Good morning:
Your forecast: It’ll be tough to escape the heat and humidity today, unless you’re chained to your desk in an air-conditioned office like members of the Head Start brigade. Environment Canada says the early morning fog should disappear by sunrise, but there’s a 30 per cent chance of showers late this morning. The sky should clear this afternoon and the mercury will rise to 32 C. And we’re in for another scorcher Friday, with a daytime high of 33 C under a mostly sunny sky.
In case you missed it:
Elise Amendola / The Associated Press Files
More of Wright’s stuff today: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s former chief of staff is on the witness stand again today in Ottawa at Conservative Senator Mike Duffy’s fraud, breach of trust and bribery trial. On Wednesday, Nigel Wright told the court about what was known inside the Prime Minister’s Office as the “scenario for repayment” — a plan to make Duffy’s expenses scandal quietly go away by saying the senator made a mistake in his claims, rather than suggesting Duffy had done anything wrong. Wright testified he made a quick decision to make the $90,000 repayment of Duffy’s expenses himself. READ MORE
Toddler rescued from hot car: It was a happy ending for a Brandon family after a tow-truck driver saved a toddler who was accidentally trapped alone in a locked vehicle. The door locks were malfunctioning, so Jeff Hogg smashed the window of the car to get the 18-month-old out as the vehicle heated to dangerous temperatures. The dad of two crawled through the broken window to rescue the little boy, who was taken to hospital as a precaution. Brandon Fire and Emergency Services said it appears the little guy will be fine. READ MORE
Need a fill, heaven help you: Drivers running on empty this morning are in for a financial hit. Gas prices soared by 20 cents a litre in Winnipeg on Wednesday afternoon, and the price at most pumps is now $1.22. Experts say because of refinery problems south of the border, the price of regular could hit $1.30 a litre sometime next week. READ MORE
Up next:
Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian PressConservative Leader Stephen Harper delivers a speech at a rally in Quebec City on Sunday.
Guess the important guest: Welcome to our quiz, ‘What famous person visits Winnipeg today?’ Three clues: 1) He performs Beatles songs, but he’s not Paul McCartney; 2) People remark about his hair, but he’s not Justin Bieber; 3) Lots of people give him wish lists, but he’s not Santa. Who is it? If you guessed Prime Minister Stephen Harper, you’re right. But are you right wing? The PM will be the first federal leader to visit since the election campaign began. But the Tories remain tight-lipped on where he’ll be today.
Improving Winnipeg Beach: Premier Greg Selinger visits the bandstand at Winnipeg Beach at 11 a.m. today to announce funding for seawall repairs. Our fingers are crossed he also pledges sand replenishment. Since the wall went in, the once-idyllic beach has been somewhat washed away. Let’s bring back the beach, Mr. Premier. Winnipeg Beach Mayor Tony Pimentel will also be lakeside for the announcement.
Around the water cooler:
No day at beach for RCMP: Selkirk RCMP kicked into high gear last weekend armed with rifles and Tasers after someone spotted a man with a gun at Grand Beach. Turns out the guy didn’t have an actual pistol sticking out of the waistband of his shorts, he had an iPhone case that looked like a gun. Why would anyone buy a handgun-replica cell phone case, you ask? Well, policing agencies across North America are asking the same question as they try to get lawmakers to ban the ridiculous products before someone gets killed. READ MORE
Bomber fans hope he’s Marve-lous: So, it’s official. Robert Marve will step behind centre and lead the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ offence Friday night when the CFL club hosts the Toronto Argos at Investors Group Field. Game time is 7 p.m. Marve, 26, from Tampa, Fla., replaces starting quarterback Drew Willy, who is sidelined for six to eight weeks with a knee injury. READ MORE
Trending:
#lefthandersday: Southpaws, rejoice. According to the official site (lefthandersday.com/) today is the 24th annual international Left Handers Day. Lefties everywhere are taking to Twitter to express the joys and sorrows of being part of the 10 per cent of the population that’s left-handed. A few fun facts the site lists: Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater, reach puberty a few months later and excel particularly in baseball, tennis, swimming and fencing. Raise a glass (in your left hand, of course) to these freaks of nature (just kidding).
#tianjin: The world is tweeting out to Tianjin, China, after a chemical warehouse explosion killed at least 44 people and injured 700 more. Questions are now being asked about how well the materials that caused the explosion were stored. Witnesses reported huge fireballs in the sky, and the blast broke windows kilometres away. The first blast triggered another, even bigger boom, and the National Earthquake Bureau said the second explosion was equivalent to 21 tons of TNT.
On this day in history
Aug. 13, 1990: The Free Press was reporting about the police’s use of gas on unruly protesters in Quebec.Locally, the provincial MLAs in Manitoba were ranked among the lowest paid in the country among their provincial peers.
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