With the end of 2021 approaching, many people are looking back on the past year. With two days left before the calendar turns to 2022, here is the second of three looks at what dominated our news cycle over the past year.

May-June-July-August

May Spotlight- Spring Time in Saskatchewan

The school scene in Kindersley has seen some shake-up over the past couple of years, and entering this school year, even more shuffling had been done when it came to the people inside the places of learning. Elizabeth Middle School lost two of their longtime admin members in Tammy Diemert and Candance Besharah, only to be replaced by former Kindersley Composite School Vice-Principal Meaghan Friedrick from just across the street.

That move meant the high school would be forced to replace their outgoing admin member, and in replacement they would welcome in a local educator with tons of success and connections to the area in Danielle Jamieson.

That good news at the start of the month was coupled with a strong stretch of vaccinations in the province, as ‘Step 1’ of Province's Re-Opening Roadmap began back during the end of May, with a great Saskatchewan summer in sight for residents of the province according to Premier Scott Moe.

June Spotlight- Welcoming Summer in West Central

The summer season was welcome all around the region, especially to kids finally getting back to playing sports, and communities like Biggar coming together to take part in some fun summer activities in their town. They successfully hosted the 2021 edition of the “Biggar Fair Days” back in June in one of the first post-restriction events in Saskatchewan.

The stunning summer weather was paired with some wacky weather at times, as at one point rope tornadoes were tying up the west central horizon. Tons of reaction was given following the tornado, as multiple plots of land across the region were at a minimum disturbed by the intense weather.

The weather would smarten up as June tapered off, just in time for car show season. Kindersley held a show and shine fundraiser in the mall parking lot with proceeds going towards the Junior Drag Club, and then in Rosetown, it was the Dusty Wheels Auto Club’s 30th annual Road Kill Cruise that went very successfully according to Barry Churchman with the club.

July Spotlight- Dark Skies and Drought Conditions

A few months after the discovery of a mass amount of unmarked graves near a residential school site in Kamloops, BC, more unmarked graves were discovered at the former Marieval Residential School at Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan. This lead to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau making an appearance at the site, to make a special announcement years in the making.

The news of different findings all summer long brought many indigenous issues to the forefront in 2021, and tons of newfound awareness as well. Students in Dinsmore acknowledged the important issue with an “Effort to Reconcile Through the Arts”, using a $1000 grant from the Saskatchewan Arts Board towards a pair of projects.

The tough news must have cast a dark spell over the country as smoky conditions dominated a large portion of the summer, along with intense heat that had farmers around the country cutting their crop off early in what was a very tough year for producers.

August Spotlight- West Central Summer Continues

With Saskatchewan open this summer before the COVID situation took back off, some great events went on in the area, including back at the start of August when STARS brought Project Pegasus to Kindersley and Rosetown. It was a great summer vibe as things felt back to normal, only to be squashed by the news of an upcoming election.

The Federal Election took place on September 20th, just about one month after the new Maverick Party and their area’s representative took to the stage in Rosetown. The candidate held a meeting and delivered a speech about why she felt western Canada needed better representation.

With politics and the ever-changing nature of the pandemic on many peoples brains at the outset of August, seeing students heading back to school was maybe the best thing for morale as things attempted to move back to normal in the province and around the country.

Find more of May, June, July, and August's top stories below, and continue to check in for more of the top stories of 2021.

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