Folk Fest hit record attendance

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: When I lived in Vancouver, my parents were both messed up on drugs and drinking. To survive their craziness, I spent all my spare time as a teenager working hard at different jobs. The day after I graduated high school, I hitchhiked with a guy I knew casually all the way to Winnipeg for a cool job I found online.

We became great friends on the road. He took me to meet his family at their house and they invited me to live in their basement suite. I happily paid rent and felt like I had a new family.

But now, here comes trouble. My parents have gotten sober and want to move back to Manitoba — their original home. They’re hoping I will welcome them back into my life.

Fat chance. I grew so sick of them, I don’t really want a reunion. But now, my girlfriend is curious about my “new and improved” parents, as she calls them. She wants to meet them face-to-face.

A 49-year-old Winnipeg man is facing an impaired driving charge after a crash that caused extensive property damage in downtown Winnipeg on Sunday morning.

Winnipeg police said officers responded around 9:30 a.m. to the intersection of Balmoral Street and Sargent Avenue, where a 2005 Ford Mustang had struck a bus shelter, a Manitoba Hydro pole and a City of Winnipeg traffic signal box, bringing down a hydro line.

Police believe the vehicle was travelling eastbound on Sargent at a high rate of speed before attempting to turn onto Balmoral, losing control and coming to rest with its front wheels suspended off the ground.

No injuries were reported.

The provincial government has introduced a model to calculate disaster financial assistance for Manitobans affected by severe flooding.

The province said Monday it would use a rapid residential assessment model in order to speed up payments to those who suffered basement flooding between June 6 and July 1, a news release stated.

The model calculates initial assistance payments based on factors like water depth, basement size, room type, restoration need, alongside the level of finishing.

It also includes emergency work, like water extraction costs and costs associated with removing damaged material, with the aim to help homeowners make their basements livable again quickly.