Searching for drive

Hutterite colonies embrace the manufacturing business – while staying faithful to their way of life

Tucked away at Oak Bluff Hutterite Colony, past rows of communal housing and farm buildings, Aaron Maendel tinkers in a laboratory.

Black-and-white sheets smeared with grey-test formulas cover a counter. A Thermotron — a refrigerator-looking machine — is powered off but standing by to simulate any desired temperature.

Maendel moves to a worktop littered with partly full mixing cups. He pulls out a small, rectangular sample — a sheet showing the drying time of his new fixation, floor coatings.

“Very simple, actually. Very simple machine. Drags a stick through the mud,” Maendel says.

Manitobans once rallied to save elected school boards. Now, voter apathy often wins at the polls

Front lawns were littered with “Local Voices, Local Choices” signs five years ago, protesting the imminent extinction of elected school boards.

Candidates are on the campaign trail today because public outcry forced the then-Progressive Conservative government to abandon its plans to replace trustees with political appointees in 2021.

The backlash to Bill 64 resulted in a new record of registrants, more than 500, for a legislative committee hearing. It became the backdrop for Premier Brian Pallister’s 2021 resignation. And it all but silenced discussion about whether the status quo in Manitoba — home to more school boards per capita than anywhere else in the country — needs even the most minor of redesigns.

Kelvin Goertzen immediately killed the bill when he became interim premier, but the longtime MLA said many of the problems that motivated his predecessor remain unsolved.

Sun sets on Hellebuyck era

Now that the Connor Hellebuyck era of the Jets has finally concluded, what impact will the departure have on the netminder’s legacy?

Well, it’s a complex answer and one that could change with the benefit of time and a side order of sober second thought.

Given how raw things are right now and how things quickly went sideways — with the franchise goalie essentially forcing his way out of town with his trade request back in April — many members of the Winnipeg Jets fan base quickly found themselves at the “good riddance” stage of the grieving process.

This wasn’t how this story was supposed to end and there’s no doubt some feelings have been hurt along the way.

Builder beefs up security after string of blazes

A Winnipeg builder said he’s had to beef up security around his developments after one of his projects sustained significant damage Wednesday in suspected arson cases.

First Crumbl cookie shop opens in Winnipeg

The early birds got their cookies.

Klaudia and Jayson Ballantyne were the first in line for the grand opening of Winnipeg’s first Crumbl location at 1570 Regent Ave. West, arriving at 2 a.m. Friday — six hours before the cookie chain was set to open.

The brother and sister brought their lawn chairs and blankets and hunkered down.

Roughly 90 minutes later, by their count, the next customers arrived.

Winnipegger soprano, Iranian composer exhibit tremendous talent at WSO show

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra launched its newly renamed Thursday night series, Symphonic Sessions, by showcasing one of the world’s finest sopranos hailing from our fair city, Andriana Chuchman.

The 75-minute concert (sans intermission), titled Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été and Schubert’s Symphony No. 4, also featured the auspicious Canadian debut of Iranian conductor Hossein Pishkar, who led the program ranging from lush lyricism to tempestuous Sturm und Drang for a small audience of 660.

Chuchman’s artistry just seems to grow more luminous with each passing year, as the Ukrainian-Canadian singer continues to light up stages throughout North America and in Europe.

Her eagerly anticipated concert performances include shows at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, the National Symphony at Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center’s White Lights Festival, to name a few, as well as appearances with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and, particularly near and dear to the singer’s heart, Winnipeg’s Hoosli Ukrainian Male Chorus.