Portage

The Crown will not appeal the acquittals of five former world junior hockey players after their high-profile sexual assault trial, one of the defence lawyers in the case said Thursday.

Daniel Brown, who represented Alex Formenton, said he has been informed of the prosecutors' decision. The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Formenton, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted of sexual assault, and McLeod of a separate charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

Air Canada says it expects to be operating close to its full network schedule by Friday. 

The airline says it is continuing to ramp up its operations in a press release Thursday. 

This comes after the airline reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants on Tuesday to end a strike that began on Saturday. 

The strike disrupted the airline's operations, resulting in the cancellation of flights. 

Mark Nasr, Air Canada's chief operations officer, said in the release that the airline is restoring operations ahead of its plan. 

A family farm southwest of Portage la Prairie is still drying out after a powerful overnight storm, but harvest plans are moving forward.

Mark Matyasovszky farms about 3,600 acres, running a mixed operation of grain and cattle. He says they were spared from some of the heaviest rainfall reported around the region.

The gymnasium at the Prairie Fusion Arts and Entertainment Centre is transformed into a bustling battleground on Tuesday afternoon, filled with the sounds of laughter and the soft thwack of foam darts.

The centre hosted its inaugural Nerf Extravaganza, a community event aimed at bringing all ages together for an afternoon of active fun.

From 12 PM to 4 PM, participants aged eight to adult dove behind cardboard box barriers for team deathmatches and free-for-alls.

As the Portage Terriers gear up for the 2025-2026 season, the organization is once again calling on the community to step up and open their homes to junior hockey players through its billeting program.

Billeting, a long-standing tradition in junior hockey, involves local families hosting out-of-town players for the season, providing them with a home away from home. For Kellie Minoletti and her family, the experience was not only positive, but transformative.

The beloved Whoop & Hollar Folk Festival is back for its 11th season this weekend, promising an unforgettable blend of different genres of music, arts, and community at Cottonwood Acres just outside of Portage la Prairie.

This year's festival is headlined by none other than Canadian folk legend Valdy, a two-time Juno Award winner best known for his 1972 hit Rock and Roll Song. Valdy will perform three times over the weekend, including two mainstage sets and a special Saturday evening workshop alongside Winnipeg's Tracy K and Jamie Steinhoff Blues Duo and Kelly Bado.

A pair of retired servicemen in Portage la Prairie are leading a grassroots effort to educate seniors about fraud prevention. The program, which began in March 2024, was created by retired RCMP officer Colin Wilcox and Canadian Armed Forces veteran Glen Jones, president of the local branch of the National Association of Federal Retirees. 

It grew out of a board meeting where members discussed scams targeting seniors," says Wilcox. 

Winnipeg is preparing to host the Canadian Elite Basketball League Championship Weekend, CW25, and 10,000 people are expected to attend the festivities Downtown.

The weekend will kick off with a free street festival with activities for all ages. There will be several musical performances by local and national artists, food trucks, a market, and three-on-three basketball before the on-court action begins.

The Eastern Conference Final is on August 22 at 5 p.m. with a battle between the Scarborough Shooting Stars and Niagara River Lions at the Canada Life Centre.

Yesterday evening the three candidates vying for a seat at the Manitoba Legislature to represent the Spruce Woods Riding matched wits during the second Candidates' Debate.  This was the second time the three went toe-to-toe in the past week, the first was last week in Souris.  

The Spruce Woods Community Hall debate was very well attended and the audience sat through 90 minutes in full attention of the answers they heard to some straight-forward and oftentimes uncomfortable questions that were not prepared beforehand.

The Gladstone Flying Club is inviting the community to join them for a special fundraiser this Saturday, August 23, at the Gladstone Legion. Starting at 5 p.m., attendees can enter a raffle for a chance to take two rides on a World War II training plane. The actual plane rides are scheduled for Saturday, September 6, at Gladstone Airport.