SIXTY YEARS AGO

Work crews were busy trying to reopen the Canadian National Railways main line closed by a freight train derailment seven miles west of St. Lazare this morning. Five diesel units and 35 cars of the 100-car freight train jumped the track when it hit a pile of mud deposited by a slide in the hilly country near Victor Siding, which almost straddles the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

Enough little trees were planted today to stretch in a solid line from Brandon almost to Winnipeg as Scouts and Cubs of western Manitoba took part in their Trees for Tomorrow plantathon.

The Bank of Canada again raised the bank rate yesterday in continuing efforts to walk the fine line between dampening economic growth and spurring inflation.

FORTY YEARS AGO

Southwestern Manitoba has caught the northern fringe of a Colorado-based ice and snowstorm that is expected to drench the region with freezing rain and an estimated five to 10 centimetres of snow.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

The mayors of Brandon and Thompson have once again bet their communities’ reputations in the Crown Life Participation Challenge. The challenge requires participants to perform 15 minutes of physical activity, such as walking, cycling or gardening, and call in the results. Last year, only 29 per cent — or 10,890 — of Brandon’s residents took part, compared to 44.4 per cent of 6,213 from Thompson.

Manitoba Health Minister Don Orchard officially opened the newly renovated West-Man Nursing Home in Virden today.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

Five years of frustration at the world hockey championship came to an end on Sunday when Anson Carter’s goal in sudden-death overtime gave Canada a 3-2 gold-medal victory over Sweden. However, celebrations were held up for several anxious minutes while Czech referee Vladimir Sindler phoned upstairs for a video review to confirm the puck had crossed the goal line.

TEN YEARS AGO

Instead of complaining about the weather this winter, Stephanie Dillon focused her energy on completing a 24,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Created by Royce B. McClure, the puzzle is conveniently titled “Life: The Great Challenge,” perhaps suggesting that due to its magnitude it could take most people a lifetime to complete — it’s one of the world’s largest jigsaw puzzles you can buy. It’s also available in a smaller size at 3,000 pieces. The puzzle was made in Spain, ordered out of California and the box weighed in at roughly 25 pounds, Dillon said.

She was last seen out for a stroll in downtown Winnipeg in 2006. Family and friends have spent more than six years wondering whether Myrna Letandre would ever walk back into their lives. Those hopes were dashed this week with a stunning discovery inside a Point Douglas rooming house that has brought a mixture of grief and relief to those closest to her. Winnipeg police said Friday that human remains found at 97 Lorne Ave. a day earlier have been identified as Letandre, who was 37 years old when she was reported missing in the fall of 2006.