Edmonton Public Schools says more than 6,800 students are home sick with a respiratory illness. The board sent a letter home to parents Monday but it is not clear if the illness is COVID-19. Board chair Trisha Estabrooks says Alberta Health Services has told them to use the term ``respiratory illness.'' Estabrooks is encouraging parents to let schools know about positive cases and to keep kids home when they're sick.

An Alberta man sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter in the deaths of two Metis hunters has launched an appeal. Bilodeau was convicted in May for the deaths of Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal, who were shot and killed on a rural Alberta road after a brief vehicle pursuit in March 2020. Bilodeau's son Joseph, who was tried at the same time as his father, was convicted of second-degree murder in Cardinal's death and found guilty of manslaughter in Sansom's death.

Police in Edmonton say they've found a motorcycle they allege hit an officer who was trying to pull it over last week. The officer was conducting traffic enforcement at a construction zone on Wednesday, and police say the bike fled the scene after hitting the officer. Police say the red 2005-2006 Honda CBR 600RR was recovered Friday when officers executed a search warrant at a home in the Windermere neighbourhood. The officer struck by the motorcycle continues to recover in hospital. Police say the collision investigation is ongoing.

The man who was serving as the head of the Alberta Human Rights Commission is out of a job. The United Conservative Party government has rescinded Collin May's appointment in a dispute stemming from a passage in a book review that has been criticized as Islamophobic. Neither Justice Minister Tyler Shandro nor May has commented on the government's decision. Earlier this week, Shandro publicly urged May to resign after a Muslim advocacy group said May had failed to keep a promise to meet with them over comments in a book review he had written in 2009 that they deemed Islamophobic. May refused to

Parks Canada is welcoming visitors back to Jasper National Park after power was restored to the townsite that was knocked out by a wildfire north of the community earlier this month. The agency says it has been a difficult period for many and it appreciates the adaptability and flexibility of community residents, visitors to Jasper and the tourism industry. ATCO Electricity says it worked relentlessly to restore power to the area as quickly as possible. Parks Canada says the Chetamon Mountain fire, which is about 20 kilometres north of the townsite, remains active and is now about 60 square ki

The new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine will be available in Alberta next week. The province says adult Albertans can make appointments for the Moderna Spikevax booster starting on Wednesday. The bivalent vaccine protects against the Omicron B-A-1 variant and the original COVID-19 strain. People who received a series of shots and are at least five months from their last dose, booster, or most recent infection are eligible. The new vaccine is expected to be available for Albertans aged 12 to 17 later this month or in early October

Edmonton police say an officer was injured in a hit-and-run after trying to pull over a motorcyclist. Police say an officer was conducting traffic enforcement at a construction zone around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday when he tried to direct a red Honda motorcycle to pull over. Police allege the bike hit the officer and then fled northbound from the scene at Terwillegar Drive and 37 Avenue. Police say the officer was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Major Collision Investigations Section is probing the incident and is asking for any witnesses to come forward. Police descr

A Calgary man has been charged after police allege he was running a fake firearms training course out of his home. Calgary Police say in a news release that Bradley Keith Bell offered private training between January and June, while posing as an ex-military veteran. Victims told police they thought they were registering to complete the course with a certified instructor. They allege Bell provided safety booklets and gave firearms handling instruction, before being asked to complete a Canadian firearms safety exam as the final step. Police say the victims provided payment, personal information

A new tool is being tested in Edmonton to detect distracted drivers, but it won't lead to any tickets right now. A trailer and camera are parked on the side of a busy road as part of a University of Alberta research project that will capture high-resolution images through windshields. The technology, developed by Australian company Acusensus, then uses artificial intelligence to compare the images to millions of others in an effort to detect drivers who use cellphones behind the wheel. The company claims that after police started using the system in Australia, traffic deaths went down.