Noah Fuchs

A change of plans will be in order if you had a scheduled stop at either of the Portage la Prairie Liquor Marts on Wednesday or Thursday.

Following a one-day strike last Wednesday, July 19, unionized Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries staff will strike again.

The union representing Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries employees, Manitoba General Employees Union (MGEU),  declined a 2 per cent yearly increase from the provincial government as they seek a 3.3 per cent increase, according to Kyle Ross, President of MGEU.

The Portage-Lisgar Conservative Party candidate met with voters Thursday evening ahead of the upcoming federal by-election.

Branden Leslie, who welcomed a full campaign office of supporters in Portage la Prairie, says he is ready to take the next step in politics after over a decade of working on Parliament Hill with a number of MPs and Ministers.

"We are excited to go on this campaign. We have momentum, and we are ready to send a strong message to the Prime Minister that we are ready to fight for rural Conservative values," says Leslie.

November 29th may have seen the Winnipeg Jets come away with a 5-0 win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion, Colorado Avalanche.

But, what happened in the stands that night is what the hockey world is taking away from the contest.

As the temperatures drop and the leaves change colours, hockey season has arrived in Arborg. 

Ivan Gula, the President of the Arborg Ice Dawgs of the Capital Region Junior Hockey League, says that the Ice Dawgs are a young team, and as the season continues, he knows they will continue to grow.  

Gula adds the team will be looking to build off the new hire of head coach Scott Wong. 

The people of Portage la Prairie got a chance on Wednesday night to know the candidates participating in the Municipal Election coming up later this month.

The event called-- "Donut" who to vote for?-- saw 17 out of the 18 registered candidates for mayor or council attend.

The forum was held at the Herman Prior Activity Centre and facilitated by the Portage la Prairie Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC). It took place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., encouraging the public to question the individuals that might represent them while also enjoying free donuts.

Last week, as the tragic events on James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon, Saskatchewan and the subsequent manhunt were unfolding, many Emergency Alerts were issued in Manitoba.

Tara Seel, Manitoba RCMP media relations officer, says that while she appreciates how some people felt that there were too many alerts, she is still slightly disappointed.

Everything in the world now seems to cost a little bit more than it used to, and the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba are definitely feeling that.

David Wiens of Grunthal, chair of the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba, talks about the inflation we are all experiencing in Canada.

"When we look at our costs from the past year, for example, fertilizers have gone up by 44 per cent, fuel has gone up by 32 per cent, and animal feed has gone up by eight per cent. So, those are the things that are causing a lot of pressure on dairy farms across the country."

In contrast with Environment Canada's summer weather outlook, the Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting a colder summer.

Managing editor Jack Burnett says he's anticipating a slightly cooler and drier than normal summer, but not by much.

Today, the city advises that due to an excessive amount of broken glass at Simplot Central Park (mainly in the Splash Pad area), they have been forced to close off the area to the public until further notice.

PortageOnline will follow up with the city as to when the park will re-open. For now, please avoid the area.

The war between Russia and Ukraine carries on and so do efforts to support Ukraine from countries across the world and, of course, our backyard. 

Portage Fire Department Chief Phil Carpenter says that sending this equipment over is part of a province-wide initiative organized in Morden.