Judy Peters

Update at 4:20 PM:

Steinbach Fire Chief, Kel Toews, says the cause of the fire was electrical.

"When we got here the attic was charged with smoke. So we went up on the roof, cut a few exploratory holes and found that the structure was charred. The cause was electrical and so we had to peel back insulation until we got to clean installation, no charred insulation and now we're cleaning up now."

He adds that due to the nature of the fire, damage will be primarily related to the access holes made in the roof.

It has been a great spring for wildlife photographer Jen Normand of New Bothwell. 

Armed with a newer and stronger camera, she has been able to get some great photos of eagles watching over their nest. 

Normand says certain times of day are better than others for capturing fantastic images. 

“In my opinion, I would say dusk and dawn, it’s the perfect lighting and it really makes the photos pop.” 

A family in Falcon Lake had an unwanted guest at their cottage and required the help of RCMP and Conservation Officers. 

Brayden Juras says he had heard some loud crashes early Monday morning and thought it was his brother getting ready for work or to go on a fishing trip. 

His parents also heard loud noises and his dad investigated. 

He found a bear eating dog food from a container that had been closed. Where was the dog? She had passed away a couple of days earlier.

After two months, Lillis Penner’s Giving Fence is doing what it was intended to. 

Irene Kroeker at Steinbach Community Outreach says it’s very helpful for people to have easy access to food and other necessities when outreach is closed. 

One adult and an infant were taken to hospital following a serious collision near Ste. Anne, Man. on Friday afternoon.

Fire Chief Bob Saindon says they were called at 4 p.m. on Friday to Highway 12 south of Ste. Anne.

“The initial call came in as needing extrication and the vehicle was on fire,” Saindon says.

Donations of cereal and cake mix have been flowing into the food bank in Steinbach. 

This follows a call for help which was issued two weeks ago by South East Helping Hands. 

“We did see quite a wonderful response,” says Ashley Garand. 

When the new school year gets underway in September, Hanover students from kindergarten through to Grade 8 will not be allowed to use cellphones during the school day. 

The Hanover School Board is expected to approve amendments to its Responsible Use of Technology policy. 

“One of our middle schools decided to try being cellphone free, and so that's a 5 to 8 school, and did lots of communication of course with the parents and with the PAC (Parent Advisory Council) ahead of time. And they were all in favor of trying it,” reports Superintendent Shelley Amos. 

Updated at 1:35 p.m., Wednesday, June 5:

The Hold and Secure procedure has been lifted for Niverville’s elementary school, middle school, and high school. It has also been lifted at Ecole Heritage Immersion in St. Pierre, and at École Communautaire Réal-Bérard. 

The Hanover School Division (HSD) issued an update on their website, stating that RCMP have advised them that it is safe to lift the security procedures. 

HSD is thanking students, staff and parents for their cooperation and understanding. 

The Provencher riding will look a bit different for the next federal election. 

Member of Parliament Ted Falk says this change is in response to tremendous population growth in southeastern Manitoba. 

“We've got a lot of growing communities. I look at Steinbach, Niverville, Oakbank and Lorette, Ile des Chenes, all of these communities have really been growing and as a result of it our population has been increasing, and some of the other electoral districts surrounding us haven't grown quite as much.” 

The Culture Showcase at Roseau Valley School in Dominion City drew a lot of attention with people raving about the celebration of diversity. 

Vice-principal Jennifer Collette says the event was run like a mini Folklorama with a variety of pavilions. 

“We had a parent who was running the German pavilion and she said, ‘This is my anniversary today of when we came to Canada.’” 

Collette says the woman came prepared to share her culture with the community.