Terry Klippenstein

By the end of the day, the town of Altona will sparkle thanks to the grades 4-6 students at Ecole West Park School taking part in the 34th annual spring clean-a-thon.

The clean-up was originally scheduled for last week Thursday, but the rain had other ideas and so it was pushed back a week.

Derek Sawatzky, principal at West Park, says this annual fundraiser is operated in partnership with Blue Sky Opportunities, an organization that supports adults with intellectual disabilities in the community. 

The Faith and Life Choirs will celebrate spring with a pair of concerts this weekend.

After the male choir hits their final note on Sunday afternoon, director Ben Pauls will cut them off for the very last time before he steps away from the podium and into retirement.

They're known as "The Buffalo Bakers."

This group of five women who live in Altona's Buffalo Apartments was approached by staff at Ecole Elmwood School with a request to inject some homemade freshness into the school's breakfast program.

Robin Martens, a Grade 3 teacher and Vice Principal at the school, says the five-day-a-week meal program offers students a nutritious start to their day.

Scams and frauds continue to make headlines in southern Manitoba.

March is Fraud Prevention Month, an annual campaign aimed at helping people recognize, reject and report fraud.

One of the more recent scams to hit the region is a bogus text message that tells drivers they've been caught speeding.

About 140 staff at Valley Fiber (VF), a Winkler-based internet service provider, are sharing a single office space in Southland Mall. Three of the company's Winkler offices have merged in the new location, bringing together its sales, marketing, and call centers.

After launching in Winkler with only 15 staff in 2017, the company now employs more than 380 people, with offices scattered across Manitoba, including Winkler, Winnipeg, Lockport, and Steinbach.

In the process of winding down operations in December 2023, the Thomas Sill Foundation disbursed its financial assets by establishing endowment funds among community foundations across the province.

As a result, the Winkler Community Foundation (WCF) received a generous donation of just over $1.2 million in unrestricted community funds.

2023 saw a steady flow of books stream through the South Central Regional Library (SCRL).

It's difficult to identify the most checked-out book because their collection covers so many categories said Cathy Ching, SCRL director.

Altona town council has received the final data from an Active Transportation Survey compiled by the Altona Community Action Network (ACAN).

The survey was launched as a way of initiating dialogue between the group and citizens of the community. It ran from mid-April to July 2023, drawing over 250 long-form responses from 97 residents.

Michael Hiebert, spokesperson for ACAN, says there were five main topics that kept resurfacing.

The Boundary Trails Health Centre Auxiliary is facing a dire situation.     

Without an influx of volunteers, the Auxiliary may be forced to disband in February 2024, jeopardizing the essential services it provides to the community. 

Dawne Mackling, Auxiliary Vice President and Gift Shop Volunteer Coordinator says they've experienced a major downfall in people over the last few years with COVID.

Gerry Peters has been collecting fossils on the Manitoba Escarpment since he was a boy.

The self-avowed fossil prospector, now employed as a Field and Lab technician with the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (CFDC) in Morden, recently uncovered a new Mosasaur, the second to be found this season at the centre's dig site.

Mosasaurs are part of a group of extinct, large marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous period.