Brooklyn The Next Star

Brooklyn The Next Star

When the votes from viewers were finally tabulated, YTV's The Next Star shone brightest over Chatham, Ont.

Fourteen-year-old Brooklyn Roebuck of Chatham was named winner of the YTV talent-competition series' fifth season on Sunday night, topping a field of six finalists that included two Winnipeggers, 15-year-old Issy Dahl and 16-year-old Grace Johnston.

The young southern Ontario native was speechless after host Adamo Ruggiero announced her name, fighting back tears before closing the 90-minute finale with an encore of her single, One Thing. All of the show's top six had performed the songs they recorded during the series run earlier in the evening, and the finale also featured guest performances by Shawn Desman, Neverest and Brit pop star Cher Lloyd.

Johnston was the second contestant to perform on Sunday, drawing praise from the show's judges for her poised and energetic number. "You made all of us proud, and I'm sure you made Winnipeg proud tonight," said judge Mark Spicoluk.

Protests spur Ukraine military reshuffle

Even nations fighting for their survival can’t escape politics. “The president should not choose sides during a war,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters earlier this month after sacking his defence minister.

Automation reaches new heights on farm

LANGHAM, Sask. — The thousands of farmers from across the Prairies who flock to the annual Ag in Motion show every July seem oblivious to the possibility the technology on display could one day replace many of them.

Families with children in tow, Hutterite colony workers, grandparents and young couples just starting out roamed through the 600 or more exhibitor displays, amazed at how everything about farming just keeps getting bigger, more efficient and increasingly more automated.

It’s now possible to seed using a 100-foot-wide drill — a 12-foot jump over the widest available a few years ago — provided the farmer can afford a tractor with enough horsepower to pull it. Those sell for around $850,000 and up.

Granted, the number of farms with enough acres to justify that kind of width and drawing power is still relatively small, but farms continue to grow. And it’s no secret the number of people who have the interest, skills and financial wherewithal to run them continues to shrink.

Students continue to criticize handling of MITT’s closure

Students at a Manitoba trade college say their education has been hampered as a result of its impending closure and they blame government for a poor transition.

The provincial government announced in January it would close the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology because it was no longer financially viable following the federal government’s decision to cut the number of international students allowed to study in Canada.

Officials have said students would remain the top priority as 19 programs from MITT are set to be absorbed by Red River College Polytech.

Kieran Smith, an electrical applications student at MITT, said it feels like those in charge “don’t really care.”