Russell
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Tech is changing farming in many ways
Modern agriculture looks little like the early days of farming.
All aspects of farming have been modified by the access farmers now have to technologies to meet the demands of their work and the pressure a growing population places on farmers to produce quality food.
Farm automation, precision farming and smart farming are strategies utilized by today’s farmers. These technologies have become important ways for farmers to optimize the production of food and improve its quality.
Get more of this story in this week's Russell Banner!
Trojans take WHSHL title
The Major Pratt Trojans won the Westman High School Hockey League championship last Wednesday, March 23.
The Trojans defeated Killarney 4-3 in overtime to take the title.
Tyler Huston had the game winner 8:49 into the extra frame with Seth Falkevitch drawing the lone assist.
Museum board wants to test your memory
Yes, it’s cliche but a picture really does speak a thousand words.
And the board of the Russell and Area Heritage and Arts Council (RAHAC) know that.
Among their historical treasures RAHAC has hundreds of pictures of events and people of the area in days gone by.
And they’re looking for more - you’re welcome to donate historical pictures of the area.
Get all the information in this week's Russell Banner!
Working together to help Ukrainians most in need
Like so many people around the world, Tina Diores just wanted to do something to help the people of Ukraine.
She thought back to 2013 when the people of Russell and surrounding communities got together so quickly to raise $20,000 by putting on a dinner to help the people of the Philippines after the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda.
Quick phone calls to Reverend David Howell and Father Jay Korban and the ball got rolling pretty fast. Now, the Russell office of Westman Immigration Services - which is run by Christina (Tina) Diores has joined forces with the St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Parish and other community partners to host a gala fundraising dinner for the people of Ukraine.
As a way of giving back, the Filipino community are creating their own dishes - like pacit and spring rolls to be included in the Filipino - Ukrainian feast on April 9th at 6 p.m. at the George P. Buleziuk Centre.
Get more details in this week's Banner!
Sign fundraiser draws wonderful response
“One man alone can’t defeat the forces of evil, but many good people coming together can.” - Harold S. Kushner
Like so many millions of people around the world, Bonnie Kiliwnik was searching for a real way to help the people of Ukraine as they bravely fight back an onslaught of Russian tanks, soldiers and arial bombing.
Then she thought about the lawn signs made up and placed on lawns around town celebrating Major Pratt grads last June.
Get the full story in this week's Russell Banner!
Around a million dollars still needed for Expanding Community Cancer Care
Last week, the members of the Expanding Community Cancer Care (ECCC) program met for a celebratory meeting. There was much to celebrate as this was the first meeting the group has had since the receiving word that the building of an expansion to the Community Cancer unit here in Russell has been approved thanks to the effort and tenacity and a team effort who has worked diligently over the last seven years to bring the Community Cancer Care unit here up to size.
While the group has yet to have official engineered drawings done up, the province and the Prairie Mountain Health has approved an expansion of approximately 2,300 square feet.
While further analysis has to be completed to literally check into the lay of the land, the idea right now is to have the hallway entering the expanded cancer care unit will run out of the west end of the hospital.
In all the cancer care chemotherapy unit in Russell services clients from 15 communities: Angusville, Beulah, Binscarth, Birtle, Foxwarren, Inglis, Langenburg, Roblin, Rossburn, Russell, St. Lazare, Shellmouth, Silverton, Solsgirth and Waywayseecappo.
While they’ll be looking for representatives from Waywayseecappo and Shellmouth, each other community has representatives who work closely together to make this dream come true.
For more see the March 15th edition of The Russell Banner!
Binscarth’s Haliuk signs with ACC Cougars
If you’re searching for a picture of Madison Haliuk, it’s probably safe to say that what you’ll find will have something to do with hockey.
That’s because, hockey has been a huge part of Madison’s life for just about as far back as she can remember.
She first donned hockey gear at the age of five - taking on a love of the game after watching her older brother Carson on ice.
Recently, her years of hard work have paid off in a big way as Madison has committed to the Assiniboine Community College Cougar women’s hockey team for the 2022-23 season. Not that it was her first offer.
Despite having numerous other universities and colleges from down south reach out to her, Haliuk who is daughter of Brian Haliuk and Estha Baseley, chose to stay a little closer to her hometown of Binscarth.
Read more about this story in this week's paper!
Grand Opening Held For Binscarth Toboggan Slide
A dream became reality with the grand opening of the Binscarth Tobaggan Slide.
The Binscarth and Friends committee worked for more than a year - during a pandemic- to raise an astounding $27,190.00 for the Binscarth slide.
It was time to celebrate at Binscarth Vision 20/20’s first annual Family Winter Festival held over the February long weekend honoring Louis Riel Day.
There were fire pits, hot chocolate and cake to stave off the cold.
Vinora Bennett and all of her family members spent hours sculpting a wonderful tobogganing bear in honor of the day, Kevin Bridgeman brought down his team and stone boat for family fun and Ron and Patty Robinson from the skating rink committee made sure there was time for a free skate session.
Tweet Chasing Baseball Dream
By Derek Holtom
Some youth have a pool or a playground structure in their backyard for entertainment when the snow’s off the ground.
For the Tweet family, it was a batting cage.
“When we moved to Russell, my Auntie bought us a batting cage,” says Dawson Tweet, a former area resident now living in the United States. “My brother, my dad, my sister and I would spend countless hours up in the batting cage in the backyard.”
Looking back, hitting the curveball all summer long in Russell helped develop skills that would open up doors for all three siblings.
Tweet, 20, recently signed with William Jewel College in Liberty, Missouri, a NCAA school. He did so after spending two years at Mesabi Range College (a two-year junior college), located in Virginia, Minn., and he hopes to study Physical Therapy next fall. His sister, Savanna, played collegiate softball herself at Minnesota State University Moorhead, while younger brother Wyatt just signed on with Bismarck State University, a junior school where he hopes to follow in his older brother’s footsteps and also make the NCAA ranks.
“This is huge – it will allow me to continue to go to school and play NCAA Division II baseball,” says Tweet. “It’s been a long-time goal of mine to play NCAA baseball. Parents always prioritize school, so this means I can continue to get an education and I can play a game that I love.”
Born in Fargo, N.D., Tweet and his family relocated to Russell in 2009 (when he was seven years old) to work at and eventually take over a bed and breakfast owned by his parents. That didn’t work out, but it did bring Tweet to the Russell area, where he honed his skills in not just baseball, but just about every sport he could play.
“I played lots of different sports,” he said. “I played hockey, volleyball, badminton, and baseball, all in high school.”
His father Blair (the Canadian) and his mother Amy (the American) helped expose all their children to all sorts of interests. But it was baseball that really spoke to Tweet as time went on.
“We were living in Fargo, my father worked at the baseball field there, so I was already around it,” says Tweet. “All the time the focus was really on baseball, but I did love playing all those other sports. It keeps you busy in the off season.
“And that’s my whole family – they love playing other sports as well,” he said. “And you learn so much more about being an athlete by playing different games and working out different parts (of your body). It all benefits you.”
After the signing, which was announced in part on Twitter (which is sort of ironic given his last name), Tweet was inundated with congratulations from friends and family.
“Everyone was over the moon,” he said. “I got so much feedback from my friends on how proud they were of me.
“And especially from my family – they were all so happy for me, and they knew how much work I put into this.”
The collegiate baseball season is much different than that of a say a football or hockey player. Tweet says they try to get in a short fall season before the snow falls, then start up as early as possible in the spring. And while snow is not uncommon in Missouri, spring comes there a lot sooner than it does in Manitoba or Minnesota.
“We do a lot of work in the gym in the winter, and actually (my school team) is about to take a trip to Florida for some training,” says Tweet, referencing a state famous for winter baseball. “We will have a lot more time to be outside in Missouri, where it isn’t as cold.”
Four years from now Tweet will be close to graduating, have four years of college baseball under his belt, and still only be 24 years old. So, is professional baseball – at any level – in his future?
“It’s always been a dream of mine,” he said. “Baseball is a competitive world, and if I’m given an opportunity to further my career, I absolutely want to pursue it.
“It is a long ways down the road, so I just have to keep working and keep focused, and make sure I take care of my school training.”