Candace Derksen

The 2022 Manitoba Sunflower Festival Queen is back in Altona after visiting the town's Australian sister city, Emerald.
    
Halle Hildebrand was joined by her parents, sister and aunt, as well as First Princess Amber Thiessen and her mom. She and Amber participated in the 2023 Central Highlands Sunflower Festival, along with Emerald's 2022 queen, Piper Rhoda. 

Indoor vape use has Garden Valley School Division (GVSD) officials looking to install vape detectors in some schools. While vaping isn't exclusively happening in the high schools, Superintendent Dan Ward says that is where use is the highest. 

"Certainly, our principals and our teachers and our staff and our parents are concerned," he said. "They're concerned because of the health impacts of vaping and what we don't know about the long-term impacts of vaping, especially for young people and our teenagers."

An effort to improve cellphone service in and around Plum Coulee has come farther than ever before. 

Bell MTS is proposing to erect a 104-metre guyed tower about 700 metres north of Highway 14 and Road 15 West and is now inviting feedback from the public.

"We've never seen (it get) that far before, so this is encouraging!" said Reeve Don Wiebe. 

Police are looking for two people following a Break and Enter at a Carman business last month.

According to Pembina Valley RCMP, video surveillance shows two suspects come up to the back of the local flower shop around 2 a.m. on April 13th, and then attempted to gain entry through a side entrance before using a plank of wood and a crowbar to forcefully get in through a back door. Once inside, police say the duo cut phone wires, broke a flower pot, and stole cash before taking off on foot, heading north into the back alleyway 20 minutes later.

Police are looking for two people following a Break and Enter at a Carman business last month. 
    
According to Pembina Valley RCMP, video surveillance shows two suspects come up to the back of the local flower shop around 2 a.m. on April 13th, and then attempt to gain entry through a side entrance before using a plank of wood and a crowbar to forcefully get in through a back door. Once inside, police say the duo cut phone wires, broke a flower pot, and stole cash before taking off on foot, heading north into the back alleyway 20 minutes later. 
    

An effort to improve cellphone service in and around Plum Coulee has come farther than ever before. 

Bell MTS is proposing to erect a 104-metre guyed tower about 700 metres north of Highway 14 and Road 15 West and is now inviting feedback from the public.

"We've never seen (it get) that far before, so this is encouraging!" said Reeve Don Wiebe. 

A barn in Neubergthal was destroyed by fire late Tuesday afternoon.

According to a social media post by Altona/Rhineland Emergency Services, crews were called to the blaze at 5:08 p.m. They arrived to find the barn fully engulfed in flames. 

Fire Chief Greg Zimmerman said the flames spread and started a grass fire. 

Additionally, the Winkler Fire Department assisted in the fire fight with one load of water from its water tanker.

Fire fighters were on scene for about three hours.

Motorists dodging the significant potholes on Altona's Main Street might be wondering when the road will be redone, as promised by the Manitoba Government last fall. 
    
Public Works manager, Clint Derksen, says a pre-construction meeting with contractor, Bituminex, is set for this week Thursday. There, he expects a timeline for the project to be firmed up.

Spring run-off has forced officials to hit pause on the on-going drain restoration work left over in the R.M. of Morris after last year's unexpected flood.

"We are fairly optimistic that this year will not flood significantly," said Reeve Scott Siemens. "As soon as it dries up, hopefully in the next three weeks or so, maybe sooner, we can begin that again."

It's been just over a month since the R.M. of Morris officially opened Phase 1 of its Prairie Hearth residential development in Rosenort.

"Things are progressing along fairly well," explained Reeve Scott Siemens. 

Of the 53 lots opened up for sale, 24 are already spoken for.

"So, we're pretty pleased. That's just about halfway there already," added Siemens.