Portage

Several rounds of severe thunderstorms have left parts of the Central Plains, Pembina and Red River Valleys drenched this morning. Not one, not two, but three waves of severe thunderstorms rolled through the region, with warnings issued for several areas south of Portage including Morden, Winkler and Altona. The warnings came between late afternoon Monday and early this morning.

The Portage Collegiate Saints golf team captured the Zone 4 High School golf championship banner Monday at the Scotswood Links golf course in Elm Creek. 

Brooke Henderson (90), Ella Harkness (93), Kora Montour (98), Lexi Henderson (116) & Paige Bailey (164) of PCI took the girls title with a score of 281. Rory Perrin (105), Willow Winslow (111), Rylee Harms (116), Delaney Darby (118) & Aubree Sloan (120) of Morden finished second with a 332 total.

The three best scores were used to determine the team results. 

A long-time Portage la Prairie School Division teacher and leader is moving on after 27 years.

Tracy Vanstone, the principal of École Arthur Meighen, will be taking on a new role with the Manitoba Teachers' Society (MTS) as of October 8, where she will work as the Staff Officer of Professional and French Language Services.

Manitoba's governing New Democrats ousted backbencher and defence lawyer Mark Wasyliw from caucus Monday, and Wasyliw fired back by accusing Premier Wab Kinew of being a micromanaging, toxic bully.

The NDP said it removed Wasyliw because a partner at his law firm is representing convicted sex offender and disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard.

Members of Parliament will hold an emergency debate in the House of Commons Monday evening on a string of recent deaths of First Nations people during interactions with Canadian police forces.

Six First Nations people have died in the last two weeks at the hands of police officers, which NDP MP Lori Idlout characterizes as a "disturbing pattern."

She wrote a letter to House Speaker Greg Fergus calling for the emergency debate, lambasting what she called a lack of media coverage of the deaths and inaction by the government to pass legislation on First Nations policing.

Winnipeg Goldeyes General Manager Andrew Collier has been named American Association Executive of the Year, the league announced Monday.
 
The 2024 season marks Collier’s 23rd as the club’s General Manager. He previously won the award in 2014 in the American Association and 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2009 in the Northern League.

Mother nature has recently blessed Portage la Prairie with above-seasonal days, and that trend looks to continue this week.

Christy Climenhaga, a Scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), says it will be an interesting and unsettled week across much of the province, especially parts of southern Manitoba.

Canadian farmers can take advantage of a program that can give them a leg up this harvest season through the Canadian Grain Commission's (CGC) annual Harvest Sample Program.

Through that farmers get an unofficial grading from the CGC which they can use to help market their commodities.

Program Manager of Analytical Services Kerri Pleskach talks about the program and how it helps out Canadian producers.

A Manitoba New Democrat has been removed from the government caucus and is firing back at Premier Wab Kinew.

The NDP has removed Mark Wasyliw — a lawyer — from caucus, saying his business partner is a defence lawyer for convicted sex offender Peter Nygard.

Caucus chair Mike Moyes says Wasyliw has failed to demonstrate good judgment and does not align with caucus principles of respect and trust.

Wasyliw says he thinks he has been turfed because he spoke his mind within caucus.

Twelve firefighters responded to a vehicle fire east of MacGregor in the early hours of Saturday.

Crews were dispatched to a fire on Highway 1 at 2:48 a.m. on September 14. The blaze involving a semi-dolly was extinguished and cleaned up quickly. Firefighters were back in service at 4:45 a.m.

MacGregor Fire Chief Chris Leckie tells PortageOnline it was a mechanical failure on the dollies pulling the second semi-trailer when it malfunctioned and caused the brakes and tires to catch fire.