New York outbreaks drive US measles count up to 626

Potential Jets backup options include two possible netminder reunions

Kevin Cheveldayoff couldn’t help but make light of the situation.

Near the end of the press conference to discuss where things stand with training camp holdout Connor Hellebuyck, the general manager of the Jets was asked if he felt comfortable with the five goalies who were in training camp.

“You know I can’t have five on the roster,” Cheveldayoff quipped.

Only Cheveldayoff knows for sure how he feels about the organizational depth at the position and whether he’s planning to open the campaign with either Dom DiVincentiis or Thomas Milic in the backup role behind Stuart Skinner.

Firefighter admits to conditional sentence breach

A Winnipeg firefighter previously jailed for criminally harassing two different women has been released from custody after admitting to breaching a conditional sentence order.

Christopher Goethals, 59, was arrested July 21 after an alert from his ankle monitor six days earlier showed he had driven within 400 metres of the workplace of a former girlfriend he had been ordered to have no contact with.

Goethals pleaded guilty Wednesday to not being in possession of a copy of his conditional sentence order, a requirement of his sentence.

Crown attorney Amanda Heslop withdrew a breach charge related to Goethals’ electronic monitoring conditions and stayed a third charge of disobeying a court order.

Manitoba’s small oil, gas sector lists 31 ownerless sites — far cry from thousands in Alberta, Saskatchewan

As other western provinces struggle to address the environmental and economic fallout from an accumulation of thousands of orphan oil and gas wells, only a tiny portion of Manitoba’s petroleum infrastructure is sitting idle and unclaimed.

But it’s unclear if the province’s small roster of orphan wells is the byproduct of effective regulation — or an historic lack of departmental oversight.

Manitoba’s oil and gas industry is relatively small and generally opaque. None of the experts contacted for this story had direct knowledge of the province’s orphan well landscape.

“My lab has probably measured the most non-producing wells in the country. I don’t think anybody I know is working on it (in Manitoba) who are in the academic realm,” says Mary Kang, an associate professor in civil engineering at McGill University in Montreal.

Mark Carney’s campaign for middle powers

“You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose,” said former New York Governor Mario Cuomo 40 years ago. Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is now in the poetic phase of his campaign to create an alliance — maybe just a loose alliance — of middle powers who can resist the brutal strength of the great powers.

Manitoba budget reveals province underspent on crucial departments related to justice, public safety

While concerns about homelessness and public safety continue to make headlines in Manitoba, the two government departments mainly responsible for addressing them came in under budget last year.

The 2025-26 public accounts, released Monday, show Housing, Addictions and Homelessness underspent its budget of $869 million by $18 million. Manitoba Justice underspent its budget of $994 million by $34 million.

The 247-page public accounts report attributes the underspending in justice mainly to “reduced impacts of contingency liabilities,” such as a court ruling or legal settlement.

The report did not explain how and why Housing, Addictions and Homelessness underspent its budget last year as the province addresses those critical issues.

What’s up: Wine fest, Pulp, Prohibition Party, Teddy Bears’ Picnic, Savant Flâneur, Osani album release

Winnipeg Wine FestivalRBC Convention Centre, 375 York Ave.Friday, 7-10 p.m. and Saturday, 1-4 p.m. and 7-10 p.m.Tickets from $88 hereBig, hearty red wines take centre stage at the RBC Convention Centre this weekend, as the Winnipeg Wine Festival returns with the theme “Life is a Cabernet.”

Three sessions over two days will see hundreds of wines being popped and poured for thousands of thirsty Winnipeggers at the public tastings, with around 60 Cabernet Sauvignons available to be sampled alongside other reds as well as bubblies, rosés, white wines and more.

As well as tried-and-true favourites, there will be plenty of products (Cabernet Sauvignon and otherwise) that are new to the province and/or exclusive to the festival from Italy, Chile, Australia, Germany, France and beyond, with a handful of export managers and winemakers on hand to talk about the wines and answer questions about featured products.

Beyond wine, the fest will feature a Drink Sense non-alcoholic booth, a bistro, a silent disco, a Malibu Pink booth and other fun surprises. And for those who discover a new favourite or two, the festival again features an on-site Liquor Mart. (Of note: unlike last year’s Winnipeg Wine Festival, the city’s eight private wine stores are not participating.)