Guy Maddin in conversation with Bookworm host Michael Silverblatt at the News Café: Replay

Winnipegger just one shot off the lead after opening round at Manitoba Open

Braxton Kuntz began the week not knowing if he’d even be able to play in the Manitoba Open.

The 22-year-old Winnipegger will head to Elmhurst early Friday morning just one shot off the lead — hanging tough with the heavyweights from PGA Tour Americas — after firing a fantastic five-under 65 Thursday afternoon.

“Playing in front of friends, family, a nice gallery watching out there…to start out like that, I’m putting myself in contention,” said Kuntz.

He didn’t realize just how close he was until the Free Press informed him that only Kentucky’s Drew Doyle, who has already won on tour earlier this season, had posted a better score among the 156-player field. Doyle shot a six-under 64.

Manitoba premier open to lifting U.S. booze ban but hopes Canadians won’t buy it

WINNIPEG - Manitoba's premier says he is reluctantly open to returning U.S. booze to provincial shelves as part of a trade deal, but hopes Canadians won't buy it.

Wab Kinew said Thursday he's still waiting for key details, including what the final tariff rates will be, before making any commitments. 

He said Prime Minister Mark Carney has all but begged the provinces to agree to allow U.S. alcohol sales, as Canada and the United States work to finalize a new trade deal to ward off further punishing tariffs on Canadian goods.

While he hasn't agreed to it yet, Kinew said if the province does agree, he hopes Canadians still buy locally.

Planned Elmwood Hub project combines 115 mixed-income housing units, social supports, programs

A long-awaited project will aim to add 115 new homes in Elmwood, with on-site social programs to support some of its more vulnerable residents.

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.

‘Frustrated’ Selkirk nurses plead for help

The province must take immediate action to increase low staffing levels that are putting Selkirk emergency room nurses at risk, a letter sent to the premier and health minister says.

The letter, sent by the Manitoba Nurses Union and signed by 35 ER nurses, detailed multiple recent incidents at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre. In one case, a nurse was stabbed with a pen by a patient who had been waiting 24 hours for care. In another case, a nurse was bitten by a patient.

“Nurses in that emergency department are extremely frustrated,” said Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson. “This is not something that happened in the last month — or overnight — these are problems that have been growing.”

The five-page letter was sent Tuesday to Premier Wab Kinew, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and leaders of the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority. It contained 10 requests to improve safety inside the emergency department, including establishing safer nurse-to-patient staffing levels, eliminating the practice of “single physician coverage” in the emergency department and implementing an institutional safety officer around the clock.