Aragon a ‘true pro’ says Martin Sheen

Aragon a ‘true pro’ says Martin Sheen

WHY would an American acting icon interrupt shooting of his new Netflix series, co-starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, to chat about a 14-year-old Winnipeg singer who's about to release her debut single?

It's the first question put to Martin Sheen, known for his standout roles in the film Apocalypse Now and as the American president on TV's The West Wing. It turns out that he is a long-distance fan of Maria Aragon.

"If you've seen this 14-year-old girl from Winnipeg, you would understand why I'd do this," he says over the telephone from Los Angeles. "I think she's got a big career in front of her. She's in the same genre as a young Michael Jackson. I'm delighted to show my support at this point in her development."

Sheen is prepared to issue his presidential seal of approval after seeing her perform twice, the first time being when Aragon was barely 12, at a Toronto children's hospital fundraiser for which the 73-year-old Sheen was a host.

Manitoba sports hall inductee thrilled to see his former athletes join coaching ranks

For Wayne McMahon, it has never been about personal fame and glory. It has always been about helping his young athletes reach their full potential.

The long-time athletics coach reflected on his storied career Monday after being named a 2026 inductee to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Seeing his athletes achieve their dreams in competition and join the coaching ranks themselves to help the next generation has been one of the greatest rewards from more than five decades of coaching, McMahon said.

His impact on the sport has been far-reaching. He regularly runs into former athletes that have caught the coaching bug across Canada.

‘It wasn’t a fit’: Redblacks coach on sending QB Dru Brown back to Winnipeg

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Redblacks may be 0-5, but Ryan Dinwiddie has no regrets about how the Dru Brown situation unfolded.

The head coach and general manager also stands by his decision to name Jake Maier — who has struggled mightily this season — the team’s starting quarterback over Brown.

“When you make a decision, and you feel this guy is your best quarterback, what am I going to do, cater to Dru and say ‘Hey, you don’t want to be the backup? OK, we’re gonna name you the starter.’ That’s not how things work,” Dinwiddie told the Free Press in a one-on-one chat.

“It worked out that way, it wasn’t a fit, and now we’re trying to move forward and trying to find some answers here in our building.”

Bombers fortunate to escape with win

OTTAWA – Can the Winnipeg Blue Bombers get away with a performance like that against a legitimate Grey Cup contender?

Heck no.

Thankfully for them, they weren’t playing one Sunday night in Ottawa.

The Bombers struggled mightily in the first three quarters against a winless Redblacks side which put them in a 26-9 hole heading into the fourth.

Bishnoi Gang active in Manitoba

The Bishnoi Gang, which is run by a convicted gangster from his prison cell in India, appears to have gained a foothold in Manitoba. A civil forfeiture lawsuit filed in the Court of King’s Bench this month has revealed a 36-year-old man, who was arrested this year, had claimed he is a member of the Bishnoi Gang when he tried to extort cash from a Winnipeg resident.

Big spike in catalytic converter thefts

Harvey Tschetter didn’t know someone was under his SUV when he was roused by the sounds of a power saw cutting metal and took a look around the vehicle outside his North Kildonan condo.

After finding nothing untoward and going back inside, he heard repeated hammer strikes and saw a vehicle idling next to his Mitsubishi RVR, which he’d purchased two days earlier. Someone was trying to steal the SUV’s catalytic converter.

“I ran out there and I screamed at them, ‘What the F do you think you’re doing?’ They crawled out from under my car, held the hammer up like, don’t come near me, and drove off,” Tschetter said of the June 8 incident. “It was 5 a.m. and completely light out. I can’t believe how brazen they were. They showed no fear.”

The incident happened amid a sharp year-over-year increase in reports of catalytic converter thefts or attempted thefts to Manitoba Public Insurance, after record highs in 2021 and 2022 led to increased enforcement, provincial anti-theft legislation and a period of significant decline.