The Our Manitoba Photo Contest has entered the voting stage, and Sunrise Credit Union and its partners are seeking the public’s assistance in selecting this year’s winning entries. Sunrise was been partnering with Keywest Photo and the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (AGSM) for the annual Our Manitoba Photo Contest since 2013. The contest helps showcase the beauty of our province, and the winning entries are displayed in the Sunrise Credit Union calendar and in the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba. The public was invited to submit photos for consideration over the past four weeks through the www.ourmanitoba.org website, and the entries have now been shortlisted to the Top 30. The shortlisted photos are chosen based on originality, creativity, overall composition, technical standards and will capture the family values and/or cultural characteristics unique to Our Manitoba. The shortlisted photos are available to view and vote on at https://ourmanitoba.org/vote-2019/, with the 14 photos receiving the most votes being declared this year’s winners. The voting opened earlier today, and will continue until May 3rd. The winning photos will be unveiled at a special event at the AGSM on Thursday, May 16th at 7:30 p.m., with the event being open to the public. The winning photos will also be featured in the 2020 Sunrise Calendar, on Sunrise’s branch TVs and social media channels, and will be on display at the AGSM from May 16th to June 1st. In addition, each of the 14 winning photographers will receive a canvas print of their winning photograph from KeyWest Photo, while the photo receiving the most votes will be the Grand Prize winner of a $500 Term Deposit from Sunrise Credit Union. (article submitted)

Come join us for Brandon’s first urban Market as Apple and Pine hosts this Spring’s go to event on Saturday May 11th from 11am-4pm at the Dome Building and shop from over 50 local artisans. We are thrilled to be one of the first urban markets in the Brandon Community and want to provide avenues for local Manitoba makers to showcase their work and to help them grow their business any way we can. We feel it is so important to support independent makers that are bringing back the quality and charm of local, handmade items in every piece they create. You will see Silly Goat Apparel, Mouse River Pottery, Bchic Design, Wheat City Juice, Farmer’s Son Co, Lux & Dae, Sarah Sue Design, Simpleries, Rose and Doll, Tiny inspirations, Prairie Kids Co., Brooke Piche Illustrations and many more! You can be sure to find something for mom, a friend or just come to enjoy the market experience to sip and shop at the Apple & Pine signature lounge area and enjoy the presence of each other’s company. We will also have a live DJ from Trident Music to entertain you for the day and sweet treats, snacks and beverages to purchase. VIP tickets are new this year and have been very popular, so be sure to grab yours soon! A VIP ticket gets you in the door an hour earlier to have the first look at all the new spring lines, a complimentary signature Apple & Pine beverage and a sweet treat homemade from Heart of a Sweet Current! Come to meet and greet the talent behind the hard work and character of each and every local maker. Come support, the writers, the artists, the craftsmen, the designers, the Manitoba makers! Follow along on our journey as Apple & Pine hosts this Spring’s go to market and let us bring the maker’s from across the province to your front door! You can find our event information on Facebook or follow along on Instagram @appleandpinemarket for updates. Cass & Michelle Apple and Pine Spring Market Saturday, May 11th The Dome Building Purchase your tickets online.

Branden Crowe has been the voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings since the 2016/17 season. Prior to calling Wheat King games, he was the Marketing Director & play by play voice for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. You can find him on Twitter here. First job: My first job was a grocery clerk at B&E Shop Easy in Boissevain, MB. Nickname: Crowebar Best tilt you've witnessed to date while covering the Wheat Kings: Back in 2017, Dmitri Osipov fought Tim Vanstone of the Raiders... Ozzy is a very large man and his fist landed right on the button about a half dozen times... The fans at Westoba Place were going bananas!  Three apps you cannot live without: Reddit, Instagram, Twitter The single best day on the calendar each year: Opening day in the Major League's If you were trying out for Canadian Idol what would be your go to song: Runnin Outta Moonlight - Randy Hauser Favourite sports movie of all time: The Mighty Ducks Trilogy Your dream golfing foursome includes yourself and these three people: Mike Lamb, Tiger Woods, Brooke Henderson What current member of the Wheat Kings roster would make the best color commentator on one of your broadcasts: That's EASY!! Caiden Daley. He has the biggest personality in the room and has told me he would like to join me in the booth when his career is over!  Outside Brandon, the WHL's most passionate fans live in this city: Prince Albert. They are the most vocal fans in the league. I regularly have to turn off my ice mics because the things they are yelling at the refs are not appropriate for radio!  Apart from loved ones, what’s your most treasured possession: A train conductors hat that my grandfather got me from White Pass in the Yukon when I was born. I have the logo from the hat tattooed on my arm as well. Who was your childhood celebrity crush: Elisha Cuthbert... Shes also my adulthood celebrity crush!  Best piece of advice you have been given: "When you first start dating a girl... Take her out for wings. If shes too shy to eat those wings in front of you, shes not the one."  I took my wife for wings on our third date... She had honey garlic sauce from ear to ear within minutes... We were married a year later!!! It was great advice! haha What is your favorite indulgence: I have a serious soda addiction... There is nothing better than a Pepsi on ice. However, its a habit i'm desperately trying to kick! You can only dance to one song for the rest of your life, what is it: Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody  What TV show would you most like to a cameo appearance in: Chicago Fire or Parks and Recreation What’s the one thing you haven’t done yet that you would love to do: I would love to audition for a game show... Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune! Favourite restaurant to dine at while on a road trip: We eat really well on the road so this is tough.... But I would say Joey's in Edmonton or Peters Drive Inn in Calgary. You’ve got friends visiting Brandon for the first time, where are you taking them: Joe Beeverz for Poutine! My buddy from Nashville was up last summer and we took him for poutine.. He was still talking about how great it was when I saw him last month. If you suddenly became a master at woodworking, what would you make: My uncle built a log home from scratch and that has always fascinated me. I think I would be one of those guys on the show Timberkings and build log cabins for people! 

For immediate release: Winnipeg, April 11, 2019 – The Assiniboine Park Zoo is thrilled to announce the debut of a new attraction coming to the Zoo this spring. Stingray Beach, an aquatic exhibit located in a new rotating exhibit gallery, will be home to cownose and southern stingrays. Included with regular Zoo admission, the new exhibit will officially open at 12:00 pm on Thursday, May 16 in advance of the Victoria Day long weekend. “Stingray Beach will offer Zoo visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy an up-close and interactive experience with these amazing marine animals,” said Dr. Chris Enright, Director of Veterinary Services and Animal Welfare, Assiniboine Park Zoo. “This will be an exciting addition for Zoo visitors and gives us the opportunity to expand our conservation messaging to include the health of our oceans and aquatic wildlife.” Stingray Beach will be located in a new indoor venue designed to house temporary exhibits. The stingrays will be housed in a shallow 1,300 square foot pool. Visitors will have the opportunity to touch the stingrays. Rays are typically docile creatures and seem to enjoy human interaction, though the animals always have the choice to swim away if they don’t want contact. An optional feeding experience will be offered three times daily for an additional cost. Windows along the sides of the pool offer underwater views of the rays. Rays are an ancient group of fish that includes stingrays, skates, electric rays, guitarfish, sawfish and sharks. They can be found all over the world in salt and freshwater. At least onequarter of ray species are threatened with extinction. Cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) get their name from their unique forehead, which resembles the nose of a cow. They can migrate long distances in large groups of up to thousands of individuals. Southern rays (Hypanusamericanus) have flat, diamond-shaped bodies. They uncover prey by blowing water out through their mouth and flapping their "wings" over the sand. In order to ensure an optimal living environment for the rays, the new exhibit features a sophisticated, state-of-the-art water filtration system with multiple redundancies and 100% backup power that will provide constant monitoring and precise control over water temperature, oxygenation and chemistry. The exhibit also has its own veterinary facilities, so that the Zoo’s veterinary team can conduct regular check-ups and provide specialized care for the rays as required. Assiniboine Park Zoo is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please visit the Zoo website for more information. Courtesy: Assiniboine Park Conservancy News Release

There is no denying it; we are a pet-owning nation! A recent poll by Ipsos stated that 35 per cent of Canadian households have a dog and another 38 per cent have a cat. I suspect the statistics here in Brandon are similar, so we are fortunate to have plenty of pet-friendly options when it comes to rental property in the city. If you are thinking of renting an apartment or purchasing a condominium, homeowners and renters should research the rules and regulations set out by the landlord, property owner or manager regarding pets, emotional support and service animals before signing a purchase or rental agreement. The Human Right Commission of Manitoba states that a service animal is an animal that is specifically trained to perform work or tasks directly related to a person’s physical or mental disability.  When determining if an animal is a service animal, landlords may ask for proof that the animal has had the training to support the disability. Those who own a service animal may have a certificate that will have the animals name on it, the type of training that was completed, as well as the organization that provided the training. Service animals have been specifically trained and have a serious job to do and therefore they are treated differently than a pet. Animals that provide comfort, companionship, and emotional support, but are not trained to assist with a person’s disability, are not service animals. They are considered a pet. If your four-legged, furry friend does not qualify as a service animal, there is good news. There are literally hundreds of pet-friendly apartments in Brandon and most allow cats or small dogs, plus other animals as well. All you have to do is meet the criteria for the pets as set by the property management company. If your animal meets the criteria, most properties ask for a pet deposit (normally an extra half month of rent to a maximum of a full month of rent) and you can live happily ever after with your fur baby. Keep in mind that some property management companies, as well as some of the condominium complexes within the city, do have restrictions on the size of the dogs. This is usually done to protect other tenants (those who do not own a pet) who may be frightened by large dogs when using the common areas of the complex.  The weight and size of dogs (mostly in terms of their claws) are often a factor to consider when it comes to wear and tear on the flooring. As laminate and vinyl plank flooring is so popular in a lot of new construction, property owners want to protect their investment from deep scratches of large dogs. If you are a pet owner like myself, it is important to be respectful, courteous and conscientious of the wear and tear and cleanliness of the property when it comes to care and maintenance of your pets. And, for goodness sake, always, always clean up after them!