Every little bit counts. It really does! And in this case, two dollar donations, pre-made hampers, community and corporate generosity added up to just under $27,000 for Samaritan House. Safeway and Sobeys stores in Brandon held a Thanksgiving and Christmas campaign this fall, where customers and staff were asked to donate ($2 or more) as they purchased their groceries. People were also able to contribute by purchasing pre-made hampers at the Safeway location. The funds were then matched by Sobeys Corporate for a grand total of $26,979. A cheque presentation was held today. Gregory Gingras, Sobeys West franchisee was delighted to be able to offer Samaritan House the much needed funds at this time of year. "It gives them the purchasing power they need at the time when they need it most." He notes "it's our (Safeway/Sobeys) mission to help Canadians eat better, feel better, do better and so our work with Brandon's Samaritan House is so very important to us. And in turn, the work of Samaritan House is far reaching and serves to keep this money in our local community and make it stronger."    

Jayson Scott Larry McDougall, of Dauphin, has been accused of making counterfeit money after RCMP received a report of counterfeit money being circuited at a business in Dauphin. RCMP were able to identify the 39-year old suspect after scanning security video from the business. The suspect was arrested at his home and they seized the original $50 bill and a computer. It was later determined that a local financial institution had also been passed counterfeit bills. All of the bad bills had the same serial numbers. Photo: RCMP File  

Brandon City police are investigating a death they have described as “suspicious following a 911 call on Thursday evening in Brandon. Officers responded to the call in the 3600 block of Centennial Blvd, and found the man, who was unresponsive. The body was removed and transported to Winnipeg for an autopsy. The victim’s name was not released, and no arrests have been made. Police are continuing to investigate.

On Christmas Eve, at approximately 3:00 am, Dauphin RCMP were on patrol when they noticed smoke coming from a house in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue NE. The Dauphin Fire Department were quickly dispatched and the home was immersed in flames upon arrival. Upon searching and clearing the first floor looking for potential occupants, the heat, smoke, and visibility played havoc with the firefighters attempts to search and clear the second floor. Once the fire had been deemed under control the second floor was searched and cleared, and no one was located in the home. Eventually the fire was brought under control at 9:30 am and crews remained on-site until early afternoon to help with the investigation and to ensure all spot fires inside the structure were completely extinguished. According to the Dauphin Firefighters report the house is a complete loss and the fire was determined to be suspicious in nature following the investigation by the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner. Anyone with any information regarding this incident are asked to contact the Dauphin RCMP at 204-622-5050.   Photo: Dauphin Fire Department

The Province of Manitoba has done a really good job in the developing of Manitoba 511, Road and Traveler Information. Manitoba 511 is an APP to show current highway conditions, and photos, from certain areas in the province. The APP works on all IOS and Droid phones, as well as laptops. If you are traveling, in the province of Manitoba, this is an essential free APP to install. You can also call 511 toll free or follow @MBGovRoads on Twitter for closures of incidents. http://residents.gov.mb.ca/apps/511.html