Candace Derksen

The Under 18 Ice Time pilot program at Altona's Sunflower Gardens this past winter was well-received by the public, according to the town's Recreation Manager. 

Collaboratively developed with Altona Minor Hockey and the Altona Skating Club, the program offered additional ice time, free-of-charge, when the rink wasn't booked, giving youth more opportunities to hone their hockey and figure skating skills. In exchange, Altona Minor Hockey provided $2,500 to help offset some of the related expenses.

The Morris Advanced Robotics team closed out the VEX World Championships in Dallas, Texas with a 3-7 record. 

In the final update, leader, JP Jamieson, noted the team (88875M) lost its final two matches (the last by only one point).

Closing the Emerson Personal Care Home is simply not an option. That from Borderland MLA, Josh Guenter, who was among the crowd of locals that gathered in Emerson Tuesday evening to express concerns over the facility's future.
    
In January, we ran a story with Guenter after he issued a public letter to the province's Health minister asking them to prioritize staffing and resources at the facility amid, what he said, were growing concerns over vacant suites and personnel shortages.

Now that Spring has sprung, black bears are emerging from their dens across the province in search of food. 
    
That's evidenced by the handful of sightings reported in the last week or so from Carman to Altona, where a bear took up residence in a backyard tree for a day.

The women of Gretna gathered last week Tuesday to support other women across the Pembina Valley. 

About 60 ladies met up at the Gretna Prairie Centre to enjoy delicious desserts and hear from local life coach, Anita Froese, the author of The Struggle is Real. There was also a silent auction, with half of the nights' proceeds committed to Genesis House. 

The Morris Robotics team is 3 and 5 after Day Two of the VEX World Championships, presented by the REC Foundation, in Dallas, Texas.

Related stories:

• Morris robotics team sees success on Day 1 of world championships

The team, 88875M, did however, snag its first autonomous win point of the season, a major goal for the program, noted club leader, JP Jamieson. 

More details have come in on the fire burning at the Altona/Rhineland landfill.
    
In an update from Fire Chief Greg Zimmerman, crews were first called to the site north of town around 4 p.m. yesterday where they found a fire burning on the south side of the waste disposal site. 

The Municipality of Rhineland has been singled out, twice, by the Manitoba Good Roads Association.
    
At its recent annual awards presentation, the Municipality received two awards.
    
The first is the Provincial Shield for the best maintained system of rural municipal roads in District 2.
    
The second award is the Judges Shield for the most improved municipal roads in District 2.
    

The grassroots group behind Altona's Field of Dreams project is being inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame for their work in getting the Access Field built.
    
They are Ken Wiebe, Gord Sawatzky, Ben Dueck and the late Menno Friesen. 

The Morris Robotics team registered some of its best scores of the season, and it happened during Day 1 of the VEX World Championships, presented by the REC Foundation, in Dallas, Texas.