Good morning!
Rare kidnapping trial begins: We begin the day with details emerging publicly for the first time about a bizarre case in which a Winnipeg man allegedly impersonated a police officer, snatched a 14-year-old boy and demanded the victim’s frantic family pay up. Harpreet Singh Kanda, 23, began his Court of Queen’s Bench trial Monday by pleading not guilty to a slew of criminal charges. Free Press justice reporter Mike McIntyre has the story. READ MORE
Your forecast: Winnipeggers are waking to a truly gorgeous Tuesday morning. By 5 a.m., the temperature was already 14 C and is expected to rise to 26 C by mid afternoon under a mostly sunny sky. Tonight, however, will be mainly cloudy and there’s a 60 per cent chance of showers overnight and into the morning. The sky will clear late in the day Wednesday and the daytime high is expected to hit 27 C. Expect plenty of sunshine and highs of 28 C for both Thursday and Friday.
In case you missed it
FRED CHARTRAND / THE CANADIAN PRESSOttawa Redblacks’ Andrew Marshall (90) stops Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Drew Willy (5) during pre-season CFL football action in Ottawa Monday.
Fans have seen this before: Has it been a decade since the Winnipeg Blue Bombers had a potent offence? Longer than that? So, forgive fans if they’re a little worried when they see the club’s primary offensive unit sputter like it did in preseason action Monday night in Ottawa. Starting quarterback Drew Willy led the club to just three first downs and only seven points in the first half, and the Bombers eventually fell 18-14 to the Redblacks. READ MORE
Murderer familiar with bar: Omar Mateen was more than just a homicidal, jihadist-inspired homophobe when he shot his way through an Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning, according to a couple of the establishment regulars. He was also a repeat visitor. A married couple described seeing Mateen as many as a dozen times at the gay-friendly nightclub where he’d later embark on the single worst gun massacre in modern American history. READ MORE
Rapid transit stalls, again: A special briefing to provide members of city council with more information about the controversial $20.4-million Hydro land purchase Monday failed to remove the doubt and uncertainty that now surrounds the future of rapid transit in Winnipeg. “We’re between a rock and a hard place,” Councillor Matt Allard (St. Boniface) said as he left the closed-door briefing, adding the future of bus rapid transit hangs in the balance with council’s decision on the land purchase. READ MORE
Up next
Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free PressBike Week in Winnipeg kicks off on Friday.
Putting wheels in motion: It’s a snazzy way to kick off Bike Week in Winnipeg. This morning, city cyclists are invited to “dress their best” and join the “Suit and Heels On Wheels Ride” from The Forks to City Hall. Participants are meeting under the canopy at The Forks between 9 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. and the ride will depart at 9:30 a.m. Speeches by several VIPs, including Mayor Brian Bowman and Bike Week Winnipeg project manager Dave Elmore begin at City Hall at 10 a.m.
Chevy meets the press: Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will meet with Winnipeg reporters today at noon at the Matt Frost Media Centre inside the MTS Centre. Expect the boss of the Jets’ hockey operations to discuss the very hectic few weeks ahead, with the NHL draft (June 24-25) and free agency (July 1) on the horizon, not to mention contract negotiations with several prominent players like centre Mark Scheifele and blueliner Jacob Trouba.
Around the water cooler
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The MTS Building at 333 Main Street.
Hold the line: On May 2, Bell Canada announced it was purchasing MTS for $3.9 billion. Now Canada’s Competition Bureau must determine whether the proposed merger will substantially decrease or prevent competition. However, Manitoba already enjoyed lower cellphone rates than much of Canada, and MTS had already been investing in infrastructure, write Katrine Dilay and Gloria Desorcy; with fewer telecommunications companies operating in the province after the merger, with Manitobans still see low rates? READ MORE
Culture runs deep: In the wake of the Orlando massacre, the worst mass shooting by a single gunman in United States history, the national conversation in that country turns once again to guns and how to prevent events such as these. But don’t expect the gun debate to suddenly get free of a stalemate, writes Gwynne Dyer: “The U.S. will go on living with the occasional mass murder because the culture is too hard to change.” READ MORE
Trending now
Paul Horton / Neue Studios filesHockey legend Gordie Howe
Joe Louis Arena: Late hockey great Gordie Howe will lie in repose at Detroit’s famous arena ahead of his funeral. Fans can say farewell today from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT — in a nod to his No. 9 jersey. Howe’s funeral is set for Wednesday and is also be open to the public. The Hall of Famer died Friday at the age of 88.
#Kyrie: Cleveland superstar LeBron James got some major assistance from teammate Kyrie Irving on Monday night as the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors 112-97 to force Game 6 in the NBA championship series. Irving and James both scored 41 points in the victory. The Warriors still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, with the next game set for Thursday in Cleveland.
On this date
On June 14, 1909: The Manitoba Free Press reported that the United States opposed reciprocal trade with Canada. Bush fires were responsible for a “great loss of property” near Kenora. CP Rail was adding observation cars and library cars to its across-the-continent service. A Regina man was fined $50 and forced to cover associated costs for giving away free beer as an inducement for people to buy dance tickets, which cost 75 cents each.
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