2 tropical storms pound Japan with floods and landslides, killing 1

Pretty, purple and pernicious plants plaguing Prairies

After noticing mysterious purple flowers popping up in little patches around the Wolseley neighbourhood last summer, Vic Penner didn’t give it too much thought.

However, this summer, the deceivingly beautiful flowers were impossible to ignore.

“They were just everywhere,” said Penner, 37.

Wolseley isn’t the only neighbourhood being overrun by the plant.

Another downtown eatery bites the dust

Another longtime downtown Winnipeg restaurant has closed its doors, leaving another hole in the city’s core.

Rudy’s Eat & Drink announced on social media it was closing after 15 years in Manitoba Hydro Place but did not cite a reason.

“Cheers to the years of local beer, burger weeks, jets games, weddings, catering, stone soup week, DJ nights, charitable events and everything in between — we will hold these memories forever,” the post said. “The end of an era — but there’s always another chapter.”

General manager Mackenzie Robb declined to comment on the eatery’s closure. Rudy’s last day of service was on Friday.

Community rallies around family devastated by fire

Dennis Lafreniere and his wife didn’t expect to celebrate 27 years of marriage Thursday in a Selkirk hotel room while reeling from a recent house fire.

The couple and their two daughters lost their home last Sunday in a raging fire that left nothing behind, but overwhelming support from multiple communities has kept them afloat.

“It’s devastating when you don’t have any clothes, any medication, all of that stuff, and it’s just so overwhelming the next morning. It’s just nasty,” Lafreniere said.

Investigators suspect the fire was caused by a fridge, freezer and battery charger that were all plugged into the same electrical line that got overheated. The house, located on Highway 59 between Selkirk and Libau, is a farmhouse built in 1943, and investigators think worn-out electrical lines also contributed to the fire, said Lafreniere.

Ottawa to announce details of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. Tuesday

OTTAWA - The federal government is set to unveil details of Canada's retaliatory tariffs against the United States on Tuesday.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu and Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon are also expected to share details of supports for workers affected by tariffs.

Solomon is also the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Communities on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border have been affected by the ongoing trade war. 

Library opera shows let kids take control of the action

Virtually everyone would choose a treat over a mouldy sandwich. But the youngsters attending Rufus and Rita in Winnipeg libraries often choose the latter.

A bad trade deal in virtually all ways

You can’t fix stupid. And you can’t sign a contract — or a trade deal — with a proven liar, cheat and blackmailer. And sometimes, you end up having to fight.