What’s happening today
CPFireworks are launched from the Sky Tower to mark the changing of the year in Auckland, New Zealand. (Michael Craig / New Zealand Herald / The Associated Press)
New year already here: It’s already 2021 in some parts of the world, including New Zealand and Australia. New year’s celebrations around the world are expected to be subdued because of pandemic restrictions. Meanwhile, Brexit will become truly final, as the economic transition period that followed the United Kingdom leaving the European Union ends at 5 p.m. CT. READ MORE
Testing travellers: Federal officials could announce details as early as today for its plan to require air travellers entering Canada to have proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Dylan Robertson reports. READ MORE
Cabinet minister returns to Canada: Ontario cabinet minister Rod Phillips is set to return from the Caribbean, where he has been vacationing since Dec. 13 while the province is on lockdown. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says he’s not aware of any members of his caucus travelling abroad during the Christmas break. Larry Kusch reports. READ MORE
Manitoba’s COVID-19 crisis: Health officials will announce the latest COVID-19 numbers this afternoon in their final news conference of the year. This is only the second such news conference in an 11-day span that includes three holidays and this weekend. Two deaths and 130 new cases were reported Wednesday, the third consecutive day new cases were in the 100s amid low testing numbers. Katie May reports. READ MORE
Face-off with Finland: Team Canada plays Finland at the world junior hockey championships at 5 p.m. CT, and the loser will face a tough quarterfinal opponent. READ MORE
Weather
Your forecast: Mainly sunny this morning and increasingly cloudy this afternoon, with a high of -6 C, wind chill as low as -17 this morning and wind from the south at 20 km/h decreasing to 15 km/h later this morning.
In case you missed it
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSThe city of Winnipeg has sent out a request for proposals to renovate the underground concourse at Portage and Main.
Report on concourse repairs: The cost to repair and update the underground concourse at Portage and Main could be as high as nearly $47 million, an assessment by an engineering firm found. Joyanne Pursaga reports. READ MORE
‘We want truth’: A man whose fiancée was among the Winnipeggers killed when a passenger jet was shot down in January says Iran’s proposal to pay US$150,000 for each victim is “a slap in the face.” Rosanna Hempel reports. READ MORE
First fatal police shooting since Floyd: Minneapolis police shot and killed a man during a traffic stop Wednesday night, in the city’s first officer-involved death since George Floyd was killed in May. The city’s police chief said video from the officers’ body cameras will be released today. The shooting took place less than two kilometres from where Floyd was killed, which sparked days of sometimes violent protest that spread around the U.S. The Associated Press reports. READ MORE
Serial killer dies: The man deemed the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history has died in a state prison in California. Samuel Little, 80, confessed to killing 93 people between 1970 and 2005, and police have so far confirmed nearly 60 of the killings. The Associated Press reports. READ MORE
Life on the Strip: Check out the latest chapters of reporter Ryan Thorpe’s series on homelessness. The final two articles will be posted on our website later today. READ MORE
On this date
On Dec. 31, 1948: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that the body of a woman missing in the Nesbitt district was found in a snowy field a mile and a half from her home; she had been missing since stepping off a bus three days earlier; RCMP believed she had gotten off at the wrong stop and attempted to cross the field to get home. In Winnipeg, Portage Avenue was lit up in anticipation of New Year’s Eve celebrations. In China, the country’s nationalist leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek made a bid for peace with the Communists; indications were he was willing to resign.
Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press READ MORE
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