It is sometimes easy to forget the problems that others may be facing, unless it’s right out in front of you.  In the past couple of days, if you’ve driven down one of the city’s main streets, you might have noticed people’s belongings situated in the middle of a clump of trees on the North Hill - certainly a reminder of the challenges that people in our community face with being homeless.  Samaritan House Executive Director, Thea Dennis said that since the Warm & Safe Shelter closed at the end of March, some of their clients that would have used the shelter during the winter months are now in a transient situation.  “We do our best and we have good support in the city of Brandon, but the funding is still tight and we can only provide shelter during the cold weather months,” said Dennis.  While areas in the city, such as Dinsdale Park and Queen Elizabeth Park are under water, Dennis said that the transients are moving north to places where it’s safe and dry.  “We try to reach out to as many people as possible, but some just don’t realize they can come here to find out about different programs that are available in the city that can help them to get out of the elements and find a permanent place to live,” said Dennis.  The Samaritan House had 114 clients use the shelter this past year and the majority received housing by the end of March.  According to the Point-in-Time Homelessness Count in Brandon conducted last year on April 13, 146 people were identified as being homeless in Brandon, with 38 per cent under the age of 30.

While the full moon of April, which rose last night, is known as the Pink Moon it isn’t actually pink. Before the use of calendars, Indigenous people named the moon each month based on activities of the season. This month’s full moon became known as the Pink Moon because of wild ground phlox, one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring.  While there wasn’t a pink hue in the skies last night, today is a different story. Schools and workplaces will be glowing with various shades of pink as today is the Canadian Red Cross Pink Day. The Red Cross works with students and educators throughout Manitoba in the prevention of violence, abuse and bullying. Community groups, workplaces and parents are encouraged to celebrate Pink Day. While preventing bullying is one of the main objectives, today is also meant to promote kindness and respect. Anti-bullying events are held on an annual basis during the second week in April across the country. The initiative began in 2007. #everydayispinkday #herosassemble

A 16-year old male youth has been arrested on multiple charges including Pointing a Firearm, Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose and Carry a Concealed Weapon following an incident in the 300 Block of 2nd Street. The incident happened at approximately 6:40 pm on Wednesday evening when the neighbour called police saying the teen had pointed a gun his way. As police arrived they witnessed the youth getting into a vehicle, so they organized a traffic stop, at which point the suspect was taken into custody. A sawed off black powder gun was recovered at the suspects residence, after a search warrant had been obtained. The youth was released with a promise to appear in court in May.

The long awaited opening of Taco Time in Brandon, located beside Domino's Pizza on 18th St, is just around the corner. New owners Alpesh and Mitul Patel tell bdnmb.ca they are looking at opening prior to the 8th of April. Alpesh and Mitul Patel are very excited about the possibilities which exist inside the community, the growing population of Brandon, and the reception that they have received to date . They also feel like they can offer a reasonable price point to the wide array of items off the Taco Time Menu. Hours of operation for the time being will be 11 am – 9 pm Monday to Sunday. Taco Time Menu

Brandon Police Service Special Release: Rising River Levels The Brandon Police Service would like to inform the public that due to rising river levels, citizens are reminded to stay away from the Assiniboine River. The City of Brandon has released that public access has been closed to low lying recreational areas including Dinsdale Park and Queen Elizabeth Park with access to the walking bridge at the Riverbank Discovery Centre affected. Please avoid these areas and obey the barricades and signage that are in place. The rising river combined with fast flowing water and ice is a very dangerous area. Citizens who endanger themselves by not obeying the barricades and signage not only put potential risk to themselves but also to Emergency Personal who may have to save them. Updates to the spring melt and rising river levels can be found by visiting the City of Brandon’s website at http://www.brandon.ca.