Portage RCMP charge a man with numerous weapons charges

Officers from the Portage la Prairie RCMP attended and surrounded a residence in the city last Friday after getting word of a weapon-related incident.

The call came down to Police on November 4th at 9:25 a.m. regarding a report of a 37-year-old man from Portage pointing a loaded firearm inside a residence on Queen Avenue.

Officers immediately attended the residence, and the man was arrested after exiting the Queen Avenue address without incident.

Police say that they did seize the firearm as well as ammunition.

Crime stats say Stolen Goods calls double in September

The RCMP had to deal with a lot more calls regarding theft in September of 2022.

The Manitoba RCMP released their crime stats for the month, which compares September 2022 to September 2021. The West District, which includes Portage la Prairie, saw an overall increase of four per cent, from 4,821 to 5,862.

Crimes against Property saw a 33 per cent increase, from 720 to 961. Possession of Stolen goods reports jumped dramatically, from 20 to 48, for a 140 per cent increase. The most notable decrease came from Arson calls, which only fell by one call, from 15 to 14.

Knox knocks it out of the park, wins Portage Mayoral race

Sharilyn Knox is the new Mayor of Portage la Prairie.

The City of Possibilities newest mayor won the election with 2,199 out of 3,393 votes.

Mayor Knox's first thought after winning was to show appreciation to those who voted for her.

"I just want to say thank you to all my supporters in the City of Portage," says Knox. "I'm very excited to have the confidence of the people in the city to lead this city and very excited to see what the next four years are going to bring."

Portage man charged after attempted Break and Enter at Keystone Sports

RCMP released further information about the break-in at Portage's Keystone Sports Excellence on October 21. Investigation determined that Daniel Francis, 30, from Portage, had climbed to the roof of the building and damaged a vent grill to gain access to the venting system. He then entered the vent and got stuck.

Once removed from the vent, Francis was arrested and charged with Break and Enter and Mischief Over $5000 due to the extensive damage caused to the building.

Francis has been released with a court date.

Pair of driving incidents last week in Portage

Portage la Prairie RCMP had their hands full last week after two separate road incidents resulted in drivers being fined, as well as one facing charges.

RCMP says on October 14th, at 7:04 a.m., they received a report of a two-vehicle collision at the corner of 3rd Street NE and Dickens Avenue. A vehicle was at the stop sign on Dickens Avenue facing east when they were sideswiped. The travelling car then hit a ditch.

Portage looks to fix bike theft problem

The City of Portage la Prairie is advocating for its citizens to sign up for their Bicycle Registration in hopes of identifying owners of stolen or abandoned bikes.

The City has been heavily promoting the use of this assistance and says that this free service gives police the means to help return your bike if it ever goes missing or is lost.

The registration asks for your name, address, phone number, email, bicycle make, model, serial number, colour, size and other details such as a picture of your bike and the year you purchased it.

BDO gives 613 pounds of potatoes to Portage Food Bank

As we approach Thanksgiving, the foodbank in Portage la Prairie is preparing to feed many families, and now, thanks to a donation of potatoes from BDO in Portage, fulfilling the needs of Portage families has become a little bit easier.

Major Brenda Hammond from the Salvation Army shares that the BDO started doing this annually for the food bank three years ago. 

"They take the staff out to the Beaver Creek Farm, and they dig potatoes as a team. Then they load them up in their vehicles and bring them to the food bank." 

Fuel Good Day pumps over $10,000 into the community

Homestead Co-op has donated $10,200 to three local schools after a triumphant Fuel Good Day.

Carman Elementary, Oakville School and Midland Nursery School each received $3,400 from the day.

On September 20th, 10 cents from every litre of gasoline and diesel purchased was donated from Co-op Gas Bars in Austin, Carman, MacGregor, Oakville and Portage la Prairie to these schools.

Trent Schidlowsky, General Manager of Homestead Co-op says that his organization is proud to give back and get behind local initiatives.