Candace Derksen

"Historic" and "landmark" are just two of the words being used to describe the recent ratification of the first-ever provincial collective agreement for Manitoba teachers.

Sandy Nemeth, President of the Manitoba School Boards Association (MSBA), says this agreement comes after years of respectful conversation and hard work.

"I scream, you scheme, we all want to find the ice cream!"

Morden RCMP are appealing to the public for help in recovering a 5-foot-tall ice cream cone sculpture. 

Police say the cone was stolen from a business in Carman sometime between 8 p.m. June 16 and 8 a.m. June 17. 

If you recognize these suspects or have information about the stolen item, please call Morden RCMP at 204-822-4476. 

Moisture continues to be top-of-mind in municipalities across the region, including in the R.M. of Morris.
    
"We are aware that there are some inadequacies in our drainage program, and we are addressing them. Same with our roads. There have been some challenges, and we are doing the best we can as it dries up," said Reeve Scott Siemens.

If your area is in need of service, you are encouraged to call the R.M. office and fill out the correct form.

Hot, humid days and sticky evenings didn't keep the crowds away from Altona's 2024 Manitoba Sunflower Festival this past weekend. 

From the opening ceremonies Friday evening, the giant commercial parade Saturday morning and Kinzie Friesen crowned the 2024 Manitoba Sunflower Queen in the evening, followed by Sunday's church service in the park and Legends Car Club car show, people came out in droves to make the 2024 event one of the most successful in recent years. 

A grassroots group is looking for a few extra sets of eyes and ears to help launch a crime prevention effort in the Town of Carman and the R.M. of Dufferin.
    
Monica Halbesma, Carman-Dufferin Fire Department's public education safety coordinator, says they've been approved to start a Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP).

"Unfortunately, our community has been experiencing some vandalism and car thefts," she explained.

After a few weather delays, the updated swimming pool in Morris is now open.

"The heavy rains in the spring were certainly not helpful in making this dream become a reality," said Mayor Scott Crick. "The reality is here, and the pool opened a few weeks ago."

"We now have a beautiful facility that is going to serve every member of the community for the next generation," he added, noting this wasn't a project that happened overnight. 

$600,000 in work was done on the pool, including the addition of a zero-entry feature, improving accessibility. 

It's been slow going for crews trying to re-surface Riverside Road in the R.M. of Morris. Work started last week, but the recent rains have created some challenges.
    
"The intention is, again, weather related, to get that project over with this summer and see what this product can do for us," said Reeve Scott Siemens.

Just under 985 kilowatt hours were registered on the Town of Altona's electric vehicle charging station in the first six months since it was installed.

According to a report submitted to council, 38 users plugged into the free service during that span for a total of 84 hours and 39 minutes. That adds up to just under $1 per minute, at a cost of $83.72 incurred by the Town.

Several reports of scams have once again filtered into the Winkler Police Service.
    
This past week, a woman reported that she responded to an ad on Instagram promising to make money working from home. She sent a large amount of money to a crypto currency brokerage and when she later requested the money that she had sent be released, the so-called brokerage asked her to send another more money. That's when she realized it was a scam. 

A man also reported unauthorized transactions were made from his bank account. 

Crews with Maple Leaf Construction are set to arrive in Altona on July 2nd and begin plugging away at Council's $1 million road renewal project. 

In total, they'll be tackling 19 priority areas. Mayor Harv Schroeder admits, that's more than Council thought would get done with the money it had set aside.