Portage

A U.S. border patrol intelligence agent recalled Tuesday feeling horrified when he realized a group of migrants from India, including a young child, were out in a freezing blizzard on a stretch of open prairie at the border between Manitoba and Minnesota.

"My heart sank ... because there's more people out there," Daniel Huguley testified at the trial of two accused human smugglers. 

Some adult migrants had already been picked up after trying to walk undetected across the border on Jan. 19, 2022. One of them had a backpack, and Huguley said he looked inside.

Monday saw rainfall in the Portage la Prairie area turn the roads to slippery and wet conditions.

Across the region, many towns and cities saw well into the double digits in millimeters of rainfall.

Tuesday, November 19th

MJHL
Winkler at Waywayseecappo (ppd)
Virden at Selkirk (ppd)
Steinbach 10 Wpg Blues 0
Northern Manitoba 3 Neepawa 1


Zone 4 High School Hockey League
Northlands Parkway vs Portage Collegiate @ Winkler (ppd)

NHL
Winnipeg 6 Florida 3
Edmonton 5 Ottawa 2

The Saskatchewan Party has announced their cabinet for their upcoming term, with the southeast seeing some new representation.

Daryl Harrison, the MLA for the Cannington constituency, will be serving as the Minister of Agriculture.

Harrison says that he's honoured to serve, bringing with him first-hand experience in the industry.

The first major winter weather event has moved through the Central Plains and a good part of Manitoba. The result is a tough morning for Manitoba roads which has resulted in closed highways and some school closures. Many school buses in the area will not be running as well.

As of 9 a.m., the Trans-Canada highway (highway #1) is closed in both directions from Austin (1 and 34) to the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border.

full list of road closures and cancellations

Toronto became a Taylor Swift paradise during her highly anticipated Eras Tour stop, with a few fans from Portage la Prairie flocking to the city to experience not just the 4-hour concert, but a complete Swiftie takeover. From the airport to the streets, Taylor Swift's influence was felt everywhere.

For concert-goers like Brittany Lelievre, who traveled from Portage with a group of friends, the city had transformed into a Swiftie dreamland. 

"It was like Taylor Swift Land," she said, recalling how the excitement was palpable throughout the city. 

The changeover of provincial governments has caused many motorists, especially those who reside along Hwy 227, to inquire whether the roadway is going to be paved. RM of Portage la Prairie Councillor Garth Asham says there is news, but it's not very positive.

The Portage Terriers face off with a division rival tonight after a split weekend against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard on the weekend.

Portage scored six goals and allowed six goals as well against the Blizzard, good enough to keep them in second place in the MGEU East Division.

Niverville currently sits in the fifth slot in the MGEU East Division, several points back of the division-leading Steinbach Pistons.

The Winnipeg Jets broke a two-game losing streak in style tonight, delivering a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers at a sold-out Canada Life Centre.

The win comes on the heels of a 5-0 defeat to the Panthers on Nov. 16 and a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier. It also ensure the Jets stay atop the entire NHL with 32 points at a record of 16-3. 

Tackling high grocery prices, freezing hydro electricity rates and commissioning a new statue reflecting Manitoba's past and present are some of the priorities for the coming year the NDP government highlighted Tuesday in its second throne speech. 

The speech largely repeated the government's efforts to address health-care system challenges, public safety and affordability. 

The government is looking at introducing legislation to address anticompetitive contracts that Premier Wab Kinew said drive up the cost of groceries.