Right from the start I am a Pokemon idiot …. No clue no concept on this game or any other video game. My buddy Willy plays Railway Conductor 12 hours a day and it baffles me. How this all started was I noticed a bunch of cars late at night parked at the Discovery Centre so I called Brandon Police Service and the woman says “oh I bet they are playing Pokemon” …. Once again baffled. Pokemon Facts 1 - Tinder is one of the worlds most used APP’s …. Pokemon in the last 7 days has blown them out of the water with almost double the numbers that Tinder would normally have. 2 – Local Best Buy can not keep enough external batteries on their shelves because people need more battery power for their phones when they use their GPS. 3 – FBI and CIA are loving this because they can trace criminals better when they play the game ( yup sounds crazy I know ). FBI officials say they can track their steps legally now. 4 – Local Vancouver Hells Angel clubhouse was a surprise Pokemon Go Gym stop ( not sure what that means ). 5 – Nintendo shares increased 115% in the last week. So today I went to Discovery Centre to see what the hype is all about. BDNMB – Explain to me how many hours will you spend on this? Mike - 4 hours today ….. I work during the day so I do this at night. BDNMB – Is this addictive? Lisa Van De Kercouve - yes for sure the Pokemon jump out and it is great and you are out and about. BDNMB – have you done something like this before? Brianna Dyck - I enjoy this very much and my friends at school love this. BDNMB – are you worried about data charges? Rebecca Porteous - when I first heard about it I was against it but all my friends were on it and everyone is really enjoying it. BDNMB – is this a flash n the pan? Rebeeca Porteous-It will taper off for sure when you end up capturing a super rare Pokemon then you will be Elite. BDNMB – Pokemon idiot whats an Elite Pokemon? Mike – rare spawn that you have that your friends won’t have. BDNMB – when did you start this Pokemon thing? Chris Tataryn – since I was 10 years old and have been playing the game for a week and I go for an hour walk each day. BDNMB – interesting to see kids walking around and they are out and about. Chris – some people will hate it because they hate new things….. Sure its a stupid video game but at least people are out. BDNMB – people are doing something other than being trapped in front of their phones and screens at home. Chris – for sure its fun and I have been a fan my entire life its entertaining and a reason to go outside. BDNMB – this is what you expected? Jarred Murray – the game is getting better but I am enjoying it. BDNMB – how much time do you spend at it? Jarred – 4 hours at a time at night with friends BDNMB – have you met people? Jarred – I have had lots of interactions. BDNMB – do your friends Facebook and text about this? Kylie – its amongst our friends so we plan to go out and do and we communicate and lots of fun. BDNMB – do you feel like you are more social? Kylie – I get out more with friends that's really nice. Audio Interview Bottom line is perhaps people will get out of their homes and actually meet people face to face and that is a huge positive in my opinion. Darryl for BDNMB.CA

The premier car and truck show of the year is back in Brandon, July 29,30,31. Participants from all over Western Canada and the Northern US will make Brandon, MB their home for three days as the Keystone Centre grounds will play host to the Western Canadian Nations Super Run 2016. The Super Run is an annual event which rotates among three different cities in Western Canada benefiting local charities along the way. Hundreds of hot rods, customs and vehicles from the 50's, 60's and 70's are expected to fill the streets of Brandon and neighboring highways over the weekend. This year's event has a ton of activities planned for both vehicle presenters and spectators alike. Among the activities/events planned for the weekend include a swap meet, trade show, meet & greets, numerous BBQ's, and a flea market. Saturday includes a musical performance by the Tom Cats Band while the White Mud Band is schedule to take the stage on Saturday evening. One of the highlights of the weekends festivities will be the numerous tours scheduled daily for the drivers to such places as George Heeman’s Museum in Carman, Shilo Museum , and Crow's General Store in Brandon. For a detailed list of the weekends activities and time click here.

Press Re­lease Courtesy: http://shoppersmallbrandon.com/mall-info/press-releases/ A Transformation at Shoppers Mall in Brandon, Manitoba to Meet the Needs of the Community July 18, 2016 – Shoppers Mall in Brandon, Manitoba is transforming under a remerchandising strategy led by its owner, Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust. The dominant regional shopping centre, located at the intersection of 18th Street and Richmond Avenue, will begin to realize positive change with the addition of new best-in-class retail, services and restaurants — complementing the existing 90 retailers. The transformation at the 367,000-square-foot shopping centre includes the sustainable redevelopment of the main entrance and specific common areas, as well as the proposed development of freestanding pads to increase density and enhance the greening of the site. “This transformation signals a new era at Shoppers Mall,” said John Levac, Vice President, Asset Management at Morguard REIT. “The investment is designed to cater to the demands of the community and attract new shoppers seeking exceptional choice and diverse retailers.” The remerchandising strategy has resulted in a lineup of confirmed new retailers including: Sobeys Extra A 62,500-square-foot Sobeys extra store will become the new anchor and is expected to open this winter in the former Target space. The new store will have a market atmosphere and offer customers innovative full-service departments, a multi-use community room for events such as cooking classes, and in-store experts including a chef and wellbeing counselors. A planned new façade will transform the main entrance of the Mall in conjunction with the Sobeys opening. GoodLife Fitness GoodLife Fitness will open a 24,670-square-foot Co-Ed Club in early 2017 in a portion of the former Safeway space. The Co-Ed Club, the largest in Manitoba, will offer the community a modern, first class facility with amenities that support an active lifestyle.  It will provide customers with an enhanced one-stop location for retail and services. New Restaurants Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s A combination Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s on a freestanding pad at 18th Street and Richmond Avenue is planned pending final site approval. East Side Mario’s and Fionn MacCool’s A combination East Side Mario’s and Fionn MacCool’s on a freestanding pad at the 18th Street entrance is planned pending final site approval. Thai Express Thai Express will be opening in the existing Food Court in November 2016. The new restaurants proposed on the exterior pads will add 13,500 square feet of complementary food services to the existing 8,600 square feet of interior food court and sit down restaurants, resulting in more options for Mall visitors – and the community at large. The proposed development plans for the freestanding pads are now available for public comment onsite at Guest Services. The plans are also available online at http://shoppersmallbrandon.com. There is strong momentum behind the leasing efforts at Shoppers Mall and further new retailers will be announced in the months ahead. Note to Media: Renderings of the redevelopment and proposed freestanding pads are available upon request to corporatemarketing@morguard.com. About Shoppers Mall Shoppers Mall is a 367,000-square-foot dominant enclosed regional shopping centre located in Brandon, Manitoba. The Mall features more than 90 retailers offering a merchandise mix of retail, services, entertainment and restaurants. Visit http://shoppersmallbrandon.com. For further information, contact: John Levac Vice President, Asset Management, Morguard REIT 905-281-3800 Morguard Corporate Marketing 905-281-5823

Want to have your next oil change done for FREE?! On The Run Mobile Oil Change Service, a new business in Brandon, has partnered with www.bdnmb.ca to give away a FREE oil change to three lucky contestants! All you have to do to enter is 'LIKE' or “SHARE” the link on our Facebook page. Draw date will be Thursday, July the 28th at 5:00 pm. Good luck. Ever wondered "how can I get my oil changed without having to wait in line at a quick lube or leave my vehicle overnight at a dealership?" Well if you are like most people, yes you have thought this! On The Run Mobile Oil Change Service has come up with a solution, they will come to where YOU are and get the job done quickly and professionally! They will take the pain right out of your next oil change and replace it with a big smile Book your appointment today in 3 easy steps! 1. Call, message or email them and give them a few quick details about your vehicle and book the appointment. 2. Make an arrangement with their team on where they will grab the keys. 3. Make payment. The benefit of using their service: - No need to take time out of your day to go out and get an oil change! - Have the ability to have your oil changed in your driveway or anywhere! - They do all our work fast, efficient and spill free! - They go the extra mile to make sure every customer and their vehicle are treated with the best service and courtesy!  

Earls in Calgary will start a new idea and that is a flat 16% hospitality fee that would be added to your bill instead of tipping. We reached out to some local owners to get their thoughts. Blake Trotter / Owner GM of Browns Socialhouse I think having a 16% flat fee instead of the option of tipping would have a very negative effect on our business.  However if all restaurants were to do this idea then it would be different.  With the oil business being down we have seen a huge difference in sales and this tipping concept would not help anyone. Chad Wahlin / Owner GM of Joe Beeverz and Blu Kitchen and Bar I guess they can call it whatever they want, gratuity or tax, it's ending up in the same place. I couldn't imagine enforcing an automatic gratuity on all guests in our restaurants, especially in a market like Brandon.  On the other hand, it is keeping Earls in the media in a tough market like Alberta right now.... They are following up to their announcement and retraction of them not using Canadian beef, so they are definitely being talked about. I have heard of other restaurants doing this in large markets before, but not an entire chain. It'll be interesting to see the reaction of the guests. Darren Burdeniuk / Owner and Partner of The Dock I don't know. Depends what share of that 16% the servers get. The whole hospitality industry relies on tips. If it decreases the servers take home money they will lose some good servers to the competition. I'd love to hear the rational behind the move to 16%.   Scott Ball You know it depends on how hungry I was lol ..... but I think overall the idea isn't great. Jon Mazer Big parties we would have a fee added regardless (18%) personally as a customer it should be in control of the customer.  It is polite to tip but cheap people will tip 10 bucks on a 350 dollar bill. I can see both sides of it but it is a very aggressive move. We look forward to seeing your response with our online poll http://www.calgarysun.com/2016/07/11/new-calgary-earls-restaurant-ditching-tipping-in-favour-or-16-hospitality-fee