Good morning!
Public intoxication: The problem of public intoxication is as old as alcohol, but a Winnipeg coalition will try a new solution. A group of business, community and government agencies is developing a plan to decriminalize public drunkenness and, in a holistic manner, help people who are battling addictions. Aldo Santin reports. READ MORE
Your forecast: It’s a wonderful weekend ahead, weather-wise. Saturday will be sunny with a high of 16 C. Sunday will be sunny with a high of 16, nice enough to take your long-suffering mother for a picnic to mark Mother’s Day. Today will be mainly sunny, with wind from the northwest at 30 km/h late in the afternoon, and a high of 16.
In case you missed it
IAN FROESE | CARILLON ARCHIVESRoger Bouvier has been named as the province’s administrative appointee to bring order in RM of Ritchot following the resignation of three council members.
Province dissolves Ritchot council: In an unprecedented move, the municipal mess that is politics in the RM of Ritchot was dissolved by the provincial government on Wednesday and voters will go to the polls to elected a new council that, we hope, is better behaved. The mayor and two other councilors resigned recently after meetings degenerated into obscene gestures and foul language. Bill Redekop reports READ MORE
Firefighter steals from deceased woman: Winnipeg firefighter Darren Fedyck has been found guilty of stealing from a deceased elderly woman while he was on the job. He took hundreds of dollars in cash and two pieces of jewelry from the apartment of a 76-year-old woman who was found dead when firefighters were called to check her well-being. Katie May reports. READ MORE
Up next
STEPHEN TOPFER / PICASSO ESTATE
Picasso in town: The media gets a special showing today of a Picasso exhibition that gathers the iconic artist’s best work from collections across the country. The show opens to the public on Saturday, and runs until Aug. 13. READ MORE
Neighbour Day: This next event is not until Saturday, May 27, but we’ll mention it now because you’ll need time to prepare to have the neighbours over. The mayor on Wednesday declared Neighbour Day to encourage all Winnipeggers to get together and celebrate community spirit. He’s suggesting a garden party, a community clean-up, an afternoon picnic in a local park, or front-yard barbecues. So get started, and don’t forget to invite the writer of Head Start. We like our burgers medium rare.
Around the water cooler
TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSPremier Brian Pallister faces media after question period at the Legislative Building, Wednesday.
Premier on the run: Twice this week, Premier Brian Pallister skipped scrums with reporters after question period and no explanation was given. Columnist Dan Lett wonders: “Why all the duck and run? It’s not entirely clear why Pallister has been so evasive, although this has been an oddly uncomfortable week for him.” READ MORE
Trump called “Nixonian”: Today’s Free Press editorial notes: “Stirring up the ghost of America’s most notoriously crooked commander-in-chief is an extreme measure, but ‘Nixonian’ has been employed frequently and loudly in the aftermath of Tuesday’s sudden and controversial firing of FBI director James Comey by U.S. President Donald Trump. ” READ MORE
Security on buses: Several city councillors want Winnipeg to get enforcement officers that ride city buses. Cities that already have it include Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. “They can make arrests and transport folks,” said Toronto Transit Commission spokesman Mark Cousins. “They definitely make it safer.” Kevin Rollason reports. READ MORE
Trending now
#RuinMetal: These bands do nothing for the legacy of music meant to inspire devil horns and headbanging: Judas Non-Denominational Clergy; White Snakes On a Plane; Nine Inch Press-On Nails; Rage Against the Washing Machine; Nuns And Roses; and Black Bed, SabBath & Beyond, among others.
On this date
On May 11, 1973: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a heavily-armed holdup suspect in Kenora, Ont., was blown to bit by his own bomb seconds after a police sharpshooter gunned him down. In Winnipeg, Dominion grocery stores were open for business with a full complement of staff despite a strike that began at 8 a.m. by workers who were part of the Retail Store Employees Union. The Bank of Montreal announced it was raising its prime lending rate from 6.5 per cent to 6.75 per cent. READ MORE
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