BRANDON, MB– Get ready for a bigger, brighter show in Westoba Place! The Keystone Centre is installing a new, state-of-the-art, centre-hung video scoreclock in its main arena, Westoba Place. It will be unveiled at the Brandon Wheat King’s Home Opener on September 20, 2019. The former scoreclock was installed just prior to the 2010 Mastercard Memorial Cup in the facility and has reached the end of its useful life. The scoreclock was identified as a capital item in need of replacement for a number of years. After a competitive bid process, the project was awarded to NEVCO. Centre-hung video scoreclock features: Each of the 4 sides will be 9’h x 16.54’w for a total square imprint of 149 sq feet of video on each side, Each side contains 1,108,800 individual LEDs to make up the video screen, Plus an additional, free-floating LED video ring at over 2 ½’ tall with a diameter of over 25’ The new centre-hung has the ability to retract into the video ring for arena shows which will allow for more flexibility for productions – opening opportunities for potential new shows to the market. “This significant investment for the Keystone Centre was necessary to maintain operation in our main arena, Westoba Place, moving forward,” said Jeff Schumacher, general manager, Keystone Centre. Last year, the Keystone Centre received funding from the Brandon Area Community Foundation to upgrade the production room equipment that feeds into the video screens on the scoreclock. This improvement will work well with the new centre-hung video scoreclock. One of the Keystone Centre’s key tenants within Westoba Place is the Brandon Wheat Kings, and they’re looking forward to the improvement. “The enhancements in the new video score clock are going to go a long way in improving the fans experience at Westoba Place,” said the Brandon Wheat Kings director of marketing, Matt McNish. “We can’t wait to unveil it at our home opener on September 20th against the Winnipeg Ice.” (article submitted)

The City of Brandon's Community Services Department wishes to update the public on this year's community summer aquatics programming run in partnership with the YMCA of Brandon. Along with the new Valleyview spray park which opened for public use two weeks ago, new this month is the offer of extended evening hours at Kinsmen Pool in Rideau Park. From Monday, July 8th through to Monday, August 5th, the Kinsmen Pool will stay open one hour later in the evenings, operating from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. Hours of operation at Kinsmen Pool will switch back to 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, effective Tuesday, August 6th. However, at this time, we would also like to inform the public that due to significant mechanical and structural issues identified by staff following a harsh winter, the Kiwanis/YMCA/Keystone Pool located at 13th Street and Southern Avenue will not be able to open for operation this summer. While regretful, this decision has been made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the public’s safety and to allow the integrity of the overall facility to be further assessed. The pool and associated mechanical building are being evaluated, taking into account the age of the infrastructure, with a recommendation on the pool’s future to be considered by Brandon City Council in the fall. As a reminder, the City of Brandon oversees a number of aquatics options available for community use, including the aforementioned Kinsmen Pool (411 Park Street), the pool at Brandon’s Community Sportsplex (30 Knowlton Drive), and 5 spray parks located at recreation hubs across the community. Hours of operation for Kinsmen Pool and the City’s complement of five spray parks can be found at http://www.brandon.ca/images/pdf/Recreation/July_2019_Community_Pools.pdf, or visit  https://mycommunity.brandon.ca/ to find a full program schedule for the Sportsplex pool. Other public aquatics options in the community include the YMCA of Brandon (231 8th Street) and the Brandon Bouncy Castles inflatable water park, located on the southern grounds of Brandon’s Keystone Centre. (City of Brandon News Release)

Mid-afternoon on Saturday, Brandon Police Service were operating in the 000 block of 14th Street North, with guns drawn. Multiple officers could be seen with rifles and handguns drawn, while taking cover behind sheds and houses. Police had 14th St N blocked off while the situation was ongoing. Police eventually rushed a house, and brought at least two people out of the house, one being in handcuffs. The handcuffed individual later had the restraints removed. All police cleared the scene around 4:30pm. It is unclear exactly why police were called to the area. Photos by Liam Pattison Photography.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release A 34-year-old Male visiting Brandon was arrested and has been charged with Impaired Driving.  He was located passed out in his vehicle in the 700blk of 18th street.  Breath samples indicated that he was also in excess of twice the legal limit.  Court will be July 22nd for this individual. A 25-year-old Brandon woman has been charged with Impaired Driving.  She was arrested in the 2600blk of Victoria Avenue just prior to 1 AM July 14th.  Breath samples indicated that the Accused had alcohol in her blood exceeding twice the legal limit.  She will be appearing in court on July 22nd.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release A 31-year-old Brandon Male has been charged for PPT Meth.  He was located walking in the 400blk of 23rd street and is known to police to be under various court imposed conditions.  It was found that he had in his possession 5 grams of meth as well as other trafficking related items.  He was released from custody and will appear in court September 12th.