The latest numbers on COVID-19 in Canada for Friday, July 24

MPI not sleeping on ride-share fraud

Rust never sleeps. You may remember those words as the title of a Neil Young and Crazy Horse album from 1979. You might even recognize an even older use of the words as an advertising slogan for anti-rust paint Rust-Oleum.

Main Street Project's clothes closet offers choice, dignity

Choosing what to wear is a simple part of everyday life, but for people with no home and no money, making that decision can be out of reach.

A new clothing store run by Winnipeg’s Main Street Project, a nonprofit that serves the homeless populations, aims to restore that choice while honouring the memory of a volunteer who helped others feel confident and valued.

Ash’s Closet, which opened on Thursday, allows people to browse through racks of free clothing that reflect their personal tastes.

“It gives people choice and dignity, and that’s a key part of what we do,” said executive director Jamil Mahmood. “When you’re homeless, that choice gets taken away from you. You don’t know where you’re going to eat, where you’re going to sleep, where you’re going to shower, and where you’re getting your clothes from.”

Expect more of a grind than a shootout as Bombers face Elks on the road

EDMONTON — Which version of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are going to show up this week?

To punch their ticket to the playoffs, they better hope it’s the one that plays three-phase football for a full four quarters on Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.

That’s likely what it’ll take to outlast the first-place Edmonton Elks (12-4) — who are also extra motivated considering they can clinch their first West Division regular-season title since 2015 with a victory.

The Bombers (8-8) can also secure a post-season berth this weekend if the Calgary Stampeders (8-9) fall to the B.C. Lions (10-6) on Saturday, but they’re not looking for a handout.

Get to know your Jet: Neal Pionk

“Give it 110 per cent.” “Get pucks in deep.” “One shift at a time.” “Play our game.” “Keep it simple.”

Hockey has a language all its own. Unfortunately, after hearing the same phrases repeated often enough, that language can start to sound a lot like white noise.

So we’re going to try something different.

The Free Press will occasionally sit down with a Winnipeg Jets player at his locker-room stall for a wide-ranging conversation about the stuff you don’t always hear in a media scrum.

Mayoral candidates share faves, test knowledge in Free Press culture quiz

It’s been said that politics is downwind of culture. However true that is, where politicians stand on hot-button cultural debates such as artificial intelligence, whether they prefer sports over arts and what local restaurants they patronize can offer a window into their sensibilities and outlooks.

The Free Press invited the four leading mayoral candidates among decided voters — according to a recent Abacus poll — to take part in a cultural quiz. (Kevin Klein, who was polling second, did not respond.) While most of the questions are lighthearted, they speak to some of the personalities behind the heated rivalries over budgets, buses, business taxation and beyond.

What was the last book you finished?

● Scott Gillingham: I’m almost done Winnipeg author Paul Vincent Jacuzzi’s book Blind Eyes. It’s a Dalton Drake novel.

High-risk sex offender charged with Osborne Village apartment break-ins

A convicted, high-risk sex offender has been arrested for allegedly breaking into several Osborne Village apartments last month, court records show.

Winnipeg Police Service property crime investigators were alerted to the series of break-ins in September.

Investigators learned that three break-and-enters occurred Sept. 13-14 at apartments on the 200 block of Stradbrook Avenue; a suspect got inside via a window.

In two of the break-ins, police said, the suspect fled after encountering the residents inside their homes. Nothing was stolen and no one was hurt in any of the incidents.