Good morning!
Yazidis welcomed: We begin with a heart-warming tale of two families of Yazidi refugees who finally arrived in Winnipeg late Monday night. Initially, they were expected to leave Turkey for Winnipeg on June 28 and arrive in time for Canada Day. They were on their way to Ataturk Airport in Istanbul when suicide bombers attacked, killing at least 44 people and wounding scores more. But two weeks later, the families are here now. Today, they get bank accounts, social insurance numbers and health cards. READ MORE
Your forecast: After a night of thunderstorms that swept across Winnipeg, the sky is clearing this morning and the temperature is already in the high teens. But booking a golf game for the afternoon might be ill-advised, to say the least. Environment Canada is calling for showers to begin at noon, with winds gusting to 50 km/h. The threat of rain continues tonight and into Wednesday. There’s some super weather down the road, with sunshine and daytime high temperatures in the high to mid 20s expected Thursday through Sunday.
In case you missed it
HANDOUT / POLICEThelma Krul
Abduction a possibility: Winnipeg police believe a city woman who went missing exactly a year ago in the Valley Gardens neighbourhood might have been abducted. Thelma Krull, 57, was walking near the large hills near Terry Sawchuk Arena when she met with “some kind of distress” police said Monday. The woman’s glasses and cell phone were found in the Civic Park area, known as Kimberly Hill. On Monday night, family and friends gathered near the spot for a vigil. READ MORE
Anglicans vote down same-sex marriage: A passionate debate on whether Anglicans should bless same-sex marriages came to a head Monday when delegates to their triennial conference narrowly voted against authorizing such unions. The vote by more than 200 delegates at a six-day meeting near Toronto sparked bitter disappointment among some members, according to the Canadian Press. READ MORE
Pay to watch them play?: Parents who shell out money for their kids to play baseball at Buhler Recreation Park in Transcona also have to pay $3 to watch the little leaguers play. That’s the word from the GM of the park, who is urging city hall to quit stalling and renew a $60,000 grant to cover a shortfall in the group’s operating budget. The East Winnipeg Sports Association, a volunteer group that runs the Buhler baseball and soccer fields, has threatened to disband if the city doesn’t step up to the plate. READ MORE
Up next
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS filesRapid transit has proven a great success in major cities across Canada, yet none of the major parties has touched on it during the provincial election campaign.
Learn about rapid transit: Winnipeggers are encouraged to attend a public information session tonight on the southwest rapid transitway (Stage 2) project. The project includes construction of the rapid transitway (to begin this summer), the addition of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, the expansion of the Pembina Underpass, and connections to the University of Manitoba and Investors Group Field. The session goes from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Canad Inns Fort Garry, 1824 Pembina Hwy.
Around the water cooler
DARREN CALABRESE / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Sides still talking: There is no settlement yet in the contract dispute between Canada Post and the union representing 50,000 of its workers. But the two sides continue to wrestle with the key issues of pensions and wages now that the post office has withdrawn the threat of a lockout. Canada Post initially served a lockout notice for last Friday, delayed it until Monday and then cancelled it. READ MORE
Electoral reform: Canadian elections have changed enormously over the last century-and-a-half. Now, the Trudeau government is beginning public consultation on reforming aspect of the country’s electoral system, which could include a referendum. However, as today’s editorial points out, referenda are more often used to stymie reform than to bring it about. READ MORE
Home sales soaring: It’s rosy times for people selling homes in Winnipeg. Home sales in June hit an all-time monthly high of 1,638 transactions on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), according to figures released Monday. It was the highest six months and second quarter volume in Winnipeg’s history.May and June of this year were the second and third best months ever on record, with 1,638 transactions in June and 1,629 in May, Free Press business writer Martin Cash reports. READ MORE
Trending now
Bullit Marquez / The Associated PressFilipinos applaud moments after the Hague-based U.N. international arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines in its case against China on the dispute in South China Sea Tuesday in Manila, Philippines.
South China Sea: The Philippines won its case against China at The Hague. China had claimed sovereignty over certain atolls and reefs that would give it control over disputed waters in the South China Sea, but the international court ruled against it. READ MORE
#IfSelfiesNeverExisted: Twitter is a-flutter with this apocalyptic scenario, as people muse on the effects, such as always having enough storage in their devices, the fact mirrors would work correctly and that “middle aged people would have to find something else to be condescending about.”
On this date
On July 12, 1939: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that Winnipeg was in the grips of a heat wave, with temperatures in the city reaching highs of 97 and 98 F. Emil Ludwig had just written an in-depth biography of “the most talked-about man of his time,” Adolf Hitler, which was not yet in print but would be published in the pages of the Winnipeg Free Press. (Hitler was also known to have read closely Ludwig’s biography of Napoleon.) In Europe, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia were forming a “little axis” alliance at the behest of the Nazi Germany.
|
