Your forecast
Sunny, becoming a mix of sun and cloud near noon. Wind up to 15 km/h. High 12 C, wind chill -6 this morning. UV index 2 or low.
What’s happening today
British mystery author Ann Cleeves, the creator of characters such as Vera Stanhope, Matthew Venn and Jimmy Perez, will be in town to launch her latest Vera book, The Dark Wives, at Crescent Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Ave.) at 7 p.m. in an event presented by McNally Robinson and hosted by Winnipeg novelist Joan Thomas. Admission is $35 plus fees per person and includes a copy of The Dark Wives, or $45 for two people with one copy of the book. To get your tickets and for more information, visit wfp.to/cleeves.
Winnipeg writer Ariel Gordon interviewed Cleeves for the Free Press; you can read their conversation here.
The Winnipeg Jets visit the Seattle Kraken tonight and seek to continue a six-game win streak, starting at 9 p.m.

Seattle Kraken’s Pierre-Edouard Bellmare jumps out of the way of a shot on Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck in a game last season. (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press files)
Today’s must-read
A developer who co-owned and developed large retail centres with one of the city’s most influential real estate companies told a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday he discovered financial statements that suggested an $85,000 “bribe” was paid to a firm owned by the then-chief administrator for the City of Winnipeg, Phil Sheegl.
The surprising allegation arose during the third day of a civil trial involving John Pearson, president of ICI Properties, who is suing the principals of Shindico Realty Inc., Sandy and Robert Shindleman. The lawsuit seeks a $5.1-million financial settlement related to the dissolution of various business partnerships and agreements.
While they were in business together, the Pearson-Shindleman collaboration resulted in more than $220 million in commercial real estate involving many of the best-known big-box retail stores in the country. However, on Tuesday, Pearson told court that starting in 2022, he sought to end his relationship with Shindico. Dan Lett has the story.

(Mike Deal / Free Press files)
On the bright side
A huge fish in the Mekong River thought to be extinct has been spotted three times in recent years.
“The giant salmon carp is like a symbol of the Mekong region,” said Chheana Chhut, a researcher at the Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The predatory fish can grow up to 4 feet in length, and has a conspicuous knob at the tip of its lower jaw. A striking patch of yellow surrounds its large eyes. The Associated Press has more here.

A giant salmon carp, rediscovered in Cambodia. (Chhut Chheana / Wonders of the Mekong / The Associated Press)
On this date
On Oct. 24, 1964: The Winnipeg Free Press reported the Precious Blood Roman Catholic School set to close on Oct. 30 might re-open as a public school on Nov. 2, to accommodate the 600 schoolchildren that would then fall under the Norwood School Board’s responsibility. The provincial government was planning to extend municipal and civic councillors’ terms from two years to three, and have all members of council stand for election at the same time. 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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