Journals unite for Indigenous authors

Winnipeg man among those missing in Nepal flash flood

A Winnipeg man on a pilgrimage in Nepal is among nearly 2,000 people missing after a deadly flash flood devastated a popular tourist region along the Himalayan border earlier this week.

Mohit Kaushik, 49, was travelling with a tour group taking part in the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, a sacred, days-long pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in neighbouring Tibet, according to social media posts.

“Our friend and neighbour, Mohit Kaushik, a resident of Winnipeg, Canada, has been out of contact since yesterday while travelling from Timure during his pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar,” Swikriti Pokhrel wrote in a social media post. “If you have seen him or find his name on any hospital list, please let us know. Thank you.”

Kaushik has not been heard from since Wednesday, when a glacier collapse in the nearby Himalayas triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides, sending a torrent of ice, rock and debris roughly 100 kilometres downstream.

Nightclub owner, divorced dad sentenced for involvement in cocaine-trafficking case

Three people, including a Winnipeg nightclub owner and a divorced dad desperate for cash, have been sentenced in a cocaine-trafficking case city police were once concerned had been compromised by a corrupt cop.

The trio was charged in early 2024 as part of Project Roasted, a lengthy investigation into a drug trafficking network by the Winnipeg Police Service organized crime unit.

Investigators arrested two of the men, Mohamed Ali and Abdullah Khan, as they left the Stella’s on Pembina Highway in early February 2024. Two kilograms of cocaine was found in Khan’s car.

On the same day, Ahmed Dini was arrested at his River Avenue suite, where investigators found more than 200 rocks of crack cocaine.

Summer Reading Challenge concludes with more musings from young readers

Another Free Press Summer Reading Challenge for Kids is in the books, but before we turn the page completely, there are a few more reviews written by our young readers to share.

Participating readers were tasked to write down their thoughts about any of the books on the Summer Reading Challenge’s three reading lists; with a range of formats (novels, graphic novels, books with pictures), themes and reading levels to choose from, budding reviewers of all ages were eager to share their opinion.

Those registered for the challenge received reading resources and activities throughout the summer, from word searches or puzzles based on the content of the books to a set of discussion questions and, in one instance, a special video from an author.

There were also more creative activities meant to engage readers’ critical thinking skills, all of which were free to access for anyone who signed up for the challenge.

Journals unite for Indigenous authors

The Winnipeg International Writers Festival celebrates a new collection of poetry and prose by Indigenous writers tonight at the launch of a special joint edition of the literary journals Prairie Fire and CV2.

Ndncountry, edited by Katherena Vermette and Warren Cariou, includes work by more than 130 Indigenous writers. Contributors include David A. Robertson, winner of this year’s Michael van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction for his book Strangers; Duncan Mercredi, author of four poetry collections, including Spirit of the Wolf; Elizabeth Denny, scriptwriter for APTN children’s series Tipi Tales and Wapos Bay; Jordyn Pepin, an emerging writer and U of M student; Joshua Whitehead, author of the Giller-nominated novel Jonny Appleseed and poetry collection full-metal indigiqueer; and Tenille K. Campbell, author of the poetry collection #IndianLovePoems. They will read from their work tonight at 8 p.m. at MTYP.

The festival’s Indigenous writing theme continues at MTYP tomorrow at 4 p.m. with a panel discussion entitled “Talking Reconciliation: Where to From Here.” Whitehead will be joined by playwright Cliff Cardinal, whose play Huff won several awards in Toronto before being staged last year at Theatre Projects Manitoba; and Lucy Haché, who has written a pair of books of personal reflections on identity, the sea, sky and the forest of her Vancouver Island home (Clouds and Stars).

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Impact of Winnipeg hoops giant Laping went well beyond coaching

In life, few connected with others like Jeff Laping.

A legendary high school basketball coach and influential educator for more than 30 years, he was a figurative giant in Winnipeg’s hoops community with an innate ability to resonate with anyone he met.

Laping was a best friend to many, a confidant to others, and a mentor to even more.

He died on Monday, one week after suffering from cardiac arrest.

Catch the Devil follows serial con man preying on victims along the Gulf Coast — then repatedly duping law enforcement

The debut book from Pamela Colloff, a Texas-based investigative reporter for ProPublica and staff writer for the New York Times Magazine, complicates romantic notions of the scam artist and invites readers to reflect on the systems that enable them.