BRANDON – A group of Computer Science majors became Brandon University’s (BU’s) first team to top all Manitoba entries in the ACM North Central North America Regional Programming Contest last weekend. On Saturday, Nov. 3, the BU team of Logan Praznik, Jason Klimack and Andrii Hrytsenko took part in the regional competition of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) in Winnipeg, one of 12 regional sites where the event was simultaneously staged. Competing on site with several teams from the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg, Praznik, Klimack and Hrytsenko posted the top score at the location — a first in BU’s six years of competition. Overall, the BU team placed 23rd out of nearly 300 competing entries representing universities in eight central U.S. states as well as Manitoba. “It’s rewarding to see that you can compete with other big universities and you can win,” said Hrytsenko, who is a graduate of Vincent Massey High School in Brandon, while Praznik and Klimack are both alumni of Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School in Brandon. The students are given a list of 10 problems and are tasked with solving as many as they can in five hours, working in a team of three but with only one computer. That means they will tackle some elements of the problems together, while working out other parts on paper on their own. The BU team was the only one in Manitoba to solve five of the problems. Across the region only 16 teams solved more than five problems, and two problems were not solved by any team at any site. “The test isn’t designed to be completely solved,” said Dr. Ashraf Abdelbar, a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at BU and the team’s coach. “Part of the challenge is looking at the problems and deciding which ones you can solve the quickest, because time is also part of your score. There is a lot of strategy involved.” The BU team, which was supervised at the competition by Dr. Gautam Srivastava, an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, has had plenty of experience to develop their strategy and teamwork. This year’s competition was their third working together as a team. “The first time you compete you are nervous,” Hrytsenko said. “With more experience you are able to relax and to focus on the problems.” Abdelbar has taken teams to the competition for more than 15 years, predating his arrival at BU. To help develop skills in local students he organizes a high school programming competition each year as well as training at BU that begins each fall. The programming contest began in Texas in the 1970s and has grown to involve more than 50,000 students from six continents. After the regional results are tabulated, more than 120 teams will be invited to take part in the 2019 World Finals next spring at the University of Porto, in Portugal.

Brandon, MB – With winter conditions now firmly established on Brandon’s roadways, the City of Brandon would like to take the opportunity to provide a refresher for all residents and motorists on its annual seasonal snow route parking restrictions and general snow clearing procedures. Of particular note to motorists and residents is the provision for overnight parking restrictions (12 a.m. to either 7 a.m. or 8 a.m.) to be placed along seasonal snow clearing routes following a significant snowfall. These routes are considered major arterial routes with high volumes of traffic, and ensuring rapid movement of emergency vehicles such as Police, Fire and Ambulance throughout the City is of the utmost importance following snowstorms. As per the City of Brandon Traffic By-law, overnight parking along such identified routes between the dates of November 15th and March 31st annually is prohibited IF a snow plowing/removal notice has been issued by the City of Brandon. Vehicles that remain parked along signed seasonal snow clearing routes during an identified snow-clearing event risk being ticketed and/or towed at their own expense. A full list of City streets that are deemed as snow clearing routes during the winter season can be found at http://www.brandon.ca/snow-routes. Motorists are allowed to park along such routes when no overnight snow-plowing is scheduled, but are always encouraged to confirm prior leaving their vehicles on a seasonal snow route during the above mentioned hours. Snow plowing/removal notices as detailed above are issued by the City of Brandon to its website and through its social media platforms, and notification is also provided to Brandon’s local media outlets. However, residents who wish to receive direct email notifications prior to the implementation of such parking bans can sign up for this service via the above link. Residents are also reminded that the best way to stay up-to-date on all regular snow plowing activities conducted by the City of Brandon’s Streets & Roads Section is by visiting snowmap.brandon.ca. The interactive online map is updated regularly through the winter season to show when snow plowing or snow removal activity is scheduled along a snow route, within various residential zones, in a back lane, or on a designated pedestrian route. Via the map’s tracking features, users can also stay on top of snow plowing or removal activity as crews make their way through a respective route or zone. Since its original launch approximately 2 years ago, the in-house developed map has been improved based on user feedback, with this latest update featuring, among other things, a cleaner user interface and a more predictive address search function. The City of Brandon “snow map” can be accessed from the City of Brandon’s newly-revamped Open Government web portal, and is also a navigable feature within the City of Brandon’s My City app, available for FREE download on Apple and Android devices. For a comprehensive overview of the City of Brandon’s snow-clearing procedures, visit http://www.brandon.ca/snow-removal or contact the City of Brandon Streets and Roads Section at 204-729-2285.

Brandon Firefighter/Paramedics and Brandon Police responded to the intersection of 10th St and Victoria Ave for a two-vehicle crash on Sunday afternoon. The vehicles appeared to have collided in the intersection, causing extensive damage to the silver car. The intersection was closed for a period of time to allow police to investigate, and Accel Towing & Transport to clean up the wrecked vehicles. It appeared that one person may have been transported to hospital.  Photos by: Liam Pattison Photography

Source:  Brandon Police Service Media Release Just after 10:30 PM last night a vehicle entered a police check stop in the 2200 Hundred Block of Brandon Avenue. The occupants, a 25-year old male from Brandon and a 21-year old female from Killarney, were in possession of approximately 7 grams of methamphetamines and quantity of cash. Along with numerous highway traffic act charges they will appear in court on January 10th to be charged with possession of methamphetamines for the purpose of trafficking as well as proceeds of crime.

Source:Brandon Police Service Media Release Just prior to 5:00 AM early Saturday morning police were alerted by citizens of several youth breaking into vehicles in the Balmoral Bay area. The youth ran from the area, however were apprehended by police a short distance away. A 15-year old male and a 17-year old male, both from Brandon, had in their possession property from the vehicles they had entered. One male will appear in court on December 11th and the other on December 4th to be charged with theft and trespassing.