Latest news with #Conklin
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Wildfire prompts evacuation order for Winefred Lake near Conklin
A view of a smoke plume coming off of the Caribou Lake Wildfire, near Winefred Lake, on June 3, 2025 (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) A mandatory evacuation order was issued in Lac la Biche County on Wednesday due to an out-of-control wildfire. The order was issued at 3:18 p.m. for southern Winefred Lake and Grist Lake. Everyone in the area was told to leave immediately. Anyone needing more information can call 780-623-6767. Winefred Lake is 35 kilometres southeast of Conklin. The Caribou Lake wildfire, which prompted the evacuation, was burning alongside the west shore of the Lake and covered 62,768 hectares at the time of the order. That fire was caused by human activity, according to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard, and started on May 26 in the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. Wildfire danger was 'extreme' across the Lac la Biche and neighbouring Wood Buffalo forest protection areas, due to hot, dry, windy conditions. A wildfire alert was issued for Conklin on May 29 due to the risk that the fire could spread toward that community. That alert remained in effect Wednesday, with the fire burning 17 kilometres southeast of the community.
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Cenovus shuts in oilsands production at northern Alberta site due to wildfires
Cenovus Energy Inc. says only essential personnel are at its Christina Lake oilsands operations where it has shut production due to the wildfires in northern Alberta. The company says it began the work to shut in production at Christina Lake on May 29. The heavy oil operation is about 150 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray. A fire nearby has put the roughly 200 residents of the hamlet of Conklin under evacuation alert. As of Monday, the fire — known as the Caribou Lake wildfire — continued to burn out of control and had consumed more than 61,550 hectares of forest. The fire is among more than 50 burning across the province. As of 7 a.m. Monday, 26 are classified as out of control. Based on its inspections so far, Cenovus says it is not aware of any damage to its infrastructure and expects a full restart of its Christina Lake operations once it is safe. About 238,000 barrels per day of production have been impacted. It says it will provide an update when it's in a position to restart. The company said operations will resume as soon as it's safe to do so. Thousands of residents have been affected by wildfires in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta prompted by hot, dry weather that have allowed some fires to grow.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PIAA playoff reform bill advances out of Pa. House committee
(Getty Images) The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) may soon be able to create separate playoffs and championships for public schools and non-public schools. A proposal to hand the association that power passed a state House committee on a bipartisan basis Monday. Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre), sponsor of House Bill 41, believes his measure would correct what he and other supporters argue is an 'imbalance' in the current system, which pits public schools, which they describe as 'boundary' schools, in the same state playoffs and championship games as non-public schools. They include private, charter and parochial 'non-boundary' schools. Conklin mentioned that a few other states, including neighboring Maryland, currently use this approach. 'It's worked very, very well,' Conklin said. He likened his proposal to Penn State football being able to play an Ivy League team in the regular season and being able to 'beat the tar out of them,' but ultimately the two schools won't be vying for the same championship. Among the reasons Conklin's cited in pushing the measure are that in the past, some high schools were talking about dropping out of the PIAA over the issue. He also highlighted how non-public schools only represent a small percentage of schools in the state, but ultimately win state championships at a larger rate. A Capital-Star report in May 2024 found that at that time, non-public schools comprised 24% of the high schools in the PIAA, but accounted for a disproportionate amount of state champions in most common sports over the past decade. Conklin also made the case that his proposal is not meant to 'harm' those non-public schools in any way. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The PIAA has said that they don't have the authority to make such a change without legislation. A co-sponsorship memo notes it gives the association the power to make changes. However, the proposal is not a mandate for the PIAA, unlike a previous 2019 plan that would have mandated the PIAA to hold separate playoffs for public and non-public schools in certain sports. Several committee members spoke out in support of the bill, including Rep. Jeff Olsommer (R-Pike), who said his brother is a football coach at a public high school in the state. 'I can't tell you how many times he's gone into the state playoffs, faced a charter or a private school that is loaded with talent and just gets mowed down. I hear it from the coaches on the staff and his friends of coaches, that this idea that is in this bill that you're talking about, is widely prevalent and thought of as a great idea amongst the coaches, at least, in my brother's circle,' Olsommer said. The bill passed the House Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations Committee by a 20-6 vote and will be referred to the full chamber for consideration.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania bill looks to put diaper changing stations in men's restrooms
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A Central Pennsylvania representative has plans to introduce legislation that would help make diaper changing stations more available. State Representative Scott Conklin released a proposal that would help support those who are raising children in Pennsylvania. According to the memo, American families are diverse and they often share the responsibility of raising children. 'As a result, diaper duty is accomplished increasingly by married dads, single dads, stay-at-home dads, two-dad families, grandfathers, uncles, and even male babysitters. Yet there continues to be a lack of baby diaper changing stations in men's restrooms,' Conklin wrote. 8 Pennsylvania Rite Aid locations identified for first round of closures He goes on to argue that the lack of changing stations negatively impacts men's ability to spend time with their children. In 2016, the Bathroom Accessibility in Every Situation Act was passed, and it required diaper-changing stations in all public restrooms in federal buildings. Similarly, nine states have passed laws that require both men's and women's restrooms to have them. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. 'I plan to introduce legislation that will require, with a few exceptions, baby diaper changing stations in new and totally renovated public restrooms. My legislation will help both men and women to utilize a space for changing baby diapers in public,' Conklin added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ -
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Phase 3 of Kennedy Expressway work is on schedule, but has drivers frustrated
Kennedy Expressway construction work has been back in action this spring, and some commuters are fit to be tied. "A parking lot," one wrote on the Illinois Department of Transportation Facebook page on the Kennedy Construction Project. "Will this be completed by 2035?" another wrote. "Total BS," wrote a third. If there is any good news for drivers, IDOT said it is on track to finish the final phase of the project before Thanksgiving — not Thanksgiving 2035, but Thanksgiving this year, 2025. That is the very timeline they had in the beginning. But for drivers, that does not make taking the Kennedy any quicker in the meantime. Drivers moving only inches is the headache many are experiencing on the inbound lanes of the Kennedy. The two left lanes have been closed since March, so drivers can only take the two right lanes to O'Hare International Airport, and the express lanes to the Edens Expressway, from the Loop. "It makes me question living in Chicago," said Katie Conklin. Conklin is a frequent flyer on I-90, spending two hours a day in traffic. It is in that time she asks a question many might have when she doesn't actually see any work actively going on. "Are there people working?" she said. "Because I need to make myself feel better about living through this, and making sure that there's an end." Jon Schumacher of the Illinois Department of Transportation said contractors have indeed been hitting the dates. While it might not always look like it, Schumacher said there are 75 workers putting in 10-hour shifts each day. "You definitely don't see everybody, because there is a substantial amount of work going on beneath the structures as well," he said. Schumacher said IDOT is currently repairing concrete piers and beams beneath bridges. But its crews are also repaving the interstate. Under the Kennedy pavement, workers are replacing joints and bridge deck overlays, which IDOT said are toward the end of their lifespan. This is the third phase of the Kennedy reconstruction project, and it is already 10% to 20% complete. "Just to extend the life of the bridges another 20 to 30 years," Schumacher said. Schumacher added that if there is any silver lining, in a couple of months, drivers to O'Hare will be able to take the express lanes. "At some point here later this summer, we're going to be opening that ramp back up to the local lanes, so we're going to see probably a little more equalization between the locals and the reversible lanes," he said. As for drivers like Conklin, she said at this point, she has been at the same point before during earlier phases of the Kennedy project. "I'm telling myself, like, I can make it through the last phase. I did it all three years. So this is it, right?" she said. "Like I've got seven months to go." IDOT also said there will be ramp closures likely coming after July. The department said it will give out dates and locations before that happens.
