Beer and Pretzel Truffles

Frustration mounts as drug raids sweep problems out of downtown, into West End

West End business owners say their neighbourhood has been under siege for months, and some believe downtown police drug sweeps have made things worse by pushing more street disorder in their direction — and pushing customers away.

Swede leads Manitoba Open, Winnipegger sits 33rd

From Lars-Erik Sjoberg to Thomas Steen to Viggo Bjorck, there’s no shortage of Swedish athletes who have quickly become fan favourites here in Winnipeg.

Daniel Svard is hoping to add his name to the growing list.

Although he wields a golf club and not a hockey stick, the 23-year-old from Stockholm is opening plenty of eyes this week at Elmhurst. He carries a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round of the Manitoba Open, looking to close out his first professional victory in his just his fourth career tournament.

Svard fired a six-under 66 on Saturday to move to 14-under through 54 holes of the PGA Tour Americas event.

The good, bad and record setting performance in Bombers loss to Elks

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 22-19 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium in Alberta on Friday was fitting for all the wrong reasons.

The Bombers looked reinvigorated as they jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half. Then some bad habits reared their ugly head, as the Elks roared back with 19 straight points before kicker Vincent Blanchard walked it off with a 40-yard field goal.

A night that began with so much promise left many fans to wonder what the ceiling actually is for this team in 2026.

On offence, Zach Collaros completed 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards, one touchdown and an interception; Brady Oliveira amassed 118 yards on 16 carries and added a pair of catches for 11 yards; and Nic Demski secured five grabs for 80 yards.

‘We got attacked’: Carney says retaliatory tariffs on U.S. to take effect next month

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney says retaliatory tariffs will hit the U.S. starting next month after Canada walked away from what he called a "bad deal."

The U.S. introduced new 50 per cent tariffs on billions of dollars in Canadian exports on Saturday after trade talks failed.

"We got attacked," Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill Saturday when asked about the escalating trade war.

Carney suspended talks with the United States late Friday and summoned his negotiators back to Ottawa.

Plenty of alternatives to U.S. wines on the shelves

In February 2025, Manitoba (and most other provinces) pulled American liquor from store shelves as part of the ongoing trade dispute with the United States.

Then in December, the province followed a similar course to others and put American booze that was already on hand back on shelves, selling off inventory that had been wasting away in warehouses for months, and directing proceeds from those sales to charities.

Lineups sprung up at numerous stores as consumers snapped up bestselling American products — think Maker’s Mark, Jack Daniel’s, Apothic Red and the like. After that initial rush, what was left has been languishing on shelves ever since, with many products eventually being drastically discounted for a quick sale, lest they become too long in the tooth.

I decided early on not to write about/review U.S. products in this space until things were well and truly sorted. But a few months back, I found myself in the mood for a big, oaky red wine and — in a moment of weakness, or nostalgia, or maybe just curiosity — I picked up a $30-ish California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Beer and Pretzel Truffles

The ganache for chocolate truffles is typically made with heavy cream, but beer is used here instead — adding a rich, deep flavour.

MAKE AHEAD: The truffle mixture needs to be refrigerated for 2 to 3 hours, so it sets up firmly.

Adapted from Baker’s Royale: 75 Twists on All Your Favorite Sweets, by Naomi Robinson (Running Press, 2017).

Beer and Pretzel TrufflesMakes 14 to 16 pieces