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Religious freedom vs. ‘gray water’: What to know about the ruling favoring Minnesota Amish families who shun septic tanks

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

By MARGERY A. BECK and STEVE KARNOWSKIlong-running religious freedom case has come full circle, with a court ruling this week that a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota cannot be threatened with the loss of homes if its members don’t install septic systems to dispose of their bath, laundry and dish water.The state Court of Appeals on Monday found that members of the Swartzentruber Amish community in southeastern Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of “gray water,” which is dirty water left from dishwashing, laundry, bathing, and other tasks not involving toilet waste. Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed court rulings that had required the group to install septic tanks.The Supreme Court ruling said governments can infringe on sincerely held religious beliefs only as a last resort and sent the case back to Minnesota, where the appellate panel ruled that state and local officials “failed to demonstrate a compelling state interest” to ...

Are schools overstepping their boundaries on gender identity issues?

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

Progressives confidently contend that schools need not ask or inform parents about matters involving their child’s “gender identity” at school.Let’s try a thought experiment.Imagine the issue is religious identity rather than gender identity. Imagine that Canadian public schools teach children that they have souls. Imagine that select staff at every school are dedicated to ensuring the school is a safe space for spiritual exploration. Imagine that schools host special clubs for students to explore their spirituality. These clubs host guest speakers from outside of the school. Imagine that some students change their religious identity and adopt new names for themselves, which staff and students must use.Imagine that for some school activities, students are grouped with others who similarly spiritually self-identify. And imagine that students’ religious self-identification at school and participation in these clubs is kept secret from parents because “children don’t need parents’ perm...

Lethbridge County formalizes asset retirement policy

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsLethbridge County has adopted a policy concerning asset retirement obligations (AROs) as outlined by the Public Sector Accounting Standards Board, (PSAB) Section 3280. This PSAB regulation was first issued in Aug. 2018 and will come into effect for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2022.PSAB Section 3280 is applicable to entities in the public sector which adhere to the Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS). County administration held discussions on this standard in the spring of 2023 with the County’s auditors KPMG. Lethbridge County’s, director of finance and administration, Jennifer Place said administration will continue work to ensure the timely implementation of ARO reporting for the financial statements for 2023, adding that administration is working with a third-party to assess the AROs and determine the associated costs for reporting purposes. A budget of $50,000 was previously approved for this initiative, utilizing MSI operati...

Coaldale exploring dog park accessibility options

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsImproving accessibility to the local dog park will be discussed during Coaldale’s budget deliberation for 2024.During their regular June 26 meeting, Coaldale town council discussed options to improve accessibility to the local dog park. The Off Leash Dog Park is one of Coaldale’s most well-used parks. Recent development in neighbouring amenities, such as the rehabilitation of the Owls Nest Campground and the new Mountain Bike Park, have helped increase usage at the dog park.However, in order to access the dog park, a person would need to park on 20th Avenue and either go down one of two large staircases located on the north side of the park or use the pathway system to access an east-end gate and walk down a lower grad hill into the park. All three current access points are not ideal for those with disabilities or those with declining health.In a 2021 report, the Town of Coaldale Accessibility Working Group proposed two options to improve the space  ...

Micro Flower Farm in Lethbridge County Brings Beauty to Business

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsSurrounded by canola, wheat, corn, and sugar beets, micro flower farmer Jen Mulder of “Jen’s Backyard Blooms” is capitalizing on an ornamental cash crop through a successful subscription-based floral service.Mulder lives and works on a small one-acre parcel of land in Lethbridge County. Although Mulder sells a limited amount of product for wholesale, Jen’s Backyard Blooms primarily grows specialty flowers for sale through a subscription model. Customers who subscribe receive multiple, seasonal, and curated bouquets for a flat rate if they opt in at the beginning of the season. Mulder launched the business during the height of COVID-19 and has since amassed a social media following of nearly 2,000 people.“My business started in 2020. Basically, we moved to an acreage a few years before that, and we started with a vegetable garden. I quickly realized I loved growing things but not so much taking care of all the vegetables a...

Road closure bylaw for Civic Square laneway

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsCoaldale council is considering options related to the closure of laneway sections near Civic Square, which are expected to assist with the development of the outdoor gathering space in Coaldale’s downtown, behind the new Civic Square building.   During their regular June 26 meeting, Coaldale town council discussed Road Closure Bylaw 867-P-03-23, which would see the closure of two sections of developed laneways, located between 18th and 19th Avenue, south of 21st Street. The Town wants to close the laneways to help facilitate the future development of the Civic Square outdoor space.If the road closure bylaw is approved and the closure of the laneway sections proceed, they will then be merged into the adjacent town-owned land.“This road closure bylaw conforms with council’s direction to proceed with the development of Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the Civic Square project. By closing these portions of road and consolidating the land with adjacent parcels, de...

County approves up to $250k for desludging at Shaughnessy lagoon

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsLethbridge County Council has approved an additional operating expenditure budget of up to $250,000 in order to move forward quickly with wastewater lagoon desludging in the hamlet of Shaughnessy.Recently, wastewater lagoons within Lethbridge County underwent a third-party hydrological survey to determine the level of sludge accumulation. This survey revealed that in Shaughnessy,  the main collection cells of the lagoon system are filled beyond their capacity, resulting in the system not functioning as intended. According to surveys results, Shaughnessy is the only area requiring attention at this time, but was identified as requiring immediate maintenance due to “significant sludge build-up” in the wastewater collection lagoons.Director of public operations for Lethbridge County, Jeremy Wickson, noted during the July 6 County council meeting that it is crucial to complete this cleaning this year, and cautioned that any delay in the desludging work co...

Picture Butte to bring back Terry Fox Run

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsThe Town of Picture Butte will see the return of a Terry Fox Run this fall.For many years, the event has not been held in the town, however a delegation was made to council during the June 26 regular meeting requesting Council’s support in bringing the event back to town.Resident and event organizer, Sarah van Gunst told council the run, which occurs as a means to fundraise for cancer research, has not been run in Picture Butte, “in quite a long time,” adding, “we are really interested to bring it back to Picture Butte.” The proposed date of the event is Saturday, Sept. 23.As is the case with all Terry Fox events, proceeds raised are all donated to thee Terry Fox Foundation where it is then invested into cancer research.“What we are here (for) today is to just communicate with the Town of Picture Butte and gain your support in hosting this run.”Council was told the event would not require the authorization of any road closures and would utilize the To...

Apprentice from Lethbridge County named Canada’s Top Heavy Vehicle Tech

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsHaling from Lethbridge County, local heavy vehicle apprentice, Walter Loedeman has been named the best heavy vehicle tech in Canada.Loedeman, who is about to be a fourth-year apprentice in the Heavy Equipment Technology program at Lethbridge College has already taken home gold medals in the provincial Skills Alberta.Loedeman is currently employed full-time as he works toward graduating from the apprentice program at Lethbridge College, is keen on working with heavy vehicles.“Basically, within the the heavy vehicle tech category contains several couple main categories such as electrical fault diagnosis and repair, engine diagnosis and rebuilding, hydraulic testing and repair, and added, “basically fixing anything that breaks.”In May of 2023, Loedeman competed in the Skills Canada competition, placing first in the Heavy Vehicle Tech category, and move on to the world stage to showcase his skills in 2024.After expressing some nervousness during the first...

DEC: Wet trails, high water in Adirondacks this week

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The week started off with heavy rain and flooding for much of the Capital Region and parts of the North Country. The forecast for Thursday night? More rain. Anyone looking to hit Adirondack trails is in for a muddy hike. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! This week, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is advising that the trails will be muddy, and the water will be high. Many high-elevation Adirondack trails are built on thin soil that can become dangerous easily when wet. Such trails are best avoided, both for the safety of hikers and the durability of trails. Boots sliding on thin soil can accelerate erosion and damage vegetation. Current wet conditions can also lead to hypothermia.Even away from high-elevation trails, Adirondack adventurers should also take care when hiking anywhere near water. The DEC has put a high-water advisory out for the Adirondack Park, as streams and r...