Candace Derksen

The Town of Altona is embarking on a project it says will further push it towards climate resiliency.

Council will use a $15,000 grant, under the province's Climate Action Plan, to create a climate risk assessment and adaptation plan for the community.

The work will be divided in two phases. 

Phase 1, explained Mayor Harv Schroeder, is the assessment. It will establish context, identify risks, assess, compare and rank those risks and then identify risk mitigation and adaptation measures

Two motorists were temporarily pulled off the road by Morden police officers this past week after they blew warnings on the Roadside Screening Device.
    
The first fell subject to the test after police spotted an open beer can next to the driver, in their cup holder, during a traffic stop.
    
The second provided a sample after officers smelled liquor coming from their breath, also during a traffic stop.
    
Each driver was issued a 72-hour driving suspension, their vehicles impounded for 3 days and fined $400.

Please note the school division listed in the story has been corrected with new information from the RCMP

Eight children were taken to hospital with minor injuries after a two-vehicle crash, involving a school bus, Tuesday morning near Haywood, in the R.M. of Grey.
    
According to the initial RCMP investigation, a tractor was collecting debris being pushed by a southbound grader on Road 37W when it was rear-ended by the school bus. The grader was not involved.

For an impressive 22 years, Friesens has qualified as one of Deloitte's Best Managed Companies in Canada, and this year is no different. The Altona-based book manufacturer has once again earned the title. 

"This prestigious designation is a testament to our strategy, culture, innovation, leadership, and financial performance," stated the company in a news release submitted to PembinaValleyOnline.

The Manitoba government is creating an all-party committee to explore the future of local journalism.

Premier Wab Kinew says by studying the matter, the goal is to figure out how the province can support local media, adding he believes having a good media environment is essential for our democracy.

The Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) of Manitoba will not be authorizing charges against an RCMP member involved in a shooting near Sanford last fall.
    
Police were called to a home in the R.M. of MacDonald in the evening of September 24th where it was reported that a man was assaulting a woman and burning vehicles on the property. However, the man fled before officers arrived.
    

Municipality of Rhineland Council has written to Manitoba Housing expressing concerns over the resident clientele moving into the government housing complex in Plum Coulee. 

"It's a senior housing unit and there's been some vacancies, and they (Manitoba Housing) is putting people there that have some special needs and situations, and they've been put in there without supports," explained Reeve Don Wiebe. 

130 Altona-area grade 6 students took their education outdoors on Thursday to learn more about the eco-system and sustainability.
    
It was all for Border Land School Division's (BLSD) inaugural ECO EXPO that saw the kids from area schools cycle through a series of workshops that included gardening, sewing, an outdoor scavenger hunt and more, all at the local park, Buffalo Creek Nature Park and the Rhineland Pioneer Centre.

The Under 18 Ice Time pilot program at Altona's Sunflower Gardens this past winter was well-received by the public, according to the town's Recreation Manager. 

Collaboratively developed with Altona Minor Hockey and the Altona Skating Club, the program offered additional ice time, free-of-charge, when the rink wasn't booked, giving youth more opportunities to hone their hockey and figure skating skills. In exchange, Altona Minor Hockey provided $2,500 to help offset some of the related expenses.

The Morris Advanced Robotics team closed out the VEX World Championships in Dallas, Texas with a 3-7 record. 

In the final update, leader, JP Jamieson, noted the team (88875M) lost its final two matches (the last by only one point).