San Francisco plays Pittsburgh following Gausman’s strong performance

Rural residents ‘outraged’ property owner charged after shots fired during confrontation with alleged thieves: MLA

A rural Manitoba MLA says he has heard from constituents who are “shocked and outraged” that a 66-year-old man is facing charges after he fired shots at a group of people accused of stealing from his property.

“This isn’t vigilante justice. This isn’t about someone going out and trying to settle scores,” Josh Guenter, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Borderland, said Thursday.

“This is about Manitobans who have crime perpetrated on them, and what they’re able to do in that moment, to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their property.”

Officers were sent to property in the Rural Municipality of Dufferin, located about 95 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, on Saturday after a report of a theft in progress. RCMP said four people who had been on the property earlier in the day returned that evening, driving two vehicles stolen from Watrous, Sask.

City blames weather for creating new sinkhole on Sturgeon Creek path

After a massive water-filled hole on a Sturgeon Creek active-transportation pathway took more than a year to fix, a new sinkhole has opened nearby.

In June 2023, the Free Press reported on a gaping depression stretching seven metres long, three metres wide and up to a metre deep that opened on a pathway leading to a playground on Amarynth Crescent near the Sturgeon Creek active-transportation route. The city finally made repairs in October 2024.

Now, about 12 metres away from that spot, a new crater has appeared. The hole, about three metres long and 2.5 metres wide, has been blocked off using metal rods and plastic netting, but resident Philip Kaban said the opening is getting larger.

“This big hole in the middle is getting bigger and bigger,” Kaban said Thursday.

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.”

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.

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.