Finnish conductor and composer Segerstam will be honored with a tribute event after his funeral

‘Please excuse us from writing these notes …’

It’s a common-sense prescription for the health-care system. The only wonder is that it took so long to happen.

Today’s horoscope

MOON ALERT: After 3:30 a.m. there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Libra.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

You will have to go more than halfway when dealing with others, which is no biggie. This simply requires you to be present, accommodating and willing to go along to get along. Be aware that a partner, spouse or close friend might surprise you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

PCs renew calls for CFS inquiry

The Progressive Conservatives renewed calls to put Manitoba’s child and welfare system under the microscope Thursday, tabling a motion that urged the province to appoint a commissioner to lead a public inquiry.

Families critic Jodie Byram’s opposition day motion, which was ultimately defeated by the NDP majority, reiterated demands for an inquiry into the systemic failures of Child and Family Services, more than 20 years after the death of Phoenix Sinclair first prompted demands for answers.

“We have seen far too many children die under the care of CFS, and we need to determine where the gaps are in the system in order to make the system a safer place for children,” Byram told reporters before the motion was defeated in the legislature.

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said in an interview that her department, CFS agencies and authorities are “doing good work” and won’t call an inquiry.

Chopped trees will leave a ‘blight’ on Windsor Park

Robert Gordon has watched the trees grow along a popular Windsor Park walking path for nearly six decades.

Now, as Manitoba Hydro cuts them down to protect nearby power lines, he says a familiar part of his childhood neighbourhood is disappearing.

Although he no longer lives in the area, Gordon regularly returns to walk or cycle along the tree-lined path, which runs parallel to Archibald Street.

He was concerned when he recently spotted crews clearing vegetation near the entrance to the path, but initially assumed they were removing brush. When he returned, he discovered the clearing had extended farther along the corridor.

A dozen straight titles for Indigenous trainers at Downs

THAT’S a wrap!

The 69th season of live racing at Assiniboia Downs came to a close on Wednesday and for the 12th consecutive year the training title was won by an Indigenous horseman.

Trainer Jerry Gourneau of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota won his sixth trainer title at the Downs with a record of 54-45-43 from 280 starts and purse earnings of US$559,191.

And for the eighth straight year, Gourneau’s main owner, former champion race car driver Henry S. Witt, Jr. won the owner title at the Downs. He compiled a record of 46-41-40 from 242 starts and purse earnings of US$535,983.

Finnish conductor and composer Segerstam will be honored with a tribute event after his funeral

HELSINKI (AP) — The prolific Finnish conductor and composer Leif Segerstam, who was one of the most colorful personalities in the Nordic country’s classical music scene, will be remembered in a tribute event at the Finnish National Opera following his funeral next month, his family said Monday.

His son Jan Segerstam told The Associated Press that the Nov. 8 memorial for his father, who died in Helsinki on Oct. 9 at age 80 from complications following pneumonia, will showcase his musical history. He said it will include musical tributes for the artist who composed his first work at age 6 and was also a violinist.

As a composer, Segerstam became known for creating 371 symphonies, which he claimed was a world record. The large number is partly explained by the brevity of many works.

Even illness didn’t stop his composing.