Hubbie’s first jab not a licence for risky behaviour

Library opera shows let kids take control of the action

Virtually everyone would choose a treat over a mouldy sandwich.

But the youngsters attending Rufus and Rita in Winnipeg libraries often choose the latter.

The 25-minute opera, produced by Manitoba Underground Opera and showing in Winnipeg libraries until the end of August before touring rural Manitoba, has a lively choose-your-own-adventure quality.

“Let’s find out what happens when we let the kids take control, and they can tell us what story they want to know,” says Brendan McKeen, MUO’s executive director.

Man sues WRHA, doctors after wrong leg amputated at Grace Hospital in 2024

A man whose left leg was mistakenly amputated — rather than his infected lower right leg — at the Grace Hospital in 2024 has filed a lawsuit against the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and two doctors involved in his care.

Jason Kennedy, who lives in Winnipeg and is a member of Bloodvein First Nation, filed his statement of claim in Court of King’s Bench last week, naming the WRHA and orthopedic surgeons Dr. David John Dillon and Dr. Yiyang Zhang as defendants.

He accuses the health authority and doctors of negligence and breach of duty, among other allegations.

Kennedy was 48 when he went to Seven Oaks General Hospital on Oct. 22, 2024, with pain and an infection in his right foot.

Winnipeg team behind national LGBT monument spent six years bringing it to fruition

The Winnipeg team behind a national monument recognizing the LGBT Purge were in Ottawa to celebrate its official unveiling Friday.

Thunderhead is the work of local artists Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, Liz Wreford and Peter Sampson of Public City Architecture, and knowledge keeper Albert McLeod, who served as cultural adviser for the project.

The team beat out 31 international submissions for the project, which is permanently located at 201 Wellington St. in Ottawa along the Ottawa River, in view of Parliament.

“We are a beacon internationally around the world of what democracies can do about inclusion, about human rights,” McLeod said.

Woman dies in River Heights house fire

A woman is dead after a fire destroyed part of a house in Winnipeg’s River Heights community.

Neighbour Russ Kolisnyk said he watched as fire crews battled the blaze at about 10:30 a.m. at 1076 Fleet Ave. Monday.

“They went into the back of the house with hoses, all of the other equipment, they were in their full gear,” the 61-year-old said. “Then we heard a person coming out and they came out the front door with her.”

A couple, believed to be in their 60s, lived in the home, another neighbour said.

Blue Bombers volunteer seriously injured in collision with e-scooter

A longtime Winnipeg Blue Bombers volunteer was rushed to hospital and now faces months of recovery after being hit by an e-scooter while directing football fans after a home game last month.

Community rallies around family devastated by fire

Dennis Lafreniere and his wife didn’t expect to celebrate 27 years of marriage Thursday in a Selkirk hotel room while reeling from a recent house fire.

The couple and their two daughters lost their home last Sunday in a raging fire that left nothing behind, but overwhelming support from multiple communities has kept them afloat.

“It’s devastating when you don’t have any clothes, any medication, all of that stuff, and it’s just so overwhelming the next morning. It’s just nasty,” Lafreniere said.

Investigators suspect the fire was caused by a fridge, freezer and battery charger that were all plugged into the same electrical line that got overheated. The house, located on Highway 59 between Selkirk and Libau, is a farmhouse built in 1943, and investigators think worn-out electrical lines also contributed to the fire, said Lafreniere.