Your forecast
Mainly cloudy, with showers beginning this morning. Wind becoming south at 30 km/h gusting to 50 early this morning then west 20 late this afternoon. High 12 C. UV index 1 or low.
What’s happening today
Tonight at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location, co-creators Ariel Gordon and GMB Chomichuk will launch Blood Letters at 7 p.m.
The book, featuring illustrations by Chomichuk, takes the form of letters, sketches, poems and more, detailing three siblings caught up in a world war with flesh-eating fog and robotic monstrosities. The pair will be joined in conversation by Susie Moloney.
The Winnipeg Improv Festival continues tonight, paying homage to Halloween with performers creating off-the-cuff theatre based on YA author Colin Deane’s scary stories, followed by the zombie-themed romp Turned featuring Winnipeg-based Club Soda Improv. Gas Station Arts Centre, 445 River Ave. More information here.
Today’s must-read
This year marks 150 years since the first large group of Icelandic immigrants settled in Manitoba.
While “Sigurdson” and “Arnason” fill rather less space in Manitoba’s White Pages than “Friesen” and “Smith,” our province still hosts the world’s largest diasporic Icelandic population: about 31,000 compared to the fewer than 400,000 people elsewhere overseas who call Iceland home.
Like Iceland proper, habitants and descendants of New Iceland — which stretches from roughly Gimli to Riverton alongside Lake Winnipeg — outpunch their weight culturally.
They’ve become some of Manitoba’s most prominent sons and dóttirs: musician John K. Samson, filmmaker Guy Maddin, writer Kristjana Gunnars — not to mention Second World War spy William Stephenson, immortalized in Manitoba lore as author Ian Fleming’s inspiration for James Bond. Conrad Sweatman has the story.
Sigtryggur Jónasson (left) was the leader of the immigrant delegation that chose the New Iceland colony site in August 1875, in what would become Gimli. (Cyril Jessop / Collection of the New Iceland Heritage Museum)
On the bright side
River Heights’ hottest new coffee pop-up has highly exclusive hours.
The stand at the corner of Waterloo Street and Kingsway is only open once a week from 8:20 to 8:45 a.m. before the baristas have to grab their backpacks and run to school.
Nine-year-old Annie MacDonald has been selling hot beverages to her neighbours every Thursday morning since the beginning of September to raise money for CancerCare Manitoba.
“It’s really sad when people have (cancer), so I wanted to help,” says Annie, who has friends and family members who have been impacted by the disease. Eva Wasney has more here.
Annie MacDonald (centre-right) and her friend Ruby Kurz react after serving teachers from their school who came by for morning coffee. (Mike Deal / Free Press)
On this date
On Oct 17, 1973: The Winnipeg Free Press reported a potentially significant buildup of Soviet and U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea and east Atlantic Ocean was taking place as massive quantities of new military equipment were being poured into Egypt, Syria and Israel. In Winnipeg, 500 students confronted University of Manitoba president Ernest Sirluck on the steps of the administration building to demand information on the university’s position in the service workers’ strike. Read the rest of this day’s paper here. Search our archives for more here.
Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Free Press.
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