One of the tri-community’s talented groups of musicians, Low Budget Rock Star, have released a new single. Over the years, the band has changed some members, but the sound has always transitioned with the change. Low Budget Rock Star consists of frontman Kennie Henderson, Harley J.D. Whitehead, Terry Constant and Marshall Bignell.
“What I’ve come to understand is how it works sometimes in this business is that a song can take a life of its own and go a certain direction,” said Henderson. “It took a while and things have been a work in progress.

If you happen to be travelling through The Pas Airport, you might notice it is in the process of getting a new look about it. Two new murals will have found a home inside the airport and are being done by artist Nereo Zorro, who has done a few murals throughout the tri-community already.
“I started the murals in The Pas Airport in early August,” said Zorro. “I’m doing two murals in the airport. One is closer to the counter wall and the other is located on the wall with an old-style clock on it.

While an emergency call prevented him from walking councillors through it, Dauphin fire chief Cam Abrey submitted his report outlining the first seven months of fire department operations to City council at its Aug. 31 regular meeting.
From Jan.1 to July 31, DFD responded to 171 calls for service, about an eight per cent increase over the same time period in 2025.
The report indicated that false alarms remain the most frequent reason the department is dispatched with 51 incidents - 30 per cent of calls - during the first seven months of the year. Motor vehicle collisions continue to be the second largest volume of calls with 33 received so far in 2026, which amounts to 19 per cent of dispatches.
Structure fires accounted for 12 per cent of responses, while outdoor fires made up six per cent, kitchen fires four per cent, EMS lift assists five per cent and carbon monoxide alarms at three per cent.
The catchall category of “other”, at 17 per cent, saw an increase over previous years.
“This category typically includes incidents such as hazardous materials, elevator rescues, items that don’t necessarily require a category of their own as there are not very many in a typical year,” the report read.
“For this report, however, we included the calls related to the flooding of July 1, that DFD responded to.”
During that one day, DFD responded to 18 separate incidents, 13 of which were specifically for callers reporting flood related incidents. The remainder were for lift assists, downed hydro lines, mutual aid assistance and the evacuation of Dauphin Regional Health Centre.
When broken down by jurisdiction, 87 per cent of all calls -148 in total - were responses inside the city - including all vehicle collision responses regardless of where they occurred. The city has always paid for the motor vehicle collision response regardless of the location, the report said, as the fire chief looks after any eligible claims with Manitoba Public Insurance.
Twelve per cent of all dispatches were in the RM, while mutual aid calls accounted for one per cent of responses.
Broken down further, 2,511.5 firefighters hours were expended on city responses, about 74 per cent of all hours recorded. Again, those numbers include all hours spent on vehicle collision responses, regardless of where they occurred, the report said.
When it comes to staffing, Dauphin Fire Department currently boosts its highest membership in several years, Abrey indicated in his report, with 16 members participating in level I firefighter training this fall.
On the flip side, however, Abrey indicated the department lost one of its captains as Cameron Popiel resigned from the department as he is relocating to Brandon.
“Cam came to DFD in March 2018 and quickly rose through the ranks attaining his level I and II firefighter qualifications, as well as completing a number of other training seminars,” Abrey wrote in his report.
“He was promoted to lieutenant in 2022 and then captain in 2025 and will definitely be missed by all.”
Training
At the end of July, DFD celebrated Ryan Murray, Nicholas Shmon, Jesse Shuttleworth, Samuel Smith, and Oleksiy Vlasov after they successfully completed level I firefighter training. As a result, the department now has 24 members with level I and/or II certifications.
The department has also hosted some training seminars on behalf of the mutual aid district including school bus rescue training, May 29 to 31, involving local firefighters, as well as firefighters from Ethelbert, Roblin and Swan River.
On Aug. 28 and 29, 24 firefighters from across the mutual aid district took part in a heavy rescue seminar, learning skills required for incidents involving larger vehicles such as tractor trailers and other motor vehicles.
A number of other specialized programs are planned for the coming months including Critical Incident Stress Management, Fire Department Safety Officer, Fire Ground Management, and other seminars related to operating department equipment.

A nine-year-old Dauphin girl is dead following a utility terrain vehicle accident in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin, last week.
On Aug. 31, at approximately 5:15 p.m., Dauphin RCMP, Dauphin Fire Department and paramedics were disatched to the scene of a rollover involving a UTV near a rural residence.
A 40-year-old man was driving the UTV with his nine-old-year daughter as the passenger. The side-by-side vehicle made a turn while driving on the property towards the residence when it rolled.
The girl suffered significant injuries as a result of the incident. Lifesaving measures were attempted by first responders, however, despite efforts, the child succumbed to her injuries at the scene.
Her father was transported to hospital in Winnipeg with non-life-threatening injuries.
The investigation is ongoing.
• • •
A Grandview woman found herself back in custody after providing a fake doctor’s note to avoid a court appearance.
On Aug. 31, Dauphin RCMP learned Amber Fisher, 42, who was scheduled for court sentencing, had submitted a doctor’s note indicating she was unable to attend after being seriously injured in a motor vehicle collision.
The note stated the collision occurred on July 22, and was given to her lawyer, who submitted the document to the court. The note was accepted by the courts and the Sept. 2 sentencing hearing on a theft charge was adjourned to a later date.
A court official followed up with RCMP, who began to investigate.
RCMP determined the doctor’s note was a forgery. A review of police files further confirmed no reports had been made involving the suspect being in a collision on that date in Manitoba or any other province.
On Sept. 1, the suspect was arrested without incident.
Fisher now faces charges of obstructing justice, forgery, and uttering a forged document.
She was remanded in custody.

Players hoping to crack the lineup of the Dauphin Kings have one final week to catch the eye of the coaching staff.
After winning one of three preseason games last week, the Kings are down to 24 players left in camp - 14 forwards, seven defencemen and three goaltenders.
Kings head coach and general manager Bryan Kromm said there may be more moves to be made after a home-and-home with the Neepawa Titans to end the preseason.
“There’s a lot of guys that still have to prove themselves this week. So it’s up in the air right now what we’re going to do,” he said.
After scoring a 5-2 win over the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, Aug. 31, in Dauphin, the Kings dropped a home-and-home with the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, 3-1 in Dauphin on Friday and 4-2, Saturday, in Waywayseecappo.
Kromm said the team experienced some growing pains as he incorporates some new strategies in terms of structure.
“It’s going to take a while for our guys to adjust to that. But we saw some good things out there, so we’ve just got to keep building and moving forward with stuff,” he said.
“We’re throwing a lot at the guys right now, so there’s a lot of growing pains and trying to figure out a lot of teaching stuff. Obviously, it’s a brand new team, so we’re trying to implement some things that might take a while for the guys to grasp.”
Local players Forrest Karlson and Noah Smigelsky returned to the team from the Western Hockey League.
The Kings will face the Titans, Wednesday, in Souris, with the rematch in Dauphin, Friday. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
Kromm said everybody is under the microscope right now and he will have some tough decisions to make after the final preseason game.
The Kings have only four 20-year-olds in camp - goaltender Bryson Yaschyshyn, defenceman Aiden Malone and forwards Kurtis Kinoshita and Dylan Miko.
Going with a more youthful team, Kromm said, was the plan going into camp.
“For me, I have to have the right 20-year-olds in my locker room in order to make it work. I just find that if you have a younger team, guys seem a little bit hungrier. It’s their first experience at junior hockey,” he said.
“Like I keep saying, there’s growing pains early on, but if we put our trust in our guys, by the back half of the season, we’ll be looking pretty good.”
When it comes to the final preseason contests, Kromm wants to see who can adapt to how the Kings are trying to play and who can’t.
“We’ve thrown a lot at them and we’re trying to see which guys grasp it and which guys can’t. That’s part of the evaluation process that we’re doing moving forward,” he said, adding he doesn’t know yet how many players he will carry into the season.
“We’ve just got to see how it goes this week,” he said.
Feeling the need for more of a veteran presence on the blueline, Kromm acquired 19-year-old defenceman Aidan Stewart from the Swan Valley Stampeders for a player development fee.
“So Aiden can hopefully help carry the mail for us,” he said.
Kings court: If Bryan Kromm’s surname sounds familiar, it’s for good reason. His grandfather Bobby Kromm coached the Winnipeg Jets to their first AVCO Cup championship in the World Hockey Association in 1976 and led the Jets to the league final the following year. He then left Winnipeg and joined the Detroit Red Wings, where he coached for three seasons. Bryan’s father, Richard Kromm, played parts of nine seasons in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders from 1983-84 to 1992-93.

The Parkland Rangers U18 hockey team had a competitive camp this past weekend, with 27 players hoping to make the cut.
Head coach Landon Russell was disappointed with the number of players in camp, while recognizing some players were still attending junior camps.
“There was some good pace. Preseason will start this week, so we’ll get a better look at the guys. As far as I’m concerned, it was pretty successful,” he said.
“There’s some talent out here. It’s going to be tough when it comes down to making the final roster. There will be some tough decisions.”
Russell plans to begin working on team structure and strategies this week as they prepare for the first preseason game, Wednesday, against the Yorkton Maulers in Yorkton.
The Maulers will be in Dauphin for a rematch, Saturday, at 7 p.m.
Once the games against Yorkton are done, Russell plans to ramp up preparation for the final few games of the preseason, which will take place in Souris at the Southwest Cougars annual fall tournament.
Parkland will face the host Cougars, Sept. 18, before hitting the ice against Yellowhead at 9 a.m., Sept. 19, and Interlake at 6 p.m., later that day.
Russell hopes to see the players compete hard throughout the preseason.
“The work ethic is the big thing. We want to be a fast, tough team and we want to be hard to play against every night. Whether we’re battling in the corners or battling net front, we just want to be competing all over the ice,” he said.
Parkland’s season opener goes, Sept. 26, against the Eastman Selects at 7:30 p.m. It will be the first of nine straight games on home ice to start the season.

The Swan Valley Consumers’ Co-op (SVCC) has found the perfect candidate to fill the General Manager role, since former GM Colin Peters resigned after accepting another position. New GM Joshua Brecht grew up and spent most of his life living in the Prairies, thus making the Swan Valley a perfect fit for him and his family.
“I’m originally from central Saskatchewan and have spent most of my life across the Prairies, primarily in Saskatchewan and Alberta,” said Brecht. “I attended the University of Saskatchewan before moving to Calgary, where I spent about 10 years working in the building materials industry. From there, my family and I moved back to Saskatchewan, where I joined the co-op system and spent the last several years serving local co-ops and communities.
“Family is a huge part of my life. I have a wonderful and supportive wife, who is an Indigenous artist, and we have three children ranging in age from 19 to 11. They mean the world to me, and one of the things that drew us to Swan Valley was that it felt like a place where our family could put down roots and become part of the community.”
Brecht grew up around the co-op way of life. He is more than familiar with the cooperative system and how it works, which led him to become a part of it.
“In a way, co-op has always been part of my life; I grew up around it,” said Brecht. “From being a kid and running around many different co-ops that my aunt was a general manager in, to my dad working as both a bakery manager and later a lumber manager, to how my grandparents were long-time Co-op members, and going to the co-op was a daily staple. So even before I worked in the system myself, I understood that co-op was more than just a business.
“My first formal role with co-op was in 2021, when I joined Riverbend Co-op as a Home and Agro Location Manager. That role brought me back into the Co-op system and really confirmed for me that this was where I wanted to build the next stage of my career.
“While I was working at Riverbend Co-op, I had the opportunity to join Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) and saw a chance to serve the co-op system in a broader way,” said Brecht. “Moving to FCL allowed me to support multiple local co-ops across Western Canada, learn from different markets, and help teams work through operational, financial, and strategic challenges.
“I grew a lot during my time with FCL and I’m very grateful for that experience. At the same time, there is something special about living in the community you serve directly. That is a big part of why I’m so excited to join Swan Valley Co-op. I get to bring that broader CRS experience back into a local co-op setting, where the work is directly connected to members, employees, and the community every day.”
Brecht enjoys the connection between co-ops and the communities they serve. Co-ops not only provide goods and services to the community, but also build the community up in so many different ways.
“What I enjoy most is the community purpose behind the work,” said Brecht. “Before joining co-op, I worked in the independent building materials industry. I loved the business, the competition, and the people, but co-op changed how I thought about the work. In the co-op system, when the business does well, the benefit stays closer to home. It goes back to members, employees, local projects, community groups, recreation facilities, schools, and the places where families live their everyday lives.
“One moment that really stayed with me was taking my kids to the local pool in Outlook for the first time. As we walked in, there was a sign on the waterslide that said it had been supplied by Riverbend Co-op. My son looked at me and asked, ‘Is that your work, Dad?’ I told him, ‘Yeah, bud, we supplied the materials for that.’ Then my daughter yelled, ‘My dad builds waterslides!’ and ran straight for the pool. That moment has always stuck with me. It was a simple reminder that in co-op, the work we do shows up in real ways in the communities we serve. It is not just sales, operations, or financial results. It is helping build places where families live, gather, and make memories.
“That’s what I love about co-op,” said Brecht. “It is a business model that can compete, but it also has a purpose that is bigger than the business itself.”
Brecht is eager to be a part of the SVCC and loves the setting of the community as well. SVCC has built a reputation of being one of the flag stores in Manitoba, so this experience will be a very enriching one all around for Brecht.
“The opportunity itself was very exciting, but the Valley made a strong impression on us right away,” said Brecht. “The area is beautiful, with the forests, lakes, rivers, and the natural landscape. When I brought my family up while I was exploring the position, we really fell in love with the area.
“Beyond the scenery, there was a feeling here that mattered to us. The community felt welcoming, grounded, and real. It felt like a place where we could belong, not just a place where I would work. That was important to me and to my family.
“My first impression is that the team is incredible. I have only been in the role a few days, but every team member I have met has been warm, welcoming, and supportive. I already feel very fortunate to be joining this group.
The facilities across Swan Valley Co-op are also impressive,” said Brecht. “You can see the pride the team has in what has been built and how it has been maintained. It is also clear that this Co-op has invested deeply in the communities it serves.
“The community has been fantastic as well. I’ve already had people come up and introduce themselves, and I really appreciate that. I know I have a lot to learn about the Valley, the Co-op, the team, and the members, so every conversation helps me understand a little more.
“I officially started on Monday (Aug. 31),” said Brecht. “What I’m looking forward to most is getting back to living and participating directly in the community I serve. I’m excited to support the team, learn the business deeply, build relationships with members and community partners, and help Swan Valley Co-op continue creating value for the people and communities we serve.
“There is a lot to learn, and I’m coming in with a lot of respect for the team already here. My focus early on is to listen, learn, build trust, and understand the best way to support the organization moving forward.”

When the waters of the Swan River aren’t being treacherous to our lives and properties, it can provide quite the lovely scenery, as seen here during a later summer sunset in Swan River Legion Park. 

The parking lot of Twin Valley Coop grocery store in Russell was definitely the place to be last Friday afternoon as Fire and EMS crews joined with the volunteer driven Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) with their unique vintage war time ambulance and the RCMP hosting kids and their families. Constable Colin Ho had a bunch of area kids in the back seat of this cruiser.
Deputy fire chief Curtis Boucher showed a number of excited kids the inner workings of the firetruck while Pat MacIsaac co leader of the CERT team showed kids the inside of the antique ambulance.

Students and staff will be returning to school soon. This means that children will be out walking to and from school.
Please ensure that you are following all school speed zones as you never know when that ball may pop out with a child chasing after it.
Check out what’s keeping police busy in this week’s RCMP Report.