Story Type: Breeze Issue

This week in Shootin’ the Breeze

It’s National Newspaper Week, and this issue is a good example of what local journalism looks like when it stays close to the people, organizations and places that shape a community.

On the cover, a combine works after sundown north of Cowley as farmers make the most of mild fall weather to bring in the harvest.

Inside, Windy Slopes Health Foundation is looking for new board members as it continues raising money for equipment at Pincher Creek Health Centre. In Crowsnest Pass, the annual Bedpan Open raised about $40,000 for a new LUCAS CPR device and GlideScope at the local health centre.

Mental health and community support are also in focus. A McMan family event brought local service providers together at the Pincher Creek ag grounds, while retired RCMP constable Val Dennis gave Pincher Creek Legion guests a candid look at what police, paramedics and other first responders can carry home from difficult calls.

For families at St. Michael’s School, a new raffle aims to raise $20,000 for transportation, athletics, field trips and other student activities — including keeping the school’s Dragon Wagons on the road.

Arts and tourism take us into Crowsnest Pass, where a travelling Alberta Society of Artists exhibition explores life’s in-between moments and Bellevue tourism operators reflect on a busy summer that brought visitors from around the world.

This week’s On the Hunt feature pulls together local information for the 2026 hunting season, from wildlife management units and rifle dates to chronic wasting disease testing, Castle park rules, grazing leases, licences and important phone numbers.

In the Mailbox, Cornell Van Ryk continues his Alberta referendum series with a look at oil, export dependence and the economic risks he sees in separation.

And in My Little Corner, Shannon makes room for gratitude at Thanksgiving — for family, memories, community, journalism and the people who continue making time for this newspaper after 15 years.

News Media Canada also marks National Newspaper Week with a reminder that credible journalism starts with real people — people who report, verify and are accountable for what they publish.

Looking for something to do this month? Keep an eye on our online events page.

Print copies are available at:

• Pincher Creek Co-op locations
• Pincher Office Products, Rexall, Walmart and Pharmasave in Pincher Creek
• O’Bies Mercantile in Lundbreck
• Twin Butte Country General Store
• IGA, IDA and Pharmasave in Blairmore
• Remedy’sRX in Coleman

Subscriptions can also be purchased from the Shootin’ the Breeze office in Pincher Creek.

Call us to subscribe.

Questions?

This week in Shootin’ the Breeze

On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this issue carries stories of family, healing, recovery and coming home.

On the cover, a lone powwow dancer moves along Fort Macleod’s Main Street during Drum Grid, part of an evening that brought Blackfoot drumming, powwow dancing and a high school drumline into the heart of downtown.

Randy Plain Eagle was once a boy who skipped school so no one would see him. Now the Two Spirit artist has brought his one-person show, Sugar, home to Piikani Nation. His story reaches into addiction, recovery, art and the family who never stopped looking for him.

Stephanie English is walking again in memory of her daughter Joey-Tiiah and other missing and murdered Indigenous and two-spirit people. She shares the message behind the walk in her own words, while Hannah Noerenberg tells the story of the mother who keeps putting one foot in front of the other for her daughter.

At Vista Village, the daughter of 103-year-old Rose Potts shares her mother’s story of being taken to residential school at just four years old. And in Brocket, a travelling library is bringing books, Elders and storytime directly to Piikani children.

There’s plenty of community life in these pages too. Irene Hollander marks 30 years of walking for Terry Fox, the Livingstone Ladies sew care bags for women using the shelter, and a benefit concert helps Care Bear volunteer drivers keep their vehicles on the road.

On the news side, residents hoping to speak directly to Pincher Creek town council face new delegation rules, a camp at Allison Creek is asking for a pause on a planned West Fraser timber harvest, and the Aurora Centre explains how someone in a rural community can take the first step after sexual violence without even giving their name.

And there’s more tucked throughout the issue, including Mailbox, community photos and the people doing the everyday work that keeps southwestern Alberta connected.

Looking for something to do this fall? Keep an eye on our online events page.

Print copies are available at:

• Pincher Creek Co-op locations
• Pincher Office Products, Rexall, Walmart and Pharmasave in Pincher Creek
• O’Bies Mercantile in Lundbreck
• Twin Butte Country General Store
• IGA, IDA and Pharmasave in Blairmore
• Remedy’sRX in Coleman

Subscriptions can also be purchased from the Shootin’ the Breeze office in Pincher Creek.

Call us to subscribe.

Questions?