Saskatoon Public Library workers have a new contract following three years without one.

The agreement, which was reached with the help of a mediator, gives library employess a sever per cent raise over three years.

Broken down, it means a $2 increase for library pages, who typically earn minimum wage, and a two per cent increase for other workers in the first year. This is followed by a two per cent and a 60 cent an hour raise in the second year and a three per cent raise in the third year.

Saskatoon's francophone community got an economic boost thanks to tax money from the federal government.

The Saskatoon Francophone Federation community centre received $81,287 from the government as part of the Economic Action Plan 2012.

Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Waneskewin Maurice Vellacott made the announcement at the centre, located on 4th Street just north of City Hall, Friday afternoon.

Despite sunny skies and warmer temperatures, the City of Saskatoon continues to feel the effects of a six-month winter.

Heading to city council on Tuesday is a report from the city's corporate finance department, showing an $850,000 budget deficit.

The majority of the increased spending came in light of the expanded pothole patching blitz and a shortfall in revenues from Saskatoon Light and Power, said the city's corporate finance manager Kerry Tarasoff.

Alleged Kijiji scammer Jason Hartlen will make his first court appearance in Saskatoon next week.

The 33-year-old is facing 17 charges of fraud under $5,000 after police received complaints that a man was collecting damage deposits for an apartment he didn't own.

"I'm not even going to say it's a possibility, there is more charges coming," said Staff Sergeant Keith Briant.

As of Thursday, a total of 26 people filed complaints with Saskatoon Police, saying they were scammed by Hartlen. Briant said that adds up to $27,275 in missing cash.

The Credit Union Centre is taking safety precautions by hiring an American crowd security company for Memorial Cup weekend.
 
“We want the guest to always feel safe and secure coming to any event,” said Greg Overstreet, the branch manager of Contemporary Services Corporation based in Georgia.
 
For almost 50 years, the company has specialized in crowd management and security from sporting events to presidential inaugurations.
 

Hoping to improve the quality of Canadian wheat, the federal and provincial governments have partnered with the University of Saskatchewan and created the Canadian Wheat Alliance (CWA).

“Wheat has been king in Western Canada for a number of years, now it’s more than a rotational crop as people look to wheat as a good return on their investment,” said federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz.

A two-day forum aimed at coming up with a plan to end homelessness in Saskatoon has wrapped up.

The efforts of local advocates resulted in 72 recommendations that the United Way will use to release a plan next month.

The event is called a charette. It's a concept taken from the world of architecture and design firms. The idea is a short-term, intensive gathering of stakeholders tasked with coming up with a concrete set of recommendations.

Some Saskatchewan teachers are feeling uneasy after finding out their school division is facing a $2.7 million shortfall heading into the new school year.

Prairie Spirit School Division, which includes communities surrounding Saskatoon like Warman, Martensville and Clavet, is the fast-growing school division in Saskatchewan.

"Our school division is underfunded when we compare it to other school divisions in the province," said Larry Pavloff, the division's board chair.

A white beefalo now roams the bison exhibit at Saskatoon's Forestry Farm.

The four-year-old calf is a Charolais and Bison hybrid that looks similar to a White Buffalo -- an animal First Nations and Métis people consider sacred.

A Saskatchewan family is going public after their dog was killed on a farm near St. Denis last month.

The 13-month-old Saint Bernard Bentley was shot when he ran onto a neighbouring property.

RCMP confirm they have interviewed the family and sent that information to the Crown, which will decide if any charges are possible.

But Bentley's owners tell News Talk Radio they want someone held responsible.

ckomnews@rawlco.com