Accessibility Tools

Fire has heavily damaged the studios for CJ 104 radio in Swan River. 

According to the author of Bill's Inereesing Things Facebook page, surveillance video shows an individual on a bike drive up to the studio around 5:20 Thursday morning, light a fire bomb, and throw it in through one of the windows of the studio. 

Swan Valley Fire Department members arrived shortly after to extinguish the flames. 

Mounties in the community have confirmed hat there was a person of interest riding a bike in front of the station just prior to the fire

Besides causing significant damage to the building, the fire also destroyed the studios and master control, knocking not only CJ 104 off the air, but also its inter-station connections in Virden, Gimli, and Esterhazy.  

No word yet on when the station will be back up and running.  

Anyone with info or surveillance footage of the area around that time on Thursday are asked to call the Swan River detachment at 204-734-4686.
Intermountain Watershed District is encouraging landowners to collect samples of their well water for testing for E-Coli or Coliform. 
Bottles to collect the samples can be picked up at IMWD offices in Ethelbert and Ste Rose, and then turned back into your local municipal office by 10:30 am on July 28th, August 25th, or September 22nd. 
Project manager Chance Hulley says it is important for landowners to test their well water on a yearly basis.  
"It helps detect if there are contaminents present in their drinking water.  Water testing is extremely important for those that have private wells that are using them for drinking and for their house.  Identifying potential contaminents allows for the implementation of appropriate treatment methods to make the water safe for consumption.  The goal of this program is to ensure that private well water is safe and suitable for human consumption."
Halley says landowners will be conducted by the lab if their samples have unsafe levels of E-Coli or Coliform. 
There is a cost of $17.67 to the landowner for the sample.  

It's back to the drawing board for the province with regards to plans to make the intersection of highways 1 and 5 near Carberry safer. 

The intersection was he scene of a deadly collision between a semi truck and a bus in June of 2023, that killed 17 seniors from the Dauphin area and injured eight others. 

The province had proposed a restricted crossing u-turn,  which would prevent traffic on highway 5 from turning left on or proceeding straight across highway 1.

But Premier Wab Kinew says after hearing from the community, the government will not proceed with that plan and instead will now step back and consider different options. 

More than 2,100 people in the area signed a petition that said the design would not improve safety

Carberry Mayor Ray Muirhead says residents would prefer an overpass to separate traffic.

Due to rapidly spreading wildfires, and extreme fire conditions, Manitoba has declared a provincial state of emergency.

This is the 2nd state of emergency in the past two months. Multiple wildfires continue to threaten many communities and infrastructure.

Evacuation orders and alerts are in effect in northern Manitoba. Air Quality continues to be impacted. Follow all evacuation orders and emergency instructions from local authorities. Visit MB Ready at mbready.manitoba.ca for more information, and check manitoba511.ca before travelling.

Former Gilbert Plains Municipality CAO Amber Fisher was back in court this week.

Accused of defrauding the municipality of over half a million dollars during her time employed by them, Fisher had her matters adjourned to August 1st in Winnipeg.

And a man arrested in connection with an armed robbery in Dauphin last month was also back in court this week. 

23-year-old Dravan Guldie of Saskatoon was remanded in custody to August 12.

Mounties are investigating a homicide early this morning on the Sapotweyak Cree Nation.

At around 2:30 this morning, Swan River RCMP received a report of a 57-year-old man that was injured at a residence. 

Emergency responders rushed to the home but pronounced the victim dead at the scene. 

A 20-year-old man, who is reported to have known the victim, was arrested at a nearby home.    

No names have been released. 

RCMP Major Crime Services and Forensic Identification Services have been called in to help with the investigation.

Wasagaming Community Arts has a special celebration this weekend.

The WCA was started 55 years ago by Edythe Holden and Joyce Smedegaard.

Current WCA board chair Ken Romaniuk says an exhibit featuring the work of the two women has been on display for a few weeks, and has been very well received.

"This Saturday, we are honoured to have the families of Edythe and Joyce come to the Centre, and we will have a wine and cheese celebration.  The families will share some personal stories about their mothers and their journey with art and specifically how they created our Art Centre and Art Gallery." 

The event goes from 7 to 9 Saturday night at the Arts Centre in Wasagaming. 

Manitoba Health says visitors to the Brandon Shoppers Mall at the end of June should monitor for symptoms of Measles.

According to a release from the province, a possible measles exposure happened at the Mall on June 29 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Anyone who was at the Mall at this time is asked to monitor for symptoms until July 21, and should check their immunization records and ensure they're up to date with the measles vaccine.

Symptoms of measles generally appear seven to 21 days after exposure, and may include fever, runny nose, drowsiness, irritability, and red eyes.

Small, white spots may also develop on the inside of the mouth or throat, and a red, blotchy rash appears on the face and progresses down the body.

If symptoms develop, individuals who may have been exposed are advised to isolate at home and contact their health-care provider about their potential exposure to measles.

High temperatures over he past week allowed for good crop growth across the Northwest region.
But according to the latest Crop report from Manitoba Agriculture, a lack of precipitation is also contributing to crop stress. 
The most advanced spring wheat crops are flowering, while the remaining crops continue behind. 
Field peas are growing nicely and are in the R2 stage, with some reaching R3, while the most advanced soybean crops are at the R1 stage.  
Canola crops are varied across the region, depending on seeding date and moisture conditions for germination.  
Stages also differ within the field, with some plants flowering and some at the 2 leaf stage, and earliest-seeded crops in the flower/pod development stage. 

Ste Rose RCMP are investigating two recent break-ins to a store on the Ebb & Flow First Nation.  

The incidents took place just after 5 am on June 21st, and after 4 am on July 3rd.  

A large number of cigarettes and lottery tickets were stolen during the two incidents.  

If you have info on either occurence, you are asked to call the Ste Rose du Lac RCMP at 204-447-3082 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Residents in Neepawa will elect a new town councillor next Wednesday in a by-election.

And residents are being encouraged to learn more about the candidates running for the job at a special meet-and-greet event tonight.

The Neepawa Chamber of Commerce is hosting the gathering from 7 to 9 in the community room of the Neepawa Public Library.

Two candidates - Dave Clark and Sheri Grant - are seeking the vacancy on council.