Good morning!
Your forecast: On the final weekend before school bells ring again, the weather will often be grey and glum. How appropriate. It will fit the dampened mood of students as they forfeit summer’s freedom for the confinement of classrooms. Today’s high will be 29 C, with showers and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon, and showers overnight. Saturday’s weather will be a high of 27 C, with a mix of sun and cloud and showers overnight. Sunday’s high will be 24 C, with showers. Monday will see a high of 17 C, cloudy with a 40 per cent chance of showers.
In case you missed it
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILESJustice Ted Hughes authored the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry report released in January 2014.
Advocate with teeth: The Selinger government will fast- track reforms of the children’s advocate role as recommended by the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry report, the Free Press reports exclusively today. It was going to take up to two years to reform the role, but the government will rush it ahead when the legislative sitting resumes this fall. It means the advocate will be able to review critical injuries, not just deaths, and can delve into issues concerning children beyond the realm of the child-welfare system. READ MORE
Street-drug alert: Three more people in Winnipeg have overdosed on fentanyl. They knowingly ingested the powerful painkiller around 10:30 p.m. in East Kildonan and were taken to hospital after one of them called 911, say police. That’s likely the same drug that killed two people in Winnipeg last month. Police warn fentanyl use can sometimes be unwitting, as street drugs can be laced with the powerful opiate. READ MORE
Up next
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILESHedley
Rocking the park: If you were planning a quiet evening enjoying the natural serenity of Assiniboine Park, perhaps you should reschedule. The park will rock tonight with a Lyric Stage show by Hedley, Sloan and The Proud Sons. The guitar riffs start at 6:15 p.m.
African Children’s Choir: The acclaimed African Children’s Choir sings in Winnipeg tonight. This choir has performed beforepresidents and heads of state, including Queen Elizabeth II for her diamond jubilee. They’ve sung with A-list artists such as Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox and Keith Urban. They also have a role in the upcoming Hugh Jackman movie, Pan. And Winnipeg has them tonight. They sing at Immanuel Fellowship Church at 6:30 p.m.
Inquiry nears end: Closing arguments begin this morning at the weeks-long public inquiry into the expropriation of land needed for the southwest transitway will come to a close Friday. It has included testimony by expert witnesses and from impacted property owners as the city moves to expropriate 33 parcels of land needed to complete the $590-million project. Inquiry officer George Ulyatt will deliver his final report and recommendations Oct. 13.
Around the water cooler
PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSA lone love lock has appeared on the railway pedestrian bridge spanning the Assiniboine River between the Omand’s Creek Greenway and Wellington Crescent. The city recently removed many more.
Love locks: It you and your sweetheart were among the lovebirds who inscribed your names on a padlock and threw the key into the Assiniboine River as a symbol of the permanency of your love, bad news. Your symbol wasn’t permanent after all. The locks, which adorned fencing alongside the railway bridge connecting Wellington Crescent with the Omand’s Creek Greenway, have been cut off. Gordon Sinclair Jr. details this romantic Winnipeg tradition. READ MORE
Pivotal picture: An Associated Press photograph published Thursday in newspapers including the Free Press and shared rapidly on social media has raised considerable concern about the ethics of publishing a picture of a dead child. The body of Alan Kurdi, 3, was shown washed up on a beach in Turkey after his family capsized in a boat. The Syrian family had hoped to eventually come to Canada. While it’s understandable some people are concerned the picture exploits the child’s death, it seems to have prompted world-wide compassion to the plight of migrants. Perhaps it will help open borders.
Trending now
Jordan Strauss / The Canadian Press FilesPop superstar Beyoncé
#HappyBirthdayBeyonce: The reigning queen of pop music celebrates her 34th birthday, and for the Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum-selling artist, we’re sure everything will be Flawless.
#ForceFriday: No, the new Star Wars movie doesn’t hit theatres until December, but the marketing for the space opera franchise gets a huge push today as toys for The Force Awakens are launched today. Hey, if you’re a real fan, you were already in line somewhere at 12:01 this morning.
On this date
On September 4, 1942: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that Soviet troops in Stalingrad were in danger of being overrun by German forces. A large welcome was planned in Winnipeg for the weekend for Canadian members of a bomber crew who had taken part in a bombing run on Saarbreucken. The Canadian government announced an RCAF bomber unit was to be formed. Minister of Munitions and Supplies C.D. Howe warned that Canadians’ supply of heating oil was uncertain. A beef shortage in Winnipeg continued. A monkey was found cavorting on the streets at McDermot Avenue and Main Street, and taken in by members of the C.W.A.C., who notified police.
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