News briefs for April 28, 2020

Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road.

Rainbow Stage has cancelled their 2020 summer season of The Drowsy Chaperone and The Wizard of Oz. It will be the first summer in 65 years the theatre will be dark.

A press release from the Kildonan Park Company stated: "The health of our patrons, artists, students and staff are paramount and the current government and public health directives have made it clear that it is not possible for us to gather safely."

The death of a man after a house party in Thompson is being investigated as a homicide.

Thompson RCMP said on Tuesday that a 28-year-old man died suddenly early April 26, after what police say was "an incident" at a house party the day before.

RCMP said an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday and the force’s major crimes services and forensic investigation unit are continuing to investigate.

A 20-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with the fatal shooting of a man in a back lane.

Winnipeg police said on Tuesday that Brian James Brisson, 57, was feeding stray cats near Isabel Street and Ross Avenue when he was shot on April 15 at 1:40 p.m. A 21-year-old man was also shot at before the fatal shooting, but was able to flee unharmed.

Police say the shootings appear to be without provocation and the alleged shooter didn’t know the victims.

Darian John Thomas has been charged with second-degree murder, attempting to commit murder, carrying a concealed weapon, and discharging a firearm with intent.

The province recorded no new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday.

The number of people who have died from complications of the novel coronavirus in Manitoba remains at six.

The total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases in Manitoba is 272 and 209 are considered to have recovered. Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said to date there has not been significant community based transmission of the virus in Manitoba. 

Roussin said the province will announce its reopening strategy on Wednesday.

Postmedia will soon shut down newspapers in Altona, Carman, Gimli, Morden, Selkirk, Stonewall, as well as The Prairie Farmer, with final editions of each set to run the week of May 4.

The media company, which also owns and operates the Winnipeg Sun, will also close seven Ontario publications, a major blow to local news during COVID-19.

“Shutting down a publication is never our first choice,” a Postmedia spokesperson said in an email to the Free Press. “These are low-circulation publications, all but two of them free weeklies, and were not profitable.”

Overall, the closures will lead to 30 permanent layoffs . 

Testing for the novel coronavirus will be expanded to all residents of Manitoba who are experiencing even mild symptoms of COVID-19, Premier Brian Pallister announced Tuesday morning.

Beginning today, the province will test people with symptoms of COVID-19 including a cough, runny nose, sore throat and fever to better determine the spread of the virus in Manitoba. 

Testing capacity will be tripled to 3,000 tests a day, Pallister said.

Dynacare will begin increasing COVID-19 testing alongside Manitoba’s public health lab, Cadham Provincial Lab.

The province and Dynacare have partnered to have the private company run 2,000 tests a day before the end of summer and establish a second COVID testing lab in Winnipeg.

An extensive search was conducted over the weekend for a 58-year-old Fort Alexander man reported missing on April 25. 

On Sunday, a RCMP search and rescue team along with members from the Office of the Fire Commissioner and volunteers combed a forested area near the missing man’s residence in the community 110 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. A RCMP police dog unit and drone supported the ground search, which was unsuccessful.

The search was called off when officers were told the man had not actually been seen in the area and that he may have left the community with friends. An investigation is continuing. 

Stonewall RCMP are investigating a motor vehicle collision that killed one woman.

At approximately 1:10 a.m. on Sunday, police responded to a motor vehicle collision on Highway 322 in the RM of Rosser. 

A 32-year-old male driver and 31-year-old female passenger were driving north on Highway 322 when police say the female exited the moving vehicle and was later pronounced deceased at the scene.

RCMP and a forensic collision reconstructionist are investigating.

About 154.5 grams of what is suspected to be methamphetamine, a set of brass knuckles, and other drug paraphernalia were seized Sunday morning by RCMP in Souris, leading to the arrest of three young men.

The seizure came after a traffic stop at 4:25 a.m., RCMP say. 

Virden’s Riley Yates, 20, has been charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, and two charges related to the possession of a prohibited weapon. Michael McCulloch, a 22-year-old from Brandon, was also charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking as well as a failure to comply with a release order condition.

Both Yates and McCulloch were released and will appear in court in Brandon in July.

An 18-year-old from Virden was also charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, and will appear in Brandon court in August.

The Winnipeg Police Service is investigating an assault with a weapon.

Police were called to the 400 block of Aberdeen Avenue at 7:49 p.m. on Monday after receiving reports of shots fired.

Officers located an injured man in his 30s at a home on the 300 block of Alfred Avenue. The man had been shot.

He was taken to hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

The WPS major crimes unit continues to investigate.