Portage

Mary Lamirande (nee Lavallee)

1934 - 2024

Mary passed away peacefully November 17, 2024, with loved ones by her side.

Born December 30, 1934 to Frank and Margaret Lavallee, Mary was the oldest of their 6 children. Mary was a supportive and loving big sister to all of her siblings, even after meeting and marrying her beloved Emile.

A prosecutor urged a jury Thursday to find two accused human smugglers guilty, saying the men cared more about money than people's safety and their actions led to the deaths of a family of four in a prairie blizzard.

"They knew they were risking people's lives," Michael McBride said in his closing arguments after three days of testimony in U.S. district court.

"To them, all of those people were nothing but dollar signs."

A senior official says the Canadian government is not aware of any evidence linking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to alleged criminal activity perpetrated by Indian agents on Canadian soil.

Meta is refusing to publicly disclose information that could determine whether it is subject to the Online News Act despite blocking news from its platforms.

Thursday, November 21st

MHSAA
Provincial High School Volleyball Championships
AAAA Junior Varsity Girls @ Wpg
Round Robin
Westwood over Northlands Parkway 25-21, 25-11
Shaftesbury over Northlands Parkway 25-26, 25-19
Steinbach Regional over Northlands Parkway 25-15, 20-25, 15-12
AAA Junior Varsity Boys @ Neepawa
Power Pool
Garden Valley over Westgate 25-17, 23-25, 15-10

The Portage la Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce held their best business awards on November 21, and several local businesses took home awards. 

The five awards were Outstanding Contribution to the Community, Outstanding Not-for-Profit, Outstanding Entrepreneur, Best Urban Indigenous Business, and Outstanding Business of the Year.

The event brought together some of the best and brightest in the city, and an enjoyable time was had by all in attendance.

2024 will go down as the year of canola disease.

That is according to Curtis Rempel, Vice President of Crop Production and Innovation with the Canola Council of Canada. Rempel says diseases were primarily root and lower stem. He notes this was partially due to the wet and cool conditions felt in large parts of the Prairies.

"For a lot of stubble-borne fungi, which are primarily disease-causing organisms, they are all fungal-related," explains Rempel. "The cool, damp conditions really allow the fungus to take off."

Following the first winter storm of the year, after a wonderful lengthy warmer-than-usual fall, snow clearing as has been the priority for city workers in Portage la Prairie. 

Mayor Sharilyn Knox says they beefed up the plan before last winter, noting last winter was somewhat mild.

The Portage Speed Skating Club recently celebrated a strong performance at the Short Track Provincial Championship held in Portage la Prairie. With just two years since the club started, they had four athletes compete, and they came out with some impressive wins. Hudson O'Neill earned a bronze medal, Jillian Wiebe took home a silver, and Casey O'Neill also secured a bronze, marking the club's success at the competitive level. The event saw athletes from various different regions compete. 

For the first time in the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame's history, twins will be honoured at the induction ceremony.

Matthew and Lindsey Dahl will be inducted together in 2025, and Lindsey says that it's something he wasn't prepared for.

"I was certainly surprised and excited, and quite honoured to receive the news about being inducted."

He adds that being inducted together with his brother Matt is something that he doesn't take for granted.