Brandon Riverbank Inc. is pleased to be hosting the 2nd Annual West Regional Envirothon, tomorrow, April 17, 2018 at the Riverbank Discovery Centre in Brandon. In partnership with the Manitoba Forestry Association, Riverbank is bringing this unique and educational opportunity for Westman High School Students to Brandon once again. This year, nine teams of five students from across the region will participate in this exciting competition that provides the challenge of learning about the environment, combined with hands-on field experience, problem solving, team work and public speaking skills. The Envirothon has been running in Manitoba since 1996, growing over the years to include 2,900+ participants competing in five regions. This hands-on competition takes students outdoors where they will work through several challenging field tests as well as an oral presentation, all of which focus on four theme areas of Water & Aquatic Ecosystems, Wildlife & Wildlife Management, Soils & Land Use, Native Plants & Forestry and this year’s feature topic of Climate Change in the North. The top teams of this regional competition will carry on to compete in the provincial Envirothon to take place in Churchill at the end of May. The provincial Envirothon organization is very excited to be hosting these young learners in such a unique ecosystem and will create a very memorable experience for our environmental competitors. General Manager of Brandon Riverbank Inc., Lois MacDonald states “Our organization is pleased to host this important event again this year - the Riverbank Discovery Centre is the perfect facility to promote environmental education and stewardship combined with hands-on learning. This event takes advantage of the living classroom that exists throughout the Assiniboine River Corridor”. The Envirothon gets underway at the Riverbank Discovery Centre at 10 a.m. with training to take place for the morning. The trail test competition gets underway at 12:45 p.m. and will conclude at 3:15 p.m.  

Brad Slugoski from Flin Flon has won more than $1 million after selecting the Ace of Hearts on Saturday night in The Pas.   The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 19 started this round of Chase the Ace back on January 7, 2017 with a jackpot of $65,000.  As word spread the pot continued to grow at a rapid pace each week.  People from all over started lining up early every Saturday for their chance to take home the big money.  Eventually, the weekly Chase the Ace draw reached $1,009,870 before Slugoski's win. In September of 2016, the Legion also gave away $207,000 in another Chase the Ace pot.

Brandon Police Service Media Release Theft from Vehicles On Saturday morning, a resident of the 4000 block of McTavish Ave observed a male entering a vehicle nearby.  Police were called and a description was provided of the suspect.  Officers attended and located a male youth in the 600 block of 34th St who matched the physical description.  He was in possession of multiple identification, change purses, a flashlight and other items that appeared to be taken from vehicles in the area.   It is believed that 3 vehicles were entered.    The 15 year old youth from Brandon was lodged at Brandon Correctional Center and was later released to appear in court in May. The youth was also identified as a suspect responsible for a theft from a Manitoba Liquor store in April and was also arrested for that offence. Damage to Vehicles Three vehicles in the cities east end were damaged and entry gained overnight from Friday to Saturday.  Vehicles parked in the 100 block of 10th St East, the 300 block of 11th St East and the 100 block of 12th St East had windows smashed.  The vehicles were entered and various items stolen. There are no suspects at this time. Assault On Saturday afternoon, officers attended to a foster home on Cornwallis Crescent where a resident had assaulted two staff members.  The 17 year old female youth was arrested and charged with two counts of assault.  The youth threatened to continue to assault staff and was lodged at Brandon Correctional.  She was later released on a Promise to Appear with court set for June. Theft Under $5000, Possession of a Weapon, Resist Arrest On Saturday afternoon, shortly after  5:00 pm, security at a grocery store in the 1500 block of 18th St reported a shoplifter had left the store and security staff were following him northbound across the parking lot.  Officers attended and located the male suspect in a parking lot in the 1900 block of Richmond Ave.  The male was ordered to stop but he ran away with the officer in pursuit on foot.  The suspect was apprehended after a short foot pursuit.  He appeared to be under the influence of a drug and was found in possession of a machete and two knives.  His backpack was searced and numerous items believed to be stolen were recovered included a hatchet, 4 folding knives and numerous clothing and food items.  The accused, a 28 year old man with no fixed address,  was lodged at Brandon Correctional center to appear in court on Sunday. Assault On Saturday evening, a man reported he was assaulted by two other males earlier in the day when he exited a local shopping mall accompanied by his girlfriend. The two suspects, an 18 year old man and a 17 year old  male youth, both from Brandon are related and are known to the suspect.  The victim sustained a cut below his eye during the assault.   The two suspects were located, arrested and released to appear in court in June. Assault On Saturday night, an employee at a foster home on Louise Ave was assaulted by a female resident.  Officers attended and located the suspect, a 15 year old female youth, who was arrested and released to appear in court in May. Other arrests….. One man was arrested on an unendorsed arrest warrant and lodged at Brandon Correctional to appear in court on Sunday. A 20 year old man from Moosomin Sask was arrested and lodged at Brandon Correctional after he refused to leave a bar on Victoria Ave. He will be charged under the LGCA with failing to leave a licensed premises when asked to do so.

Brandon Police Service Press Release Early Saturday morning, police conducted a traffic stop on 1st Street North, and entered into a drug investigation.  A 31 year old female passenger from Brandon was found to be in possession of approximately 10 ounces of methamphetamine and 3 ounces of cocaine, as well as scales and packaging material. The total street value of the drugs is estimated at over 63,000 dollars.  She is charged with Possession for the Purpose of trafficking Meth and Cocaine, and was lodged at the Brandon Correctional Center for a bail hearing.

Brandon Police Service Media Release At approximately 10:30 p.m., Police and Fire members attended a residence in the 500 Block of 14th Street after receiving a report of a person throwing a Molotov cocktail in the backyard. The small fire was extinguished by BFES and Police investigators learned that two suspects, with their faces covered threw the incendiary bottle into the yard. There are no suspects at this time and Police investigation into this matter continues.