Free Press Head Start for June 23

Good morning.

The record-tying $70-million Lotto Max jackpot has finally been won. Two tickets with the winning numbers were sold in British Columbia and Ontario, and the winners will split the jackpot. There were 46 Maxmillions prize winners of $1 million each, including four tickets sold in the Prairies.

Russia says it fired warning shots from a ship, and dropped bombs, to force a British destroyer from waters near Crimea in the Black Sea. The Associated Press said it’s the first time Russia has used live ammunition to deter a NATO warship since the Cold War, when it was part of the Soviet Union.

Eric Wildman — identified by RCMP as a suspect in the killing of his rural neighbour, Clifford Joseph — is scheduled to appear in Winnipeg court on firearms charges today after his arrest in Ontario last week.

The Tampa Bay Lightning can become the first team to advance to the Stanley Cup final with a road win over the New York Islanders tonight. The Montreal Canadiens are one win away from clinching the other berth after they beat the Golden Knights in Las Vegas last night.

Singer Britney Spears is expected to speak in open court for the first time today about the conservatorship that has controlled her money and affairs for 13 years.

— Adam Treusch, assignment editor

What’s happening today

Dr. Brent Roussin (left) and Premier Brian Pallister at a news conference earlier this month. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

New restrictions to be revealed: Provincial health officials will announce their plans for a gradual easing of pandemic restrictions. The current public health restrictions expire after midnight on Saturday. The province’s regular Wednesday news conference about vaccines has been postponed to Thursday. READ MORE

Set for summer break: Parliament is set to wrap up for the summer, and the Senate might not approve all the priority bills before it breaks. Fast-tracking two of the bills would require unanimous consent. Any bill not passed by the Senate will expire if a federal election is called this summer. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE

Deadly bombing in Pakistan: At least three people were killed and 15 injured when a car bomb exploded near the home of a jailed anti-India militant leader in Lahore, Pakistan. The Associated Press reports. READ MORE

Accused killer in court: Marlene Pagee of Winnipeg, charged with manslaughter and other offences in connection with the killing of RCMP Const. Shelby Patton in Saskatchewan, is set to appear in court in Regina. READ MORE

It’s a sabotage, Iran says: Iranian media is reporting authorities have thwarted a “sabotage attack” on a civilian nuclear facility near Tehran. READ MORE

Weather

Your forecast: A mix of sun and cloud with a low risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon, a high of 29 C, humidex of 30, and wind at 30 km/h gusting to 50 from the southwest and later the north.

In case you missed it

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSWellington Crescent residents Jutta Essig (from left) Bill Hamlin, Sharon Kirk, Atul Sharma and Celia Rodd are in support of open streets.

Street fight vote nears: Wellington Crescent residents who support the current rules restricting vehicles to one block of travel for part of the day are circulating a petition ahead of a city vote Thursday. Cody Sellar reports. READ MORE

Sentenced for fatal shooting: Benny Hansen was sentenced to 12 years in prison for fatally shooting Dexter Cortavista DeJarisco in the face with a homemade gun inside the victim’s Burrows Avenue home in 2019. READ MORE

On this date

On June 23, 1930: The Manitoba Free Press reported that Regina pilot James Hill, while giving an aerial exhibition 3,500 feet over Winnipeg, died after a wing on his small single-engine aircraft broke and the plane crashed. U.S. visitors to Canada in 1929 spent three times as much as Canadian visitors to the U.S. In Hamburg, Germany, strong breezes played havoc with the Graf Zeppelin airship, and passengers were forced to return to Berlin by rail.

Today’s front page

Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press READ MORE

Head Start