Officers cleared in shooting, doctor assaulted, city budget, Bombers’ Oliveira, RWB’s Nutcracker
Plus: The North Pole post office is back in business

Good evening. Here’s a look at what our newsroom has been working on today:

'Reasonable in their actions'

Adam Treusch:

Police cleared in fatal shooting of man near Unicity mall

Utility knife, hatchet, backpack of weapons found at scene: report Read More

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'Absolutely appalling'

Tyler Searle:

Health minister wants security assessments from regional authorities after patient assaults ER doctor at HSC

The province plans to bolster safety measures across all health regions amid a wave of violence against front-line staff — including an “unacceptable” weekend attack in which a patient punched the emergency doctor treating him at the Health Sciences Centre. Read More

'There’s more work we have to do'

Joyanne Pursaga:

EPC banks on transit planner to work out kinks in new network

Mayor’s cabinet adds position, safety-related initiatives to budget before council vote Read More

'An early Christmas present'

Taylor Allen:

‘Let’s go win some football games’

Bombers’ Oliveira ‘extremely happy’ to ink three-year extension Read More

'It’s synonymous with Christmas'

Jen Zoratti:

Suite sounds of nostalgia

Nutcracker score an indelible part of the season Read More

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Local

Melissa Martin and Scott Billeck: Power outage left Pimicikamak in dark, cold since Sunday

Melissa Martin: Nestaweya River Trail opens for the season

Scott Billeck: ‘Life and death’: Pimicikamak leaders plead for help as power outage reaches third day

Nicole Buffie: Shatter-resistant bus shelters smooth as glass — so far

Chris Kitching: Winnipeggers up in arms as wait for compensation ruling stretches nearly two years amid airline regulator’s 88,000-case backlog

Malak Abas: Fire chief defends response time to fatal Nassau Street blaze

Tyler Searle: It’s deja vu for opponents of proposed housing development near riverside ‘oasis’ in 2018

Free Press: Teen charged with fatal stabbing of relative at Sioux Valley

Kevin Rollason: ‘Stunned’ chief justice, longtime philanthropists among new Order of Canada members

Erik Pindera: ‘Keep your car bare’: Scourge of theft from vehicles hits hard for many Winnipeggers

Opinion

Maureen Scurfield: Shifted child-care plan could benefit you both

Stuart Chambers: Why I expelled AI from the classroom

Stéphane Allard: Mark Carney and judo politics

Editorial: Creating financial distance from Donald Trump

Dan Lett: Feeling somewhat fresh, optimistic after washing off the stench of 2025

Free Press: Letters, Jan. 2

Paul Samyn: Truth matters more than ever in the Age of Make-Believe

Kate Kehler: NIMBY by another name

Pam Frampton: Hopes and fears for the coming year

Tom Brodbeck: Battered, broke Manitobans watch reality steamroll political promises in 2025

Arts & Life

Georgia Nicols: Today’s horoscope

Conrad Sweatman: Pointing a truer lens on nature

Conrad Sweatman: Music ’N’ Mavens plans biggest season yet with addition of evening shows

Jen Zoratti: Made you look: From tiny beads to sweeping statements, 2025’s art exhibitions had an impact

Denise Duguay: Laughing — and screening — all the way to 2026

Martin Zeilig: Considering options and community after prostate cancer diagnosis

Eva Wasney, Conrad Sweatman, Benjamin Waldman, Ben Sigurdson, Jen Zoratti and AV Kitching: Top TV titles in 2025 kept us glued to our screens

Sports

Ken Wiebe: Defensive implosion sees Jets losing streak stretch to eight games

Ken Wiebe: Morrissey eager to make Olympic history of his own

Ken Wiebe: Jets’ Morrissey joins two Manitobans on Team Canada

Ken Wiebe: ‘Maybe in 2026, we can start scoring some goals’: Jets’ losing streak continues

Mike McIntyre: Changes long overdue as Jets’ tailspin continues with loss to Oilers

Free Press staff: O-lineman Eli signs two-year deal to stay with Bombers

Mike McIntyre: Lack of secondary scoring Jets’ biggest problem, says legendary coach

Joshua Frey-Sam: Wesmen’s Stewart looks to conclude final hoops year on top after father’s death

Ken Wiebe: Former Jet providing much-needed secondary offence for Oilers

Ken Wiebe: Jets still starving for results

Business

Aaron Epp: The Forks Market to serve up second helping of Sharecuterie

Aaron Epp: Sauna, cold plunge business Saunic expands to second Winnipeg location in early 2026

Gabrielle Piché: Negotiating turbulent waters of year ahead for Manitoba's business leaders and community

Gabrielle Piché: Bottling essence of cognitive stimulation

Gabrielle Piché: Some local brands left out as Kildonan Place renovation shuffles tenant storefronts

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press: ‘Read the fine print’: Some lifetime warranties don’t last a lifetime

Caleigh Wells And Aya Diab, The Associated Press: Why your holiday gift returns might go to a landfill and what you can do about it

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press: S&P/TSX composite ends lower in shortened trading day, U.S. stock markets rise

Wyatte Grantham-philips And Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press: Trump overturned decades of US trade policy in 2025. See the impact of his tariffs, in four charts

Gabrielle Piché: Manitoba Trucking Association pitches ‘trusted employer’ program

Canada

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press: ‘Buy Canadian’ policy takes effect, changing rules for federal procurement

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press: McGuinty ‘confident’ Canada will hit NATO spending targets

Craig Lord and Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press: Rising costs and dwindling opportunities have Canada’s youth feeling adrift

Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press: Alberta shuts down supervised drug consumption site in Edmonton hospital

The Canadian Press: Surrey, B.C., to open two municipal health clinics in 2026 to address shortage

David Baxter, The Canadian Press: Liberal MP says she was shoved by Israeli officials at West Bank border crossing

The Canadian Press: Woman killed by fallen tree branch amid rain, wind warnings in parts of B.C.

The Canadian Press: Police seek suspect in two attempted abductions in Mission, B.C., within 24 hours

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press: Government rejects call to measure productivity across public service

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press: Margaret Cho, Rosie O’Donnell set to participate in Canadian TikToker’s read-along

World

Illia Novikov, The Associated Press: Zelenskyy says proposals to end the war in Ukraine could be presented to Russia within days

Kristen Gelineau, The Associated Press: A Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old with a gentle soul among those killed in Bondi Beach shooting

Andrew Dalton And Christopher Weber, The Associated Press: Prosecutors charge Rob Reiner’s son Nick with 2 counts of murder in killing of his parents

Wafaa Shurafa And Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press: Gaza families struggle to recover from days of torrential rains that killed 12 people

Jill Lawless And Danica Kirka, The Associated Press: Britain’s BBC is both beloved and maligned. Now it faces a $10 billion Trump lawsuit

Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press: Trump orders blockade of ‘sanctioned oil tankers’ into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on Maduro

Rebecca Santana, The Associated Press: Trump expands travel ban and restrictions to include an additional 20 countries

Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro And Ben Finley, The Associated Press: Hegseth says he won’t publicly release video of boat strike that killed survivors in the Caribbean

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press: Damage from record flooding in Washington state is profound, with more on the way, governor says

Sophie Bates, The Associated Press: Woman charged after Mississippi Walmart shoppers say they found razor blades in loaves of bread

One last thing...

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press:

Kids mailing letters to Santa will get a response after brief pause: Canada Post

Canada Post says the millions of Canadians who write to Santa Claus with their wish lists will get a response this year. Read More

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