Cloudflare says service restored after outage that brought down sites including Zoom and LinkedIn

Finding my way through the ‘odd uneven time’

I am taking a turn in the garden with a cup of tea on a Friday morning.

It is 16 C in St. John’s but feels warmer in the stillness. We have been given the rare gift of a morning without wind. I gladly accept it.

High in the overcast sky, a seagull screeches a lament. Near my feet, chickadees and juncos are flittering and tittering in the shrubbery.

Tomorrow and Sunday call for torrential rains, the kind that — when paired with lashing winds — will strip rose petals away and give the slender daylilies a sound thrashing. Violent imagery, yes, but accurate. I know what to expect. I’ve been around the block.

DNA on beer can helps solve killing

Two years after 74-year-old James Monaghan was stabbed in his Sherburn Street home, DNA found on a beer can led police to his killer.

Shara Harper, 29, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and on Tuesday was sentenced to six years in prison.

A neighbour found Monaghan dead in his home on July 29, 2022. He had been stabbed twice in the chest and back.

The investigation into Monaghan’s killing had stalled until June 2024, when DNA found on an empty beer can in Monaghan’s home was confirmed to be a match for Harper.

Enrolment up at alternative schools

Independent schools are preparing to welcome a record number of students as more families pay for faith-based instruction and secular alternatives.

The overwhelming majority of Manitoba children — 200,000 — are starting in the public school system this fall. Since 2000, the percentage of students enrolled elsewhere — in homeschools, funded and non-funded independent schools — has nearly doubled, to 12 per cent from seven per cent.

“If money was no object, we could fill dozens and dozens more classrooms with the demand for independent education,” said Andrew Micklefield, executive director of the Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools, who is a former Tory government house leader.

The King’s School, Dasmesh School, Springs Christian Academy, Beautiful Saviour Lutheran School, Steinbach Christian School and IQRA Islamic School have all either upscaled at some point over the last five years or are actively in the process of expanding their footprint.

All that glitters … could work here

Sometimes, it’s hard to even suggest a change, because it seems there is always a plethora of people ready to tell you that your idea just won’t work.

St. Charles golfer takes opening round lead at national senior men’s championship

David White didn’t set any expectations entering this week.

The St. Charles golfer knew he had the game to keep up with a talented field across four days, but wouldn’t go so far as to say he’d be in the hunt for a title.

So the 59-year-old walked away in great spirits after an opening round three-under 69 has him leading the Canadian senior men’s championship at Niakwa on Tuesday.

It was a terrific display of resilience in blustery conditions for White, who was one shot clear of Scotland’s Ronnie Clark, the only other player to reach red figures.

Double climate whammy hits home

It’s a bit of a one-two punch.

First, the show-and-tell of what global warming could be bringing us.

Then, the fact we’ve already failed our best chance of halting climate change.

On Sept. 3, the World Meteorological Organization released its forecast of the potential effects of the rapidly-developing super El Niño phenomenon.