Winnipeg was Paradise for ‘Phantom’ star

A bad trade deal in virtually all ways

You can’t fix stupid. And you can’t sign a contract — or a trade deal — with a proven liar, cheat and blackmailer. And sometimes, you end up having to fight.

Tundra Inn renovations highlight Churchill’s ‘growth potential’

Frontiers North Adventures has completed a major renovation and expansion of the Tundra Inn in Churchill, modernizing one of the northern Manitoba community’s best-known hotels.

The project added 21 new guest rooms and expanded common areas, bringing the total room count to 44. (The net increase was 13 guest rooms, after an aging section of the building containing eight rooms was demolished.)

Lisa-Joy Gunter, president and co-owner of Frontiers North Adventures, said the project was driven by a desire to improve the guest experience and invest in the community.

“It really just needed an update,” Gunter said on Tuesday.

Bombers give would-be boo birds their marching orders

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are being criticized by some fans online for booking the University of North Dakota’s marching band for Friday’s game against Montreal.

With the current state of Canada-U.S. relations, and Friday being designated as Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation Night, many view the club’s decision to invite a band from a pro-Trump state as a puzzling one.

“I’m a very proud Canadian,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea after Tuesday’s practice.

“But I don’t think politics enter into this entertainment realm when you’re dealing with university kids that are coming up here to put on a show.”

Community rallies around family devastated by fire

Dennis Lafreniere and his wife didn’t expect to celebrate 27 years of marriage Thursday in a Selkirk hotel room while reeling from a recent house fire.

The couple and their two daughters lost their home last Sunday in a raging fire that left nothing behind, but overwhelming support from multiple communities has kept them afloat.

“It’s devastating when you don’t have any clothes, any medication, all of that stuff, and it’s just so overwhelming the next morning. It’s just nasty,” Lafreniere said.

Investigators suspect the fire was caused by a fridge, freezer and battery charger that were all plugged into the same electrical line that got overheated. The house, located on Highway 59 between Selkirk and Libau, is a farmhouse built in 1943, and investigators think worn-out electrical lines also contributed to the fire, said Lafreniere.

Winnipeg was Paradise for ‘Phantom’ star

CULT movie enthusiasts went into mourning on the weekend with news of the passing of William Finley on Saturday at the age of 69. Finley was a character actor with credits on several cult films such as Sisters, Eaten Alive and The Fury. But in Manitoba, he was especially celebrated for playing the title role in the ultimate Winnipeg cult movie The Phantom of the Paradise.

In that 1974 film by director Brian De Palma, Finley also played the Phantom's alter-ego Winslow Leach, a sensitive songwriter driven into homicidal mania by the corrupt music industry. While the film was a critical and box office bomb, it was an anomalous hit in Winnipeg, where it ran in local theatres for more than a year.

The Brooklyn resident died after a long illness and was remembered with affection by Gloria Dignazio, the organizer of Phantompalooza I, a 2005 event held in Winnipeg for the film's fiercely loyal devotees.

"You could tell Bill loved it," Dignazio said of Finley's reaction to the first festival. "It gave him a huge boost. We made (Finley and fellow guest Gerrit Graham) feel like rock stars."

Three charged after victims robbed, held against their will in dating scam

A Winnipeg woman and two men allegedly lured male victims on dating websites before robbing and holding them against their will, prompting safety reminders for people looking for love online. Detectives believe there may be additional victims who’ve not yet come forward.