Saskatoon News

Saskatoon Police want local business owners to be on the lookout for fraud within their businesses.

This as investigators look into a number of complaints involving fraudulent activity by workers in Saskatoon.

Police realized that in some cases, employees in question had past frauds that were never reported to police.

Recently a 40 year old woman was sentenced to 24 months in jail on a charge of Fraud over $5,000.

Saskatoon's 2009 preliminary capital budget is expected to get a quick rubber stamp when city council meets Monday night.

The budget is listed early on council's agenda, with the recommendation that it be referred to the budget committee for its meeting December 9th.

Council is also scheduled to make a minor adjustment to a bylaw it passed last month, which increased a levy to pay for improvements to the city's storm water management system.

The bylaw increased an infrastructure upgrade charge to four dollars and 50 cents per month for the next 10 years.

Police in Saskatoon dealt with two separate vehicle/pedestrian collisions two hours apart during the overnight hours.

Just before 1 a.m., they were called to 22nd Street and Avenue H, where a 60-year-old man had been hit by a car as he crossed the street. He was taken to hospital and is said to be in critical condition.

Police determined the man tried to cross the street against the "Don't Walk" pedestrian light. No charges will be laid.

Many homes have been without power in Saskatoon and other areas in Central Saskatchewan.

Sask Power spokesman Larry Christie says it looks like someone took target practise and shot off two insulators along a major 72 kilovolt line southwest of Saskatoon.

As a result Power was out on the west and north ends of Saskatoon, and as far west as Purdue and Biggar; as far north as Prince Albert, Shellbrook and Wakaw.

The Highway Hotline is swamped this hour, dealing with some dicey road conditions in the Saskatoon area.

Snow -- as well as some reports of a bit of freezing rain -- have left the highways branching out of the city with icy or slippery sections. The Hotline says swirling snow is also reported.

One caller to our newsroom described the conditions about an hour south of Saskatoon on highway 11. He reports low visibility and snow covered sections on some parts of the highway.

David Ahenakew has finished testifying at his hate crimes trial, and now it’s onto closing arguments.

Pleading guilty to manslaughter has a Saskatoon man facing a 4 year jail term.

The Judge described the killing as brutal.

A 'vulnerable' 84 year old Denver Crawford was stabbed 10 times in the face in 1998 while inside his own home.

Wilfred Hathway was sentenced to 11 1/2 years but was given 7 1/2 years credit for time served in remand.

Prosecutor Krista Zerr says the jail term may not add up to 4 years actually spent behind bars due to statutory release provisions.

It's another sign of Saskatchewan's charging economy.

The one-millionth passenger came through Saskatoon's Diefenbaker Airport on Thursday, nearly a month sooner than the milestone was reached last year. Traffic is up 9.3 percent year-over-year.

Saskatoon Airport Authority CEO Bill Restall attributes this year's significant increase to the greater capacity airlines have in Saskatoon, as well as better prices for travellers. Business travel is up and Restall says leisure flights continue to show sizable gains.