's 2016 capital budget totals $4,524,590.

Here's one of the concerns raised in the news in Olds 100 years ago in the Olds Gazette: "Again it becomes necessary to call attention to the uselessness of the town pump, which, at the present time, cannot even wheeze.

Residential and commercial water and wastewater (sewage) consumption rates in Olds are rising, starting next month. Water rates are rising by five cents per cubic metre and wastewater rates are increasing by 20 cents a cubic metre.

As the federal government scrambles to settle the flood of Syrian refugees into Canada, a Didsbury and Carstairs sponsorship group has agreed to change the family it welcomes to Mountain View County.

The next Home Routes house concert will bring an old-time fiddle duo to Olds on Feb. 5. Spencer & Rains is made up of Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer. Rains grew up in Texas and Spencer, in Kansas.