Suppose a man brutally kills his pregnant girlfriend by hitting her in the head 20 times with a monkey wrench. To ensure that nothing goes wrong, the man enlists the help of two accomplices, one of whom further beats the woman with a broken hockey stick. They then dispose of her body in a snow-filled ditch in the northwestern edge of Winnipeg.

The boyfriend carefully planned this attack for weeks before carrying it out. He was upset that the woman wouldn’t get an abortion on his terms and didn’t like the fact that the woman kept wanting to be in a relationship with him. So, he murdered her in cold blood.

Sadly, there’s nothing hypothetical about this scenario. Nathaniel Plourde was convicted of first-degree murder in 2009 for killing Roxanne Fernando in the manner described above. He received the maximum sentence for this crime, which is life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.

And yet, there’s a possibility that you might see Plourde out in public soon. That’s because the Parole Board of Canada just granted him six months of escorted temporary leave so that he can work towards becoming a carpenter.

The Steinbach Arts Council (SAC) has partnered with local businesses to offer exclusive perks and discounts to active SAC members. SAC thanks the following business partners for supporting local arts during the 2026–2027 membership year:

• Chicken Chef (Steinbach): 10 percent off (excluding limited-time offers and coupons)

• Coffee Culture (Steinbach): 10 percent off specialty drinks

• Doener Grill Express: 15 percent off food

“The hard truth is that the most basic aspect of our humanity is not our determination, our talents, or whatever we accomplished during last year’s resolutions. We are united by our fragility. We all need shelter because we are soft and mushy and irritable in the elements—and we will need so much more than a bank loan because, sooner or later, we are left exposed.” – Kate Bowler

When I was executive director at Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV), I had two types of people asking me about leaving a legacy. “What is the best way to leave a legacy?,” asked the first camp, while others asked, “Should we even try to leave a legacy? Isn’t that prideful?”

If it is about our individual efforts and heroics, then I would agree that sounds prideful. Further, it is extremely rare that a person carves out a legacy that lasts beyond one or two generations (why even try so hard, for something so fleeting). However, if we build into a communal legacy, it becomes much more certain to last as it will then be carried by the group to the next generation. Finally, if the focus of the legacy is on how God has helped our family, clan and people in the recent past and over the centuries while acknowledging our human shortfalls it fulfills what we see written throughout the Scriptures (see below).

Done well, there are several benefits in recollecting and commemorating our past:

A Morris insurance company is continuing a local tradition to honour truckers and make National Trucking Week one to be celebrated.

Rempel Insurance is hosting a honk challenge on Sept. 11.

From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., the special event takes place outside Rempel Insurance.

“Come hock, cheer, and thank our incredible truck drivers,” they said in a Facebook post advertising the event. “Let’s fill the street with noise and appreciation.”