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Lawsuit targets pontoon boat operator, Sea-Doo driver, owner in fatal Whitemud River crash

The father of a 39-year-old Portage la Prairie woman killed in a boat crash on the Whitemud River is suing the men who were operating the involved watercraft, claiming they were negligent when navigating the winding waterway.

Province urged to lead effort to prevent dog maulings

More than two dozen animal advocacy groups are calling for an immediate meeting with federal and provincial governments and First Nations leadership to co-ordinate efforts to deal with problem dog populations following the mauling death of a rescue worker this month.

The Winnipeg Humane Society, K9 Advocacy Manitoba and Partners in Prevention are among the 26 groups asking for the creation of an advisory committee — which would include veterinary experts — to ensure a provincewide strategy on problem dog populations is developed and implemented.

“This is very much that call for action,” said Christina Von Schindler, CEO of the humane society. “The time is now.”

They say there are “systematic gaps” in dealing with overpopulation and the lack of veterinary services in First Nation communities. They say it is tantamount to a public health crisis.

Rivers restoration projects get a funding boost

RIVERS — The provincial government is providing $98,000 to help restore the Rivers train station, develop a bicycle museum on the site and expand bike trails in the community.

The train station is an important part of the province’s history, said Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard, who was in Rivers on Wednesday.

“This project preserves a key piece of Manitoba’s heritage, and it creates new opportunities for tourism, culture and local economic and recreational development,” Simard, the MLA for Brandon East, told a gathering of about 25 people.

The funding, which is coming from the provincial program From the Ground Up — Safe Healthy Communities for All, is also being used toward researching and producing the Sekine bicycle story with Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan, for the planned museum.

Decision on corridor for Trans-Canada twinning near Ontario border expected this fall, province says

The Manitoba government is taking more time to evaluate and select a preferred corridor for the twinning of a 16-kilometre section of the Trans-Canada Highway near the Ontario boundary.

An earlier timeline indicated Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure expected to choose an alignment by the fall of 2025. A provincial spokesperson told the Free Press on Monday a decision is expected this winter, but a different spokesperson said Wednesday a decision is expected this fall.

“The department continues to evaluate corridor alternatives and will undertake additional geotechnical, environmental and design work as part of the (functional design study) to support the selection of a preferred corridor,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The study, which will include Crown-Indigenous and public consultation, is expected to be completed in late 2027, with a detailed design to follow.

Former teacher would suit up with Bombers in just ninth game of three-down loop career

In a way, Micah Vanterpool’s brief stint as a Grade 3 teacher in his hometown of Tulsa, Okla., prepared him for life in the CFL.

The third-year offensive lineman for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers only has eight career games on his resumé as he has bounced around between the practice roster, starting lineup and injury report.

But thanks to his time in the classroom, he’s developed the patience that’s required by a young American trying to make a name for oneself in the three-down loop.

Vanterpool got into teaching after failing to make the New England Patriots in 2023. He said goodbye to the education profession the following year and took his talents up north to Winnipeg.

WAG wraps exhibition showcasing fine art of a sweet bike

Growing up in rural Manitoba, Allen Hildebrand was always tinkering with something. While on a flight to Mexico in 2016, it felt like an act of fate when he picked up a magazine and opened it to the ultimate project.

“It had this dirty old bike on it and I was like, ‘I want one of these in my life,’” Hildebrand says.

After 10 years, he is running out of space in his garage after filling it with four bikes, two of which are featured in a pop-up motorcycle exhibition at the WAG-Qaumajuq that ends Thursday.

The art gallery is broadening the perspective of what fine art can be with Art Moto: Where Design Meets the Road, featuring 25 motorbikes hand-built by local enthusiasts and set up in the gallery’s main hall and skylight.