In pictures: Santa parade lights up downtown By: Free Press staff Posted: 10:59 PM CST Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025

Boyd Group hits US$1 billion sales in a quarter

The company behind Boyd Autobody & Glass cracked $1 billion in sales within a quarter — the first time it’s done so in its 36-year history.

On Wednesday, Boyd Group Services announced sales of US$1.013 billion for its second quarter. It’s a 29.9 per cent increase from the year prior.

Over that year, Boyd Group Services added 340 new locations. Those sites added $211.3 million to its overall sales and accounted for most of the growth.

Same store sales grew 2.9 per cent.

Bringing home a Fish: Group of local baseball fans open doors to Goldeyes

There’s no place like home.

But what exactly does that mean for members of the Winnipeg Goldeyes, who typically find themselves hundreds or even thousands of miles away from family and friends between May and September, trying to keep their baseball careers alive while living on shoestring budgets?

For some, home is a modest downtown hotel room or small apartment typically shared with a teammate or two. For others, there’s a more personal touch — one that truly connects them to the community they happen to be playing in.

Welcome to the world of billets, a longstanding tradition in this market that dates back to when the Fish first took flight back in 1994. They are a unique and valuable tool for the American Association organization and its players, with a dedicated group of local baseball fans who open their doors and roll out the welcome mat year after year.

Poilievre’s simplistic bluster a desperate bid for attention in a serious moment for nation

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s suggestion that Mark Carney needs more “backbone” to negotiate with Donald Trump would be easier to take seriously if anyone had actually figured out how to negotiate with the U.S. president.

Killer apologizes to family of 16-year-old he shot in 2024 before judge delivers 18-year manslaughter sentence

Sharon Basarowich’s voice quaked with emotion as she told a court Tuesday of the never-ending pain her family has been left with after her 16-year-old grandson was gunned down outside a Boyd Avenue drug house.

“We have a void that will never be filled,” said Basarowich, whose grandson Trey Basarowich, a talented hockey player and youth mentor, was fatally shot Oct. 5, 2024.

“When Trey died, a part of us died, too,” she said.

Devin Evans, 20, was originally charged with second-degree murder in the killing but in a plea bargain admitted to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years in prison.

‘Exciting news’ on rail relocation coming

Premier Wab Kinew is expected to make an announcement concerning long-awaited Winnipeg rail relocation later this week.

Former federal transport minister and Manitoba MP Lloyd Axworthy, who Kinew tasked in October 2024 with leading a two-year rail relocation feasibility study, confirmed there would be an announcement Wednesday.

“We’ve had this rail study group which I’ve chaired and we’ve been responsible for developing recommendations,” Axworthy said Monday.

The longtime champion for Winnipeg rail relocation, who is vacationing at his cottage on Lake Winnipeg, deferred to the premier’s office for information, but confirmed he will attend Wednesday’s news conference.

Moving rail lines outside city would make Winnipeg ‘major transportation hub’

After decades of calls to move rail traffic to the outskirts of Winnipeg, a plan that would benefit residents, railways and taxpayers is now on track, says the former Winnipegger leading the way.

A rail line bypass south of the city, using Crown-owned land and the Manitoba Hydro corridor, would take 20 years to complete, remove 120 railway crossings that are a safety risk and free up about 250 acres of Winnipeg land over time for development, Lloyd Axworthy said Wednesday.

“The visions that we have have to be implemented,” Axworthy said at a news conference announcing the launch of a 90-day feasibility study to move freight rail traffic out of Winnipeg’s urban core along Manitoba Hydro’s southern transmission corridor, connecting east to west along the Perimeter Highway.

The former federal transport minister and Manitoba MP was tasked by Premier Wab Kinew in October 2024 to lead a two-year rail relocation feasibility study.