A little dabber’ll do ya

Half Pints Brewing out of bankruptcy, back on shelves

A pioneer of Winnipeg’s craft brewing scene has reopened under new ownership.

Inconsistency plagues Bombers as season hangs in balance

It’s reached a point where members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers can no longer hide their frustration.

They’ve been inconsistent all season, and it caught up with them again Friday at Commonwealth Stadium in a 35-27 loss to the Edmonton Elks.

The Bombers (8-9) could’ve clinched a playoff berth with a win. With both the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8) and Calgary Stampeders (9-9) winning Saturday, Winnipeg must now beat the B.C. Lions (10-7) in Vancouver on Friday to qualify for the post-season.

Meanwhile, the Elks improved to 13-4 and secured first place in the West Division for the first time since 2015.

De Havilland calls for national water bomber fleet as it scrambles to meet demand

MONTREAL - On July 13, a pair of Canadair water bombers touched down on the Seine River, skimming along its surface to refill their water tanks as they battled a wildfire south of Paris.

The "super scoopers," with their signature ketchup-red wing tips on a mustard-yellow body, sucked up 6,000-plus litres from France’s most famous waterway in one go as part of a fight against the flames then rampaging across Europe.

The event in north-central France underscored how wildfires are ranging even farther from their traditional grounds and fuelling an urgent need for water bombers to fend off climate disasters.

The iconic Canadair turboprops serve as the only amphibious firefighting aircraft currently in production built from the outset for that purpose, rather than being retrofitted to douse flames.

Klein would redirect money to fix derelict arenas

Rerouting funds slated for bike and walking paths to aging rinks is on mayoral candidate Kevin Klein’s radar.

“We have some arenas — and they seem to specifically be in the north end — that are not getting the attention they deserve,” Klein said.

“We have to spend the money wisely maintaining (arenas), because we don’t have the cash to rebuild them.”

Klein spoke to reporters Saturday after hearing the president of the River East Royal Knights had been locked out of his Terry Sawchuk Arena office.

New twist in Hellebuyck saga, suspension ends Friday

Connor Hellebuyck has played the reverse Uno card.

What we don’t know is if he has any intention of coming back to friendly Manitoba or if this is simply the latest attempt to put the Winnipeg Jets feet to the flames in an effort to move him to an American market.

Prior to puck drop on Saturday afternoon, when the Jets were getting set to host the Carolina Hurricanes, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that the three-time Vezina Trophy winner and one-time Hart Trophy winner informed the organization he wanted to return on Oct. 2 and that his holdout has now shifted to a team-imposed suspension that can officially come to an end Friday.

The Jets were able to extend his suspension (for failing to report to training camp) because of a clause in the collective bargaining agreement, Article 15.13, subsection (c)(v), which reads: “If a player who has not received permission to be absent from training camp returns to the club, he shall be subject to a disciplinary suspension of reasonable length.”

A bingo card to help fill your Manitoba summer

Welcome to the Summer Series, the official survival guide for parents and caregivers about to embark on the longest, loudest and most expensive 10 weeks of the year.

Starting today and running every Monday until Aug. 31, the Free Press Arts & Life section will publish a weekly feature that will (hopefully!) save you during one of those inevitable “I’m so bored, there’s nothing to do” days.

To kick things off, we’ve devised this handy Cut and Keep Road Trip Bingo Card: Manitoba Edition.

Cut it out or print it off, laminate it (or don’t) and stick it in the car for when you’re next on the road ready for young (and not-so-young) kids to cross off their finds. Have fun!