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This weekend features Dauphin's second annual celebration of Diwali.
Mihir Patel, the event organizer, notes that this festival's history celebrates a Hindu legend that symbolizes good conquering evil, light prevailing over darkness, and knowledge defeating ignorance.
"Diwali is also known as 'Festival of Lights'. It holds significant importance culturally, spiritually, and socially between people who are initially from India, specifically Hindu Communities."
The origins of Diwali can be traced back to ancient Hindu mythology.
According to the legend, Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, returned to his kingdom of Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravana.
Since it was a moonless day in the Hindu month of Kartik, on the night they came back, the people of Ayodhya welcomed Lord Rama by lighting oil lamps and decorating their houses with colourful patterns.
The modern celebrations include sharing food and fellowship with friends and neighbors while lighting up the night with oil lamps, candles, and fireworks.
"It will go on from 7:30 to almost midnight, but the fireworks specifically will go on at 9:30. So, people can come in person, or they can look for the fireworks that are going to happen."
Tickets for this event may be sold out, but Patel says anyone looking to experience Diwali is very much welcome to attend the Ukrainian Orthodox Hall at 7:30 to get involved!
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Manitoba Public Insurance and Assiniboine College in Brandon are partnering to improve access to driver training in Manitoba.
That includes a new adult driver education program that the college will offer beginning on November 25th in Brandon and January 6th in Killarney, with other rural communities to be added at later dates.
The program will combine 16 hours of in-class learning with 4 hours of in-car driver training.
It will include everything from road test preparation to parallel parking.
Applications for the Brandon and Killarney programs are now open.
You can go to assiniboine.net/MPI to get more information or to apply.
Assiniboine College says more locations will be added to the college website once they are confirmed.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Dauphin is playing host to an International Exchange student from Norway.
Sigrid Karterud arrived in the Sunshine City just in time to begin her Grade 12 year at the DRCSS.
Sigrid explains how she became part of the Rotary International Exchange Program.
"I wanted to do an exchange program, and my dad knew of a woman who is in a Rotary Club in Norway. So, he had heard about this exchange program, we contacted her, and she got us involved, and we attended a meeting, and it all sounded very good."
Rotary Club of Dauphin member Brady Johnson says there are two types of International Exchange Programs offered by Rotary.
"One, if a shorter term, about three months. And, Sigrid is here in Dauphin for a year. So she will be staying with 3 or 4 families, and being a part of our families and our life."
Brady added that Sigrid has been very busy since arriving in Dauphin, playing hockey, soccer, and rugby.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
A 39-year-old man required urgent medical attention after being shot by an RCMP officer on Thursday, following a series of illegal activities.
At about noon on Thursday, Gypsumville RCMP was looking for a stolen vehicle linked to a series of criminal activities that occurred overnight in the City of Thompson. The vehicle was spotted on Highway 6 south of Pinaymootang First Nation and while officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver would not pull over.
After a short pursuit, the vehicle came to a stop at Highway 6 and Provincial Road 513 at the St. Martin Junction and when the suspect exited the vehicle, he had a firearm and tried to carjack a stopped car. At this time, the officer shot the suspect. He was then able to get into a stopped car and drove a short distance before coming to a stop in the ditch along Highway 6 where he was taken into custody.
The Independent Investigation United of Manitoba will take over the investigation.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Many are mourning after the death of Robert Sopuck.
Sopuck, elected in a 2010 by-election and represented the areas of Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette and later Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, passed away on Wednesday. He served the area for nine years until he retired in 2019.
During his post, Sopuck specialized in conservation issues, focusing on protecting fisheries and wildlife. He also served as chair of the Canada-Ukraine parliamentary friendship group, a non-partisan group that advocates for positive relations between the two countries.
Robert was 73.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Weekly Manitoba Crop Report wraps up the year with a 95% complete harvest across the province.
As the last of the corn and sunflowers are collected, and post-harvest work is wrapping up, we can take a look back on the growing season.
A few items of note include the cooler start, the intense rains bringing 200% of normal moisture, and the noted spread of Waterhemp into new areas.
Throughout the season, moisture conditions mostly averaged out but still exceeded 100% of normal precipitation. This was paired with between 105%-115% of the average growing degree days too.
Waterhemp was identified for the first time in the rural municipalities of Macdonald, North Norfolk, Roland, Stanley, and Westlake-Gladstone.
With most of the crops off the field, we now have firm assessments of both yield and quality.
Winter wheat yields ranged from 60 to 90 bu/acre with fall rye yields ranging from 80 to 110 bu/acre with good quality for both crops.
Spring wheat yields ranged from 60 to 95 bu/acre. The quality of spring wheat in all regions is good with protein levels in the 13.5 to 15% range.
Barley yields averaged between 80 to 120 bu/acre, with some exceptions and Quality was good. Oat yields were overall good too this year reporting 110-180 bu/acre. Test weights in oats ranged between 37 to 44 lbs/bushel.
Corn yields ranged from 120 to 180 bu/acre with averages around 150 to 180 bu/acre, but is still not finished.
Canola yields were variable across the province ranging from 25 to 65 bu/acre. This was due to high moisture and humidity creating prime conditions for Verticillium, Sclerotinia, and black leg.
The majority of canola has graded at 1CAN with reports of dockage due to small/light seeds.
For Pulses and Soybeans, Most regions reported average pea yields in 2024 ranging from 40 to 60 bu/acre, and strong yields for Soybeans this year ranging from 34 to 65 bu/acre.
Dry bean yields ranged from 500 to 3000 lbs/acre. The provincial average for 2024 is expected to be slightly higher than the 5-year provincial average of 1700 lbs per acre.
In the realms of Forage and Livestock, the moisture led to some excellent pasture growth, but also issues with flies and foot rot in lower-lying areas.
Calves came off pasture in good condition. Tame hay yields were good, yielding approximately 3 tonnes/acre. However, rain showers and heavy morning dews made drying difficult. Many farms therefore chose to convert hay to round bale silage.
Sufficient amount of feed for the upcoming winter with many farms reporting a surplus of hay and silage. It is likely that feed made at the beginning of the season will be lower in quality given the incredibly wet weather experienced at that time.
Looking at the Northwest specifically, the rain seemed more a curse than a blessing at times.
The Dauphin area dealt with up to 200% of the normal rainfall, and fields became waterlogged, making seeding a challenge. Cool, wet conditions stalled seeding progress mostly in The Pas and the Dauphin/Fork River areas.
Dauphin/Ste. Rose area received a late snowstorm on May 24 which also set things back. By early July, the RM of Mossey River declared a state of agricultural disaster due to excess moisture.
Mid-July brought some heat, and proper GGD, but also a severe wind storm that lodged wheat and canola crops. The lodging caused delays in maturity that remained apparent up to the harvest period.
High temperatures in August helped to move crops along, bringing field peas to maturity by mid-August. Spring wheat and canola were quick to follow, depending on the seeding date.
A long, open fall has allowed later-maturing fields and many post-harvest activities to be completed, including baling of straw, harrowing, and herbicide and anhydrous application.
Warmer weather in September and October provided good conditions for the germination of winter cereals, although soil moisture is generally low.
Seeded winter cereal acres have increased this year and are off to a good start.
Field pea harvest was completed with average yields ranging from 45 to 60 bu/acre. Some later seeded crops were a challenge and slow to harvest. The majority of field peas have graded at 2CAN.
Spring wheat is complete with widely variable yields. Average yields were 65 to 70 bu/acre, with some poorer fields yielding 20 to 40 bu/acre.
Oats averaged 110-120 bu/acre and barley 80-95 bu/acre. The majority of cereals have graded as 1CW with some lighter oats reported.
Canola is 98% complete with varied yields based on crop conditions throughout the season as well as disease pressure. Average yields ranged from 30 to 40 bu/acre, while poorer fields yielded 8 to 20 bu/acre.
A significant presence of verticillium stripe was evident this season. The majority of canola has graded at 1CAN with reports of dockage due to small/light seeds.
The soybean harvest is 99% complete and looked good across most of the region this year. Yields ranged from 35 to 50 bu/acre. The majority of soybeans have graded at 2CAN.
With this year's harvest all but wrapped up, I'd like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the producers who have weathered the year to put food on the tables of the world.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Dauphin Rotary hosts a total of four active living events throughout the course of the year.
The very popular Riding Mountain National Park marathon and Epic East Gate races take place every September, while the Moose Knuckle Aventure race is held every second year, also in the fall.
The final race is the Manitoba Snowshoe race, which goes every Louis Riel Day weekend in February.
Organizer Bryan Beyers says after holding that in Clear Lake the last two years, they are returning to a familiar location for 2025.
"We are actually going to bring it back to Northgate in 2025. Just because we received a lot of requests to bring it back and it is definitely a lot easier on us and the other volunteers to just hold it here in Dauphin. It is a great facility and it just feels like the right thing to do to bring it back to Northgate."
Proceeds from all four of these events go to Rotary's Active Living Fund.
More information on these events can be found online at racermnp.ca or by visiting Dauphin Rotary's Facebook page.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Residents of Laurier can expect to be without water service for a period of time on Friday.
Ste Rose Municipality announcing that the water will be turned off in Laurier beginning at 8 am Friday morning.
This will allow for water line repairs to take place along Main Street in that community.
No timeline has been given for how long the repairs will take to be completed.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The second time was the charm for Kaycelyn Rosales-Knight and Countryside Studio and Gym.
The Hamiota-based business was selected as the winner of this year's Fusion Credit Union Community Infusion contest.
Rosales-Knight applied for the contest last year but failed to make it to the final.
"In 2023, when I first applied, I did not have the building and I did not have concrete numbers because I did not know where it was going. This year, we have the building, and I was able to give concrete numbers and concrete estimates, and I feel like I had a better foundation this year than I had last year."
This year, she won the top prize of $20,000.
A total of five businesses pitched their plans to judges during Wednesday night's final in Dauphin.
Fusion Credit Union CEO Darwin Johns was very impressed with how this year's event went.
"The quality of applicants has always been amazing, as you can see from the application videos right to information from the business plans and then the final presentations (Wednesday) evening, it was just phenomenal. It is always inspirational to see the businesses we have in our communities."
Friendly Grocery Co-op finished second and won $4,000 towards their plans to move to a new location in the former Inglis Curling rink.
The other three finalists - which included Multi-Food, Systems Beauty College, and Parkland Radon Testing and Mitigation - took home $2,000 each.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
A by-election to fill four vacancies on Mountainview School Division's board of trustees is set for Wednesday, October 30th.
But residents hoping to get a head start on the voting process can do so today (Thursday).
Advanced voting for all three wards is taking place until 8 pm tonight at the Dauphin Friendship Centre.
Voters in Ward one - the Roblin area - are electing for two positions on the board, with three people running.
And in both Ward two - which is the Gilbert Plains, Grandview, and Ethelbert area, and Ward four - which is the City of Dauphin, only one position needs to be filled in both wards, with three people running in each ward.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
A Manitoba court has ordered the seizure of a former Gilbert Plains chief administrative officer's wages after the western Manitoba municipality filed a lawsuit accusing her of stealing over a half a million dollars, then faking a cyberattack to cover her tracks.
Former Gilbert Plains CAO Amber Fisher will see wage garnishment of nearly $550,000, and the municipality of Gilbert Plains launched a lawsuit.
The seizure of Fisher's wages comes after a default judgment was made against her when she didn't file any defence in the civil lawsuit.
However, recent court documents show Fisher hadn't made any more payments to the municipality as of Sept. 27.
The municipality said in its lawsuit that Fisher had breached her contract through "criminal, fraudulent, and unlawful conduct," alleging she made 33 transfers, totalling about $515,000, from the municipality's bank account to her own from September 2020 to July 2021.
Gilbert Plains also accused Fisher of falsifying bank statements to hide the transfers, giving councillors illegitimate reports that cleared her of fraud, and making up a story that she had been the victim of a cyberattack.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
