Good morning!
Your forecast: Apparently, today is National Dog Day, so give your pooch some extra attention today. Here’s a weather forecast all creatures with two or four legs will love. Except for a spot of rain late Friday, we’re in for a tail-waggin’ week, right through Sunday. To sum up: 25 C and sunny today; 28 C and sunny Thursday; 32 C and a 30 per cent chance of showers late Friday and 60 per cent chance of rain overnight; 32 C under a clear sky Saturday; and 28 C on a sunny Sunday. That not too ruff… er, rough… to take.
In case you missed it
Myrna Letandre
Surprise guilty plea: He’d indicated less than a year ago he wanted his murder case tried in court, but a 40-year-old man changed his mind and entered a plea of guilty in a Winnipeg courtroom Tuesday morning. Traigo Andretti admitted to the brutal killing of his girlfriend, 36-year-old Myrna Letandre, inside a rooming house on Lorne Avenue in the Point Douglas area in 2006. Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin handed the man, who described himself as evil, a life sentence with no chance of parole for 20 years. The killer is already severing a life sentence for the slaying of his wife, Jennifer McPherson, 41, in British Columbia in 2013. READ MORE
Scary moments in school: A 14-year-old boy held 29 students and a teacher at gunpoint in a West Virginia high school classroom Tuesday afternoon before he released them after negotiations and surrendered, authorities said. No injuries were reported. The student took a pistol into a second-floor classroom at a high school in Philippi, a small town in the north-central part of the state. The boy, who was not identified by officials, put down the loaded .380-caliber handgun and surrendered to authorities by around 3:30 p.m. Police say they have information on a likely motive but didn’t share it with media Tuesday. READ MORE
Rocky road for quarry plan: The owner of property in the RM of Rosser, just north of the Perimeter Highway, isn’t having an easy time convincing her neighbours a proposed limestone quarry will be a positive for the area. Colleen Munro, president of Hugh Munro Construction, tried to ease some of the concerns of participants of a community meeting Tuesday night in Grosse Isle. She said the quarry would likely employ 30 to 40 people in its early stages. But residents are worried about noise, dust, increased traffic and safety in the area. A public hearing is the next step in getting either a green or red light from the rural municipality. READ MORE
Up next
Winnipeg Free Press FilesAir Canada Park
Lunch plans today: Here’s an idea: brown bag it for a picnic lunch at one of the two downtown locations that have free concerts between noon and 1 p.m. today. Bands are playing at both Air Canada Park and Old Market Square (that’s the one with a stage like a giant cheese grater).
Baseball lingo: With Canada’s only Major League Baseball team in a race for first place in its division, the Blue Jays bandwagon is crowded with people who don’t normally follow baseball. As a public service to new fans, Head Start will explain baseball lingo: “heat” is a good fastball, not the effects of the sun on spectators; “AA” is the second-highest level of minor-league ball, not a 12-step group for players who are alcoholics; “sweet spot” is a place on the bat, not the Cinnabuns kiosk at the ballpark. The Jays play the Texas Rangers today at 7 p.m. in Arlington, the second game of a three-game series. Toronto earned a 6-5 comeback victory Tuesday night in the opener.
Around the water cooler
Richard Drew / The Associated PressTrader Peter Tuchman works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday.
Wild, crazy ride: It’s been a volatile week for the markets, and one has to wonder if the craziness continues today. On Tuesday, North American markets got a jolt, rebounding from the previous day’s wicked drop in prices. The TSE stayed in positive territory, while the New York indexes actually fell deeper into the red. The Canadian dollar took a boot to the head, slipping nearly half a cent to 74.93 cents U.S., the first time it’s dipped below the 75-cent mark in 11 years. READ MORE
Talking trash: Are Winnipeggers willing to separate organic waste such as dirty diapers, kitty litter and kitchen scraps for curbside pick-up? Or is it too yucky? Other cities already do. Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, already collect organic household waste. As Free Press reporter Bart Kives explains today, Winnipeg has put off a neighbourhood pilot project on curbside organic waste and is now seeking public opinion and expert advice before it launches a city-wide program. Winnipeggers are invited to attend a symposium on the topic, Sept. 9. at 5:30 p.m. at the West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave. READ MORE
Ethical question: Is it right to search the hacked list of Ashley Madison members for acquaintances from your workplace, church or club? A total of 33 million email addresses, and often names, were pirated from the online business connecting people who seek secret extra-marital affairs. Some people are hunting the list for the names of friends or colleagues who have cheating hearts. But other people say it’s wrong to search, it’s akin to going through a neighbour’s garbage looking for signs of sin.
Trending now
Stephen Chernin / The Associated Press FilesBruce Springsteen and the E Street band
Born to Run: Bruce Springsteen’s signature song turns 40. Despite its later iconic status for The Boss, the single came out before the album it was eventually released on, at a time when Springsteen and the E Street Band were struggling for recognition.
#absmoke: The good folks of southern Alberta are still dealing with a seriously hazy situation, as wildfires burning in the northwestern U.S. and British Columbia are causing smoke to drift into the province. The high-risk areas include Calgary, Banff, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Red Deer.
On this date
On August 26, 1991: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that the Soviet Union was rapidly crumbling in the wake of the coup the week before. The Core Area Initiative had transformed the face of inner-city Winnipeg since 1981, but the tri-government program had come to an end. A top bone surgeon left Manitoba, citing frustration with surgical delays he said contributed to the deaths of his patients. U.S. runner Carl Lewis showed he was the fastest runner in the world at a Tokyo track meet.
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