Five local artists up for Juno awards

Nearly one in four watercraft fail inspection during roadside blitz to prevent aquatic pests

More than 120 watercraft failed a roadside inspection over the weekend aimed at slowing the spread of aquatic invasive species, including zebra mussels.

Sea Bears strut into first-place showdown at the peak of their powers

The Winnipeg Sea Bears and Vancouver Bandits will face off for a third time this season with the top spot in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Western Conference at stake.

While it may not be the last time the clubs battle with the No. 1 seed on the line, Thursday’s contest at Canada Life Centre (7 p.m.) will play a big factor in deciding which team has home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.

The Sea Bears (13-7) are riding high after dismantling the Montreal Alliance 109-80 at home on Sunday, thanks in large part to a historic performance from Teddy Allen, who set a single-game CEBL record with 54 points and broke his own single-season points record, set in 2023.

The Bandits (12-8) remain a dangerous group under interim head coach Rans Brempong despite dropping a tough matchup in Calgary on Tuesday.

NDP handily retains northern seat in byelection

Voters in The Pas-Kameesak stuck with the NDP — big time — in Tuesday’s byelection.

With all polls reporting, New Democrat Jennifer Flett received 74 per cent of the votes in the race to replace the late NDP MLA Amanda Lathlin. Flett, a former vice-chief and councillor for Opaskwayak Cree Nation, got a stronger mandate than the NDP received in the 2023 provincial election, when Lathlin received 67 per cent support.

Premier Wab Kinew welcomed Flett to the NDP caucus.

“She knows what families in her communities need, and I look forward to working with her to deliver better health care and more good jobs for The Pas-Kameesak,” he said in a release.

911 service restored after hours-long outage outside Winnipeg

Manitobans outside Winnipeg were unable to get through to 911 to request police, fire or ambulance service for hours Wednesday after a fibre optic line was severed.

City dermatologist penalized again for misconduct

A Winnipeg dermatologist has been allowed to continue practising — albeit with a reduced scope — after pursuing a relationship with a female patient and seeing another patient without a required chaperone at a time when his office was normally closed.

A College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba inquiry panel, in a June 30 disciplinary decision, said it was concerned with Dr. Earl Minuk’s level of contrition and future compliance, while noting his pattern of violating professional boundaries.

A shortage of specialists factored into the decision to allow him to continue to practise.

“CPSM carefully considers the need to protect the public while balancing the need for access to care. Dr. Minuk’s expertise includes managing a condition that can be disfiguring if left untreated,” the college said in a statement Tuesday.

Manitoba Mid-Amateur champ aided by seven-year-old son acting as caddy

Doug Penner had the benefit of experience on his side, and yet it was his far less seasoned caddy whom he credited for helping him capture the Golf Manitoba Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Quarry Oaks on Wednesday.

The Steinbach local’s tournament-low seven-under 65 in the final round to win by a pair of strokes was aided by his seven-year-old son, Liam, whose young eyes helped his father read some tricky greens as they enjoyed a high-stakes day on the links together.

“Surprisingly, he calms me down, gets me into the zone and made some good reads,” said Penner, who grew up playing at Quarry Oaks and now golfs out of the Steinbach Fly-In. “He helped quite a bit. He’s only seven, but he’s into golf, and he knows the game, so very special having him on the bag.”

Penner began the day four strokes back of Evan Nachtigall, and that deficit quickly became five after he bogeyed the opening hole. That was the only blip in his round, as Penner poured in eight birdies on the ensuing 17 holes to finish the 54-hole tournament 12-under par (204), two shots clear of Nachtigall and David Spurr.