Faith briefs

Livestreamed mental-health meltdown underscores medium’s disturbing decline

On Tuesday evening, a well-known celebrity blogger, best known by the nom de plume Perez Hilton, opened up his TikTok account and began a livestream from his Miami home. What unfolded over the next 30 minutes horrified all who witnessed it — and should force the rest of us to take a very sober look at the ways social media can harm.

Cinderella story continues, Sea Bears bounce Bandits in Conference Final

Just days ago, the Winnipeg Sea Bears were at rock bottom.

The losses had piled up, and the star talent had dwindled. The noise around the club grew, and the confidence from outside the building faded by the day.

Players and coaches alike conveyed the belief that persisted internally, but you wouldn’t fault some fans if those words fell on deaf ears.

Less than a week later, the undermanned and underestimated Sea Bears find themselves two wins away from the tippy top of the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s mountain after a second-straight convincing playoff victory, this time a 107-96 decision over the Vancouver Bandits in the Western Conference Final at the Langley Events Centre in British Columbia on Saturday.

The true costs of your pet — for everyone

Pets are a problem, but few will discuss the downsides of pet ownership.

Family hopes police alert will bring missing woman home

The family of Ashley Arason has made a desperate plea for her to come home.

The 41-year-old last had contact with her family on April 6, 2019, which was her 34th birthday.

“I’ve got a place for her,” said her older sister, Pamela Arason, through tears on Thursday. “She has a place to go, a home to come to.”

On Thursday, Winnipeg Police Service renewed the call for help from the public to solve the missing person case.

Chrysler refines Pacifica and Grand Caravan as buyers return to practical family hauler

BURLINGTON, Ont. — The mighty minivan — relegated to the scrap heap by the rush to crossovers and SUVs — is making a comeback, and Chrysler hopes to lead the way with its top-selling, Canadian-made Grand Caravan and Pacifica models.

While many manufacturers — Mazda, Ford, GM, Hyundai and Nissan — abandoned the once-popular family hauler, Chrysler has continued to play in the segment since it was launched by Lee Iacocca in 1983.

For 2027, the Pacifica gets a cosmetic refresh and the Grand Caravan is a holdover, but new this year are price savings of up to $7,200, Chrysler product planner Mike Szymkiewicz told journalists assembled here for the launch of the two vehicles.

“It’s primarily that we’re taking less margin, but we’re also adding content,” he said. “So less margin but we hope more volume.”

Luxury and livability

Those in the market for a new luxury home tend to be looking for two things.

First, the home must be unique — which is to say it possesses defining design characteristics that set it apart from other homes. Second, while the home must be different, it also must be livable.

Problem is, many home builders get too focused on fashion, which often makes for a visually arresting home that, sadly, isn’t as functional as it could be.

Fortunately, that’s not the case in Maric Homes’ stunning bungalow show home at 2 Woodland Lane in Headingley’s Forest Grove Estates.