Portage

Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza attended the 79th annual Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC) held July 27–30 in Saskatoon, where legislators from 15 North American jurisdictions gathered to discuss trade, infrastructure, energy, and more.

Bereza notes that agriculture and trade tariffs were among the key topics at the conference, which brings together lawmakers from Canadian provinces and U.S. states to collaborate on regional issues.

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Best Business Awards, and the Portage la Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce is introducing some exciting changes to this year’s event.

The awards ceremony is set to take place on November 6 at the William Glesby Centre.

Each year, the awards celebrate businesses and organizations that demonstrate outstanding commitment to the community.

You can call in to ask host Carla Hrycyna all of your gardening questions live every Saturday morning starting at 9:15am: 1-800-374-3315

Families across Portage la Prairie have found a new community icon, and he's got felt skin, button eyes, and a heart of gold. Puppet Peter, the charismatic puppet from the Portage Family Resource Centre, is making his debut, sharing laughs, stories, and the mission behind his growing fame.

Emergency services don't get long weekends off, and yesterday's events gave us a window into why.

Two separate structure fires were called in, one just after 7 a.m. and one in the evening.

At approximately 7:30 a.m., a report came in about smoke billowing out of a building on 9th Street NW in Portage. A Facebook post by the Fire Department notes that the crews remained present at the scene until around 1 p.m.

Manitoba RCMP are investigating a pair of drownings that occurred over the long weekend.

Selkirk RCMP are looking into a drowning at Grand Beach that claimed the life of a 25-year-old Winnipeg man on August 2.

Two men had gone out onto the lake on a pool flotation device when they lost their balance and fell into the water. One man was rescued by a nearby kayaker, while the other did not resurface.

Gimli RCMP are asking for the public’s help to find a 66-year-old man who has been missing since Friday evening.

Ralph Osterwald was last seen on August 1 at about 7 p.m. leaving a residence in Gimli on a greenish-gray mountain bike. Before leaving, he told family he was going for a bike ride but has not been seen since.

Concern for Osterwald’s wellbeing has grown, prompting police and family to launch a search in the Gimli area.

MONDAY, AUGUST 4TH

American Association Baseball
Winnipeg Goldeyes 13 at Milwaukee Milkmen 4

MLB
Toronto 15 at Colorado 1

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5TH

Santa Clara Baseball League
Finals - Best of 5
Game 2
Portage at Plumas - 6:30 PM
Portage leads 1-0

The Winnipeg Goldeyes (31-43) opened a four-game series in dominant fashion Monday, posting a 13-4 victory over the Sioux Falls Canaries (42-33) at Sioux Falls Stadium.
 
For the first time in four games, the Goldeyes found themselves trailing early after a bases-loaded walk to Mike Hart in the bottom of the first scored Jabari Henry to give the Canaries a 1-0 lead.
 

Ryan Espey, president of the Canadian Arm Wrestling Federation and a master-level referee, recently returned from the Canadian National Arm Wrestling Championships in Regina, where he served as one of the referees for the finals. He notes the event has grown significantly, with a record 950 competitors at the 2024 nationals in Quebec.