Berklee appoints first woman to lead music college

RWB’s Studio Series offers up-close ballet experience

If you’ve ever been curious about checking out the ballet, but have also felt like spending two or more hours at the concert hall is too big a commitment or too intimidating, Christopher Stowell gets it.

That’s just one of several reasons the artistic director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet wanted to introduce the Studio Series, a black-box theatre series that offers a more intimate and approachable way to experience the art form.

The inaugural edition, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the RWB Founders Studio and Sunday at Desautels Concert Hall, features a performance of George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, set to George Gershwin’s songs as performed by a jazz musicians from the University of Manitoba’s Desautels faculty of music.

Audiences will be able to ask questions, meet the dancers and get an up-close look at their craft.

Today’s horoscope

MOON ALERT: Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions from 9 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. After that, the moon moves from Capricorn into Aquarius.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

You’re high-viz as this day begins. People notice you. It’s a high-energy day and excellent for communication with partners, spouses and your kids. Discussions about the arts, vacations and fun outings will be interesting and imaginative.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Driver of stolen vehicle facing impairment, other charges after fatal high-speed crash in West Kildonan Sunday

A 19-year-old man faces impaired driving and other charges after a crash involving a stolen vehicle in north Winnipeg killed a 20-year-old woman and another left another woman with life-threatening injuries.

Audited public accounts show Manitoba's deficit last year half of predicted $1.67 billion

Manitoba’s audited public accounts for the last fiscal year show the province is “moving in the right direction,” NDP Finance Minister Adrien Sala said Monday.

The provincial deficit for fiscal 2025-26 was $832 million, nearly half the $1.67-billion deficit forecast in December, and in line with the $794-million estimate in Budget 2026.

“I’m particularly proud of this final result, (given the potential) implications of tariffs on our economy, the worst wildfire season in 30 years — which resulted in significant emergency expenditures — and, of course, a significant drought,” Sala said at a news conference.

The province reported revenues of $25.1 billion and expenses of $25.9 billion, resulting in the $832-million deficit. Manitoba’s net debt is $36.5 billion and costs the province $2.3 billion a year in debt-servicing charges.

Trump defends Iran war in address to UN General Assembly

UNITED NATIONS - U.S. President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday he has a choice to make on Iran: negotiate a deal or "annihilate the Islamic Republic."

In a wide-ranging speech, Trump defended his war on Iran and boasted of American strength, claiming "while others have talked, I have acted.” 

He celebrated the U.S. military operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year and a new agreement to expand the American military presence in Greenland, which came after his threats of annexation.

But those actions have upended the United States' relationships with other nations, including traditional allies. Many of those allies have used the United Nations forum to call for a return to international law.

Kinew ‘open to everything’ after Bell’s 911 failures

Premier Wab Kinew signalled Tuesday he’s open to all potential options, including switching 911 providers, if feasible, after a series of outages in Manitoba.

Kinew, who’s spoken to Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic and Prime Minister Mark Carney about Manitoba’s 911 service, said the government and the telecom continue to have a “back and forth.”

“At this stage, we’re open to everything,” Kinew said of potential steps to ensure the service is reliable. “The No. 1, I think, baseline is that when you dial 911, you’re going to get through to the help you need, whether that’s an ambulance or fire truck or police.”

Kinew said he’s looking forward to receiving Bell’s draft report to learn the cause of the most recent outage, which occurred Thursday and affected five other provinces where the telecom provides 911 service.