Pulitzers and American Library Association launch ‘Pulitzer on the Road’ touring exhibit

From the starting gate to the home stretch: Here’s to you, Bud

No more horsey dreams. My Dad died last Sunday. He was 89.

He was sitting on the steps at the front door tying his shoes, waiting for the neighbour to pick him up for church, when he just slumped over. The neighbour tried CPR. The paramedics arrived and did what they could.

But he was gone.

He wasn’t in the best of health, but he was still sharp mentally and he could get around the house with a walker. And lately our conversations had become much more animated, especially when it came to his new horse. After decades of not owning a racehorse, he had a new two-year-old at Woodbine.

Today’s horoscope

MOON ALERT: Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions after 9 p.m. The moon is in Gemini.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Your mind is focused, giving you common sense and practical ideas. This is an excellent day to sign up for a course or learn something new. Don’t hesitate to listen to the advice of someone older or more experienced because after all, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Klein to double down on derelict homes

Kevin Klein promises to set tight timelines for owners to clean up vacant and derelict homes, if he’s elected to become Winnipeg’s next mayor.

The owner of each building would have six months after it becomes vacant to file an action plan to repair, renovate or remove the structure entirely by the one-year mark.

Those who fail to do so would face heavy fines and possible expropriation, he said.

“Hundreds of empty buildings sit boarded up, waiting to burn, like the one behind me. A vacant house is a fire trap, it’s a crime hub,” said Klein, pointing out the charred remains of a home on Alexander Avenue Friday.

Jets new backup Stevenson ‘stoked’ to be in tandem with Skinner

It didn’t take long to get the dirt on the newest member of the Winnipeg Jets.

Meet Clay Stevenson, who has no problem if you prefer to refer to him by his long-standing nickname of “Mud.”

“You know, Clay is in the mud, and there you go. That’s it, right there,” Stevenson said Wednesday with a laugh. “I got it in juniors when I was playing in Coquitlam, and kind of stuck ever since.”

Stevenson is now hoping to make a name for himself in a city that, quite fittingly, translates to “muddy water” in Cree. The 27-year-old from Alberta was placed on waivers by the Washington Capitals and claimed by the Jets, who were looking to clarify a goaltending situation which was as murky as the Red River.

Deadpool drops by Children’s Hospital to say thanks on behalf of Olympian’s family

For Olympian Justin Duff, rappelling down the side of a hospital was more than a test of nerve. It was a chance to give back to a place that helped his family through a frightening time.

On Friday, Duff, a former professional volleyball player who competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio, was one of several local community leaders and emergency-service workers who descended the side of the Health Sciences Centre Children’s Hospital for the fifth-annual Suspended Superheroes fundraiser.

Dressed as Deadpool, Duff took his time while making his way down the building, pausing at each floor’s window to wave and smile at the children and parents inside.

“Being able to bring a little bit of joy to these kids who are really fighting, it’s a great thing to do,” he said.

Retired guidance counsellor defends explicit 2025 sex-ed presentation to high school football team in disciplinary hearing

Gus Watanabe, a former employee of Oak Park High School in Winnipeg, was the subject of a public disciplinary hearing on Thursday.