Could be déjà blues if you take in vexing ex

Low-income residents of 114-year-old downtown block staggered by proposed rent hikes

Marcel Blanchette’s life has not travelled down a smooth road.

In 2014, he was violently assaulted in his home, an unprovoked attack that left him with severe injuries, including permanent brain damage. He underwent months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. During that time, he learned his possessions had been sold off when the Office of The Public Guardian and Trustee took over his affairs.

Twelve years later, he finds himself in another fight. This time, it comes in the form of a proposal from the new owners of the Conway Court apartment block that would nearly double his monthly rent. While he’s been able to live in the Kennedy Street unit with the support of disability income assistance for nearly five years, the sudden spike, he said, could leave him homeless.

“To go through that, and now I’m going through this, it’s another obstacle,” Blanchette told the Free Press. “I fought the Public Guardian and Trustee, and I’ll fight this too, with whatever I have.”

Provincial teacher watchdog releases names, details in three disciplinary matters

An Interlake teacher with a history of “intimidating” outbursts has been ordered to participate in counselling and study anger-management strategies after he made a child cry.

Somali refugee admits he helped to smuggle African migrants into Manitoba for money

A Somali refugee who was twice caught by RCMP assisting in the smuggling of desperate African migrants into Manitoba during the frigid winter — including while out on bail, months after he was first arrested with eight foreign nationals in his vehicle — has admitted he did so for money.

Nachtigall top of the pack heading into Canadian Mid-Am final

Evan Nachtigall is trying not to get ahead of himself. But you’ll forgive the young Manitoba golfer for pondering the “what if” as he stands on the cusp of a career milestone.

Nachtigall, 25, sits alone on top of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur championship through 54 holes. He is 17-under par and carries a two-shot lead into Friday’s final round at the Brantford Golf & Country Club in Ontario.

“It would be incredible, but there is a lot of golf left to go so I won’t be thinking too much about that until hopefully the final putt drops,” Nachtigall told reporters on scene Thursday.

The Brandon product is aiming to become the first Manitoban to win the national title since Todd Fanning did so in 2017, winning a playoff over Ontario’s Garrett Rank.

Man pleads guilty to shotgun slaying

A Winnipeg drug dealer has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a March 2025 killing that saw the body of a 30-year-old man dumped in a garbage bin and dragged to a West End alleyway.

Frederick Francis Mathias Baker, who was 28 upon his arrest early last year, shot Bronson Emery Dale Kequahtooway once in the thigh with a sawed-off shotgun and left him with a fatal wound, Crown prosecutor Matt Armstrong told Court of King’s Bench Justice Brian Bowman on Wednesday.

A split second after Baker shot Kequahtooway in the thigh, the victim was shot in the head with a sawed-off .22 rifle. The man accused of being armed with the rifle, Eric Matthew Morrissette, remains before the court on a second-degree murder charge.

“Either wound would have been fatal on its own,” said Armstrong.

Veteran actress Grier to headline Film Training Manitoba event

An actress known for her pioneering work in U.S cinema will speak at a Winnipeg event promoting women in film careers.

Pam Grier is slated to talk about breaking barriers and building a lasting career during the Supporting Women in Film Trades (SWIFT) conference.

Grier received a Golden Globe nomination in 1998 for her lead role in Jackie Brown, a Quentin Tarantino movie. Her breakout roles came starring in blaxploitation films Coffy and Foxy Brown — released in 1973 and 1974, respectively.

“Pam Grier was such a huge get for us,” Adam Smoluk, executive director of Film Training Manitoba, said Thursday.