Cancellation of robot games leads to schools organizing themselves

Every year, kids from across Manitoba compete in the Manitoba Robot Games smashing and pushing their robots in the arena to see who will be the victor. This year due to a death on the organizing committee, the games were cancelled. But the cancellation didn’t stop some schools from putting on their own games.

Crystal Springs School and 11 other Hutterite schools organized themselves to have their own robot games last Saturday in Carberry with Crystal Springs coming home with a number of trophies.

“The games saw just over 100 students competing with 135 robots in seven different categories,” said principal Karl Kleinsasser. “The Crystal Springs School team came home with four first place finishes, two second places, and three third places, sweeping the podium in two categories, Mini Sumo 2 and Mini Sumo 3.”

Crystal Springs has been making robots and competing for about 20 years. This year there are 22 students competing in the Hutterite games.

Winkler has Steinbach on the ropes in MJHL finals

The Steinbach Pistons certainly aren't getting the hometown bounces inside the Niverville Rec Centre, as a bouncing overtime goal in game three of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Finals has Steinbach down 3-0.

Winkler's own Lucas Ens was the lucky man, knocking a puck that appeared to rest at the side of the net off goalie Cole Plowman's skate and into the back of the net to give his Winkler Flyers a dominant series lead.

It was a back and forth affair in game three, with no shortage of controversy. After Steinbach captain Leo Chambers gave his team a 1-0 lead in the first period, Ile des Chenes own Brody Beauchemin was able to respond for the visitors.

Trey Sauder appeared to have restored the Steinbach lead, only for a referee to wave off the goal, ruling the net had come off the pegs before the puck entered the net.

Provencher MP hopes for election after ‘very socialist budget’

The federal government released a budget Tuesday with a $39.8-billion deficit and plenty of new spending in areas of housing, research and development, pharmacare, child nutrition, and dental care, among others.

There is no plan to balance the budget in the next five years, with a projected deficit of $20 billion in 2028-29. The shrinking of the deficit is contingent on economic growth and increasing the portion of capital gains being taxed bringing government revenue up.

Provencher MP Ted Falk does not like the Liberal government’s approach.

“Just the overall theme of this year’s budget which is again massively increasing and adding social programs.”

MHV executive director resigns

A difference in vision and approach to leadership was cited by Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) executive director Gary Dyck who resigned from the position effective April 19.

The announcement was made through an email from MHV board of directors president Willie Peters on Monday.

In it he states that the board “regretfully announces the resignation of Executive Director Gary Dyck”.

“MHV appreciates the passion Dyck brought to the museum during the past five years,” Peters stated. “His heart for Mennonite history was evident in the numerous projects he initiated, and he successfully guided the organization through the difficult time of the pandemic.”

Dodgeball players earn trip to nationals in Niverville

The most elusive and hardest-throwing dodgeball players in the province were gathered in Niverville April 13 and 14, as the Riel Cup returned to town.

The provincial dodgeball qualifiers were hosted inside the Niverville Resource and Rec Centre’s AMF field-house, with three courts active throughout the day.

Five men’s teams and four women’s teams qualified for the national championships at the tournament.

The men’s side was taken by New Era, who defeated Zeal in the finals. On the women’s side, Rainbow Thunder took down Rogue.

Hitting all the right notes

Steinbach and area youth had the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and acquire valuable feedback as part of the Southeastern Manitoba Festival. Musical talent was on display in several disciplines beginning in February and running through March. Young people took to local stages to show their skills in vocal, piano (junior and senior), choral, and musical theatre. Many took home special awards for their dedication.

RM of Ste Anne raises taxes, hopes for daycare, land for businesses

The RM of Ste Anne is hoping provincial money for a new Richer daycare and land becomes available to make room for new businesses after it passed first reading of its budget.

The public presentation of the proposed $7.5-million budget is scheduled for April 24 in-person and online, and it is available now on the RM’s website.

There is a 3.9 percent overall municipal tax increase, bringing in over $250,000 more in municipal taxes.

“The increase is basically with the cost of living. We could not get away with not having an increase because we look at fire (protection), everything went up so much,” said Reeve Richard Pelletier.

History of Manitoba one food truck recipe at a time

What memories are recalled when we think of or cook Grandma’s perogies, the family’s chicken adobo, or Kjielkje and schmauntfat? These dishes are the foods that built the Southeast. Now in a new book, Mmm…Manitoba: The Stories Behind the Foods We Eat, two historians in a food truck take the reader through the food history of Manitoba, including the Southeast.

Co-authors Janis Thiessen and Kimberley Moore conducted 70 interviews with Manitobans around the province in their Manitoba Food History Truck as part of the Manitoba Food History Project, an ongoing history project at the University of Winnipeg.

“I had written a book called Snacks and discovered food history was a thing and we all got to get to know each other – Kenton (Davies), Kim, and I – here at the University of Winnipeg and we thought, ‘You know what might be fun and interesting? Interviewing people about the food they think is memorable.’ And I think as a joke someone suggested we get a food truck and we thought, ‘Yeah! we can make that happen, and we did,” said Thiessen.

Mmm…Manitoba takes readers through the cities and towns of Winnipeg, Churchill, Steinbach, Carman, Altona, and Dauphin to name a few. Seventeen people cooked on the food truck. Some of the questions asked during the tour were: What are your earliest memories of eating the recipe you are preparing for us on the Food History Truck? And, in what ways is the recipe you are preparing for us on the Food History Truck distinctly Manitoban? To what extent does that matter to you?

‘It’s getting real now,’ — Event Centre manager excited for next steps

When talking to Jeffery Bannon, you can’t help but share his excitement and enthusiasm for the future of the Southeast Event Centre.

The centre’s manager is buried in planning for the anticipated opening of Steinbach’s new arena, but he will finally have some help, as the centre’s second and third employees (food/beverage and event/operation directors) are set to begin work next month.

“Starting May 1 I can actually go for lunch with someone,” Bannon quipped during an April 12 interview.

Bannon said a “fortunate” winter construction season has kept the centre on track for a late-2024/early-2025 opening date.

Drug trafficking charges laid after collision

Illegal cigarettes found on a driver of a car that had hit the ditch on Highway 3 near Brunkild provided RCMP a reason to search the vehicle, culminating in drug charges for a Steinbach man and RM of Ste Anne woman.

Police say that at 8:10 a.m. on April 10 they were called to the collision. When they arrived, the vehicle was being towed out with police saying the collision occurred around 1 a.m.

“The male driver of the vehicle appeared to be impaired, and a female had been located sleeping in the backseat of the vehicle,” police stated in a press release.

After illegal cigarettes were found on the driver, police searched the car finding crack, cocaine, drug trafficking paraphernalia and Canadian currency.

Steinbach Pistons go down 2-0 in MJHL finals

The Winkler Flyers have put together an impressive start to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) finals, holding the best offense in the league during the regular season to only one goal in two victories.

The Steinbach Pistons, the MJHL's regular season champions, have looked a touch slow in the finals falling 2-1 in game one in Niverville April 19 and 3-1 in game two in Winkler April 21.

Blake Matheson was the difference for Winkler, even though his name didn't show up on the scoresheet, save for a third-period interference penalty.

Matheson was on the ice as Steinbach pushed for the tying goal. As the clock ticked down, the Pistons threw the puck into the slot, but no player was able to get a stick on it. With starting goalie Malachi Klassen down and out, and the puck falling on the pinching defender's stick, Matheson desperately dove in front of the shot, blocking it and saving the game for Winkler.

Event centre completion expected for fall 2024

Steinbach city council were told a good winter for construction has kept the Southeast Event Centre construction on schedule with completion expected for fall or early winter, as corporate services manager Adam Thiessen walked them through a presentation on Tuesday.

A series of photos and short videos showed the progress being made, highlighting that the steel structure for the arena bowl is almost completed, and steel structure and framing of the gymnasium and beams for the lobby are getting close to being installed.

The new ice plant condenser is on the lot waiting for installation, roofing work is well underway on the main arena portion and exterior insulation and weather proofing is in progress. Soon the exterior metal sheeting will begin to go up as well.

Foundations for the final building footprint have also been built.