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The fire ban that has been in effect in the Municipality of Roblin since May 8th was lifted this morning.
All open fires(rural or urban), with the exception of personal propane BBQs and stoves, were affected by the ban.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Boris Talpash loves spending his time with others. Whether it's a family member or a student or anything in between, Boris is always ready for a conversation and in this case, a joke or 12.
For the past nearly two decades, Talpash has been working within Mountain View School Division and he's shared hundreds of jokes and made hundreds of students and staff smile in the process. Talpash spent one year as a bus driver before he started working as a custodian at Gilbert Plains Elementary where he spent eight and a half years.
"I would always tell a joke before the kids got off the bus," said Talpash. "I wanted to make sure they had a smile on their face to start the day before they went into the classroom."
Now for the past nearly 10 years, Boris has been working at the Gilbert Plains Collegiate Institute. As the school year continues to draw to a close, so does Boris' time as a custodian at MVSD as Talpash is set to hang up his broom and mop and retire at the end of the current school year.
That tradition of telling a joke before the kids went into school while he was driving a bus has now carried into his time at GPCI as often, Talpash tells a joke over the school's intercom. On top of that, Boris is joined by another teacher every Friday and they go from room to room and tell a joke. Boris' saying is 'Come to GPCI for the jokes and stay for the education'.
While Boris will miss spending his time at the school telling jokes and keeping everything sparkly clean, he is grateful for the opportunity he was given nearly 20 years ago.
"I hope these kids can be as lucky as I have been over the years," said Talpash. "To not only have a job I like, but one that I love. I got to meet so many different amazing people over the years from around the world. It has been a great ride."
Boris said jokingly that he will be looking at his call display every day for the first six months in case the school is looking for a substitute. So while Boris won't be seen as often at the collegiate following this school year, he is getting a send-off.
Starting at 10:30 at the GPCI Gym on June 7, everyone is welcome to join in celebrating all of Boris' contributions.
You're also encouraged to bring a joke for the joke jar and plaid attire is encouraged as that was and still remains his go-to choice of attire. If you're unable to make it out, you can still send in a 10-second video by calling the school at 548-2551.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
One man kept the Brandon Police Service(BPS) busy over the weekend.
On Friday around 9 pm, officers responded to a report of a broken car window in the 300 block of Percy Street. When police arrived, they were informed that the suspect was the sibling of the caller, and the suspect wasn't welcome at the Percy Street home.
When officers approached the car, the suspect was still inside, and when he was asked to step out, he did so with a hatchet in hand. The police on the scene were able to disarm the suspect and took him into custody.
The BPS held the suspect overnight and released him on Saturday morning with a court date of July 10th.
Then, around 7:25 pm Saturday night, BPS officers responded to a motorcycle theft on the 700 block of 19th Street.
Officers were told that the owner had seen a man pushing the motorcycle away, but when he ran after the suspect, he dropped the bike and ran away. The suspect took the motorcycle helmet with him.
Officers found and arrested the suspect nearby, who turned out to be the same person they had arrested the night before. He was charged with theft of a motor vehicle, theft under $5000, and mischief to property.
The suspect was remanded into custody because of the short time between his release and reoffending. He's scheduled to appear in court today.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Chemawawin RCMP are searching for 17-year-old Frank Oteskan from Chemawawin Cree Nation, who was last seen on Tuesday, May 23rd.
He was last seen in the evening of the 23rd on Sesame Street in Chemawawin Cree Nation (Easterville), which is a bit north of the Parkland, off of highway 60.
He is described as 5' tall, 130 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing all black clothing. His family and police are concerned for his well-being.
If anyone has information related to his whereabouts, call Chemawawin RCMP at 204-329-2000. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com.
[Frank Oteskan - Image provided by the RCMP]
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Over 1000 people filled Credit Union Place with song, dance, and celebration for this year's Graduation Pow Wow.
The event was put on by a collaboration of Mountain View School Division and Assiniboine Community College to bring together several communities across the parkland to celebrate this year's graduates.
MVSD's Indigenous Education Facilitator Carole Shankaruk helped organize this event, and she was amazed at the overwhelming community support.
"We've had about a thousand people. It's been fantastic! We've had kids from all 16 schools dancing, learning about the culture, and we've also had outside communities. Ebb and Flow First Nation, Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation, I also heard there are some people from Saskatchewan. It's been phenomenal"
The ceremonies included a speech from Crystal Shawanda, a massive feast, traditional music, and dancing, and speeches honoring the graduates.
Shankaruk was beaming with pride as she saw how this event brought everyone together
"We saw the community come together, and it was everyone from all walks. Indigenous, non-indigenous and to see those kids from every school dancing together was so beautiful. I'm not going to lie, it brought tears to my eyes"
After this massive turnout, Shankaruk said that next year the event will likely be taken to the land at the Selo Ukraina site, as the CUP was overflowing with support for all of the graduates.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Ground was broken on a new expansion to the Russell Health Centre(RHC) yesterday afternoon.
The $2.5 million project will see an expanded CancerCare Manitoba program space at the RHC, that will allow people in the surrounding communities better access to care, close to home.
Prairie Mountain Health CEO Brian Schoonbaert says the RHC serves a large area, and this will make treatment more comfortable for those who need it.
"The new space will mean four times the amount of space that they currently have. So it'll be much better for the patients, more privacy, there'll be rooms for families."
Once complete, the project will add another 2,300 sq. ft. to the RHC's existing CancerCare Manitoba chemotherapy treatment space and will include:
- Replacement of the existing nursing station and medication storage area
- Creation of a dedicated patient washroom, nourishment area, and a small waiting area
- Improved patient privacy
- Space for future expansion of treatment areas, if needed
Construction on the project is expected to start within a week, and Schoonbaert says they're hoping to have the work done by the end of the year.
"They're hoping they might be in by the end of the calendar year but we'll see. It's a fairly substantial addition. It'll be on the southwest corner of the hospital, and eventually, they hope to even have their own parking lot, that might be coming later."
The project was mostly funded by the Expanding Community Cancer Care committee, which includes membership from Angusville, Beulah, Binscarth, Birtle, Foxwarren, Inglis, Langenburg, Sask., Roblin, Rossburn, Russell, St. Lazare, Shellmouth, Silverton, Solsgirth, and Waywayseecappo.
That committee raised $1.8 million in construction and equipment costs related to the expansion. Last spring, the Manitoba government confirmed its commitment of $700,000 to support the remaining costs of this project.
ECCC Members at the groundbreaking ceremony at the Russell Health Centre
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Conditions in the area are primed for a severe thunderstorm.
The storm watch covers the area of Dauphin, Russel, Roblin, and Winnipegosis.
The potential dangers of this storm could include the following:
- Toonie sized Hail
- Wind Gusts up to 100 km/h
- Rainfall of up to 50mm per hour
A reminder from the Government of Canada about the dangers presented by this storm.
"Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!"
For more information and a map of the storm moving across the area, visit the Government of Canada's Weather Service.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
The Manitoba government is increasing its attempts to stop the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species(AIS) by introducing new AIS control zones and inspection stations.
Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt made the announcement today, saying in a news release that these control zones are critical to containing the spear of AIS.
"Watercraft users will need to undertake several mitigation measures such as cleaning, draining, drying and decontaminating watercraft to effectively prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species within Manitoba."
New measures that have been imposed include:
- Designating a new Lake Manitoba/Fairford River/Lake St. Martin control zone to control the spread of zebra mussels
- Designating a new Shoal Lake control zone to control the spread of spiny water fleas
- Updating the names and boundaries of existing control zones to more accurately target areas where invasions exist
- Amending the aircraft control zone provision so that any float plane using a zebra mussel control zone must have its underwater surfaces such as floats treated with anti-fouling paint
The government is also introducing new inspection stations in Ste. Rose du Lac, Minnedosa, and Grand Rapids in the coming weeks. These stations are intended to help respond to growing zebra mussels and other AIS threats in western Manitoba.
For more information on AIS, the requirements, and the location and hours of watercraft inspection stations, visit manitoba.ca/stopais.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Dauphin Fire Department responded to a kitchen fire at a residence on the 400 block of 3rd AVE NE in Dauphin around 12:30 in the afternoon on Thursday.
The department says when they arrived they were met by a fully involved fire spreading from the main floor kitchen area to the second floor, but they were able to bring it under control quickly.
They also report that due to the age of the home and the wood shavings as insulation, there were multiple spots where the fire had extended. Firefighters, including members of the Ochre River Fire Department, spent a couple of hours moving material and extinguishing hidden fires.
There are no injuries reported or damage estimates at this time and the cause of the fire is accidental in nature, related to an air fryer that is under recall.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The Neepawa & District Chamber of Commerce is all set to host its eighth-annual Chamber Fair this weekend.
The event serves as the main fundraiser for the Chamber and because of generous sponsorship for the three-day event, admission is free for all to attend. One of the marquee activities is the 'Select Shows Midway' and they are set to open on Friday afternoon at 4. Friday's schedule of events also includes an art exhibit at Arts Forward starting at 7 p.m.
There will also be food trucks at the fairgrounds all weekend and there is a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning to get the day started. There will also be a 'Hair of the Dog' Saturday night social and a lot more throughout the three days.
Jennifer Wiebe is the Office Administrator for the Neepawa & District Chamber of Commerce and she says the event is for folks of all ages.
"Neepawa is growing at a really fast rate and people have many fond memories of visiting our community," said Wiebe. "It's a beautiful weekend to see all that Neepawa has to offer. If you haven't been here before or even if you have, this is the perfect weekend to come on down to see what is going on."
Wiebe also says the petting zoo will be a hit as it is every year and it is a must-see.
"I'm a city girl so I'm very fond of seeing the animals," ended Wiebe. "I love spending lots of time with animals, so that's where I will be."
The three-day event is slated to wrap up around dinner time on Sunday.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2023
The Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued Thursday afternoon has been lifted.
THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2023
Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Dauphin - Russell - Roblin - Winnipegosis areas, as well as the Minnedosa - Riding Mountain National Park, and Virden - Souris areas.
Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms this evening. These storms could bring wind gusts in excess of 100 km/h, rainfall in excess of 50 mm per hour, and hail to the area.
Check out Environment Canada's weather alert map here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
