Two student pilots with private flight school, Harv’s Air, were killed after their single-engine planes collided in the sky south of Steinbach Tuesday morning. RCMP say the man and woman were pronounced deceased at the scene. There were no passengers on board the planes. They were separately practicing takeoffs and landing circuits, and reportedly collided when on approach to land. The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
———-
While work continues to establish an flight route from Brandon to Toronto, WestJet says it’ll launch it’s first non-stop service between Winnipeg and Costa Rica this winter. They’ll also operate 23 non-stop routes to Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean – and is adding more flights to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.
———-
The Mounties are looking into the discovery of skeletal remains in the Valley River near Dauphin on Monday evening. Police say a swimmer found what they thought to be partial skeletal remains in the shallow water. An anthropologist has been called in to help police with the investigation.
———-
A couple from Souris were arrested last month in a police drug investigation that began back in April. 33-year-old Shaun Dalke and 31-year-old Karlan Maginel face trafficking charges after their vehicle was stopped near Virden. RCMP say a search turned up cocaine, methamphetamine and cash.
———-
Brandon Shoppers Mall has been identified as a new measles exposure site. Manitoba health officials say anyone who was in the mall between 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm on June 29th should monitor for symptoms. They also advise that anyone born in 1970 or later who’ve never received a measles vaccine or had the measles – to get the vaccine.
———-
The latest update from Manitoba wildfire officials says most of the province continues to be at a high or very-high fire danger level – and that northern areas have the most potential for the spread of wildfires. As we get closer to another weekend, officials recommend you check with Parks and Protected Spaces | Environment and Climate Change | Province of Manitoba for the latest information before heading to a provincial park.
———–
The province is spending $19.7-million to rehabilitate Oak Lake Dam. The project, cost-shared with the federal government, has completed the design phase and is currently scheduled to go to tender. It’ll involve rebuilding
the dam’s spillway and stabilizing the embankments. The dam is located southwest of Brandon.
———-
There’s a move to have a monument in the City of Brandon designated a national historic site. The Chinese Head Tax Monument in the city’s municipal cemetery was sculpted in 2011 as a reminder of the damages done by the federal government to the Chinese-Canadian community. City council voted this week to write a letter to Parks Canada to recommend the designation.
———-
Applications will open next month for local artists to create works to display in Brandon’s downtown. The goal of the $30-thousand dollar ‘Downtown Outdoor Art Installation’ project is to showcase the neighbourhood
in a positive light. The Downtown Biz says there’s lots of space for more murals, but the program is also open to other kinds of artwork.
———-
Here’s a delicious way to help out local students. The United Way’s ‘A Taste of Community Restaurant Challenge’ is back raising funds for ‘Tools for Schools’. It provides classroom kits, backpacks, lunch gear and gym clothes for students. When you choose a select menu item at Brandon’s ‘Lady of the Lake’, ‘Chez Angela’, the ‘Royal Fork’, ‘Taco Time’ or ‘Sushi Hut’ – a dollar will be donated. You can also donate directly on the United Way West Central Manitoba’s website at United Way West Central Manitoba
