Good morning!
DIY lane repair: When repeated calls to 311 didn’t get results, Mike Touchette took it upon himself to pay $200 for 10 yards of gravel and personally fill a huge hole in his back lane in St. Vital. Nearby residents are grateful. “Thank him for me, will you?” said one neighbour. Alexandra Paul reports. READ MORE
Your forecast: Unfortunately, today’s weather won’t be ideal for kiddies who want to display Halloween costumes when they trick-or-treat. There is a 70 per cent chance of showers, with wind from the southeast at 30 km/h and a high of 12 C. The low overnight will be 4 C.
In case you missed it
LINKEDIN PHOTOMarlene Komus
Crashes eerily similar: Two separate accidents on the weekend were both caused by people driving the wrong way on divided highways. On Friday night near MacGregor, an eastbound pickup was headed the wrong way on the Trans-Canada Highway and slammed into a westbound van, killing both drivers. And on Sunday, a car heading in the wrong direction on divided Highway 75 collided head-on with another vehicle, killing both drivers. Kevin Rollason reports. READ MORE
Dying behind bars: The deaths of five people in the last eight months at the Winnipeg Remand Centre should be investigated in a wide-ranging inquest, says the John Howard Society of Manitoba, a prisoners’ rights group. While Manitoba Justice doesn’t release details of such deaths, the union that represents Manitoba correctional officers points to overcrowding of prisoners and rising levels of problems such as mental illness and fentanyl use behind bars. READ MORE
Up next
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILESThe chill is coming from the provincial government, which is beginning to make clear its intention to hold down public-sector wages as much as possible to slow spending and, ultimately, help reduce the annual budget deficit.
U of M strike looms: A statement from the University of Manitoba is expected at noon today after mediation reached an impasse in contract talks between the University of Manitoba and its faculty. Picket lines are set to begin at 7 a.m. Tuesday. The talks were complicated Friday when it was revealed both sides have been instructed by the provincial government, at a very late stage of negotiations, to extend the current contract for another year with no wage increase. Dan Lett offers insight. READ MORE
Searching for reconciliation: Robert-Falcon Ouellette, MP for Winnipeg Centre, is scheduled to table a private member’s bill today that, if passed, would establish June 2 as Indian Residential School Reconciliation and Memorial Day. READ MORE
Around the water cooler
JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESSChris Rutkowski, Canada’s foremost UFO expert.
Our UFO guy: For three decades, Winnipegger Chris Rutkowski has been known as one of Canada’s top UFO experts. “There is a real phenomenon I think is worth scientific study,” said Rutkowski, who is with Ufology Research. READ MORE
The quarterback question: Bomber coach Mike O’Shea kept quarterback Matt Nichols in the game throughout Saturday’s dreadful 23-10 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks, but should the coach have pulled Nichols? After all, Nichols himself admitted it was his worst game of the season. And the Bombers have 16-year veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn waiting to go in. Jeff Hamilton reports.
Trending now
Happy Halloween: No surprise that this is trending today. If you’re heading out to trick-or-treat, or staying home to hand out goodies, keep it safe and fun and have a good time on the spookiest night of the year.
On this date
On Oct. 31, 1980: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that Alberta premier Peter Lougheed said the province would cut back oil production to 85 per cent of its output; he made his announcement as he gave his reaction to the federal budget. Prime minister Pierre Trudeau said his government would begin talks with Alberta’s over the oil-reduction move. U.S. research showed that people who disliked their jobs didn’t do them as well as they could. In Winnipeg, moviegoers could see such films as “My Bodyguard,” “Terror Train,” “Halloween,” “Battle Beyond the Stars,” “Private Benjamin,” and “The Elephant Man.” READ MORE
|
