Rural Roundup -- October 10, 2012

Junction Carwash in Roblin was loaded up and trucked to Russell, where the equipment will be reassembled after being purchased by four partners, including Russell Mayor Chris Radford.

The automatic carwash, which was owned by Bob Cross, was shut down a number of years ago after the business and the town couldn’t find a way to resolve issues regarding safe exit from the carwash’s automatic bay.

» The Roblin Review

Two boys under the age of 16 were charged with arson in connection with the fire that burned the J.A.R. Centre to the ground on the O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation.

Band councillor Mike Ahmo said the blaze started about 10:45 p.m. and by the time firefighters arrived the fire was in the rafters.

"They tried, but they couldn’t do nothing with it," Ahmo said. "It burned too fast."

The fire also destroyed the Crane River post office.

» Dauphin Herald

Ralph Zurba Jr. has resigned as the president of the Dauphin Minor Hockey Association.

Zurba cited personal and health reasons for his decision.

"It just took a toll on me," he said. "I can’t take it anymore. I can’t deal with the parents, I can’t deal with all the issues."

Zurba said it’s important for parents to let kids have fun and play the game and not focus on ice time and travel time.

» Dauphin Herald

Forty-three students from Onanole Elementary School and Erickson Collegiate took part in the third annual Clear Lake Cleanup in Riding Mountain National Park.

Over 150 kg of garbage and recycling was collected this year.

The cleanup is on of more than 1,600 events held across Canada that make up the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.

» Neepawa Banner

A new wastewater lagoon was discussed at a public information session a Spruce Woods Park.

The current clay-lined lagoon was built in 1982 and last year, flooding and ice jams caused damage to the structure. The new lagoon will be sized to accommodate future growth at the Park, and will be lined with a permanent synthetic liner, topped with sand.

» The Gazette

A story book project designed to be shared as a Christmas gift has blossomed into a best seller in St. Lazare.

"Donna’s Dozen — A Mother’s Story," written by Donna Simard, is a 226-page book sharing the many experiences and memories of Simard’s 12 children.

While the stories of each child are from a mother’s point of view, the nudge to see these little vignettes blending into a book was thanks to her sister, Edith Bonner.

"My sister has been a huge help in this endeavour over the past two years," Simard said. "I needed that boost — to allow my inner skills and thoughts to blossom."

» Crossroads This Week

Continuing in a long line of gold medal winners, Master Bombardier Stephanie McNeil of 1RCHA captured two gold meals from the Canadian Forces national ladies slo-pitch tournament.

McNeil was the catcher for the CFB Cold Lake Wolves and helped the Prairie region winners garner gold be defeating CFB Kingston 6-3 in the final.

"We started coming together as a team at the right time," said McNeil, an 11-year CF member who has been posted to CFB Shilo for the past five years.

» Shilo Stag

Fred Greig, at Avondale Seed Farm at Reston, described this year as a "good, solid, average" year for crops in the area.

"I think expectations were a bit higher because so many people seeded crops on summerfallow this year — not that much was seeded last year — so yields may not have been as high as expected, but pretty good."

» Grainnews

The Souris varsity golf team captured the zone championship.

The win propelled the team to the provincial championship in Minnedosa. Despite high winds and cold conditions, the team finished in seventh place. Danny Peaslee was the low man, shooting a 90. Other team members include Sheldon Kowalchuk, Braden Rolfe and Carter Suski.

» Souris Plaindealer

Legion Week was celebrated in Melita at Central Park.

The week is recognized across the country and is a time to pay tribute to veterans from Canada’s military.

Melita Mayor Bob Walker spoke to the fact that not only did veterans give service and in some cases their lives for their country, but they were also the ones who helped build the community.

» Melita New Era

Hockey moms in Killarney are putting together a cookbook to raise funds for the Shamrocks senior hockey team.

The Shamrocks won the Tiger Hills Hockey League championship last year and Ann Magwood, Joy-Lynne Towns and Wenda Anderson have already began taking recipes to show the team how proud they are of them.

"It’s very expensive to keep a senior team going," Magwood said. "We have players coming out from Minot and Winnipeg, and we help with mileage costs, and also buy them a couple of hockey sticks each year ... there are a lot of expenses and some of them are just students."

» Killarney Guide

Baldur was awarded five bloom status by the Communities in Bloom judges during the 2012 provincial competition.

The town and the area received 829.5 marks out of a total of 1,000 by judges Michelle Wotton and Darryl Graham.

Veteran Park also received the special mention award, and the youth volunteers at the school were also singled out for special mention.

» The Gazette

Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition October 10, 2012