Portage

Portage la Prairie and area saw heavy rainfall Wednesday night into Thursday, leaving streets flooded and water levels rising across the city.

City officials report that the storm dumped between 90 and 100 millimetres of rain, with some areas seeing slightly higher or lower amounts.

Several areas of Portage experienced flooding following the intense storm.

Paul Ziesmann, Superintendent of Public Works, notes that the city’s drainage systems were pushed to their limits with the heavy rainfall over a short period.

The 15th season of Concerts in the Park came to a memorable close on Thursday, August 21st, as over 300 people gathered at the Ukrainian Bandstand in Island Park for a final evening of free, live music under the summer sky.

The season-capping event featured performances by Archer Company, Will Benn & TJ Murdock, and headliners Johnny Dietrich and Kickin’ Up Dust, who brought the long-running community series to a celebratory finish. The night marked the culmination of a summer of bi-weekly Thursday shows that have become a beloved local tradition.

Two athletes from Portage la Prairie proudly represented Team Manitoba at the 2025 Canada Summer Games, in Newfoundland, and even more notably, they are cousins.

Kaj Willms, 15, played with Manitoba’s U17 basketball team, while his cousin, Soren Weselake, competed in both men's road and mountain biking events. Their parallel journeys to Newfoundland showcased not only athletic talent, but also a strong sense of community, determination, and sportsmanship.

Hockey Manitoba has parted ways with its longtime executive director.

The announcement was made Thursday, stating that Peter Woods had been let go effective August 15.

"We wish him the best in his future endeavours," said Hockey Manitoba.

Peter Woods has held the position since 2001.

Hockey Manitoba did not give a reason for Woods' termination. The organization says the Board of Directors will provide their membership with an update on the path forward in the coming weeks.

Selkirk RCMP report a tragic outcome after a boat was found overturned on Lake Winnipeg earlier this week.

On August 20 at 3:40 p.m., officers received a call about a capsized vessel located about two kilometres northwest of the Balsam Harbour Marina. The operator of the boat was not found at the scene.

“The operator of the boat was not located,” notes RCMP in a statement.

The East Beaches Fire Department responded right away and launched a boat to search the surrounding water.

CFL
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 26 Montreal Alouettes 13

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22ND

CFL
Edmonton at Ottawa - 6:30 PM

Canadian Elite Basketball League
Playoffs
Western Finals
Winnipeg Sea Bears at Calgary Surge - 7:30 PM

When it comes to restoring our canola trade with China, the Canadian canola industry wants to see action and engagement from all levels of government with everyone working together to protect our market share.

Premier Scott Moe along with his Agriculture Minister Darryl Harrison and Trade and Export Minister Warren Kaeding met with federal/provincial canola groups, as well as exporters, canola crush and value-added companies.

The Crown will not appeal the acquittals of five former world junior hockey players after their high-profile sexual assault trial, one of the defence lawyers in the case said Thursday.

Daniel Brown, who represented Alex Formenton, said he has been informed of the prosecutors' decision. The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Formenton, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted of sexual assault, and McLeod of a separate charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

Air Canada says it expects to be operating close to its full network schedule by Friday. 

The airline says it is continuing to ramp up its operations in a press release Thursday. 

This comes after the airline reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants on Tuesday to end a strike that began on Saturday. 

The strike disrupted the airline's operations, resulting in the cancellation of flights. 

Mark Nasr, Air Canada's chief operations officer, said in the release that the airline is restoring operations ahead of its plan.