“I literally almost fell off my chair”: Lightning hits close to home for Steinbach woman

A brilliant flash of white, thunderous crack, and a shattered tree. It's the closest one Steinbach woman ever wants to get to lightning.

On Monday night, Laurel Plett on Bush Farm Road and owner of Dogs on the Run, a local dog daycare, found herself in the heart of a summer storm. That's not exactly where she wanted to be.

"I am actually seriously afraid of lightning," she says.

When the rain began pouring, Plett says she darted outside to close a door. Five minutes later, back at her desk with 15 snoozing pups, nature delivered quite the show.

Big global wheat crop expected to pressure prices

World wheat stocks could climb to 271 million tonnes by the end of 2025-26, up from 264 million tonnes at the end of 2024-25

There will be plenty of wheat in the world in 2025-26, say analysts.

“As we enter mid-year Northern Hemisphere harvest, a larger-than-expected crop is expected to limit the upside in global wheat prices,” Dennis Voznesenski, agricultural economist with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said in his recent Agri Commodity Weekly Alert.

Ruth Enns nee Giesbrecht

Funeral For:  Ruth Enns nee Giesbrecht 
Funeral Date: July 10, 2025 
Ruth Enns nee Giesbrecht, 98, of Saskatoon formerly of Altona, passed away Wednesday, July 2nd at Warman Special Care Home. She is survived by 5 daughters, 3 sons, and their families. She was predeceased by her husband John. 
The celebration of life for Ruth Enns nee Giesbrecht will be held Thursday, July 10th at 2:30pm at Neubergthal Commons Barn with burial prior to the service at 1:30pm at Weidenfeld Cemetery. 
Donations may be made to MCC. 
Arrangements by Wiebe Funeral Home, Altona.  

Anand visiting Malaysia, Japan as Carney crafts approach to Indo-Pacific strategy

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is headed off to Japan and Malaysia as the Carney government shapes its diplomatic and trade approach to the Indo-Pacific region.

Anand will meet with her Japanese counterpart in Tokyo this week as the two finalize an agreement on sharing defence information and boosting trade.

On Thursday and Friday, Anand will take part in a meeting with the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, in Malaysia.

U11 Southman Saints cap off undefeated season with championship

It was a magical run for the U11 Southman Saints lacrosse team and the group managed to go through the season undefeated and capped it all off with a championship. 

"It was super fun," coach Sebastian North says with a smile. "It was a really fun season and the kids went undefeated during the regular season, so it was fun and nice to finish it all off with a championship win."

Steinbach Adult & Teen Challenge team excited about move to Pioneer Road

Adult & Teen Challenge (ATC) of Central Canada, located in Steinbach, is on the move again, and the leadership team is thrilled about it.

“Yeah, this is a big deal for us,” said Daniel Emond, President and CEO of ATC Central Canada. “This will be our third and hopefully permanent location for our vocational training program and community outreach office in Steinbach.”

145 miles later, Old Tom Backyard race crowns its champion

More than 145 miles and 35 hours later, the winner of the Old Tom Backyard Ultra has been named.

Aaron Webb of Winnipeg took the crown after running an astounding 35 laps—each 4.167 miles long—on a family farm just northeast of Blumenort.

The challenge was to complete one loop every hour until only one runner remains.

Steffan Reimer, one of the organizers, says the event surpassed his expectations.

"We had 75 people start, and we had hundreds of people on-site helping out the runners and spectating," he says.