NewsNow

Two RCMP officers were taken to the hospital in Melville after they were shot at.

On Sunday night at about 9:30, Melville RCMP were sent to a home on 8th Avenue West. A suspect fired a gun multiple times, and two officers were hit. They were taken to the hospital with injuries described as serious. 

A standoff lasted several hours before the suspect was arrested at about 2:00 a.m. A second person also left the home and was arrested, but was quickly cleared of any involvement. 

No charges have been laid at this time as the investigation continues. 

Details

Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jun 22, 2026 - 11:30 am

Black Bear Rescue Manitoba is located in the rural municipality of Rockwood.

They take in the province's orphaned or injured black bear cubs. It's the province's first and only bear rescue. If you ever spot an injured cub or one that appears to be orphaned, you should call the TIP line 24/7 at 1-800-782-0076. 

From there, Natural Resources staff will locate the cub, catch it, and bring it to Judy Stearns and her staff at Black Bear Rescue Manitoba. When Judy and her husband first opened, they had four cubs. They've had as many as 32 at one time.

2026 has turned into a busy year with 14 bears currently in their care. Of the 14, three are yearlings that arrived last year and are to be released into the wild soon. The remaining are cubs that were born in January and will spend the next several months under the care of Judy and her team. 

"We didn't know that we would be so needed when we started. We didn't know there would be so many injured or orphaned cubs," said Stearns. "We've raised well over 100 bears and released them to the wild. It's turned into a very busy enterprise. We can see it's a service that the province really needs for these cubs."

Earlier this month, Natural Resources delivered two orphaned cubs from the Dauphin Area to Judy and her team. Named the "D" cubs, they were alone in the wild for more than a week. Cubs at that age are very rarely able to survive. They usually get killed by a predator or a lack of a food source. Both cubs had more than 100 ticks on them when they arrived at Black Bear Rescue. Judy says they wouldn't have had much time left if they weren't rescued.

While in their care, Judy's team will help get the cubs as large, fat, and robust as possible so they can be returned to the wild. This comes with as minimal human contact as possible, so the cubs don't become friendly towards humans. 

Black Bear Rescue provides them shelter, food, and lets them behave as bears all summer. This will allow them to thrive down the line. They swim in pools, climb trees, wrestle, and play with the other cubs. When the cubs first arrived, the staff fed them every two hours because of how thin they were.

Now, the staff feeds them every six to seven hours. They've been introduced to a small amount of dog kibble. They also eat blueberries, grown on the property. They're also fed grass and dandelions. 

Judy says the cubs are still very shy. Just like humans, every cub has its own different personality. The boy in this case is more shy than the girl. 

"They're taking a little longer to settle in because they were on their own for that week. They were very run down and covered in ticks," Stearns added. "But, they're doing well. They're doing well. We're confident that they're going to be released in the fall as big and healthy bears."

Judy anticipates releasing the 'D' cubs into the wild in late October or November. This can change depending on the weather. 

In the past eight-plus years since opening in April of 2018, Judy has been the direct reason that more than 100 cubs have had a chance at a long life. To see them go once they've been rehabilitated at her facility brings in a mix of emotions. Each cub costs roughly $2,000 to take care of, plus thousands and thousands of hours over the years, but she wouldn't change a thing.

"It's always very bittersweet, at least for me anyway, as an animal lover," ended Stearns. "I worry about them when we let them go. It's a dangerous world out there, more and more for wildlife and bears. We don't want them to live a life in captivity. It's bittersweet. I worry about them, but I'm glad that we successfully raised that particular bear as we see them running off."

Black Bear Rescue Manitoba is volunteer-driven. They're a registered charity and receive no money from the government. They're 100 percent public-donation operated. For Judy, there is no bigger reward in life than seeing a cub released after being under her and her team's care. 

She also thanks everyone who has donated in the past and continues to do so. If you have the means, you can do so right here. 100% of your donation will be allocated towards caring for the bears and operating the facility.

Details

Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jun 22, 2026 - 9:00 am

Canada Day is right around the corner.

With many planned events around the Parkland, it will be another great day to celebrate what makes Canada such a great place.

Then, two days after, the focus shifts to the Village of Winnipegosis. Mossey River Days returns from July 3 to 5. The three-day jam opens with a steak supper at the Curling Club on July 3 from 5:30 to 8:00.

On July 4 at 11:00 a.m., the action kicks into full gear as the main gates open, including the Mac Sliworsky Memorial slo pitch tournament.

Riley Chartrand says preparations have gone very well, and it's going to be a tremendous weekend.

"Yeah, absolutely. We're very excited, it's coming quickly," said Chartrand. "We have everything organized. I believe this is the 35th year in a row that we've had the kids' tractor pull. We have some new talent, Kendra Kay is coming. It's the first time we've had her, and we can't wait to see her perform."

From 11:00 to 5:00 on July 4, there is a giant inflatable obstacle course and slide. The ever-popular Fusion Credit Union loonie scramble runs at 2:00, and the Drifting Cossacks Ukrainian Band take centre stage at 5:45. Fireworks wrap up Saturday at 11:15.

There's a two-person best-ball golf tournament on July 5, starting at 10:00 a.m. and a church service at 11:00. 

"We did a lot of work at the beach, so to be able to move it back there is great," added Chartrand. "It drives local tourism in the community. We have a lot to offer. We hope to see everyone out."

Admission on Friday is free for all. On Saturday, it's $10 for those aged 6 to 18. Adults over 18 are $15. Kids five and under are free all weekend.

730CKDM is a gold sponsor for the event. So whether you're five or 85, Mossey River Days has something for you. For Chartrand, it's a wonderful opportunity to show off the incredible Village of Winnipegosis while celebrating a great time.

"I'm all about the community and the next generation, the youth," he ended. "I love seeing all the kids out there, having a blast, and smiling. That's what it's all about. It's all about family."

Mossey River Days returns to Winnipegosis from July 3 to 5. For more on the event, head here. 

Details

Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jun 22, 2026 - 5:00 am

It is a busy week coming up for the Park West School Division, as seven of their schools host graduation exercises. 

Kicking things off on Monday will be Rossburn Collegiate and Strathclair Community School. 

There are 11 graduates in Rossburn, with their ceremony beginning at 1:30 on Monday at the school gym, followed by a parade and supper.  

A parade of graduates in Strathclair will begin at 3, with 20 students receiving their diplomas in ceremonies stating at 4 at Strathclair Arena. 

Rounding out the week are Major Pratt, Birtle and Hamiota Collegiate grads on Tuesday, Shoal Lake on Wednesday, and Waywayseecappo on Thursday.  

Details

Contributed by Jeff Henson

Published: Jun 21, 2026 - 5:00 pm

Farmers, rangers, and agronomists looking to learn more about Regenerative Agriculture practices, or looking to expand their knowledge, are encouraged to register for a soil and grazing workshop in Ste Rose next month. 

It is set for July 15th and 16th, and will take place at the Ste Rose Community Cenre in the mornings, before moving to the nearby farm of Clayton and Shauna Breault in the afternoons. 

Michael Thiele with Understanding Ag feels this will be a very informative conference for all ag producers. 

"It is probably the fastest growing segment of prairie agriculture.  And it really does make sense because if you thnk of it, every farm has one thing in common, which is soil.  The focus is to understand soil a little more deeply and understand soil health and understand the principles and apply that to your farm." 

Topics that will be discussed include cover crops, inter cropping, pasture management, and animal health.

Registration is $599 for the first attendee, and $549 for any additional attendees from the same farm.  

Details

Contributed by Jeff Henson

Published: Jun 21, 2026 - 10:30 am

Ever since zebra mussels were found in Clear Lake a few years ago, Aquatic Invasive Species, or AIS, have been on the mind of a lot of Parkland residents. For those in Rossburn Municipality, those concerns will go down a bit, thanks to a grant from the provincial government. 

Rossburn Municipality will receive $53,000 to help combat AIS through physcal prevention and education. Emily Sawchuk, Rossburn Municipality's Chief Adminstrative Officer, said it's been in the works for a while now, and she's glad to see they're moving forward. 

"We worked pretty closely with the province when we were doing our grant application, we had quite a bit of feedback going back and forth through the application process with the Manitoba government, and they were very supportive in us submitting an application...our municipal council wanted to be proactive in the prevention of AIS, and I think that's a huge thing for Rossburn Municipality as we have so many lakes," said Sawchuk. 

It's true that Rossburn Municipality has a lot of lakes, but their proximity to Clear Lake has been a bit of a concern with their zebra mussel problem. Pleasure craft are a fairly common passtime for Rossburn Municipality residents, so Rossburn Municipality is using part of their grant to help ease those concerns, right in the heart of Rossburn. 

"Through our grant and through an asset agreement with the Province of Manitoba, they've given us a Hotsy Pressure Washer, and they've trained up our staff to do decontamination. So we'll actually have an AIS decontamination station set up right in the Town of Rossburn," said Sawchuk. 

The decontamination station is part of the grant's physical prevention stream, which leaves a lot left to be used under the education and outreach stream. Sawchuk said the Municipality already has some signs at some lakes, but they'll soon be turning education up to 11. 

"We'll have lots of signage throughout the municipality at different lakes, we do have some kind of basic signage out right now, but we will be amping that up a bit through the education and outreach portion. The province has provided us with materials for distribution, so pamphlets and posters, and all those kind of things...we're really fortunate we have some folks that live at out lakes that are what we're calling our community ambassadors, so they're going to be helping us with just educating your friends at the bonfire on the weekend, or this kind of thing to kind of get that messaging out. It's really important that we have community buy in, and local fishermen and recreation users getting in that same habit," said Sawchuk. 

Sawchuk said she's glad to see the Municipality's work with the Provincial government pay off so they can help prevent AIS within Rossburn Municipality. 

"We are really thankful to be a recipient of this grant, we're really excited to work with the Province of Manitoba on this, and we're really looking forward to preventing AIS in our municipality," said Sawchuk

Zebra mussels were first confirmed in Clear Lake in January of 2023. 

Details

Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Jun 20, 2026 - 4:00 pm

The Jumpstart program provides financial assistance to help children from low-income families participate in sport-focused activities.

Last year in the Parkland, 60 families were helped through the program. Five of which were assisted with individual grants. The remaining 55 were through community grants such as Regional Connections.

For Jeff Bonnor, owner of Canadian Tire in Dauphin, that's a special number. That's 60 families whose children may not have had the means to play sports without the program.

"It fills my bucket, it really does. Just the ability for the community to come together and help Jumpstart help these kids who wouldn't necessarily otherwise have the opportunity to do stuff like that," said Bonnor. "It's heartwarming and great to be a part of a community initiative like this."

There are many benefits surrounding children playing sports. Some include greater brain health, muscular fitness, heart and lung health, long-term health, and a healthy weight. Add in the opportunity to make new friends and develop skills.

It can also improve sleep and give a greater ability to relax at the end of the day. Sports are a great thing. A parent himself, Jeff knows how important sports and recreation can be in a child's development. 

"And it's not just about sports. It's the confidence that you get and the friendships you make," he added. "The life skills that stay with kids long after the horn blows, the whistle blows, or the season ends."

Now is your chance to support the Jumpstart program. Canadian Tire in Dauphin is hosting a fundraising BBQ on Monday from 11:00 to 2:00 at the store on 1500 Main Street. 100 percent of donations go directly to helping children access sport and play.

Bonnor said he's looking forward to a great day.

"I've been in conversation with the HERO Club, and they've graciously donated their time and the cart. So they'll be here, powered up, and fired up," Bonnor ended. "We're going to have dogs, smokies, and cold drinks for people to buy. Bring your appetite. The best thing about raising here in Dauphin is that the money stays here in the Dauphin chapter. All the money raised here stays here."

Since 2005, Jumpstart has helped over 4.5 million kids access sport across Canada. 

Details

Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Jun 20, 2026 - 10:00 am

143 students will receive their diploma Saturday afternoon from Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School. 

The ceremony will begin at 1 pm at Credit Union Place, with the doors opening at 11:30. 

DRCSS Principal Taylor Schmidt says this year's graduating class definitely had a lot of personality. 

"This was a large class when they moved over after grade 8, and they came to us with lots of energy, enthusiasm, high spirit, and lots of personality.  They have been a part of our school in all capacities, whether it is in the classroom, on the sports field, in the arts, or in the hallways.  A big part of our school community and a big part of our community as a whole."

Following the ceremony, there will be a parade of the graduates through the streets of Dauphin.

Details

Contributed by Jeff Henson

Published: Jun 20, 2026 - 6:00 am

Saturday is a busy day for graduations in the Parkland.

Besides the DRCSS, in Dauphin there are also graduations for Goose Lake in Roblin, Winnipegosis, McCreary and Alonsa. 

Kirk Wilson is principal of Goose Lake in Roblin, which starts their ceremony at 2 pm at the school gymnasium. 

He says the day is a big one for the entire community, and not just their 24 graduates  

"It is a big celebration here, and our town goes all out for our grads.  They do a lot of nice things, and it is a real class act with a lot of help from a lot of volunteers to make it the great day that it is.  Following the ceremony there will be a parade, then we will have a banquet at the community hall, and then there is a safe grad that follows that."

Meanwhile, Winnipegosis grad begins at 11 am at the school, followed by a Safe Grad at the Mossey River Inn.

Principal Tabi Barsewsky says their nine graduates come from several communities in around Winnipegosis.  

"Just seeing the diversity and representation of all the different communities that we serve having graduates on that stage, I think it is very special.  When we look at the year that we had this year, we did have some people come in and out, some different leadership take over.  So we had some change and some adversity that the students had to work through."

McCreary school, which has 11 grads this year, will hold their ceremonies at 3 pm Saturday at the hall, followed by a parade and supper. 

Details

Contributed by Jeff Henson

Published: Jun 19, 2026 - 6:00 pm

Due to a leak being repaired, the Eclipse Water Coop has turned off their lines at the main meter. In an emailed statement to customers, they said they'll keep customers updated when they have more information. 

Karlee Ready with Eclipse Water Coop said they expect the repair to be complete later today, but could continue into tomorrow morning. In the meantime, and when the water is turned back on, there is a boil water advisory in place until they can confirm the water's safety. 

The Government of Canada says under a boil water advisory, people should bring tap water to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute before any kind of consumption, including drinking, cooking, making infant formula, and brushing teeth. 

UPDATE: Eclipse Water Coop has turned their water back on after repairing the leak. The boil water advisory is still in effect until they're able to ensure the water's safety. 

Details

Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Jun 19, 2026 - 3:10 pm