Candace Derksen

The countdown is on till Christmas, and 22 per cent of respondents to a recent PembinaValleyOnline poll said they were still scrambling to find gift ideas.

After running short staffed for most of the year, the Altona Police Service is back to full strength.
    
Hired in July, Constables Brent Krahn and Xerxes Tabunar have now completed their recruit training and graduated from the Saskatchewan Police College on December 13th. This brings the department back up to its full contingent of five constables, one corporal, one sergeant and one chief. 

Indications are for potential near-normal to below-normal spring runoff across Manitoba basins next year.

However, the extent of spring runoff is largely dependent on precipitation throughout the winter and spring and snowmelt conditions. The 2025 spring flood outlook will be released in the later weeks of February and March.

Lisa Lehmann says she was surprised and honoured to hear Premier Wab Kinew had selected her for the King Charles III Coronation Medal. 

Initially a founder and board member of Carman Wellness Connections, Lehman was most recently hired as the group's Coordinator. It is her dedication to making life better for the area's most vulnerable community members through this organization that earned her this recent recognition.

After nearly two decades leading the Western School Division (WSD) as Superintendent, Stephen Ross will be retiring next year. 

"Stephen's been a cornerstone of our division. He's been an incredible leader. I think he brought a genuine care and genuine interest for education to the position," said Darcy Wolfe, Chair of the Board of Trustees. 

According to Wolfe, Ross is the longest-serving school division superintendent in Manitoba and believes WSD has been incredibly fortunate to have his leadership during times of growth and change.

An Altona-based company is once again playing an integral part in delivering a free book to every grade one student in Canada. 

In a news release issued this week, Friesens announced its ongoing support and participation in the TD Grade One Book Giveaway, a program of The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Over its 24-year involvement, the book manufacturer has printed and produced about 500,000 - 600,000 books through the initiative.

What started out as a simple way to put a smile on residents' faces, ended up being a huge success. 

In fact, the Altona Tim Horton's Holiday Smile Cookie Week turned out to be the top-selling campaign in Manitoba with 12,131 cookies sold. The year-old location also ranked #6 in Canada.

Two 4-H clubs in the area have been given a financial boost, thanks to Farm Credit Canada (FCC).

Snagging grants of up to $500 each this year is the Elm Creek 4-H Beef Club and the Graysville Light Horse and Pony Club out of Carman.
    
Since 2013, the FCC 4-H Club Fund has contributed over $1 million in funding and supported more than 2,100 4-H clubs across Canada.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the province has a moral obligation to prepare for the humanitarian aspect of what a second Donald Trump presidency in the U.S. could mean for the southern part of the province. That's one of the considerations included in his government's beefed-up border security plan ahead of January 20th, noting mass deportations was an election promise reiterated many times by Donald Trump.

Three southern Manitoba farms have snagged Watershed District Awards
    
Doled out annually by the Manitoba Association of Watersheds and Manitoba’s 14 Watershed Districts, the awards recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals directly associated with the growth and success of watershed districts in the province.
    
The Dogs Run Farm, located in Clearwater in the Pembina Valley Watershed District, is operated Colin & Katie McInnes.