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Rural Manitoba homeowner charged with shooting at accused thieves

A homeowner in southern Manitoba has been charged after he fired shots at a group of people accused of stealing from his property, police say.

Officers were sent to the Rural Municipality of Dufferin Saturday after a report of a theft in progress. RCMP said four people went to the property, located about 95 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, and returned later the same day driving two vehicles stolen from Watrous, Sask.

The owner of the property, a 66-year-old man, saw the suspects on a motion-activated camera and saw someone transferring fuel from a portable container into one of the stolen vehicles. The man confronted the group and fired shots towards the vehicles, police said.

Three people stayed at the scene until officers arrived and took them into custody, RCMP said. Various items believed to have been stolen from the property were found in the back of a truck. A fourth suspect fled in the other vehicle.

Mole Mobile on move for your dermatological needs

After soaking up the summer sun, there’s no better time to get a skin checkup.

This weekend, the Mole Mobile will set up shop at three Winnipeg Walmart locations. The mobile clinic, which receives support from the Canadian Dermatology Association, will have certified dermatologists on site to screen suspicious-looking moles or lesions for skin cancer on a first-come, first-served basis.

First launched in 2023 in Ontario, the Mole Mobile is intended to promote prevention and early detection of skin cancer. Last weekend, the clinic visited Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Selkirk, a first for Manitoba.

“We saw a number of patients who had spots that they weren’t sure if they were normal or not,” says Dr. Alexis Botkin, a local dermatologist working the Manitoba Mole Mobile stops. “It was wonderful to provide that skin screening for people who were on a wait list (to see a specialist), as well as those who don’t have a primary care provider.”

Low-income residents of 114-year-old downtown block staggered by proposed rent hikes

Marcel Blanchette’s life has not travelled down a smooth road.

In 2014, he was violently assaulted in his home, an unprovoked attack that left him with severe injuries, including permanent brain damage. He underwent months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. During that time, he learned his possessions had been sold off when the Office of The Public Guardian and Trustee took over his affairs.

Twelve years later, he finds himself in another fight. This time, it comes in the form of a proposal from the new owners of the Conway Court apartment block that would nearly double his monthly rent. While he’s been able to live in the Kennedy Street unit with the support of disability income assistance for nearly five years, the sudden spike, he said, could leave him homeless.

“To go through that, and now I’m going through this, it’s another obstacle,” Blanchette told the Free Press. “I fought the Public Guardian and Trustee, and I’ll fight this too, with whatever I have.”

Transit driver, supervisor assaulted in separate incidents

Two people are facing charges for allegedly assaulting Winnipeg Transit employees in separate incidents within a 10-hour span Tuesday.

A 51-year-old man is accused of randomly throwing a beer can at a driver while exiting a bus at Dunkirk Avenue and Kingston Row at about 6 a.m.

The man bit the driver, who was trying to restrain him, police said. He was charged with assault and held in custody.

At about 3:40 p.m., a 31-year-old woman who refused to pay bus fare at Main Street and Pioneer Avenue punched a supervisor in the face, police said.

Somali refugee admits he helped to smuggle African migrants into Manitoba for money

A Somali refugee who was twice caught by RCMP assisting in the smuggling of desperate African migrants into Manitoba during the frigid winter — including while out on bail, months after he was first arrested with eight foreign nationals in his vehicle — has admitted he did so for money.