Field of screams

Letters, Aug. 31

Connor Hellebuyck, as we know, backstopped the U.S.A. to Olympic gold. Shortly after winning, he was invited to the Oval Office and accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from his country, a medal that has been awarded to numerous famous athletes — Babe Ruth, Billie Jean King, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, to name a few.

Committee vote brings outdoor learning facility one step closer for Riel school division

Plans for an outdoor education facility that would host Indigenous and land-based learning for the Louis Riel School Division are moving forward.

The one-storey, 10,869-square-foot (1,010-square-metre) building would feature three classrooms, seven offices, multi-purpose rooms, workstations and common areas. The site would also offer an entry plaza and an outdoor classroom on 8.2 acres (3.3 hectares) of land at 3280 St. Mary’s Rd. in the St. Vital Perimeter South neighbourhood.

Existing buildings would remain and be used as a bus maintenance shop, outdoor material storage sheds and a covered outdoor work area.

Once the facility is built, students could take field trips to the site to learn about the environment, as well as Indigenous culture.

Manitoba Hydro’s strategy: Deny, deny, deny

Here’s a good story…

A man walks into your office and says, “Have I got a deal for you! I want $3 billion (plus perhaps a bit more) to build you something that you might use three or even four times a year, for maybe 30-60 hours each time. Sign here.”

You might respond… “and I’ve got a lovely bridge for sale…”

That is exactly what Manitoba Hydro wants — $3 billion or more, plus the fossil fuel bonus for peak load events that happen a few times each year. They assure us that the gas turbines will only be used very occasionally. At the same time, they tell us that we are headed for a crisis of energy supply by 2030.

Man charged with murder, arson in North End blaze

A 22-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and arson in connection with a North End fire Thursday.

Ismail Abdihakim Ali was arrested at the scene of a blaze at a home at 344 St. Johns Ave. just before 10:30 p.m., a Winnipeg Police Service news release said Monday.

Mark Bosadas Marmeto, 35, died from his injuries Saturday.

“It’s devastating to hear somebody has passed,” said Nestor de Quiroz, whose uncle owns the home.

School zones return Tuesday as lead-footed drivers risk steep fines

School crossing guards are preparing to resume their posts on busy corners across the Winnipeg School Division, but Luna Zúñiga isn’t one of them.

Zúñiga hung up her high-visibility vest about 30 months ago after she was struck by a motorist while escorting a child through a pedestrian crosswalk on Grant Avenue at Lanark Street.

Zúñiga protected the child, who wasn’t hurt, but the educational assistant at nearby J.B. Mitchell School suffered life-altering injuries, including nerve damage that limits her stamina, range of motion and makes her left leg “feel like it’s burning all the time.”

“I don’t know what needs to be done (to improve school-zone safety),” she said. “But I do know that when a six-year-old is crossing the street, a car needs to be fully stopped.”

Heavy rain, wind sweep across Manitoba as tornado takes out barn near Elkhorn

Kelvin Siemens hoped he was dreaming when a tornado touched down near his home Sunday evening.

When he woke up the next morning, the southwestern Manitoba farmer confirmed it was no dream, as his barn and hay shed were toppled and a pile of rubble was left behind.

“This kind of devastation can really test your constitution,” Siemens, 65, told the Free Press from his farm just south of Kola, a small community in the Rural Municipality of Wallace-Woodworth.

The tornado was reported near Elkhorn, about 105 kilometres west of Brandon, at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday. A second tornado touched down near Maryfield, Sask., located southwest of Elkhorn.