Rural Roundup - Oct. 3, 2012

BY CHARLES TWEED

Neepawa Banner

The Reston Rockets announced their intentions to play in the Tiger Hills Hockey League this year at the North Central Hockey League annual fall meeting.

The Oak Lake Icemen will also not return to the league this upcoming season and league president Gerry Nolan said the Shoal Lake Eagle may be on the outs as well.

Two new teams will join the NCHL however, the Foxwarren Falcons and Russell Rams will re-enter the league after extended absences.

Dauphin Herald

Dauphin RCMP are looking for the assistance solving the theft of several picnic tables that were removed from the sportsplex area of Vermillion Park.

Police said a number of tables had been left in a protected area for an up coming ball tournament, but when staff returned, they discovered the tables were missing and some posts had been damaged.

Dauphin Herald

Commercial fishermen are asking for governments’ help in regard to allowing the export of raw fish around the world.

The fishermen say the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, a company that they are mandated to sell their fish though, is too cumbersome and overhead costs from the corporation force them to price the fish at unrealistic values for the global market.

The fishermen want the ability to market their own fish in the area.

Manitoba Co-operator

Efforts aimed at reviving Manitoba’s long-dormant flax-fibre industry took a step forward with the importation of a harvesting machine from France.

The machine was tested on two varieties of fibre lad on four acres near Wawanesa and the results were impressive, said Scott Day, a diversification specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives.

Carberry News-Express

The Carberry Cougars gold team captured its first Zone 7 championship.

The team of Josh McMillan, Braden Calvert, Cory Billiaert and Joel Baron shot a combined 263 to edge out Minnedosa.

Carberry News-Express

The Gladstone Lakers and Holland Rockets have taken a one year leave of absence from the Tiger Hills Senior Hockey League and the status of the Wawanesa Jets and Crystal City 49ers is still uncertain.

The Carberry Plainsmen, who were league finalists last year, will be coached by Charles Hofer and Ryan Whyte, while Leonard Birch is the team’s manager.

The Gazette

The final Pleasant Valley Ride for the Cure at Rob and Marilyn Andries farm raised more than $12,000.

Two wagons and 120 riders took part in the ride, which included members of the Prairie Spirit Musical Ride.

Marilyn Andries, who has been suffering from cancer, also took part in the ride, which has gone on for four years and help raise more than $40,000 for cancer research in the province.

Russell Banner

Jeremy Lundgren represented Canada at the International Powerlifting Championship in Szczyrk, Poland.

“Going to a different country to represent Canada was the greatest honour I’ve ever hadn, and even though I did not get a bronze, silver or gold medal, I am still proud of my achievements,” Lundgren said.

In third lift Lundgren lifted just over 600 lbs.

Roblin Review

Static in the Stars, fronted by Roblin’s Jordan Carrier, continue to earn accolades and fans in the Vancouver music scene.

The band took part in a radio contest with 19 other bands and was named one of the three finalists.

Previous winners of the award include Nickleback, Bif Naked and Faber Drive.

Virden Empire-Advance

A sold-out crowd of 1446 rocked the house in Virden for the Virden Oil Capitals inaugural season home opener in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Children chanted “Go Caps Go” and the first 1,200 through the door received a free gym towel compliments of RBC.

Evelyn Hayward dropped the ceremonial first puck in memory of her late husband, Roy, who dedicated countless hours to benefit the youth in the community through recreation.

Minnedosa Tribune

Alberta native Tim Van Horn was recently in Minnedosa as part of his cross-country tour taking photographs for The Canadian Mosaic Project.

Van Horn set out Oct. 1, 2008 to travel the country for ten years with the goal of taking 36,000 photographs of people to build a massive portrait of who we are as Canadians.

His hope is that his portraits will creat a massive Canadian flag for Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.

Minnedosa Tribune

The Minnedosa Golf and Country Club received $50,000 in disaster financial assistance from the Emergency Measures Organization.

There wont’ be any discussion as to where the money will go, however, as the money has already been spent.

“The golf course spent over $80,000 in dike and flood repairs following last year’s spring flood.

Boissevain Recorder

Killarney Fire Department was called to a blaze in the village of Ninga after a stack of railway ties caught fire.

The ties, belonging to the Canadian Pacific Railway, had been taken out of the lines during the railway’s recent replacement program. There is no estimate value placed on them although Killarney Fire Chief Patrick Monkman said most of the ties were destroyed.

The department was at the fire for almost eight hours fighting the blaze and ensuring the fired didn’t spread or re-start.

Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition October 2, 2012