Wacipi returns to Birdtail after 15 years

Hundreds of dancers, dignitaries and elders filled the powwow arbour during the grand entry on the opening evening of the Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation Wacipi (Powwow) on Friday.

The powwow marked the nation’s first powwow in 15 years and is being held all weekend at Birdtail’s brand new powwow arbour.

The event brings in dancers, drummers and spectators from near and far.

» Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun

Assault with weapons; flight from police

Assault with weapons

Brandon police arrested a man Thursday evening for allegedly assaulting a woman with a box cutter and a hammer.

Police officers were called to an apartment on the 100 block of First Street before 7 p.m. and spoke with a 28-year-old woman who was standing outside with an infant.

The woman’s injuries included cuts to her neck and bruising on her arm, and were non-life-threatening, police said in a news release on Friday.

Province rolls out $100M in tariff aid

WINNIPEG — Manitoba is responding to the latest U.S. tariffs with more than $100 million in support for workers, businesses and producers to help them withstand the headwinds, but the opposition said it’s “too little, too late.”

“We will support workers, we will support businesses, we will ensure that we have market and trade diversification and build a stronger, more resilient economy,” Business Minister Jamie Moses said Friday at the legislature alongside Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn.

The United States imposed 50 per cent tariffs on $27.6 billion of Canadian exports as of Aug. 22 after trade talks fell apart. Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs on select U.S. products starting Sept. 8.

The latest escalation in U.S. tariffs is expected to affect a wide range of Manitoba industries, the ministers noted, including manufacturing, agri-food, transportation, construction, wholesale trade, aerospace, forestry, steel, machinery, beverages and related supply chains.

City launches one-stop diversion depot

The City of Brandon’s new one-stop recycling depot is now open for sorting.

The free-to-use diversion depot at the city’s Eastview Landfill allows residents to organize and separate waste materials that might otherwise go straight into the dump — and that will improve the city’s long-term finances, cleanliness and environment, Mayor Jeff Fawcett said Friday.

“This is a good, efficient system, and I like that we’re talking about things like landfill and diversion,” he said in an interview after a media event at the new site.

“Those are massive costs to municipalities. They’re not glamorous, but we need them, we use them every day.”

Offender gets jail time, 7-Eleven ban

A 19-year-old man who was sentenced for multiple assault charges and fleeing a police officer told a provincial court judge he’s remorseful and plans to turn his life around.

“I’m really sorry and I haven’t run from what I did,” Sunny Ranville-bird said in a Brandon courtroom on Friday.

“I still have a lot of life ahead of me and I have a daughter and a little boy on the way, and another daughter, and I want to be with them,” he said.

Court heard Ranville-bird pleaded guilty earlier this year to assault, assault causing bodily harm, flight from a police officer and being a participant in a group assault with a weapon against an inmate in jail.

Hydro announces CEO’s departure after two years

WINNIPEG — Allan Danroth is out as Manitoba Hydro’s president and CEO — a departure that came as a surprise to some observers — just two years after he was hired.

Danroth left for personal reasons, the Crown corporation’s board chair, Jamie Wilson, said Friday, while announcing chief operating officer Hal Turner as interim president and CEO ahead of a national and international search for a replacement.

“Today’s one of those days where you have a lot of mixed emotions,” Turner told reporters at Hydro’s downtown Winnipeg headquarters. “I just want to say on behalf of all the employees in Manitoba Hydro, we very much appreciate Allan’s leadership over the last two years.”

Turner wouldn’t say whether he will apply to be the next permanent CEO.

Rapid City man accused of threatening, kicking Mountie

A 21-year-old Rapid City man is facing multiple charges after RCMP allege he assaulted police shortly after he smashed a home’s window.

Spruce Plains RCMP responded to a report of a disturbance at a residence in Rapid City on Thursday around 8:25 p.m., police said in a news release on Friday.

Officers said a man had tried to enter a home through the back door, but after he determined it was locked, he punched the door window, shattering it.

The suspect, who is known to the homeowners, then left the scene, police said.

The Dock turns patio setback into outdoor opportunity

The Dock on Princess has expanded its outdoor patio, turning an unexpected construction setback last year into an opportunity to create a larger and more comfortable space for customers.

The Brandon restaurant’s patio is now four feet wider while retaining its original length, increasing its seating capacity from about 30 to approximately 50 people.

Manager Erin Wells said the project began after a problem was discovered at the start of last year’s patio season.

“We were just getting the patio ready to open for the season and found just a small hole that needed fixing, and then that small hole turned out to be a much larger hole that needed fixing,” she told the Sun on Friday.

Stone Soup Day in Hummingbird Garden

Hummingbird Community Garden at 26th Street and Maryland Avenue in Brandon held its annual Stone Soup Day on Thursday, created with vegetables from some of the over 400 garden plots that make up the community garden during an event.

The concept is based on a European folk tale. Members of the community garden offered vegetables from their gardens to add to the soup and many also brought baked goods and other treats for the community meal.

» Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun