Your forecast
Clearing early this morning. Wind from the west at 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light near noon. High 22 C, UV index 4 or moderate.
What’s happening today
After leaning heavily on virtual readings, meetings and book launches to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, Winnipeg’s annual writers festival is back to primarily in-person events — albeit with a slightly leaner (but by no means meaner) look and lineup.
The 2024 Thin Air/Livres en fête lineup features a tight but diverse range of local and national literary voices who will grace stages at a range of events held in venues throughout the city starting today and running through Oct. 1. Ben Sigurdson has a preview here.
Chimwemwe Undi (above) joins Danny Ramadan, Marilyn Dumont and Paul Savoie Friday for Thin Air’s kick-off event, ForeWords. (Mike Deal / Free Press)
Today’s must-read
Manitoba cabinet minister Ian Bushie said he would sell his family business after the ethics commissioner ruled he had violated the conflict of interest law.
“The ethics commissioner did not require me to do this, but I’ve decided to sell my business and I’m in the process of doing that as we speak,” the municipal and northern relations minister said at a hastily called news conference Thursday. “Upon reflection, I want to go above and beyond.”
His business — Grandpa George’s gas station and convenience store in Hollow Water First Nation, the largest in the area — renewed a contract with the provincial government on April 1, which violates the law, commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor wrote in the report. Carol Sanders has the story.
Ian Bushie, cabinet minister and NDP MLA for Keewatinook said his decision to sell his family business demonstrates his commitment to the NDP government. (Ruth Bonnevuille / Free Press)
On the bright side
A huge king penguin chick named Pesto, who weighs as much as both his parents combined, has become a social media celebrity and a star attraction at an Australian aquarium.
Weighing 22 kilograms at nine months old, Pesto is the heaviest penguin chick the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium has ever had, its education supervisor Jacinta Early said on Friday. The Associated Press has more here.
Pesto, a huge king penguin chick, has become a social media celebrity and a star attraction at the aquarium. (SEA LIFE Melbourne / The Associated Press files)
On this date
On Sept. 20, 1979: The Winnipeg Free Press reported Air Canada was lowering the flight ceiling of its DC-9s to 25,000 feet; the move came amid increased safety inspections following an aircraft losing a three-metre section of its tail over the Atlantic Ocean. Manitoba’s health minister said Canadian doctors would need to be paid more to keep the country’s medicare plan universally accessible. Manitoba’s lieutenant-governor enlisted a Toronto psychic to locate two artists who had pledged to paint a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth for the expanded Winnipeg Arena, but had not been heard from for one and a half years. 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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