Stopped cold: ‘Frozen’ musical on Broadway not to reopen

August in the kitchen garden

Lynne Hermiston is passionate about growing her own food. Her backyard food garden in south Winnipeg is an amazing example of the abundance and diversity of food that can be grown in a relatively small space. But it’s also a prime example of how a zest for learning innovative methods can make food gardening more fun.

Hermiston’s backyard is approximately 10 metres wide and 15 metres deep. The growing area consisting of raised beds and a couple of in-ground beds between her deck and back fence is about nine metres deep. There is not a single blade of turf grass in sight. The design for this attractive and productive space was created by Classic Landscaping four years ago. A series of raised wooden beds mulched with straw are neatly arranged on a light grey, slate-like surface. An inviting centre arbor acts as a focal point and supports climbing plants. The square-shaped raised-bed area receives eight to nine hours of sun daily. It is flanked on one side by a long, linear-shaped bed, planted with flowering perennials that attract and support pollinators.

The food plants Hermiston is growing this summer include tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beets, chickpeas, beans, onions, sweet potatoes, horseradish, garlic, peppers, carrots, pumpkin and cauliflower. She is growing Chinese Pink celery, an heirloom variety with bubblegum-pink stems, for the first time, as well as eggplant.

She also grows salad greens and herbs, which have made delicious additions to her summer recipes this year. Only a few harvests remain of the spinach she planted. But, compared to last year’s growing season, some food plants are taking their time, Hermiston says.

Meetings accomplish something that an email never could while respecting people’s time, building relationships

There are few workplace experiences that unite employees quite like complaining about meetings. Ask almost anyone what frustrates them at work, and somewhere on the list will be the meeting that could have been an email. We’ve all been there. Thirty minutes scheduled for a simple update somehow turns into an hour. Half the attendees don’t need to be there. Someone shares their screen for ten minutes trying to find the right document. The meeting ends with everyone wondering what was actually decided.

It’s no surprise that organizations are looking for ways to reduce meeting fatigue. Every hour spent in a meeting is an hour that isn’t spent serving customers, solving problems, writing reports, or completing projects. As calendars become increasingly crowded, employees often find themselves working longer days simply to catch up on the work they couldn’t accomplish because they were in meetings.

The obvious solution seems simple: hold fewer meetings. In many cases, that’s exactly the right answer. Routine updates, policy reminders, project status reports, and information that doesn’t require discussion can often be shared through email and chat platforms. Not every piece of information deserves everyone’s calendar.

But eliminating meetings altogether would create a different problem, especially as more organizations embrace hybrid and remote work.

Development turning long-vacant gas station in Selkirk into commercial hub

A plot of land that has sat vacant in Selkirk for 30 years is being redeveloped to host new businesses in the heart of the city.

The former gas station site on Main Street — between Rosser and Pacific avenues — will be turned into a commercial hub that will be home to six local businesses, and will be a big stepping stone for economic growth in Selkirk, Mayor Larry Johannson said Thursday.

“For decades this site has been a reminder of what once was. Today, it represents what is possible when investors see the potential of our community and choose to be a part of its future,” he said in a news release announcing the project and Thursday’s groundbreaking.

“This development reflects confidence in Selkirk, our economy and the direction we are heading.”

Bombers manage to hand Redblacks another loss

It looked bad. Real bad.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros made his return to the lineup on Friday night against the Ottawa Redblacks, and he was once again the victim of a blindside hit.

The one he suffered in Hamilton on July 5 appeared relatively modest in comparison and yet, it sidelined him for a month with a neck injury.

So when Redblacks linebacker Lucas Cormier came around the edge unblocked and hammered Collaros from behind in the second quarter, you could hear a pin drop inside Princess Auto Stadium.

Revered Broadway rail anchors Winnipeg’s resilient skateboarding scene

The Woodsworth Building at the corner of Broadway and Kennedy Street is an accidental, unofficial mecca of Winnipeg skateboarding.