Candace Derksen

One driver is being charged after a two-vehicle crash east of Winkler on Highway 14 Monday morning.

According to Pembina Valley RCMP, a vehicle turning west onto the highway from Reinfeld Street in Reinfeld collided with a vehicle heading east on the highway. Both drivers were taken to hospital in stable condition.
    
The driver of the vehicle that turned is being charged under the Highway Traffic Act for proceeding when unsafe to do so. 
    
RCMP say the highway is open to traffic in both directions.

If you've got a pad mount transformer in your yard, Manitoba Hydro wants you to keep one thing in mind this spring.
    
As sump pumps start gurgling to life, homeowners are being reminded to direct those hoses away from the green electrical boxes sometimes found in yards.
    
According to the Crown utility, Hydro crews have spotted several transformers with puddles around them and, while the units are designed to be safe even when wet, it says standing water can corrode the equipment requiring costly repairs and causing power outages. 
    

It's something Altona Police Chief Dan Defer says his department deals with every election.
    
On Thursday, the office received a report of two election signs being damaged, rather, noted Defer, they were driven over.

"There are those individuals out there that tend to go out and either remove or destroy election signs," he explained.

Defer noted, destroying, tampering or damaging election signs is an offence under the Federal Elections Act and says these incidents will be investigated by police. 

Having spent countless hours on the task force that helped bring the Altona Community Garden to life, Joel Martin has now taken over the job of manager from Jack Heppner who retired last fall.

"It was a ton of sacrifice." That from Sergeant Chris Flook with the Morden Police Service who says officers spent hours outside of their regular shifts to bring Project Terminus to a conclusion.

The four-month investigation, which included the Winkler Police Service as well, yielded 11 arrests and the seizure of illicit drugs, firearms, cash and other drug paraphernalia between December 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.

11 people have been charged in months-long Joint Force Operation (JFO) police have dubbed Project Terminus.
    
The Morden and Winkler police services investigation began in December, and on January 24th the project team charged two people after seizing meth, a replica firearm and a large amount of Canadian currency following a traffic stop.
    
Another stop two days later resulted in one person being charged with possession of a controlled substance.
    

Two people have been charged with Assault after a pair of separate incidents in Altona last week. 

According to the Altona Police Service's latest activities report, the first call came on Tuesday when officers responded to a reported fight in the parking lot of the local mall. After collecting statements from both parties, police charged a 27-year-old man with Assault. He was later released on conditions, including not to communicate with the victim. 

Being active together was the motivation for Kendall Funk-Wieler when he started the A-Town Runners in September 2022. 
    
The group meets every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at TCE - rain, shine or snow! - for a lap or two around Altona.

New safety features have been installed in an effort to increase visibility at the intersection of PR201 and PTH306. 
    
Motorists are now warned of the upcoming intersection by red flashing lights that have been mounted atop the stop signs at the east and west sides of the crossing. This, according to Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI), is just one of the new safety measures planned following a review of the intersection shortly after a fatal two-vehicle collision in November that claimed the life of a mom and her young daughter.
    

Another year is in the books for the Altona Police Service (APS) and Police Chief Dan Defer is ready to slap the cuffs on the challenges of 2024.

Overall, Defer says the last year was a good one, but admitted that returning the department to a full complement of officers took up a lot of time and required patience. Two constables left the team earlier in the year and that, noted Defer, left the team with two options on how to move forward.