Anthology looks to art, poetry and personal stories to reflect ongoing tragedy of MMIWG2S

REDress: Art, Action, and the Power of Presence is not a book with a beginning and an end, says Red River Métis author, artist and activist Jaime Black-Morsette.

“I tried to subvert the concept of the book and make it a circle by calling the last chapter ‘Beginning Again’. And I’m really looking into the ways in which we have the philosophy of the circle and the cycle, and rebirth and death, and of coming back and rising up again,” said Black-Morsette.

The final chapter includes Black-Morsette’s poems “Skywoman” and “Skywoman 1” about the beginning of the world.

“I’m really thinking about, and posing to readers, the concept of what seeds are we planting, what new worlds are we building…and imagining what those look like,” she said.

No more ‘decisions’ needed for LeBron

LeBron James, one of the world’s most amazing athletes, has made his final decision.

At the age of 41, the 23-year National Basketball Association star is still among the league’s elite players and on July 24, James made Decision II — where to take his talents for the upcoming season. The answer: Philadelphia 76ers.

Decision I came back in 2010, when King James became a free agent after seven seasons with Cleveland Cavaliers. A native of Akron, Ohio, James was a home-state hero and the undisputed best player in the league, proof of which were back-to-back MVP awards in his last two seasons with the Cavs. But LeBron was ready to move and every team in the league visited Fort Knox to gather up enough cash to try to entice him to their team. Where would he go? ESPN turned the James saga into a 75-minute TV special, during which James announced he would be signing with the Miami Heat.

Cycle of Hope to visit Brandon today

Habitat for Humanity’s Cycle of Hope fundraising tour is scheduled to land in Brandon this afternoon during a seven day tour of southern Manitoba.

Up to 50 cyclists will arive through the afternoon, along with support volunteers, and will be staying overnight at Brandon Vineyard Community Church. The riders will then head out to Killarney tomorrow in a group down Highway 10.

The ride through Brandon will help cyclists witness the fruits of their labours, Brett Bourne, manager of signature events at Habitat for Humanity, said.

“It’s just putting the whole picture together for the riders,” Bourne said. “The cyclists can see exactly where the efforts are going.”

Rural Roundup for Aug. 6, 2026

NEEPAWA

The final hurdle in the return of a Practical Nursing program to Neepawa in 2027 has been cleared.

In July, Neepawa Town Council approved signing a new lease agreement with Assiniboine College for the rental of the Neepawa Training Facility. The agreement, which begins Aug. 1 and runs until Sept. 30, 2028, will see the facility used as a base for the college’s Licensed Practical Nursing program, which is scheduled to begin in January.

The space, located in the former RCMP building at 239 Mill Street, will also be used for an adult learning centre. Under the terms of the lease deal, the Town of Neepawa will receive $5,000 per month. This marks the return of Assiniboine College to Neepawa, as the inaugural two year program launched back in early 2024. During its’ year hiatus from Neepawa, the program was taught in Steinbach.

Steam engine community turns out strong in Austin

AUSTIN — Steam engine hobbyists say the torch will need to be passed to keep the antique hobby alive.

At the Austin Threshermen’s Reunion & Stampede last month, about 30 volunteers ran demonstrations, such as by powering a sawmill and a farm plow with steam, and playing a game of tug-of-war with a steam-powered tractor. One hobbyist, Andy McMillan of Carman, said it’ll soon be up to a younger generation to get involved to keep the shows going.

“Its a dying hobby really,” he said. “A lot of these people I’ve known my whole life. Except there’s going to be a lot fewer cause people are getting older.”

Steam engine enthusiasts are used to seeing each other at events around the Prairies, even across the border into the United States, and running rigs together at various shows, he said. But as time passes, so grows the need for new interest and membership to continue the niche community.

Study links Yukon Chinook salmon decline to marine heat waves in the Bering Sea

YUKON — There is reason to be hopeful, says the Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee, in light of a new study published by Alaska researchers that sheds more light on the mystery of shrinking Chinook salmon returns on the Yukon River.

Co-authored by researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the U.S. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the study identifies significant and prolonged marine heat waves in the Bering Sea as a contributing factor to the massive drop in the number of salmon migrating up the Yukon River to return to spawning beds in the Yukon.

A marine heatwave is defined a period of increased ocean water temperatures that meet or exceed the upper limits of the historical average for a period of five or more days in a row.

Curry Cunningham is an associate professor of fisheries with the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and was one of the lead researchers on the NOAA led study.

Assiniboine marks 65 years with legacy tree planting at North Hill

Assiniboine College marked its 65th anniversary with a project intended to leave a lasting mark on its North Hill campus, planting 65 trees with the help of staff, students and a local nursery.

The planting took place earlier this month as part of the college’s anniversary celebrations. Evergreen Valley Nursery donated 40 of the trees, while the college purchased the remaining 25.

College president Mark Frison said the initiative reflects both the institution’s history and its future.

“These trees are a living symbol representing growth, our students, our people, and our impact in the communities we serve,” Frison said. “They will be a great addition to the North Hill campus, a cornerstone of our future.”

Tasting tips for International Beer Day

After a hot day mowing the lawn or digging in the garden, prairie folk hardly need an excuse to enjoy a perfectly chilled beer. But if you were looking for one, International Beer Day 2026 takes place on Friday, August 7. Your excuse would be even better if you made that cold one a locally produced craft beer.

Manitoba has about 26 craft breweries and brewers are highly creative. If you are wanting to expand your palate, a little know-how is in order.

Sidney and Laryssa Stevenson run Section 6 Brewery (section6brewing.ca) a craft brewery and taproom in Brandon and are happy to share their expertise on what is behind all those flavours.

To start, all beer has the same four basic ingredients: malt, hops, yeast, and water.

Scuba diver maintains new bubbler in Shoal Lake

SHOAL LAKE — The new aeration system at Shoal Lake received some underwater repairs last week when a team of environmental specialists scuba dived to maintain bubblers on the lakebed.

The new field of 18 bubblers off the shoreline on the east side of the lake were calibrated by technicians from AAE Tech Services during two hours of diving last week Monday. Technicians got their first underwater look at the bubblers that were installed last year in order to adjust the equipment to best promote fish health.

The company’s founder, Mark Lowdon, told the Sun that it’s an annual caretaking job to ensure the equipment oxygenates the lake evenly. The equipment counteracts environmental conditions at Shoal Lake.

“We are basically just diving, re-adjusting the bubbler heads to make sure that every one of them is functioning properly, and just doing the regular maintenance,” he said. “They have so much nutrients going into that lake, and there’s so much methane, it’s an environmental headache basically … It’s hard to keep fish alive, and so there’s two aeration systems on that lake.”

PGA Tour getting a new look

The ever-evolving Professional Golfers Association tour is undergoing another major change.

The tour in the past 19 years has featured the best golfers in the world competing for the Fed-Ex Cup, taking part in an autumn playoff system and, more recently, playing in big-money, no-cut ‘signature’ events, but is now entering a new phase that officials hope will streamline and improve the professional game.

New PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp announced in mid-June the establishment of two distinct tours — or ‘tracks’ as he called them. Track 1 is the Championship Series where 130 of the world’s elite golfers will compete in 20 or so events with each tournament offering prize money of at least $20 million. Track 2 will be the PGA Tour’s secondary series, or ‘Challenger,’ where more than 20 tournaments each year will be played for purses in the $4 million range.

The Challenger series will be open to around 200 of the world’s best golfers who aren’t quite good enough for the Championship Series. Its tournaments will have fields of around 144 players and the top 20 point-getters each year will move up to the Championship Series for the next season.

Nurse practitioner wants province to cover visit fee

A private nurse practitioner in Rapid City is advocating for the Manitoba government to cover patient visit costs, which she said are a barrier to health-care access for people in the community.

The nurse, Michelle Weighell, called on residents last month in a community newsletter for RM of Oakview residents to sign letters and send them to Minister of Health Uzoma Asagwara. The letters advocate for the government to change its funding model for nurse practitioners outside of health authority employment.

Weighell operates a private clinic, where health-care services, such as lab testing, can be billed to the province. But she says she takes issue with the fact that patient visits are not publicly funded.

“I don’t like having to charge people, but I do have to be able to provide food and shelter for my child. So that’s a requirement,” she said. “What I am charging is $60 — and that was a rate set to not provide an unnecessary burden on the public.”