PembinaValley

Mrs. Jackie Nickel’s kindergarten class at Southwood School has spent the month learning about what it means to be a community helper—with some very special guests visiting the classroom to bring the lessons to life. “We like to talk about community helpers because it gives students awareness of the people in the community who help us do the things we need to do,” said Nickel.

Saturday afternoon, shortly after 1pm, Altona/Rhineland Emergency Services (ARES) was called to a structure fire on the north side of 6th Avenue North East, near the corner of 4th Street North East.

According to Deputy Chief Mark Krahn when crews arrived they found a detached garage, located on the property's backyard, on fire.

"We were able to quickly extinguish the flames," he indicated to PembinaValleyOnline. "The building sustained damage to the roof."

He noted a quick thinking neighbour used a garden hose to keep the flames from spreading.

A longtime resident, living near the Roseau River, says what he is witnessing this spring is unlike anything he has ever seen before.

Eighty-three-year-old Brian Grier says the water level along the Roseau River is the lowest he has ever seen it in spring. And for Grier, he has more than seven decades of springs to compare it to. Aside from spending eight years in Alberta, Grier has lived his entire life in the area. Grier is a Councillor for the Municipality of Emerson-Franklin. He also sits on the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District board. 

Our thanks to Mr Strange and the Miami School for having us to celebrate the April Classroom of the Month! 

A special shout-out to the amazing students in Mr. Giesbrecht's grade 1/2 class who were so much fun, and had some great interviews.

We really loved the entry we got from a parent of one of the students:

"He makes being in grade 7 fun and easy!"

We had such a wonderful time with the students. It was truly heartwarming to see their excitement as they received gifts from our amazing sponsors!

Updated Sunday, May 4th at 12:45pm - In a news release issued Sunday morning, Public health officials with Manitoba Health announced an additional measles exposure site in Winkler.

An hours-long standoff with a black bear came to a peaceful end early Saturday morning in Altona. 

The animal was spotted high up in a tree around 8:15 a.m. Friday morning when Dwayne Martens peeked out of his back garage door and spotted the creature taking a nap in his backyard tree. 

Funeral For: Harry Kehler 
Funeral Date: May 10, 2025 
Harry Kehler, 86, of Steinbach passed away Thursday, May 1st at Bethesda Regional Health Centre. He is survived by his wife Norma, 2 daughters, 2 sons, and their families. He was predeceased by his parents and his siblings. 
The funeral service for Harry Kehler will be held Saturday, April 10th at 12pm at Birchwood Funeral Chapel. 
Viewing will be at the chapel prior to the service. 
Donations may be made to CancerCare Manitoba. 
Arrangements by Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach. 

Funeral For: Peter Janzen 
Funeral Date: May 9, 2025 
Peter Janzen, 93, of Killarney passed away Tuesday, April 29th in Killarney. He is survived by his wife Lena, 1 daughter, 2 sons, and 1 son-in-law. He was predeceased by his first wife Mary and 1 daughter.  
A memorial service for Peter Janzen will be held Friday, May 9th at 11am at Killarney Mennonite Church with burial at Killarney Cemetery. 
Donations may be made to Turtle Mountain Bible Camp or to a charity of one's choice. 
Arrangements by Wheatland Funeral Service. 

Funeral For:  Claire Desorcy 
Funeral Date: June 7, 2025 
Claire Desorcy, 93, of La Broquerie passed away Monday, April 28th at Ste. Anne Hospital. She is survived by her husband Gilles, 2 daughters, and their families. 
The funeral Mass for Claire Desorcy will be held June 7th at 10:30am at St. Joachim Catholic Parish, La Broquerie with ash interment at the church cemetery. 
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the restoration project at St. Joachim Catholic Parish.  
Arrangements by Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach.  

King Charles will visit Ottawa to deliver the speech from the throne at the end of this month in a show of support for Canadian sovereignty, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday.

The news came in his first press conference since leading the Liberals to a fourth straight mandate in Monday's election, where he laid out the priorities for his first few months, promising to "embark on the biggest transformation of our economy since the end of the Second World War."