News briefs for Wednesday, November 8, 2023

IIU investigating after man hurt during RCMP arrest

4:10 PM

The province’s police oversight agency is investigating after a man’s testicles were injured during his arrest by RCMP following a traffic stop in West St. Paul in late October.

RCMP told the Independent Investigation Unit about the Oct. 27 incident on Tuesday. Mounties told the civilian agency that RCMP officers had tried to pull over a white Ford F-150 in Stonewall at about 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, but the vehicle fled.

RCMP pursued the vehicle to McPhillips Street at Emes Road in West St. Paul at about 12:40 a.m. on Oct. 28, where they arrested the female driver and a male passenger. The IIU said the two people had to be forcibly removed from the truck and the man landed on the asphalt.

At the Stonewall detachment later, the man complained that his testicles hurt in the fall, the IIU said. He was first taken to the Selkirk Regional Health Centre, before he was transferred to Health Sciences Centre for medical treatment.

The IIU has asked any witnesses or others with information or video footage of the incident to call investigators at 1-844-667-6060.

High wind to likely cause waves, ice pile-ups on lakes: province

3:06 PM

The province is warning that high winds could result in heavy waves and ice pile-up along parts of Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructures water forecasters said the high winds, which are expected to develop Wednesday evening and continue until this evening, might result in high-wind effects along the south basin of Lake Manitoba and the west and east shorelines of Lake Winnipeg, near Gimli and Victoria Beach.

The province said northwest wind with gusts of up to 60 km/h and resulting waves could raise water levels by five or more feet.

The province is advising property owners to take precautions.

Goldeyes to play at Blue Cross Park

1:39 PM

The home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes has a new name — and it just might spark some insurance runs for the club.

The field at The Forks will be called Blue Cross Park, after the pro ball team and Manitoba Blue Cross, a local health benefits and insurance company, announced a new 10-year naming rights agreement Wednesday.

The 7,000-seat stadium opened in the spring of 1999 and has had a few different names, most recently Shaw Park.

“As it’s already been stated, 2024 will be the 50th anniverary for Manitoba Blue Cross. This year, the Goldeyes celebrated their 30th anniversary. To see two home-grown entities get together in this venture will, in my opinion, only do wonderful things for the citizens and the people who live in Winnipeg, Manitoba,” said team president Sam Katz.

The Goldeyes, who compete in the American Association, will play 100 games in the 2024 season, opening on the road against the Cleburne Railroaders on Thursday, May 9. Winnipeg plays its home opener at Blue Cross Park on Tuesday, May 21 against the Chicago Dogs.

Winnipeg police investigate suspicious Elmwood fires

1:20 PM

Winnipeg police are investigating a series of at least four suspicious fires late Tuesday night in Elmwood.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were first called at about 11:20 p.m. to a debris fire near Talbot Avenue and Gateway Road, before another call came in at 11:23 p.m., reporting a fire behind the 500 block of Harbison Avenue East, WFPS said.

Firefighters found a debris fire had spread to a shed. Then at 11:30 p.m., fire crews were called to a garage fire on the same block of Harbison Avenue East, which they quickly extinguished.

A minute later, another call came in reporting a fire behind the 400 block of Tweed Avenue. Firefighters found a garbage bin ablaze and doused the flames, WFPS said.

WFPS said no one was hurt in any of the fires.

Six Bombers named CFL All-Stars

12:24 PM

The 2023 CFL All-Stars were unveiled Wednesday and six members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were recognized.

Running back Brady Oliveira, wide receiver Dalton Schoen, right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick, guard Patrick Neufeld, defensive back Demerio Houston, and defensive end Willie Jefferson all were all named to the squad.

The voting is selected by members of the Football Reporters of Canada and the league’s head coaches, as well as submissions through the All-Star Fan Vote.

Man stabbed by stranger who showed up at his home

10:14 AM

A 40-year-old man was stabbed in the upper body during an altercation with a stranger who showed up at his North End home Monday.

Winnipeg police said the assailant went to the home on the 400 block of Pritchard Avenue to speak to someone who lives with the victim but wasn’t home at the time.

The suspect allegedly damaged a vehicle belonging to a 34-year-old woman before she and the wounded man went to Health Sciences Centre at about 12:45 p.m. The victim was given emergency treatment and later upgraded to stable condition.

Police said a suspect was arrested when he turned up at HSC. A 27-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault and other offences.

Online classified ad meet-ups lead to armed robberies

9:18 AM

Police are investigating two gunpoint robberies in which the victims were responding to online classified ads.

Prospective buyers visited a home in the St. Matthews neighbourhood to buy a cellphone offered in an online classified ad in separate incidents on Saturday and Sunday.

The victims were robbed of their money at gunpoint by two male suspects. The suspects, described as adults with dark skin, fled the area, police said. Neither victim was injured, and neither got a cellphone.

The Winnipeg Police Service’s major crimes unit is searching for suspects. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the robberies to call investigators at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

Winnipeg poet wins $25K Governor General’s Literary Award

8:52 AM

Winnipeg poet Hannah Green’s debut collection Xanax Cowboy, published by House of Anansi Press, has won the 2023 Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry.

Green was announced as winner of the $25,000 poetry prize, along with winners in fiction, non-fiction, drama, translation and young people’s texts in both English and French, on Wednesday morning.

Misipawistik Cree Nation writer Darla Contois from Grand Rapids was among the finalists for the drama prize for her play The War Being Waged, published by Winnipeg’s Scirocco Drama, an imprint of publisher J. Gordon Shillingford. Scirocco also had a title as a finalist for the prize for translation (French to English category), Okinum by Émilie Monnet.

For the complete list of winners and finalists, see ggbooks.ca.