Good morning!
Your forecast: First, the good news. There are no severe weather systems moving into southern Manitoba that could threaten travel plans over the holiday weekend. Now for the bad news – we’re in for a few chilly days. Today, expect a mix of sun and cloud and a high of -10 C, while the mercury drops to -15 C overnight. On Christmas Day, the sun will shine and the temperature will hover around -11 C during the day but falls to a bitter -22 C overnight. On Boxing Day, the daytime high is -18 C while the evening will be clear and -20 C.
In case you missed it
Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press filesThe MTS Centre.
Fake threat but real jail time: A Winnipeg man will spend three months in jail as punishment for calling in a fake bomb threat at a time when the city was already on edge. A judge handed Michael Randolph Parks, 64, the sentence Wednesday. He pleaded guilty in provincial court to public mischief for calling in a fake bomb threat in late July, just weeks after a real bomb exploded at a city law office, injuring lawyer Maria Mitousis. READ MORE
Spend to fix roads, sewers: A new Probe Research poll suggests 73 per cent of Manitobans believe it would be acceptable for the province’s next government to run a modest deficit in order to spend more money on infrastructure. The survey of 1,000 adults also suggests 23 per cent of Manitobans believe deficits should be avoided, even if that means cutting back on infrastructure spending. Manitobans go to the polls on April 19. READ MORE
Local man dies in Mexican prison: The family of a Manitoba man who died from a blood clot or a heart attack in a Mexican jail cell only learned about his death from a phone call from an inmate. Bruce Vigfusson died Monday. His son, Colt, told The Canadian Press the Canadian government hasn’t offered any help since the man’s strange conviction for assault in 2012. When men broke into his home, he wrestled a crowbar away from a thief and used it to injure him. READ MORE
Up next
Patti PeretFrom left: Will Ferrell plays Brad Whitaker, Mark Wahlberg plays Dusty Mayron and Linda Cardellini plays Sara in ‘Daddy’s Home.’
At the movies: A couple of big Hollywood movies open in Winnipeg on Friday – Christmas Day. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play a couple of guys battling for their kids’ love and attention in Daddy’s Home; Will Smith and Alec Baldwin star in Concussion, the story about the severe head injuries in the NFL; and Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper are features in Joy, a story of a woman who founds a business dynasty. READ MORE
Serving up dinner: Siloam Mission has about 500 guests coming for dinner on Christmas Eve. The shelter is preparing a traditional dinner today for many of Winnipeg’s less fortunate residents, with the help of more than 120 volunteers. The dinner goes at 12 p.m. at 300 Princess St.
Jets back on ice Sunday: The floundering Winnipeg Jets are in the midst of a much-needed holiday break, but return to the ice Sunday, Dec. 27 when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the MTS Centre. Winnipeg has lost two straight after getting dumbed in Edmonton and Calgary, and are 15-17-2 and last in the Central Division and 12th of 14 teams in the Western Conference. READ MORE
Around the water cooler
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSFormer Conservative MP Steven Fletcher says he’s been thinking of running for provincial office but won’t make a decision until after Christmas.
Familiar name on ballot: Former Tory MP Steven Fletcher is running for a seat in the Manitoba legislature. Fletcher, who was defeated in October’s federal election, was declared the only candidate Wednesday night for the Tory nomination in the Winnipeg constituency of Assiniboia. A quadriplegic well-known for his battle for the right to assisted suicide, he will represent the Conservative party in the Manitoba election on April 19. READ MORE
App for snow plowing: An Ottawa-based company has developed an app that lets people order plows for snow removal from their driveways and walkways. TouchPlow launched in Winnipeg in November as ‘the Uber of snow clearing,’ has already attracted nearly 280 users and is gaining about 50 new users a day. READ MORE
No booze for Adele: The singer of the giant hit ‘Hello’ says she’s bidding goodbye to alcohol. British songstress Adele has quit drinking in a bid to save her singing voice. The 27-year-old star, who released her third studio album earlier this year, says she is taking doctors’ advice by deciding to give up drinking. According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, she said: “I am not allowed to drink as it dehydrates my vocal chords.” READ MORE
Trending now
Holiday greetings: Winnipeggers are clearly in a festive mood today, as “Merry Christmas,” “Festivus,” “Boxing Day,” and “Happy Holidays” are all trending this morning.
#SantaNoShowExcuses: What if the big guy doesn’t make it down your chimney tonight? Could he have a valid reason? Maybe. Consider he might be “busy taking Elfies,” “Mrs. Claus wanted to Netflix and Chill,” or “You posted Star Wars spoilers.”
On this date
On Dec. 24, 1980: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that the Winnipeg Jets won in NHL action against the Colorado Rockies, 5-4, ending a losing streak that had lasted since Oct. 17. Sixteen more rounds of live 105-mm anti-tank shells were found at Alpha Metals by a team of Canadian Forces personnel, following an explosion at the Winnipeg scrap yard on Nov. 15 that had killed one man and inured another. The Christmas Eve forecast called for an overnight low of -30 C. Winnipeg moviegoers could see Any Which Way You Can, Nine to Five, Private Benjamin, Popeye, The Formula, Flash Gordon, and My Bodyguard, among other movies in theatres.
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