Update: Sunday, February 16 It was learned earlier today, via a post on their Facebook page, that the Riverdale Community Centre's canteen in Rivers will no-longer be accepting cash as of Monday, February 17. The decision was made at a board meeting Tuesday evening. Debit, Visa, and MasterCard will be accepted. "There was a number of things that contributed to this decision, not just from 2020 but dating back from the past few years" read one post from the Recreation Commission. A subsequent post from the Recreation Commission indicated that the decision will go to the board for review at their next meeting, following a number of comments and concerns raised by members of the community and those who frequent the facility.

A two vehicle crash forced the closure of Pacific Ave and 11th St around noon on Tuesday. Traffic was rerouted while emergency crews were on scene. Brandon Fire and Emergency Services and Brandon Police Service responded to the intersection where the two cars collided. Both vehicles had moderate damage, and both vehicles were towed away by Accel Towing & Transport. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Emergency crews were able to clear the scene within the hour. Photos by Liam Pattison Photography.

Source:Brandon Police Service Media Release At 2:15 am on Saturday morning, a male assaulted a staff member at a restaurant on Victoria Ave. The man was intoxicated and demanded service then assaulted a staff member by striking him. He was located at the restaurant and arrested. The accused, a 53 year old from Brandon will appear in court in March.

According to a news release, WestJet will be increasing the number of flights that travel between Calgary and Brandon this summer. The new summer schedule will see the number of flights increase between the two cities from seven to eleven. WestJet also revealed plans to increase frequency from Calgary to Winnipeg as well as International flights from Calgary to Paris, Rome, & Cabo San Lucas. From yesterdays release. "WestJet continues to invest in YYC Calgary International Airport as its home base and expansion focus. It is Calgary's largest carrier and we are committed to facilitating their growth. These additional flights will serve more guests bound for more destinations, delivering recreational and business opportunities for our region," said Bob Sartor, President and CEO, The Calgary Airport Authority. WestJet first introduced Brandon to Calgary flights in 2013.

Portage la Prairie (Southport), Man. has been named by Assiniboine Community College as the next community to host the college’s rural rotating Practical Nursing diploma program. The program will commence there starting in September 2020 with capacity for 25 students. We are pleased to work with Southern Health-Santé Sud and the community to deliver this program,” said Suzanne Nicolas, Associate Dean of Health Programs at Assiniboine. “The demand for nurses continues to be strong across Manitoba, and we know this program will help to address the need for skilled graduates in this region. “Nurses are intrinsic to the health of our communities,” said Jane Curtis, CEO of Southern Health-Santé Sud. We are excited to host Assiniboine’s next rotating Practical Nursing program in Southport. This program will enable opportunities for new graduates to apply their training so that patients in the community are looked after with a high level of quality, effective, people-centred care. A request for proposals to host rural rotating sites was issued in October this past year with the college receiving seven submissions from communities and Regional Health Authorities. Proposals were evaluated based on criteria including labour market demand; health care partnerships, which primarily involve practicum placements for students; student demand; student experience and available training facilities. The college has delivered its Practical Nursing program through rural rotating sites since 1999. The college also has permanent Practical Nursing programs running at its campuses in Brandon, Winnipeg, and Dauphin. Applications for Assiniboine’s nursing program in Brandon and Dauphin are currently open and will remain open on an ongoing basis. Applications for the Winnipeg nursing program is currently closed as the waitlist there approaches two years. The demand for Assiniboine nursing graduates is high; 100 per cent of graduates surveyed from the 2018-19 academic year said they had jobs, making on average more than $47,000 a year. Since 1975, nearly 3,800 individuals have graduated from nursing programs offered by the college. In the past number of years, Assiniboine has delivered its Practical Nursing program in many communities across Manitoba including Russell, Melita, Peguis First Nation, Selkirk, Steinbach, Winkler/Morden, Arborg, Flin Flon, Beausejour, Killarney, Carmen, Boissevain, The Pas, Neepawa, Ashern, Deloraine, and Pine Falls. Applications to the Portage la Prairie offering of the program will open from May 4 to 22, 2020. All qualified applications received within that three-week window will be treated equally in a lottery system; however, those applicants living in a rural community within a 100-kilometer radius of Portage la Prairie will be given preference in the first lottery draw. Important updates, information, and checklists for prospective applicants are available at assiniboine.net/nursing. (Source:  ACC College News)