Melissa Verge
The Brandon Sun
Toronto, ON, Canada
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Past articles by Melissa:
Roadblocks fail to keep Farrell from Wheat City
It was a long and expensive journey for Raymond Farrell to make it to Brandon. The Wheat City Whiskey Jacks pitcher was held up at the border en-route to joining his new team, after the passport agency he went through lost the money order he had sent to finalize his passport. → Read More
Hamiota gets cash to upgrade aquatic centre
The Hamiota Aquatic Centre has received some welcome updates. The centre was awarded $2,500 from the Bayer Fund’s 2018 Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities program to make renovations to the facility, upgrades that will benefit many people in the community, said recreation director Bonnie Michaudville. → Read More
Brandon teen finishes book trilogy
After spending years working on her trilogy, a Brandon teenager has completed book three. “My first feeling was relief,” 15-year-old Cassidy Beaudin said of finishing up the series called “Mortals End. → Read More
BU closing junior kindergarten in 2020
Brandon University’s junior kindergarten program is shutting down after decades of service. The program, which supports the early childhood development of kids in the community, will cease to operate as of June 2020. It was becoming too costly to run and no longer supported the main goals of the university — teaching and research — said vice-president Steven Robinson. → Read More
Bill C-71 opposition strong at meeting
A crowd of gun enthusiasts came out to a meeting at the Brandon Gun Club Monday evening to oppose Bill C-71. The bill was passed by the Senate at the end of last month, and would include expanded background checks that cover a person’s entire personal history as opposed to five years. That’s a move that Tracey Wilson, a member of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, said makes no sense. → Read More
Yale prof to talk about women in science
A Yale University professor is coming to Brandon this week to speak about women in science. Susan Baserga, a professor from Yale University’s School of Medicine, will give a free talk called “Resilience and Ribosomes: Practising Persistence in Life and the Lab” on Wednesday at Brandon University. → Read More
Brandon schools spray painted with anti-Semitic words
BRANDON — Brandon police are searching for a man who is suspected of spray painting two Brandon schools with racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic words on Saturday. The exterior of Vincent Massey High School and Linden Lanes School were still covered in hateful and vulgar comments on Sunday morning, including all the doors to the front entrance of the building. → Read More
Scholarship winner sets sights on space
A Brandon student is one step closer to her dream of becoming an astronaut. Late last month, Zeel Patel found out she was one of 50 kids from across the country receiving an $80,000 STEM scholarship, and will attend the University of Waterloo this fall. → Read More
Alzheimer Society prepares for fundraising walk
It was a shock to Veronica MacInnis when she found out that her son has vascular dementia. It’s the second most commonly diagnosed dementia after Alzheimer’s, and can cause memory loss, difficulty with thinking, problem-solving and language. → Read More
Sisters finish second degree together at BU
Two sisters graduated from Brandon University together for the second time yesterday. Allison and Marisa Wood completed the bachelor of arts program at the same time in 2017, and on Thursday, they graduated together with an after-education degree. → Read More
Literacy Council celebrates three decades
When the Brandon Literacy Council first started out, it was made up of just three volunteers, a trunk filled with books and no real place to call home. On Wednesday, the council celebrated how far it has come since then at its 12th Street location, having served the community for the past 30 years in a number of different ways. → Read More
Prairie Mountain Health to get more paramedics
The province is increasing the number of paramedics in the Prairie Mountain Health region, adding 10 full-time positions later this year. “(By investing in these positions) we can build up staffing levels, reduce the system’s reliance on on-call staff, and improve patient care and outcomes for people in the Westman and Parkland regions,” Premier Brian Pallister said Friday. → Read More
Artist offers his rendition of Mother Earth
A Winnipeg artist has spent the last week brightening up Brandon. Nereo Eugenio, whose artist’s name is “Scenereo” is spray-painting a mural called “Grandmother Giver” outside the soup kitchen on Seventh Street. → Read More
Duo invents device that helps the visually impaired navigate
Two Brandon college graduates have developed a navigation system to help visually impaired people get around. Fadi Al Sai and Jairo Mosquera created a hand-held prototype called the Indoor Navigation System for Visually Impaired People that allows people who are visually impaired to walk into a building they aren’t familiar with and find their way around. → Read More
Andrews Field improving to prep for Whiskey Jacks
Andrews Field will look a lot different when the Wheat City Whiskey Jacks host their Expedition League home opener on May 28. The stadium is undergoing upgrades to improve the fan experience for the baseball team’s first season, including an added in party deck section with drinks and all you can eat food. “It’s more of a social area,” general manager Ray Walker said of the party deck. → Read More
Crocus Plains students tackle 'Freaky Friday'
For a few hours every week, Jolie Kusela turns into someone else. The Grade 12 student at Crocus Plains Reginal Secondary School has been practising for months for her role as a middle-aged mom in the school’s upcoming dinner theatre performance of “Freaky Friday. → Read More
Rural-focused animal rescue sets up shop
The volunteers behind a new animal rescue in Brandon are looking at helping animals in a different way. Although there are many pre-existing animal rescues in the Westman community, Pawsitive Pack Animal Rescue director Geoff Murphy says this one has some fresh ideas. → Read More
Students give $10K to area charities
A group of students from the Brandon area will get together this evening to donate thousands of dollars to charity. The youth from four different high schools are part of the Brandon Area Community Foundation’s Youth in Philanthropy program. → Read More
Robson named acting arts dean at BU
A longtime Brandon University professor is taking on a new role next month. Lisa Robson, who currently works as an associate professor of English and creative writing at Brandon University, will take over as acting dean of arts June 1 through to 2020, while the university looks for a permanent replacement for the position. → Read More
Mother, daughter in MS fight together
Something was wrong. Back in 2014, then 22-year-old Caitlin Henry found her legs and arms were going numb. “I just knew that something was not right,” Henry said. → Read More