Good morning!
Your forecast: Spring officially arrived in Manitoba on Sunday, and the weekly forecast clearly shows it’s still in its infancy. Today, expect plenty of clouds and a 60 per cent chance of light snow late in the day. The high is just 1 C and the overnight low tonight is -10 C. On Tuesday, the sun begins to peek out and we could hit a high of 4 C by the afternoon, while Wednesday’s high is 3 C and Thursday’s high is 5 C. But things get cooler Friday and we could get more snow by week’s end.
In case you missed it
Fernando Medina / The Associated PressPresident Barack Obama waves upon arrival to Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Sunday.
President visits Cuba: For the first time time in nearly 90 years, a sitting U.S. president has visited Cuba. On a drizzly Sunday afternoon, Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha landed in Havana and were greeted by top Cuban officials and then spent some time touring the historic city on foot. He is to meet with Cuban president Raul Castro today. A highlight of the visit is when the two presidents take in an exhibition baseball game between the Cuban national team and the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. READ MORE
Ducks fly by Jets: Sunday was not a day of rest for the Winnipeg Jets, who put in a plucky effort despite losing 3-2 in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks in NHL play at the MTS Centre. Jakob Silfverberg picked up his own rebound and beat goalie Michael Hutchinson with under a minute left in the five-minute, three-on-three OT session. READ MORE
Chambers wants answers: The Winnipeg and Manitoba chambers of commerce, along with other business groups, have asked the three main political parties in the province for their platforms on seven key issues they believe will spark economic growth. READ MORE
Up next
Trio Bembe
Encounter a politician: Manitoba’s election campaign offers abundant speeches, rallies and opportunities to meet candidates this week. Today, Progressive Conservative leader Brian Pallister outlines how, if elected, the Tories would improve wait times for Manitobans seeking emergency medical care and priority procedures. The announcement is at 10 a.m. at Grant’s Old Mill near the Grace Hospital. Meanwhile, the NDP has an announcement at 11 a.m. on post-secondary education at the University of Manitoba Bannatyne campus. Liberal leader Rana Bokhari makes an infrastructure announcement at 11:30 a.m. at Broadway and Furby Street. And the Green Party of Manitoba outlines it strategy for reducing Manitoba’s greenhouse gas emissions at 11 a.m. at 888 Portage Ave.
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Warm a pew: If your choice of church is Christian, this is the beginning of Easter week, a time on the church calendar that Christians regard as even more holy than Christmas. Delving deeper into the holy mysteries will reveal an Easter that’s more meaningful than chocolate bunnies.
Support local music: Winnipeg abounds with great live music. For example, here are three choices on Thursday evening (we chose Thursday because the next day, Good Friday, is a holiday, when many people need not get up early to work): Latin-beat favorites Trio Bembe will flick your hips at the West End Cultural Centre at 8 p.m. Blues mainstays The Perpetrators get raw and raunchy at the Park Theatre at 9 p.m. Canadian rock band The Watchmen play their 1990s hits at the Burton Cummings Theatre at 8 p.m. READ MORE
Around the water cooler
Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian PressPrime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Finance Minister Bill Morneau will unveil their inaugural budget on Tuesday.
Budget on the way: The federal Liberals will unveil their inaugural budget on Tuesday, and it’s widely believed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow through on most of his election promises. That means billions for economy-boosting measures like an enhanced child-benefit plan and infrastructure spending. But that translates into a much bigger deficit projection than the government could have anticipated.
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Familiar faces from race: The father-son duo that won the Amazing Race Canada in 2013 is hosting a big event early next month to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease. Tim Hague Sr., who has the disease, and his son, Tim Jr., have planned an event called Wingin’ It for April 2 at the Kings Head Pub. Basically, it’s a wing-and-beer relay. READ MORE
Trending now
Sue Ogrocki / The Associated PressNorthern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson covers his face with his hands in the second half of the game against Texas A&M.
Northern Iowa: It’s being called the greatest collapse in the history of U.S. college basketball. The Northern Iowa Panthers let a 12-point lead slip away in the game’s final minute to the Texas A&M, eventually losing 92-88 in double-overtime to the Aggies at the NCAA ‘March Madness’ tournament. The Aggies move on to the round of 16 teams, while the Panthers are done. READ MORE
#InternationalDayofHappiness: You likely didn’t even know it, but Sunday was the International Day of Happiness. Yes, it’s a real thing – actually supported by the United Nations and observed by more than 160 countries. So, if you made someone else feel good about themselves, or felt content or even jolly yourself at any point Sunday, good on you. READ MORE
On this date
The Free Press’ archives are temporarily closed for maintenance, so alas, we don’t have a page from a previous edition of the Free Press to share this morning. We can tell you though, that on this day in 2006 social media was changed forever with the founding of Twitter.We’re betting #whoshotJR would have trended several times over the next several months in 1980 after the nighttime soap opera Dallas aired A House Divided.
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