Needle pickup, Arlington Bridge, Convalescent Home, Don Duguid, local rugby pro, comedy fest, fringe reviews
Plus: It's Christmas in July for this Santa conference

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

'Why are there so many needles on the friggin’ ground?'

Joyanne Pursaga:

Councillors expand downtown cleanup of drug-related items, weapons

City hall wasted no time Thursday expanding the seasonal cleanup of drug needles and other hazardous material from select downtown parks to include many other public spaces, at least until the end of this year. Read More

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Three Savour Manitoba magazine covers promoting a food, drink, and lifestyle publication.

'Complicated beyond anything I’ve ever experienced'

Malak Abas:

‘Historic day’: two-year demolition of Arlington Bridge begins

Piece-by-piece removal, working around trains makes job challenging Read More

'We do have something special'

Janine LeGal:

Care beyond compare

Long-held core values of openness, inclusion, empathy set Convalescent Home apart from the personal care home pack Read More

'A larger-than-life figure'

Scott Billeck:

Curling great, broadcaster Don Duguid dead at age 90

Legendary Manitoba curler and broadcaster Don Duguid, a three-time Canadian men’s champion and two-time world champion, has died at the age of 90. Read More

'One of the biggest honours that I’ve had in my life'

Joshua Frey-Sam:

Steeves ready to ruck in front of hometown crowd

Winnipegger honoured to wear Maple Leaf in Saturday rugby clash Read More

'I did not have a musical comedy career on my bingo card'

Eva Wasney:

Looney tunes

Musical comedian Will King mines current events for playful parodies Read More

Eva Wasney:

Emergency five turns into regular gig

Kaitlynn Brightnose’s first foray into standup comedy was what many people would categorize as a waking nightmare. Read More

Fringe Fest

Our review team is hitting the seats at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, and the reviews have started rolling in.

All 160 productions will be reviewed by Tuesday, and they’ll all be available on our website, free of charge.

Winnipeg Free Press:

Winnipeg Fringe Festival: 2026 show reviews

Not sure what to see at this year's Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival? All of the Free Press’s reviews will be published here. Find a show and click to read its review. Read More

Free Press review team:

Fringe reviews #1: Choose your fighter, then your venue

Absolutely not a cult, Afeni, #Black Eye, Chekov Shorts, Fakespeare, The Ghost of a Flea, A Sexy Pigeon Show, The Shelter, Things That Go Bump, Viento. Read More

Free Press review team:

Fringe reviews #2: No cheat codes required

Dangerous Curves, Elon Muskrat, Evolution of a Broken Heart, Fool's Gambit, Hair Brained, Happy Valley, Lies of a Promiscuous Woman, Mr. Loopy Pants, Pete Seeger Tribute, Tymisha Harris Read More

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Perfect summer pours and pairings

Local

Maggie Macintosh: Physical activity ‘for every single child’

Carol Sanders: ‘Last chance’ clearance U.S. booze punted from Liquor Marts

Tiago Resko: New businesses start to creep up in former Winnipeg Slurpee shops

Joyanne Pursaga: Late founder of Canad Inns celebrated with honorary street name

Dean Pritchard: Man who robbed tax accounts to pay his own bill given house arrest

By Zoe Pierce: Doctor pays $500K to revamp courtyard at care home where he works

Carol Sanders: ‘Not his best work,’ Kinew says of Trump’s order to rename Lake Ontario

Morgan Modjeski: Former care home nurse fined $8,000 for ‘disturbing in the extreme’ 2025 incident

Chris Kitching: Premier, mayor voice support for decision to end police officers’ OT retail-security shifts

Erik Pindera: Ottawa funds sentencing program for northern Manitoba offenders

Opinion

Dan Lett: End of retail ‘gravy train’ should get more police boots on the ground

Tom Brodbeck: NDP should explain Shared Health’s value to Manitobans waiting for promised ‘fix’

Elayna Hurtig: Breed-specific dog ban should be overturned

Free Press: Letters, Aug. 27

Mel Marginet: E-scooters can be the future — if done right

Editorial: Fully protecting Transit drivers overdue

David McLaughlin: The trolls inside the Conservative tent

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

Jen Zoratti: Dolly Parton’s generosity sparkling example of genuine goodness

Gwynne Dyer: Ukraine — does it need an election now?

Arts & Life

Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press: Yayoi Kusama, who splashed polka dots across the art world, dies at 97 in Tokyo

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press: Peter Cullen, Canadian-born voice of Optimus Prime in ‘Transformers,’ dies at 85

Tiago Resko: Art gallery ready to play with clay in WAG Studio Pottery Throwdown

Free Press: What’s up: Deep Purple, Sarper Güven, and Taste of Manitoba, Maryland Music, Must Be Nice Indigenous Comedy and Corn and Apple fests

Danica Kirka, The Associated Press: Britons get the chance to read Jason Arday’s story for themselves as memoir is published in the UK

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press: Alabama Shakes returns with a new album after 11 years and a reunion at a craft brewery gig

Maureen Scurfield: Don’t get tangled up in ‘no-strings’ affair

AV Kitching: Arts & Life team taste-tests new Kraft concoction

Georgia Nicols: Today’s horoscope

Eva Wasney: Try these veggie burger options around Winnipeg

Business

Gabrielle Piché: Davidson to lead provincewide economic development agency

Gabrielle Piché: Winnipeg-based Probe Research acquired by Abacus Data

Gabrielle Piché: Counter-tariffs add new challenge for retailers

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press: S&P/TSX composite ends in the green as U.S. markets rise

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press: TD Bank plans to open 100 new U.S. branches through 2028, reports $4.6B Q3 profit

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press: You’ve fled a fire or flood — and then the financial hit comes

Morgan Modjeski: Winnipeg biz owners encouraged to fly the Maple Leaf

Aaron Epp: New Skyline: revolving restaurant to reopen atop Fort Garry Place

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press: Latest tariff war making outcome of trade tensions hard to predict: National Bank CEO

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press: Fact File: U.S. could inflict pain on Canada through energy trade

Sports

Joshua Frey-Sam: Bisons begin reshaping herd

Ken Wiebe: ‘They’ve got confidence, but they do have their flaws’

Taylor Allen: Blue Bombers out to do more than stay close to Alouettes

Grace Penner: Murphy embracing leadership role with Goldeyes

Ken Wiebe: Jets’ Hellebuyck trade request marks pivotal moment for the franchise

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press: Canadian striker Olivia Smith continues making history with WSL’s Arsenal

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press: UEFA prepares criminal complaint in Swiss courts against FIFA’s Infantino over World Cup sell-off

Ken Maguire, The Associated Press: NFL international slate includes Melbourne, Rio and Paris. What to know about all 9 games abroad

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press: Saudi soccer body says it supports FIFA president Gianni Infantino ‘at this time’

The Canadian Press: Toronto Raptors to raise Kyle Lowry’s No. 7 to rafters in January retirement ceremony

Canada

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press: Canada’s concessions have meant little to Trump administration: U.S. trade czar

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press: Hodgson pitches major projects to First Nations as wildfires scorch communities

The Canadian Press, The Canadian Press: U.S. lawmakers press Canada on wildfires as Carney defends environmental record

Kathryn Mannie, The Canadian Press: Union denounces CN for sending rail crew through active wildfire in Ontario

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press: Nervous times in Pemberton, B.C., as residents watch fire fight from their backyards

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press: ‘Brutal’: Ontario outdoor workers clock in amid wildfire smoke, as others stay home

The Canadian Press, The Canadian Press: Carney says U.S. will split ‘modest’ Gordie Howe bridge net revenues after debt paid

The Canadian Press: RCMP investigating protest that resulted in N.S. premier’s windshield being smashed

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press: Meta to alert parents if their child discusses suicide with AI chatbot

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press: Canada’s Drug Agency recommends funding lecanemab for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease

World

Ben Finley, Farnoush Amiri, Samy Magdy And Munir Ahmed, The Associated Press: Hopes for US-Iran diplomacy still alive as fighting intensifies over the Strait of Hormuz

Joseph Krauss, The Associated Press: What remains of the Iran deal as fighting rages

Hanna Arhirova And Volodymyr Yurchuk, The Associated Press: Ukraine buries its unknown soldiers as families wait for identification

Samya Kullab And Illia Novikov, The Associated Press: Ukrainians protest Zelenskyy’s ouster of his popular defense minister

Sheikh Saaliq And Shonal Ganguly, The Associated Press: India’s Gen Z ‘cockroaches’ took protest to the streets. Now they rally around a hunger strike

Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press: Trump administration races the clock to rebuild US tariff wall knocked down by Supreme Court

Michelle L. Price, Eric Tucker And Collin Binkley, The Associated Press: Trump doubles down on US election attacks in his primetime speech

Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press: More than half of House Democrats vote to cut Israel aid in growing split

Deepti Hajela, The Associated Press: America already tried permanent daylight saving time. It lasted less than a year. Could it work now?

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press: SpaceX Starship launch aborted on the pad at the last moment

One last thing...

James Brooks, The Associated Press:

World Santa Congress brings Christmas cheer to the height of summer

While Europe's still in the throes of summer heat, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Danish city of Aalborg. Read More

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