Live album on the way from Begonia

AI literacy course mandatory at U of W Collegiate

The University of Winnipeg Collegiate is requiring new students to complete artificial intelligence 101 lessons and offering a first-of-its-kind elective for those who want to perfect their chatbot prompts.

The private high school is piloting two projects this year in a bid to improve digital literacy on the downtown campus.

Every Grade 9 and 10 student will have to pass an approximately two-hour long online course about “AI essentials.”

Dean Osaed Khan likened the mandatory e-learning sessions to requiring students to complete a safety course before they can participate in a science lab.

Inflation-battered U.S. voters could prove to be key Canadian ally in fight against Trump’s trade tyranny

Is there anything or anyone that can help Canada and the United States avoid an unprecedented trade war?

Both nations stand poised on the precipice of a tariff battle that could — in the worst-case scenario — trigger an economic downturn. Both countries have a lot to lose, but neither country is showing any sign of backing down.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has, by all accounts, given negotiation a full chance to defuse the trade war. It didn’t work and it appears now that nothing — neither thoughtful negotiation or retaliatory measures — will dissuade U.S. President Donald Trump from his war of trade attrition.

Increasingly, it appears that if Trump is going to back away from punitive tariffs against Canada, it will be because of mounting pressure from within the United States and not because of tough talk and countermeasures from this side of the border.

Dolly Parton, music star, actor and beloved figure who spanned generations, dies at 80 of cancer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died in Nashville. She was 80.

“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” her publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said in a statement Tuesday.

Known for her curvy physique, massive blond wigs and skin-tight outfits that served her self-deprecating wit, she was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond — the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and politics.

She wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” that totaled more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams. Parton, who plucked bejeweled banjos, guitars and dulcimers with her long fingernails during performances, was a generous philanthropist and successful businesswoman whose projects included a theme park in the Smoky Mountain foothills near her birthplace.

Three charged after victims robbed, held against their will in dating scam

A Winnipeg woman and two men allegedly lured male victims on dating websites before robbing and holding them against their will, prompting safety reminders for people looking for love online. Detectives believe there may be additional victims who’ve not yet come forward.

Waverley West council candidates say city services haven’t kept up with fastest-growing ward

A new city councillor will be elected this fall to lead Winnipeg’s fastest-growing ward that remains short on city services despite it being the most populated.

Letters, Aug. 26

Given the unholy (and wholly unacceptable) rhetoric coming from top administration officials in the United States of America, and now starting to be echoed by certain Canadian politicians, this is what I fear: the overwhelming goodwill that has existed between our two nations over the last 100-plus years will soon be completely eroded — largely due to the children in the White House and those who support them.