The mayor's long-promised housing summit doesn't start until Monday but Michael Fougere is already defending its agenda.

The two-day event was a campaign promise made by Fougere when he ran for mayor last fall. He acknowledges the city is in a housing crisis but he's adamant it won't be solved by having the same conversations over and over.

Cups, mattresses and other trash on Regina streets has been an eyesore over the last few weeks, but city crews are out in full force to pick all that litter up.

“It takes us several weeks really in the spring to get everything cleaned up,” said Charmaine Neufeld, manager of parks maintenance.

“Like do a sort of major spring clean and get all the major areas clean and then it’s sort of ongoing through the rest of the summer.”

It's not every day you get to pick out bedrooms in a million dollar home, but that's what 11-year-old Jaxon and his sister Jenson were doing Friday morning.

Their parents Todd and Joley Fuchs won the grand prize for the Hospitals of Regina Foundation Home Lottery - a house worth $1.2 million in the east Regina neighbourhood of the Creeks.

“You buy these kind of tickets and you know it’s for a good cause but you never expect that you’re going to win anything right,” Fuchs commented.

A two-day ground search of northeast Regina is underway for missing 27-year-old Kim Cruickshank.

Search and Rescue members from the RCMP and the Regina Police Service gathered off Fleet Street, across from the landfill Friday morning. They were briefed as to what their plan was for the day and what equipment they’d be using. Police trucks were hauling several all-terrain vehicles.
Search and rescue crews have ramped up their efforts to find Cruickshank, after she was last seen March 23. There’s been no sign of her since.

Maybe you still need to pick up a present for your mom this weekend, but kids at A.E. Perry Elementary school are already in the spirit of Mother’s Day.

We stopped by on Thursday to ask Mrs. Hinks Grade three class what does your mom do for you?

Daniel: “She always tucks me in at night and loves me every day even when she’s mad at me.”

A meeting about one obscure city bylaw sparked a wide-ranging discussion on the shortcomings of Regina's housing market.

The Whitmore Park Community Association held a meeting Thursday evening to allow residents to question city officials about Regina's policy on "rooming houses."

 The little-known bylaw came to light this week when a handful of Reginans were sent letters informing them that they were violating a section of the city's zoning bylaws that restrict people living in the home they own from having paying tenants.

A regular procedure at the Masterfeeds plant in Regina got away from employees Thursday afternoon, leading to a small fire.

"From what I understand, its part a regular process of heating grain that they use here to make feed," said Rollie Gemmell, acting deputy chief with Regina Fire and Protective Services.

Crews were called to the building shortly after 4:30 p.m. when the heat sparked some flames.  The fire was quickly brought under control, but crews had to remain on scene to control the temperature of the heating structure.

Crews in Regina have switched to full recovery mode, sending another signal that the worst is over in Regina in terms of flooding.

“I believe they’ve started pulling sandbags as early as today. I don’t think they’re tearing down the dike structures themselves but any of the extra sandbags that were on scene, those are being taken away now,” said City of Regina’s Manager of Emergency Management Jay O’Connor.

“Starting next week the bulk items will be coming off the roads.”

The Canadian prairies aren’t usually considered to be a hotbed of fashion, but the industry is growing and you can see the proof on the runway at Saskatchewan Fashion Week in Regina.

Rhea Harbus started Amaranth Designs 13 years ago, but since that time she has seen the local industry take off.

“Even a few years ago there was only a couple of us that were doing design in Regina and now that has exploded, there’s so many more of us,” she commented.

Harbus will be showcasing her new fall and winter line for custom women’s fashions this year.

The search is being intensified for missing 27-year-old Kimberley Cruickshank in Regina with police scanning parts of Regina from the sky and on foot this week.

"I'm glad they're doing things to try and find her, but at the same time, I'm praying they don't find anything," said Kristen Cruickshank, Kimberly's sister.

"I'm continually reminding myself to stay strong, stay positive until I'm told Kim won't be coming home, I will believe she is."