SIXTY YEARS AGO

Vandals added to the discomforts of cold weather at Clear Lake this weekend. Cottages in the resort area were damaged and lawn chairs smashed and burned. RCMP at Wasagaming charged 105 people with liquor and traffic offences. Of 54 charged under the Liquor Act, 23 were under 21 years of age.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

Premier Ed Schreyer, whose NDP forces pulled one of Canada’s biggest political upsets four years ago in forcing the Conservatives out of office, will seek a renewed mandate from Manitoba voters June 28.

FORTY YEARS AGO

Progressive Conservative candidate Lee Clark swept to an impressive byelection victory in Brandon-Souris yesterday, trouncing his nearest opponent, the NDP’s Bill Moore, by almost 13,000 votes.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

A ban on liquor in Manitoba’s provincial parks may be the only way to curb rowdyism during the May long weekend, Natural Resources Minister Harry Enns said today after more than 300 people had to be evicted from parks.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

City drivers are frustrated with recent road closures. The city’s engineering department reports Victoria Avenue East from 33rd Street East to PTH 110 is closed. Road reconstruction began on May 20 and is expected to last until July 11. Ninth Street and Maryland Avenue will also be closed due to the construction of a traffic circle. And water main renewal is expected to shut down Richmond Street from 20th Street to 26th Street.

TEN YEARS AGO

In a spirited defence of his government’s budget plan to raise the provincial sales tax later this year, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said the move was necessary to protect the core services of health care and education. “When we make these decisions, we know that not everybody is going to be entirely happy. And we understand that,” Selinger told 432 delegates gathered at the NDP’s annual convention in Brandon yesterday evening. “But our job is to build the province for the future and to be accountable for results. And I can tell you this budget places us on the pathway to a more prosperous Manitoba.”

A family of four is safe, but their home south of the city has been lost to fire. The blaze reduced the home, an addition and garage to ground level and was so destructive that firefighters had a hard time making out which part was what until the homeowner arrived.

The shuttering of a satellite Brandon Police Service station downtown will not reduce police presence in the core, the force says. After nearly eight years, the Downtown Community Police Station at The Town Centre has closed its doors. It has been deemed unnecessary thanks to a new main police station located closer to the core.