Arts & Life

Opinion

Emma Da Silva / The Associated Press files Wildfires have been raging near Bordeaux, France, a famed wine region.

Smoke taint new reality in wine as world burns

Ben Sigurdson 6 minute read Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

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Summer seems to come with a familiar smell these days: the pungent aroma of smoke.

The haze of smoke from wildfires in warmer months is now the norm rather than the exception. Breathing gets tougher, particularly for those whose health is compromised, and clothes pick up that unpleasant smoky smell.

But your shirt or sweater isn’t the only thing that absorbs the scent — in wildfire-affected grape-growing regions, winemakers also have to contend with the potential for their wines to develop what is called smoke taint.

Early in the growing season grapes, like most fruit, are small and green with thick skins. The berries get larger until around late July-ish (in the northern hemisphere) the bunches stop growing, the skins get thinner and the fruit begins changing colour in a process called veraison.

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Books

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Kreviazuk, in her own voice

Winnipeg-born singer talks latest album, Order of Manitoba induction

Eva Wasney 7 minute read Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

Environment

Shoppers look through art supplies for sale at the Brooklyn Creative Reuse on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman)

At creative reuse centers, old art supplies get a new life at a fraction of the cost

Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

At creative reuse centers, old art supplies get a new life at a fraction of the cost

Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 9:06 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Charlene Catalano was looking for a ball of green-and-white yarn to crochet this year's winter scarf.

Instead of going to a big-box retail store, she found what she needed at Brooklyn Creative Reuse, along with gently used crochet kits, hooks, labels and other bits. It all cost just $6.

“Nowadays, art is popping off, so things are more expensive,” Catalano said. “It has the perfect amount of what I need.”

The Brooklyn store is one of hundreds of creative reuse centers across the U.S. and beyond which aim to keep art supplies out of landfills. They typically sell donated arts and crafts materials at steep discounts — like thrift stores for crafting.

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Updated: 9:06 AM CDT

Environment

Allen Sather and his wife Kimberley embrace at the duplex they rent on W. Indian Trail Rd. after it burned in a wildfire in Spokane, Wash., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

Washington state fires destroy hundreds of structures and force Spokane-area residents to evacuate

John Hanna, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Washington state fires destroy hundreds of structures and force Spokane-area residents to evacuate

John Hanna, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 9:08 AM CDT

Light winds and lower temperatures were in the forecast Monday to help firefighters with wildfires in eastern Washington state that forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area while destroying at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures.

The fires in and around Spokane, the state's second-largest city, burned about 12.5 square miles (about 32 square kilometers) by Monday morning and filled the sky with smoke and haze. They were 0% contained, Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, said.

The weather forecast for Monday called cooler temperatures and light winds following strong wind gusts Sunday. No rain was in the forecast.

The fires were among dozens of wildfires across the Western U.S. that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them.

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Updated: 9:08 AM CDT

Life & Style

This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for no-cook tomato sauce from

A simple no-cook tomato sauce for peak summer heat, from Meryl Feinstein

Meryl Feinstein, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

A simple no-cook tomato sauce for peak summer heat, from Meryl Feinstein

Meryl Feinstein, The Associated Press 3 minute read 6:34 AM CDT

When tomatoes are at their peak — and it’s too hot to turn on the oven — this simple, no-cook sauce from my cookbook “Pasta Every Day” is what I come back to time and again. It’s often called pomodoro crudo and served with very thin spaghetti, though you’ll find many variations, including those with onions, capers, olives and local cheese.

In that spirit, don’t hesitate to make this your own.

You can use any flavorful tomato here, from heirloom to plum to cherry. Remove the skins and seeds of the larger varieties if you’d like, or keep it rustic and leave them intact (I prefer the latter). The pasta will soak up the garlicky tomato juices over time, meaning it makes for great (dare I say better?) leftovers and picnic fare.

No-Cook Tomato & Basil Sauce

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6:34 AM CDT

Science & Technology

A worker drives a forklift at the Phoenix Tailings refinery Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Exeter, N.H. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)

US faces new pressure to build weapons without China’s rare earth magnets

Didi Tang, Josh Funk And Rodrique Ngowi, The Associated Press 8 minute read Preview

US faces new pressure to build weapons without China’s rare earth magnets

Didi Tang, Josh Funk And Rodrique Ngowi, The Associated Press 8 minute read Updated: 7:36 AM CDT

EXETER, N.H. (AP) — A giant American flag hanging on the wall of a warehouse in New Hampshire hints at the national importance of the elements bound inside the mining waste stored in 1-ton bags. The company uses electrolysis to separate the key critical elements President Donald Trump's administration desperately wants to produce domestically from the powder left behind at traditional mines.

The small Phoenix Tailings refinery tucked inside an office park in Exeter, New Hampshire, could play a key role in helping America break the chokehold China has on the processing of critical minerals, but it will take 14 to 18 months to build a new factory with a $500 million loan from the Pentagon to drastically expand the company's separation and metallization capacity, a particularly weak stage in the U.S. mines-to-magnets supply chain.

The task that workers carry out in heat-resistant suits and sealed face masks has become more urgent with the war in the Middle East rapidly drawing down munitions because critical minerals are a key ingredient in widely used U.S. weapons systems such as Tomahawk cruise missiles, THAAD interceptors and F-35 fighter jets. While the White House is demanding military contractors speed up weapons production, it’s also imposing even stricter rules banning them from sourcing critical-mineral components from China.

“It will be a tall order and a challenge to replenish these stocks and scale up in the time frame needed to meet defense demand and regulations,” said Anthony Balladon, the chief commercial officer and a co-founder. He said the company is working hard to greatly increase its capacity.

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Updated: 7:36 AM CDT

Health

FILE - Students help put away supplies at the end of a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Trump overhaul could gut Head Start preschool standards, leaving states to set the rules

Moriah Balingit, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Trump overhaul could gut Head Start preschool standards, leaving states to set the rules

Moriah Balingit, The Associated Press 6 minute read 5:41 AM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration is planning a dramatic overhaul of Head Start that would gut its quality standards, upending the hallmarks of the early education program for impoverished children, two people familiar with the deliberations said.

Head Start, established in the 1960s to help fight poverty, has long been considered by experts to be a gold standard early learning program. Its regulations, which stretch more than 100 pages, outline requirements on everything from child-to-teacher ratios and child health screenings to family engagement.

The Republican administration would replace those regulations with around a dozen pages of rules, leaving most of the specifics up to state and local law, said the people familiar with the deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss information that was not yet public and because they feared reprisal.

The draft rules would require more documentation from parents who are homeless or unemployed, the people familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press. An early version of the proposal also would have barred parents who are in the United States illegally from enrolling their children, even if the children are U.S. citizens. It's unclear whether those provisions will make the final draft.

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5:41 AM CDT

Arts Editor's Picks

Living the strongman life means special training for special strength

SUPPLIED Islendingadagurinn is partnering with Magnús Ver Magnússon, four-time World’s Strongest Man and legendary Icelander, to host the MVM Classic Gimli, a world-class strongman event showcasing traditional Icelandic feats of strength.

Sottobraccio brings Harth’s Italian flavours to new location in Osborne Village

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Sottobraccio is located in the Zü on Osborne.

Singing the praises of fringe shows that dare to take risks

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Fringe festival posters and sandwich boards line the sidewalk along Market Avenue beside the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.

Arjun Lal exhibition explores how society remains shaped by colonialism

SUPPLIED Arjun Lal at a YMCA in Nova Scotia before his initial performance of To Be a Flamingo in 2024

Cultural consultation gives Indigenous stories strength in Netflix’s new Little House on the Prairie

Netflix Ojibwa actor Meegwun Fairbrother says getting a firm handle on the Osage language was crucial to preparing for his role in Little House on the Prairie.

City has plenty of frozen dessert oases to discover

Photos by MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Ava’s Butter Cookie (left) and mint chocolate are among the many ice cream flavours on offer at Fete.

Diversions

More Arts & Life

Puzzles Palace is home to your favourite word games and brain teasers. Enjoy seven Sudokus, five crosswords (including the Thomas Joseph and Premier) as well as two new puzzles: Word Sleuth and Plus One.

Challenge yourself in Puzzles Palace

Puzzles Palace is home to your favourite word games and brain teasers. Enjoy seven Sudokus, five crosswords (including the Thomas Joseph and Premier) as well as two new puzzles: Word Sleuth and Plus One.

Environment

A volunteer tries to extinguish small flames during a wildfire near Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens, Greece, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Europe’s hot and dry summer takes its toll with fires in France and Greece, and drought in the U.K.

Derek Gatopoulos And Sylvie Corbet, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Europe’s hot and dry summer takes its toll with fires in France and Greece, and drought in the U.K.

Derek Gatopoulos And Sylvie Corbet, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 9:50 AM CDT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A record-breaking hot and dry summer tightened its grip on Europe Monday, as water-dropping planes swooped over a major wildfire in Greece, firefighters in France sought to stabilize a blaze in Provence, and much of the U.K. recorded its driest July in nearly two centuries.

Strong winds eased in Greece, allowing firefighting flights to resume, a day after a midair collision between two helicopters killed two crew members.

A Greek and a Danish national died and two others were hospitalized in the helicopter collision. All four were private operators chartered by the Greek firefighting service.

In France, firefighters in the region around Bordeaux guarded against potential flare-ups inside a still-burning scar four times the size of Paris.

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Updated: 9:50 AM CDT

Health

Esther Lutula, a 26 year-old woman who is four months pregnant and a mother of four who stopped going for prenatal checkups shortly after the current Ebola outbreak, does the laundry outside her house in Bunia, northeastern, Congo, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

More pregnant women are dying in Congo as they avoid hospitals over Ebola

Justin Kabumba And Chinedu Asadu, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

More pregnant women are dying in Congo as they avoid hospitals over Ebola

Justin Kabumba And Chinedu Asadu, The Associated Press 5 minute read 12:17 AM CDT

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Esther Lutula stopped going for prenatal checkups shortly after the current Ebola outbreak was declared in eastern Congo. Midway into her pregnancy, the 26-year-old feared being put into isolation simply for having a fever, a common misconception.

“That’s why I’m waiting until the disease is no longer widespread,” she told The Associated Press from her home in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and epicenter of the outbreak declared on May 15.

But that could be a deadly mistake.

Maternal mortality across Ituri soon doubled as news of the outbreak spread, with an average of about six women dying per week due to childbirth complication, according to Noemi Dalmonte, deputy country representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Congo.

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12:17 AM CDT

Science & Technology

Faith Maeba, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, poses for a portrait with her tablet at her home Monday, July 20, 2026, in Stafford, Va. (AP Photo/Moriah Ratner)

At colleges, the AI boom means everyone wants to dabble in computer science

Heather Hollingsworth, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

At colleges, the AI boom means everyone wants to dabble in computer science

Heather Hollingsworth, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: 7:38 AM CDT

With no background in coding, Faith Maeba, a psychology major, was reluctant when her mother first suggested she enroll in classes on artificial intelligence.

But the senior at Virginia Commonwealth University began to see it differently as she looked into graduate psychology programs that explore human behavior in the workplace, which is quickly being upended by machine learning. Maeba, 21, is now pursuing a minor in AI.

“It’s giving me an edge and standing out,” she said.

Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers — work increasingly done by AI agents — and college enrollment in computer and information science programs has been declining. Yet at campuses across the country, many professors are finding themselves busier than ever teaching students from a range of majors about artificial intelligence.

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Updated: 7:38 AM CDT

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