Betty Sawatzky

The anticipated edge-of-your-seat-byelection for who was going to claim their chair around the table in the Manitoba Legislature to represent Spruce Woods didn't disappoint.  Both PC Candidate (and now newly elected MLA) Colleen Robbins and NDP candidate, Ray Berthelette, both hovered close to that 3,000 mark, but Robbins took the win with just 70 votes more at the finish line.

Colleen Robbins (PC) received 2,805 votes.  Ray Berthelette (NDP) was not far behind with 2,735 votes, and Liberal candidate Stephen Reid came in with 444 votes.

The anticipated edge-of-your-seat-byelection for who was going to claim their chair around the table in the Manitoba Legislature to represent Spruce Woods didn't disappoint.  Both Progressive Conservative candidate (and now newly elected MLA) Colleen Robbins and NDP candidate, Ray Berthelette, both hovered close to that 3,000 mark, but Robbins took the win with just 70 votes more at the finish line.

Colleen Robbins (PC) received 2,805 votes.  Ray Berthelette (NDP) was not far behind with 2,735 votes, and Liberal candidate Stephen Reid came in with 444 votes.

It's been 5 months since Grant Jackson resigned from the Manitoba Legislature as the MLA for Spruce Woods to join the race for Brandon-Souris in the federal election after the announcement of MP Larry Maguire's retirement.  Jackson became the new MP by a majority vote for Brandon-Souris at the end of April.

And that began the next race, MLA for Spruce Woods.

As the wildfires raged all around Flin Flon at the end of May, evacuees left their homes and belongings behind as they headed to central and southern Manitoba for safety. 

Among those evacuees were former Killarney pastor and his wife, Darryl and Cindy Hartwig. 

The Hartwigs are members of the Adult and Teen Challenge team at Denare Beach, located just 20 km southwest of Flin Flon where Darryl is campus manager. The Teen Challenge students and the staff were directed to Steinbach in early June where their students could continue their program.

As the wildfires raged all around Flin Flon at the end of May, evacuees left their homes and belongings behind as they headed to central and southern Manitoba for safety.   Among those evacuees were former Killarney pastor and his wife, Darryl and Cindy Hartwig.  The Hartwigs are members of the Adult and Teen Challenge team at Denare Beach, located just 20 km southwest of Flin Flon where Darryl is campus manager.  The Teen Challenge students and the staff were directed to Steinbach in early June where their students could continue their program in Steinbach.

Yesterday evening the three candidates vying for a seat at the Manitoba Legislature to represent the Spruce Woods Riding matched wits during the second Candidates' Debate.  This was the second time the three went toe-to-toe in the past week, the first was last week in Souris.  

The Spruce Woods Community Hall debate was very well attended and the audience sat through 90 minutes in full attention of the answers they heard to some straight-forward and oftentimes uncomfortable questions that were not prepared beforehand.

It was a full house last night at the candidates debate in Souris, with the three parties and their representatives going toe-to-toe in front of a lively audience.  Residents and business owners in the Spruce Woods Riding filled the seats in the Avalon Theatre, joined by provincial and municipal dignitaries.

It's been approximately 45 years since the members of the Crossborders Community Project near the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border and the community of Kola, Man., have been raising funds for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.   

Hundreds of thousands of bushels have been harvested through the Crossborders Grow Projects over the decades, dating back to the early 1980s when the Foodgrains Bank officially began, thanks to Don Neufeld and his father, Art, and the call on their lives to support the Foodgrains in the Kola area. 

The Austin Threshermen's Reunion and Stampede saw thousands of people join them in their celebratory weekend showcasing what pioneer life was like over a hundred years ago on the Prairies in Manitoba, through demonstrations, displays and tours at this year's Manitoba Threshermen's Reunion & Stampede.

It was the 69th year for this 4-day event that started in the 1940s when concern was raised about the slow disappearance of farming equipment and machinery used in the earliest years of pioneering.

The Manitoba Historical Society has a new APP to help folks find hidden treasures they might not otherwise be aware of, that being historical sites that include heritage homes, old train stations, grain elevators and municipal buildings.