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Following an explosion in Brandon two years ago that killed a 63-year-old woman, jury selection will begin on Monday after a man was accused of killing the woman who was his wife.
Following the Oct. 2019 explosion in Brandon's east end, Robert Hughes faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Betty Hughes.
When emergency services arrived on the scene on October 22, 2019, they found the front of the home in ruins, with household items strewn across the front yard.
The force of the blast also caused the two side walls of the home to buckle outward.
63-year-old Betty Hughes was later found dead in the home. Her husband Robert, who was also 63 at the time, was pulled from the rubble and taken to hospital. A short time later, Robert was charged with second-degree murder.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin chapter of Habitat For Humanity will start construction on another house on 7th Avenue Northeast in the coming weeks.
When the build is complete, Chantel Flett and her 3 children aged 10, 12, and 16 will call it home. In a press release from Dauphin's Habitat For Humanity Chapter, Flett said:
“We have lived in Dauphin for over 10 years and this is home to us. I grew up in Duck Bay where I was raised by my Mother and Grandpa. I have been renting for over 10 years and now feel ready to own my first home. In 2009 I went to Assiniboine Community College (ACC) to take Early Childhood Education. I graduated and worked at several locations in Dauphin.” said Chantel. “In 2015, I accepted a full time position at Little Steps Headstart as an instructor. All the while raising my children and providing the necessities to raise a family with security and love. I am currently enrolled in a two year Human Resource program at ACC in addition to my full time job and volunteering to complete the 500 hours of sweat equity with Habitat. My children and I are excited to soon take part and build a home to call our own.”
The Dauphin Chapter also hired Trent Kohan to be the site manager for the project. That name may be familiar to you as Kohan grew up in the Parkland and recently relocated back to the Dauphin area. He was previously in Edmonton where he built over 400 homes.
The homes constructed by Habitat For Humanity provide homeownership opportunities to people who normally would not qualify for a conventional mortgage.
"The lot is actually in a prime location, it's close to downtown shopping and is close to a couple of schools in the area", commented Rodney Juba, Chairperson for Habitat For Humanity Dauphin.
The build has been a long time coming as the COVID-19 pandemic caused the price of construction materials to go through the roof at times. Juba says he and the board also did not want to approach their business sponsors for fundraising dollars while the businesses themselves may have been struggling to stay open.
"The community is very generous and we're hoping that we can get donations, especially donations in kind for materials and labour."
If your business would like to make a donation of funds, equipment, building supplies or talent, you can get in touch with board member Nancy Tregunna at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call her after 4:30 pm at 204-647-4846.
Individuals who would like to personally donate funds can go to Habitat Manitoba's website. You may also reach out to any board member.
As the build proceeds, Rodney Juba says the Dauphin chapter will be reaching out to the community for donations.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
Gas prices have been at a record high recently but drivers could see some relief at the pumps Sunday.
According to gas analyst Dan McTeague, the president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, the prices in Manitoba and Saskatchewan could drop ten cents a litre on Sunday.
This comes after the price of oil fell 13 cents to below 70 dollars U.S. a barrel on Friday.
The drop would be the biggest single-day drop he has seen since 2009.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
The province has planned a community deer hunt as part of its emergency response to the discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a deer near Lake Of The Prairies in October.
Until December 12th, permitted hunters are allowed to harvest mule and white-tailed deer in the temporary CWD containment zone but any animal taken must be sent in for testing. You can find a map of places to drop off samples, here.
Local landowners and Indigenous communities that actively hunt in the area will be allowed to participate, but will need a special permit from the CWD hunter check-station in the Roblin Conservation Officers district yard, at Highway 83 South. Hours are 8 am to 8 pm on weekends and noon to 8 pm on weekdays.
Earlier this month the province put a hunting ban in parts of Game Hunting Area 22 which includes Binscarth, Rossburn, and an area north of Minnedosa.
If you have any questions, you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 1-800-214-6497. For more information, visit the Manitoba Government's CWD webpage.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
In-person classes will once again be offered at the University of Manitoba in the coming winter term and students and staff will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend.
The university also said unvaccinated employees and students who have not received an approved exemption will be placed on unpaid leave or deregistered from in-person classes this winter. There will not be any COVID-19 rapid testing alternatives available.
School officials say these measures highlight the university's commitment to the health and safety of the community.
According to U of M, 81 per cent of its students and 72 per cent of its employees have uploaded proof of vaccination so far.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The MLA for Dauphin Brad Michaleski has announced that he is taking an extended medical leave at the recommendation of his doctor.
He will not be present for the remainder of the fall legislative session in Winnipeg.
The leave is not related to Covid-19 and the MLA’s constituency office will remain open to serve the people of Dauphin.
No further comments will be provided by Michaleski and his family asks for privacy at this time.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
Dauphin's Community Infusion event is just around the corner.
The event, hosted by the fusion credit union is happening on December 6 at the Countryfest Community Cinema.
That's when 5 finalists make their final pitches hoping to claim up to 30 thousand dollars for their business.
The event is free and will include free popcorn and drinks, and one lucky attendee will win a pair of Jets tickets. Darnell Duff will be the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Covid-19 vaccinations are now underway in Manitoba for kids aged 5-11 as the province has officially launched their vaccine campaign.
Health and Seniors Care minister Audrey Gordon said in a press release that “Manitoba's #ProtectMB Kids campaign will help ensure children and families feel informed, welcomed and supported,"
To officially kick off the campaign on Thursday morning six kids in Winnipeg were given the pediatric dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the RBC Convention Center. So far this week over 25,000 parents have booked their children for the doses.
Health Canada has said that the pediatric vaccine is 90.7% effective against Covid-19.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
Nicholas Ryan-McKinnon will have to wait a while longer before finding out his fate.
The 24-year-old was back in court where his case was remanded in custody to December 13.
He was arrested late last year in connection with a fatal stabbing in Dauphin.
A 32-year-old man was found dead and an 18-year-old man was injured.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Manitoba Pork producers are once again dealing with a P-E-D outbreak, but compared to two years ago, the numbers are quite low.
Cam Dahl is the General Manager of Manitoba Pork. He says the disease traditionally spikes on a two-year cycle, and so far, the numbers are still pretty low.
Dahl says the twelve cases in the province are all south of the Trans Canada Highway, and while technically it's being considered as an outbreak, there are far fewer cases than the last outbreak.
During the last outbreak two years ago there were over 80 cases, and Dahl says this year's low numbers are a result of all levels of the industry taking proactive bio-security steps to reduce the risk of infection.
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- Contributed by Caed Malowany
Manitoba's Chief Medical Officer says that despite rising COVID-19 cases, the current fourth wave is seeing less severe outcomes. Dr. Brent Roussin today told Manitobans that our high rate of vaccination is reducing the number of ICU cases, and fewer Manitobans are passing away due to COVID infection.
He added that while everyone is frustrated at how long the pandemic is lasting, people still need to be vigilant. That includes over the holidays. Roussin suggests not holding large Christmas parties this year but says small groups of family and friends can still gather over the holidays as long as everyone is fully vaccinated, and people continue to take precautions by washing their hands frequently, staying home if they feel sick, and avoid contact with unvaccinated friends.
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- Contributed by Caed Malowany
