There are grassroots protests and then there's this -- call it Saskatoon's petunia pothole protest.

Someone has taken it upon themselves to plant a collection of red, white, and purple flowers in some potholes on the street near Laurentian Drive and Boychuk Drive in Saskatoon.

Neighbours say they aren't sure who left the floral décor, but some say it appears to have been done as a way of protesting the state disrepair many find their roads in these days.

Most people agree that the road looks a lot nicer than it did before.

ckomnews@rawlco.com

A booming kid population has the city’s summer playground programs adding weekends to some neighborhoods.

Kevin Kitchen, community initiatives manager with the City of Saskatoon, said for the first time, a full weekend program will be running at 16 sites this year.

“What we want to do, based on feedback, is strengthen the weekend program in those neighborhoods where there’s really a great demand for it,” said Kitchen.

“There are those neighborhoods where there are just simply more children and they’re looking for these kinds of activities."

After years of buying local, the Saskatoon Public Library has cut its spending with book vendors in the city.

"It's a very sad thing that all these things aren't going to be bought here in Saskatchewan when they absolutely could be. They are not going to be getting a better deal from someone else," said Launie Stare with Scott's Parable Christian Store in Saskatoon.

Watched closely by a doting mother and crowd of adoring fans, Nathan and Shadow, the two newest feline members to join the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo, are doing just "great."

"They’re very comfortable in this exhibit and very well received by the population of Saskatoon," said John Moran, manager of the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo, on Thursday where the two cubs were officially named.

Moran said most patrons are surprised at how big the almost 100 pound cubs have grown since they were both born last September.

A local Saskatoon boy is roaring with excitement after his entry for the “Name the Cubs” contest was selected as the winner.

Jonathan McLeod, 10, said he named the two cubs, born last September at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo, Nathan and Shadow in honour of his six-year-old cousin.

“My cousin Nathan two years ago … he died of leukemia and through all his appointments he’d bring a stuffed dog Shadow,” said McLeod on New Talk Radio’s Brent Loucks Show Thursday morning.

Saskatoon police say a 22-year-old woman likely suffered non-life threatning injuries after a two-vehicle collision in the Millar Avenue and 46th Street East area Thursday afternoon.

Police say the woman was attempting to make a left turn from 46th Street East when her van careened into a truck travelling south on Millar Avenue just after 3 p.m. The crash blocked both northbound lanes to motorists but police say traffic is now moving freely.

Police are asking the public’s help in locating a missing 13-year-old boy.
 
Jayde Charles was last seen by caregivers in the 400 block of 22nd Street West two weeks ago.
 
Police say Charles has been active on social media since.
 
He was last seen wearing blue shorts and a blue dress shirt with black and silver running shoes.
 
Charles is described as being five-feet tall, 135 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
 

The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority is opening the gates at the Gardiner Dam on the South Saskatchewan River, after a significant downpour of rain upstream in Alberta.

The gates are being opened in order to handle the additional flow of water, said assistant fire Chief Dan Paulsen on Thursday. 

The Saskatoon Food Bank was only open for an hour on Wednesday after the facility lost power around 10 a.m. and it was deemed unsafe for staff to work in the dark.

Thankfully, the freezers stayed cool and none of the food was spoiled, said executive director, Laurie O'Connor.

If the outage had lasted more than 24 hours it would have been more serious, O'Connor said, adding that the organization is looking into a back-up power system.

On an average day the food bank has anywhere from 150 to 200 people through its doors.

Winds in the range of 90 kilometers/hour caused a lot of damage to electrical services in Saskatoon on Wednesday. Street and traffic lights were blown over onto roads, while trees tangled with power lines.

"Every intersection in the city is back up and running. People in the city were great yesterday when dealing with these issues as far as civilians being safe as well as the workers being safe," said assistant fire Chief Dan Paulsen.