Portage

Manitoba Hydro is warning farmers to be extra cautious this spring after a series of incidents involving large agricultural equipment and overhead power infrastructure.

Three serious incidents in one week

In the last week, three separate incidents involving farm machinery have resulted in damage to hydro equipment.

One of those incidents brought down a transmission tower on the Bipole 1 High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) line near Gross Isle. Manitoba Hydro confirms the tower has already been replaced and the line has been restored.

The Portage Terriers' season wrapped up nearly a month ago, and with the change of season comes the Dogs' annual spring rookie camp.

11 goalies, 30 defencemen, and 63 forwards made up the teams that took part in the camp, with 25 players having suited up in the Central Plains region over this past season.

Per the Winnipeg Blue Bombers press release:

 The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced the club has signed their first selection, 6th overall in the 2025 CFL Draft, linebacker Connor Shay.

Around 9 a.m. Treherne RCMP responded to a collision involving a school bus and a tractor near the intersection of Road 37 W and Road 43 N in the RM of Grey. The incident occurred while the bus was transporting 31 children to school in the Prairie Spirit School Division.

A distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba will be invested into the Order of Manitoba this summer.

Dr. Digvir S. Jayas, an engineer and agrologist, has received multiple awards for his 30-year research and teaching career. He conducts research related to drying, handling and storing of grains and oilseeds and digital image processing for grading and processing operations in the Agri-Food industry.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his new cabinet today.

One of the new faces at the cabinet table will be 59 year old Heath MacDonald an MP from Prince Edward Island, as he takes on the role of Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister.

MacDonald was first elected as an MP in 2021 after previously serving in the Provincial Legislature

Kody Blois, who was appointed ag minister in early March following Carney's leadership win i
 was left out of cabinet.

Other key ministers of note relating to the ag industry :

The offseason commitments to play college hockey continue for the Terriers, with another player announcing his intent to go south of the border next season.

Ross has committed to the University of Jamestown in North Dakota, where he will join the Jimmies for a chance to compete for the ACHA Championship.

The Jimmies lost in the National Quarterfinal to Liberty University this past season.

Ross says the decision was a fairly easy one.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is giving his cabinet a major shakeup, moving several key players involved in Canada-U.S. relations into new positions and promoting 24 new faces to the front bench.

Carney's cabinet — 28 full ministers and 10 secretaries of state — retains prominent figures from former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government, including Dominic LeBlanc, Mélanie Joly, Chrystia Freeland and François-Philippe Champagne.

Update:

Highway 1 has been re-opened as of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 13.

Former story:

A 54-year-old woman from the Rural Municipality of North Cypress-Langford is in hospital in stable condition after being shot by an RCMP officer during a chaotic scene on Highway 1 Monday night.

Carberry RCMP responded around 9:30 p.m. on May 12 to reports of a person creating a disturbance on the highway near Road 88 West. Multiple witnesses reported a woman walking in and out of traffic, causing vehicles to slow and stop unexpectedly.

On May 10, 2025, the Austin Fire Department responded to two separate fire calls within just hours of each other, as dry conditions and high winds continue to pose a significant wildfire risk in the region.

At 1:14 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to Road 70W and 69N for a report of a tractor on fire in a cultivated field. When crews arrived, they found the farm tractor fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters pulled hoses from both Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 units to attack the blaze and extinguish it.