Life & Style – Winnipeg Free Press

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July Talk is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Juno-winning sophomore album Touch.

What's up: Meow Mania, July Talk, chili, soup and Two Pianos, No Rodeo

Free Press Arts & Life staff 4 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

Meow Mania ExpoAssiniboia Downs, 3975 Portage Ave.Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Tickets $7.35-$31.50 at meowmaniaexpo.comCalling all proud cat parents and aspiring kitty owners — you won’t want to miss Sunday’s fair celebrating all things feline.

Highlights include a market with more than 40 vendors offering a variety of products, a cat adoption fair featuring nine local rescues, cat-care presentations on the speakers' stage and a silent auction/raffle with all proceeds donated to the rescues in attendance.

Since the first fair and adoption market in the fall of 2024, 35 cats and kittens have found new homes, and nearly $3,600 has been donated to local rescues.

— AV Kitching

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Intense exercise leads to spike in exertion syndrome cases among young N.L. women

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Intense exercise leads to spike in exertion syndrome cases among young N.L. women

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: 2:19 PM CDT

ST. JOHN'S - Newfoundland and Labrador's health authority has issued a public warning about a worrisome number of rhabdomyolysis cases caused by intense exercise.

The condition can cause muscles to break down and lead to kidney damage, and the authority has confirmed 20 cases in the eastern part of the province in the past six months.

Emergency physician Dr. Richard Barter says doctors typically expect to see a few cases a year.

Barter, who is a clinical chief of emergency medicine with the health authority, says the majority of the patients have been women between 19 and 30 years old.

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Updated: 2:19 PM CDT

A woman disinfects weights during a physically-distanced outdoor workout at F45 Port Moody in Port Moody, B.C. on Thursday, April 29, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Marissa Tiel

FDA approves new higher-dose version of Wegovy shots

Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

FDA approves new higher-dose version of Wegovy shots

Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press 3 minute read 1:13 PM CDT

Federal regulators on Thursday approved a new higher-dose version of the blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy that may help users lose more weight and keep it off.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a 7.2-milligram dose of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's semaglutide. Previously, the highest approved dose of the drug, taken as a weekly shot, was 2.4 milligrams.

The new dose received accelerated review through the FDA's ultra-fast drug review program. The approval was granted 54 days after the request for review was approved, the agency said in a statement.

The new dosage will be available in April at pharmacies in the U.S., with a price to be announced then, according to the company.

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1:13 PM CDT

FILE - The Food and Drug Administration seal is seen at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Artificial turf in Metro Vancouver releases chemical deadly to coho salmon: UBC study

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Artificial turf in Metro Vancouver releases chemical deadly to coho salmon: UBC study

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press 3 minute read 12:31 PM CDT

VANCOUVER - The artificial turf lining fields across Metro Vancouver is leaching a chemical that's deadly to coho salmon into municipal stormwater systems, says a study by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

The study, published this month in the journal "Environmental Science Processes & Impacts," found the fields release a tire chemical known as 6PPD-quinone, which researchers traced to the turf's crumb rubber infill made from recycled tires.

Researchers collected samples of the infill from 12 fields across Metro Vancouver, as well as stormwater from the drainage systems of three fields during rainstorms. The artificial turf had been in place for between one and 14 years.

"That black rubbery stuff in artificial turf fields is actually ground-up used tires. And we thought there was potential that when it rains, those small black particles would leach contaminants into the water," said Rachel Scholes, an assistant professor in environmental engineering at UBC and the study's co-author.

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12:31 PM CDT

Researchers examine the chemicals leaching from crumb rubber infill made from recycled tires in this undated photo. UBC researchers found Metro Vancouver's artificial turf fields are releasing a tire chemical known to be deadly to salmon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Lou Bosshart/UBC (Mandatory Credit)

Trump administration launches investigation of states that mandate health insurance covers abortion

Geoff Mulvihill And Ali Swenson, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Trump administration launches investigation of states that mandate health insurance covers abortion

Geoff Mulvihill And Ali Swenson, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 1:26 PM CDT

The Trump administration said Thursday that it has launched investigations into 13 states that require state-regulated health insurance plans to cover abortion.

The probes are the latest in a long-running dispute between the political parties on how to interpret a provision, known as the Weldon Amendment, that's included in federal spending laws each year. It bars states from discriminating against health entities that don't provide, cover or refer for abortion.

When Democrat Joe Biden was president, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' civil rights office said the provision didn't pertain to employers or other health care sponsors. The Trump administration said this year that it does.

The administration says that potentially puts states with abortion coverage requirements in violation of the law, because they may not allow employers or other health care issuers to opt out. It said it was sending out letters to gather more information from those states.

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Updated: 1:26 PM CDT

FILE - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building is seen, April 5, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

‘Microshifting’ puts a new spin on 9-to-5 schedules

Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

‘Microshifting’ puts a new spin on 9-to-5 schedules

Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: 1:58 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Before the house is humming and her teenagers ask her to whip up breakfast or chauffeur them to school, Jen Meegan reads her company emails and revisits ideas she drafted the night before.

She works for an hour or so, then after the school run shops for groceries or gets gas before returning to focus deeply on her job as head writer and cofounder of Sheer Havoc, a creative services agency.

And so goes the rhythm of her day: working in targeted chunks for a few hours, breaking for an hour or two to tend to family and personal needs, and repeating the pattern until she finishes her work late at night.

Meegan is among the wage earners engaging in “microshifting,” a flexible scheduling approach that involves tackling job duties in short, productive bursts instead of a single nine-to-five stretch. The paid labor fits around and between non-work responsibilities and priorities. Performance is judged primarily by output, with less emphasis on the number of hours logged behind a screen.

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Updated: 1:58 PM CDT

Record Southwest heat continues after California community ties all-time March high

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Record Southwest heat continues after California community ties all-time March high

The Associated Press 2 minute read 1:17 PM CDT

NORTH SHORE, Calif. (AP) — A day after a tiny desert community in Southern California reached 108 degrees (42.2 Celsius), tying the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S., forecasters warned Thursday that record-breaking winter heat across the Southwest will continue into the weekend.

North Shore, California, on Wednesday tied a mark first set at Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954. The aptly named town of Thermal, also in the California desert northeast of San Diego, was forecast to hit 110 (43.3 C) degrees on Friday.

There was little relief after the sun went down. In Arizona, Phoenix set a record-high overnight low temperature for March 19 of 69 (20.5 C) degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Daytime highs will top out at around 105 (40.5 C) degrees on Thursday, and it could be even hotter on Friday. “For some perspective, the average first 105 degree day of the year normally occurs on May 22nd,” the weather service said in a statement. The last time Phoenix temperatures climbed into the hundreds during March was almost 40 years ago.

Several cities on Wednesday experienced their hottest March day in four decades, according to the weather service.

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1:17 PM CDT

A sign warns hikers of trail closures due to extreme heat at Camelback Mountain on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rebecca Noble)

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Tina Turner’s name, image, likeness and most music catalog rights acquired by Pophouse

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Tina Turner’s name, image, likeness and most music catalog rights acquired by Pophouse

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 4 minute read 12:05 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Pophouse Entertainment has acquired Tina Turner’s name, image and likeness rights as well as the majority share of her music catalog rights from music company BMG, it announced Thursday.

The Swedish company, co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, is known for their digital avatars and immersive experiences.

Pophouse CEO Jessica Koravos would not disclose the deal's financial details or describe the company's plans for the Turner acquisition but told The Associated Press “that one of the reasons that we were so interested in Tina is because she has such an incredible visual presence and such an incredible stage energy. And so, we’re very much looking at projects that can portray that and try to recreate that to some degree.”

“What we want to do is really help to consolidate her legacy,” she added. “I think that Tina Turner is up there, or is going to be up there, with the Elvises and the Marilyn Monroes of the world.”

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12:05 AM CDT

FILE - Tina Turner is shown during an interview in New York on Sept. 14, 1984. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Two dozen states, 10 cities sue EPA over repeal of ‘endangerment’ finding central to climate fight

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Two dozen states, 10 cities sue EPA over repeal of ‘endangerment’ finding central to climate fight

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 3 minute read 2:29 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two dozen states, along with more than a dozen cities and counties, sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration's repeal of a scientific finding that had been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

A rule finalized by the EPA last month revoked the 2009 endangerment finding that determined carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The Obama-era finding had been the legal underpinning of nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet.

The repeal eliminates all greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks and could unleash a broader undoing of climate regulations on stationary sources such as power plants and oil and gas facilities.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is the second major challenge to the endangerment repeal, following a suit filed last month by public health and environmental groups.

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2:29 PM CDT

Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin speaks at EDSI Cables, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Ontario looks to create connected primary care medical record system

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Ontario looks to create connected primary care medical record system

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 2:24 PM CDT

TORONTO - Ontario is planning to create a provincewide electronic medical record system for primary care, more than two decades after the government first embarked on what became a scandal-plagued eHealth project.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced Thursday that the province is starting by talking to potential vendors about what is possible.

"(It's asking) do you have the capacity to do this work? Show us what that would look like, and how do they talk together when we have multiple systems, whether, again it's in hospitals, in labs, in physicians' offices," she said.

It will be a benefit both for patients and primary care providers, said Dr. Jane Philpott, chair of Ontario's primary care action team and a family doctor by training.

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Updated: 2:24 PM CDT

Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones speaks at a press conference at Queen’s Park in Toronto, on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor

Tesla faces new questions about how cars in self-driving mode handle poor conditions

Bernard Condon, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Tesla faces new questions about how cars in self-driving mode handle poor conditions

Bernard Condon, The Associated Press 3 minute read 12:47 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal auto regulators have escalated a probe of Tesla after several of its cars crashed while using its self-driving feature, just as CEO Elon Musk prepares to roll out a new model with no steering wheel or pedals.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a memo that it was examining nine crashes where the self-driving software failed to quickly alert drivers to take control in fog and other poor conditions because the vehicle's cameras weren't picking out road hazards. The NHTSA memo signals a regulatory investigation begun in 2024 over poor visibility crashes could now lead to enforcement action, possibly including a recall of 3.2 million Tesla vehicles.

Tesla stock fell 3.1% to $380.75 in early afternoon trading Thursday.

The increased regulatory scrutiny comes as Tesla is trying to convince investors that the future of the company lies less in selling cars as sales drop and more in making its self-driving software ubiquitous. Musk has said he will soon turn millions of Tesla cars already on the road into taxis that their owners can rent out when they are not using them.

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12:47 PM CDT

A motorist sits in a Tesla Model 3 at a Tesla charging station Friday, March 13, 2026, in Lakewood, Colo., in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

RFK Jr. makes food sound like a miracle drug. Researchers say he often overstates the science

Ali Swenson And Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

RFK Jr. makes food sound like a miracle drug. Researchers say he often overstates the science

Ali Swenson And Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press 6 minute read 8:04 AM CDT

In the Trump administration’s campaign to promote healthy eating, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not stopped at his slogan urging people to “eat real food” to prevent disease.

In recent speeches and podcast appearances, the nation’s health secretary also has claimed that diet can “cure” schizophrenia and diabetes and allow people to rid themselves of bipolar disorder diagnoses. Researchers say the comments overstate current evidence about the real and promising role that food can play in managing illness.

“Food is medicine, and you can heal yourself with a good diet,” Kennedy said on comedian Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast in February.

The talking point aligns with an idea from Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” allies that has gotten some bipartisan support: The role of food in health deserves more attention.

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8:04 AM CDT

FILE - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives before President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

TC Energy CEO urges quicker timelines as globe clamours for stable energy supplies

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

TC Energy CEO urges quicker timelines as globe clamours for stable energy supplies

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 11:50 AM CDT

CALGARY - Canada risks missing out on opportunities to provide global markets with a secure supply of energy if permitting timelines aren't significantly shortened, said the chief executive of natural gas pipeline operator TC Energy Corp.

There's been heightened demand for more liquefied natural gas exports off the West Coast of North America — especially to Asia — since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran about three weeks ago, François Poirier said in an interview.

"The shorter the permitting timelines in Canada, the more competitive Canada can be," he said.

"I would very much like to see permitting timelines for pipelines to the coast get shorter — and significantly shorter."

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Updated: 11:50 AM CDT

François Poirier, President & Chief Executive Officer, TC Energy Corp pictured at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Kathleen Kennedy NYSE (Mandatory Credit)

Toronto’s donor-funded consumption sites bracing for fallout of Ontario funding cuts

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Toronto’s donor-funded consumption sites bracing for fallout of Ontario funding cuts

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press 6 minute read 3:00 AM CDT

TORONTO - As the Ontario government cuts funding for seven supervised drug consumption sites in the province, workers at three remaining sites in Toronto that don't rely on provincial funding say they’re worried the move will further strain their resources and lead to more overdoses and open drug use across the city.

The province said Monday it will initiate a 90-day wind-down period to give the seven defunded consumption sites time to transition to the government's abstinence-based model — homelessness and addiction recovery treatment, or HART, hubs.

It said the move affects two sites in Toronto, two in Ottawa and one each in Niagara, Peterborough and London, with Health Minister Sylvia Jones saying in a statement that the government is "focused on treatment, recovery and safer communities."

Health-care workers and harm reduction advocates have said the defunding would force these sites to close, leading to more overdoses and deaths.

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3:00 AM CDT

Karen Elmira, a registered nurse, gives service user Yohannes an inoculation as he talks to nurse practitioner Krystal Fox at the Moss Park consumption and treatment service in Toronto on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Photos capture a mass homecoming exodus from Dhaka for Eid al-Fitr holiday

Mahmud Hossain Opu, The Associated Press 1 minute read Preview

Photos capture a mass homecoming exodus from Dhaka for Eid al-Fitr holiday

Mahmud Hossain Opu, The Associated Press 1 minute read 1:07 AM CDT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh's capital Dhaka hums with work and noise. Now, it is beginning to empty.

Millions of internal migrants are preparing to return home for Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan.

A child dressed in celebratory bright pink rides atop a sea of people trying to board a ferry. The overnight boats glow with bright signs bearing the names of destination cities that travelers call home.

At Dhaka’s railway stations, the rush is equally chaotic. Travelers squeeze through narrow windows while others climb onto train roofs. Families carry bags over their heads that are packed with gifts for parents, siblings and neighbors.

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1:07 AM CDT

Thousands of travelers scramble and jostle each other to board ferries at the Sadarghat Launch Terminal, joining the massive annual exodus to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in their hometowns, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

California lawmakers want to rename César Chavez Day following sexual abuse allegations

Jacques Billeaud, Fernanda Figueroa And Hallie Golden, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

California lawmakers want to rename César Chavez Day following sexual abuse allegations

Jacques Billeaud, Fernanda Figueroa And Hallie Golden, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 12:47 PM CDT

PHOENIX (AP) — Two of California's top lawmakers announced Thursday they want to rename César Chavez Day following stunning abuse allegations against the revered labor leader.

Political leaders in states and cities are considering similar moves after the allegations became public, accusing Chavez of sexually abusing girls and the co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America union, Dolores Huerta.

There also have been calls to alter memorials honoring the man who in the 1960s helped secure better wages and working conditions for farmworkers and has been long revered by many Democratic leaders in the U.S.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson's office said Thursday that he won’t issue a proclamation honoring César Chavez Day this year. The California Museum said it will remove Chavez from the state’s Hall of Fame. Celebrations of Chavez in Texas and in his home state of Arizona have been canceled at the request of the Cesar Chavez Foundation.

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Updated: 12:47 PM CDT

March 19, 2026

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