Savannah Guthrie makes offscreen visit to ‘Today’ show, first since her mother went missing

Savannah Guthrie makes offscreen visit to ‘Today’ show, first since her mother went missing

NEW YORK (AP) — Savannah Guthrie made an off-camera appearance Thursday at NBC's “Today” show studios to thank colleagues for their support since her mother Nancy went missing from her Arizona home a month ago.

The “Today” show said Guthrie, a longtime co-host of the morning news program, plans to return to the air at some point but “remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”

Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe the 84-year-old was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will.

The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother, but solid information in the case has been hard to come by.

Chamber hears about the business of belonging

Members of the city’s business community were encouraged to emulate Dolly Parton, the recently deceased country singer known for her upbeat attitude and philanthropic efforts, at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce luncheon Friday afternoon.

“(The message of) this whole speech is basically, ‘Be like Dolly,’” said Cordella Friesen, president and CEO at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, noting that some communities celebrate Dolly Parton Day on Sept. 25 (9/25) — a reference to the singer’s hit movie and song, 9 to 5.

The lighthearted remarks kicked off Friesen’s keynote address in front of around 400 business executives at the Delta hotel.

Friesen spoke about her belief in radical optimism, which she defined as “the disciplined conviction, grounded in evidence, that any problem can be solved when moral courage is expressed through action.”

Nuit Blanche ready to wow in city’s core

For one night each September, downtown Winnipeg becomes an art gallery — an amusement park, even.

During Nuit Blanche, which takes place tonight, 3D projections spill across the Exchange District, The Forks and St. Boniface, and thousands flood the city core to take in live music, DJs and installations.

“There really isn’t anything like it. I know every promoter probably tells you that, but we are the only event that works at this scale in the fall,” says Nuit Blanche general manager Kurt Tittlemier.

“Culture Days Manitoba is run with the mission statement to make free, accessible artistic programming to all,” he adds, referring to the multi-week national festival, “and Nuit Blanche is our flagship event.”

Potential Jets backup options include two possible netminder reunions

Kevin Cheveldayoff couldn’t help but make light of the situation.

Near the end of the press conference to discuss where things stand with training camp holdout Connor Hellebuyck, the general manager of the Jets was asked if he felt comfortable with the five goalies who were in training camp.

“You know I can’t have five on the roster,” Cheveldayoff quipped.

Only Cheveldayoff knows for sure how he feels about the organizational depth at the position and whether he’s planning to open the campaign with either Dom DiVincentiis or Thomas Milic in the backup role behind Stuart Skinner.

Portage Avenue stabbing victim staggered into nearby store for help

A 46-year-old man stabbed on Portage Avenue Wednesday afternoon is in hospital after staggering, bloodied, into a nearby dollar store.

Police said the man was confronted by several people on the 300 block of Portage shortly before 6 p.m. and was stabbed with an unknown weapon. He was helped by people inside the store until police and paramedics arrived.

The man was rushed to hospital in unstable condition but was later upgraded to stable, the Winnipeg Police Service said.

WPS Const. Claude Chancy said Friday that police were still attempting to speak with the victim, and it was not yet clear if the attack was random. No arrests have been made.

Concrete doc befits brutalist Winnipeg

Moviegoers across North America are pounding the pavement and lining up around the block to see The History of Concrete, small-screen documentarian John Wilson’s feature-length debut.