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A short but unique meteor shower will be visible tonight in the parkland area.
Scott Young is an astronomer with the Manitoba Museum, and he notes that the Qaudrantids meteor shower is a little different than most.
"This is a bit of an unusual meteor shower. Most of them fade in over the course of several days, peak, and then fade out. This one pretty much lasts just one night."
Young says that this is due to how this object comes into our solar system.
While the planets, and many comets, tend to orbit like "grooves on a vinyl", this meteor comes in at a nearly 90-degree angle.
Due to this angle, it creates a very short time for viewing.
According to Young, this is a one-night-only display, peaking between 3 am and 5 am tomorrow.
There may be some cloud cover, and a bright moon, but you'll still be able to take in this natural display.
That is if you're up early/late enough.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Changes to Agricultural Crown Lands Leases and Permits regulations are now officially in effect in Manitoba.
Dauphin MLA and provincial Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn made the announcement, saying the ACL program will improve forage productivity and expand the livestock industry while advancing sustainability.
Among the amendments are the availability of a five-year extension on a 15-year lease term for leaseholders that complete and implement a forage management plan for at least the last five years of that 15-year lease term.
Legacy leaseholders are now also able to nominate the next leaseholder, subject to treaty Land Entitlement and Consultation assessments.
Also among the changes are unlimited transfers of a 15-year forage lease or renewable permit to any eligible lessee for the remainder of the lease term, as well as forage capacity being determined when the lease is issued, and remaining for the entire length of the agreement.
Also, outgoing leaseholders in the final year of their lease who choose to be compensated for improvements made to the land they leased must now get those improvements appraised by an accredited appraiser.
The appraised value of those improvements will be posted when that land is allocated and should it be reallocated within two years of a lease expiring, the new lessee is required to pay the outgoing leaseholder for that value.
Kostyshyn adds these amendments add options for leaseholders while ensuring the use of the lands for traditional purposes and exercising of treaty rights.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The case of a Swan River man charged in relation to two incidents at the same home in that community will return to court later this month.
37-year-old Jeremy Gingras was in Dauphin court this week, where his matters were put over until January 23rd.
RCMP says just prior to midnight on September 24th, a man is alleged to have broken into a home, assaulted a male resident and then stole a cell phone and bicycle before leaving the scene.
They say he then broke into the same home again the next morning and smashed several items before stealing a hammer and then allegedly smashing two parked vehicles and windows of a business - all on Main Street in Swan River.
Flying glass from the business reportedly injured a female employee.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
It was a New Year's Day Miracle for Brittany and Kyle Eden of Ashville.
They welcomed twin girls to the world on January 1 as they became the first babies born at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre in 2024.
Avery was born at 3:00 p.m. while her sister Harper was right behind at 3:02 p.m. Avery weighed in at 6 lbs, 9oz while Harper weighed in at 6 lbs, 6oz.
Management and staff of the Health Centre and Prairie Mountain Health congratulate the family and send them their best wishes.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
There will no longer be any curling at the Binscarth Curling Club.
Back on March 6, the board of directors announced that their plant was decommissioned because they were notified that the existing ammonia plant could no longer be used.
They did look into a repair so curling could return to the community; however, the cost of said repairs was not in the budget. They received a quote for a new ammonia plant for more than $600,000. They also received a quote for a geothermal plant and another one, but the cost exceeded more than $300,000.
They were approved for a $160,000 grant from the Province of Manitoba, but that is well short of what would be needed and as Drew Douglas says, there wasn't enough interest.
"With the amount of interest, we just didn't believe it worth be worth it to spend that much money," said Douglas, who serves as the Club's president.
As a result, there will now be a public meeting so area residents can share their suggestions on what should be done with the building.
On Wednesday, January 3 at 7:00 p.m., you're invited to head to the Binscarth Curling Club to share your ideas.
"I know there has been a lot of talk to put concrete in," said Douglas. "Right now it's just the pipes with dirt. So some people are interested in putting concrete in and turning it into a big Rec Centre, something for the community."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Two suspects have been identified while three others have not after a violent robbery on New Year's Eve.
On December 31 at about 2:20 a.m., Ste. Rose RCMP responded to a report of a robbery with a firearm at a residence on Provincial Road 278, in Ebb and Flow.
There were five male suspects, three of whom were armed with a firearm while another one had bear spray. They entered a property and assaulted two men (46 and 33 years old) and two females (41 and 40 years old).
The 33-year-old male was taken to Dauphin Hospital in serious condition and has since been transported to a hospital in Winnipeg. The three other victims that had been bear sprayed were treated on the scene.
The suspects, who arrived in a white coloured pickup truck, stole a vehicle belonging to one of the victims, and both vehicles fled the scene.
A Warrant of Arrest has been issued for Braden Moar (27) and Mason Moar (19). They're facing charges of Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and several firearms-related offences.
If you have any further information that could help the RCMP while the investigation continues, you're asked to call the Ste. Rose RCMP at 447-3082.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Dauphin Fire Department is reminding all residents to frequently check their smoke alarms in order to make sure they are working properly.
The reminder comes following the first call for service in 2024 for the fire department.
Just before 11 pm Monday night, crews were called to a residential smoke alarm going off at a home north of Dauphin.
When they arrived, it turned out to be a false alarm, as no evidence of smoke or fire could be found in the home.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
With the New Year now upon us, Manitoba Public Insurance has come out with its list of the top 5 Frauds from 2023.
Topping the list was a vehicle collision claim where the driver and vehicle owner could not remember what had happened to cause the damage.
After an investigation, it turns out the same vehicle was seen driving erratically and causing damage to property, as well as colliding with another parked car and almost hitting a pedestrian.
Police also seized open drugs and alcohol from the vehicle.
With that claim being denied, MPI says the cost savings to ratepayers as a result was over $60,000.
Among the other cases that made the top 5 was a vehicle damage claim that was denied after it was determined the vehicle was traveling three times faster than the claim of 60 km an hour.
Also included on the list was a case where it turned out a vehicle had rear-ended another one, although the driver claimed no fault in the instance.
The driver also claimed that they were in the vehicle with their spouse at the time, although the investigation determined that the driver was actually alone at the time.
That was also a no-no, as the driver had licence restrictions requiring that they had to have a supervising driver with them at all times.
Another case involved an individual who was receiving benefits from MPI's Personal Injury Protection Plan.
The individual claimed injuries suffered in a collision led to dizziness, headaches, and other ailments that prevented them from working, adding they could also not walk or drive for more than 30 minutes at a time or lift any items more than 5 pounds.
But thanks to surveillance, the claimant was seen carrying a full water jug, shoveling snow, and running after a garbage truck with no indications of pain or dizziness.
In total, MPI's Special Investigations Unit closed over three thousand investigations in 2023, which resulted in claims savings of over 10.5 million dollars.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
2023 was another good year for the Dauphin Hospital Foundation, as it celebrated its 35th anniversary with a number of generous donations.
Foundation board chair Greg Thompson says a ten-thousand-dollar contribution from the RBC Foundation was put into the Delha Cort Educational Trust Fund, which allows nurses to upgrade their skills.
The foundation has background information and an online application form for the educational fund on their website www.dghf.ca, if there are any hospital staff that want to improve their education and skill set.
Other significant contributions in 2023 came from the likes of the Dauphin branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Dauphin Memorial Ride, and the Parkland U18 Rangers from their Hockey Fights Cancer night, as well as some first-time contributions from several individuals.
As for major purchases last year, the Foundation was able to add a specialized operating table to the Dauphin Regional Health Centre surgical suite, valued at 59 thousand dollars.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Prior to the recent dropping of the gas tax in Manitoba, the average price for a litre of gasoline in the province dropped a further 5.3 cents.
According to the website GasBuddy.com, the average price sat at 125.8 cents, which is considerably cheaper than the national average of 138.91 cents a litre.
The latest average price for Manitoba is 19 cents a litre cheaper than exactly one month ago, and 22 cents cheaper than on this day one year ago.
Now that the gas tax has been removed, the average price for a litre of regular fuel in Dauphin is now in the 115.9 cents range.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Manitoba First Nations Police are looking for three suspects following a violent robbery last week on the Sandy Bay First Nation.
Just before 7 pm on December 28th, officers were called to a home in the 100 block of Townsite Bay.
According to their investigation, three suspects entered the home and demanded money from the male victim, before eventually assaulting him.
At one point, one of the suspects is alleged to have pulled a knife and tried to stab the victim.
The suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, while the victim was treated in the hospital for a laceration to his hand.
27-year-old Salita Jean Beaulieu is wanted for robbery with a weapon and aggravated assault, while 21-year-old Ambrielle Angel Beaulieu and 18-year-old Landon Dwayne Desmarais are both wanted for robbery with a weapon.
Police say all three should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with info on the current whereabouts of the suspects is asked to contact the Sandy Bay detachment at 204-843-7701 or Crimestoppers.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
