Wildfire impacts, security committee, parole denied, 50th folk fest underway
Plus: Read to the end for a love letter that really went the distance

Good evening. Here’s a look at what our newsroom has been working on today:

'It’s really bad'

Chris Kitching:

‘The fire is in my backyard’: new wave of northern Manitoba evacuees seek shelter in Winnipeg

Misty Harper was running on little sleep and frayed nerves after her family was forced to flee an out-of-control wildfire that threatened their home in northern Manitoba. Read More

Kevin Rollason:

Wildfire smoke over Winnipeg akin to having a cigarette

Even if you never smoked a cigarette, you basically had at least one on Friday because of dense smoke from wildfires wafting over Winnipeg. Read More

Chris Kitching:

All eyes on Hwy. 6: Thompson preps for wildfire evacuation

The City of Thompson issued a pre-evacuation alert Friday, warning a mandatory evacuation could be ordered in the next few days should an out-of-control wildfire close Highway 6. Read More

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Iced drink with lime on a wooden surface beside the Savour Manitoba magazine cover.

'There’s a lot of interest in... getting this right'

Gabrielle Piché:

‘Can’t be swept under the carpet’

Province urged to mandate cultural awareness training for private security guards Read More

'Parole is stupid with a bunch of conditions'

Tyler Searle:

‘Undue risk’: parole denied for man who stabbed Olive Garden server in random attack

A Winnipeg man convicted of stabbing an Olive Garden waitress in the neck in June 2023 has been denied parole due to security concerns. Robert Alan Ingram, 29, has participated in no rehabilitative... Read More

'It’s just part of us'

Eva Wasney:

Folk festival opening always special

Long lines of fans quick to load up on 50th anniversary merchandise Read More

Jen Zoratti:

Cheers to 50 years of the Folk Fest — & 50 more

A legacy festival isn’t built by mere endurance — or survival — alone. It’s built by people who have a vision for it, who can recognize both where it came from and where it could go. Read More

Rob Williams:

No need to roll the dice: Brooklyn-based Lake Street Dive will deliver soulful pop to close out folk festival Read More

Photography by the Winnipeg Free Press:

In pictures: Fifty years of Folk Fest

The Winnipeg Folk Festival celebrates its 50th year running in 2025, and the Free Press has been there since Day 1. Here are a collection of photos from the earliest days to today, commemorating the past five decades of festivities at Birds Hill Park and the community that resulted. Read More

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Three Savour Manitoba magazine covers promoting a food, drink, and lifestyle publication.

Local

Scott Billeck: No link found between deaths, plasma donations: Health Canada

Nicole Buffie: Baby black bears orphaned after mother killed

Scott Billeck: Search for missing Ukrainian refugee detailed, methodical

Gabrielle Piché: Shared Health lacks data to predict future staffing needs

Photography by Ruth Bonneville: In photos: Winnipeg bakers prepare for Easter

Erik Pindera: School division hit with second lawsuit over sex offences

Dean Pritchard: Judge delays sentencing for hockey coach convicted of sexually assaulting player

Tyler Searle: Convicted mail bomber loses parole-denial appeal

Erik Pindera: Interlake paramedic disciplined, fined for misconduct

Tyler Searle: Bank says $343-K error was city law firm’s, asks court to dismiss lawsuit

Opinion

Joel Schlesinger: Latest smartphone app launch for young do-it-yourself investors points to industry trending toward no commissions on trades

Scott Forbes: Folly of Canada’s oil, gas addiction clear

Editorial: Trying to read the budgetary tea leaves

Gwynne Dyer: On alliances

David McLaughlin: Pallister portrait shows more of the man

Laura Rance: Farmland values continue inexorable rise

Jen Zoratti: Gimme a break with supporting burnout culture

Tim Kist: Winning rhythm of review, refocus, recharge

Maureen Scurfield: Grieving competition anything but healthy

Tory McNally: Long weekends change time off equation

Arts & Life

Georgia Nicols: Today’s horoscope

Reviewed by Jess Woolford: Dark fantasy explores the demands of being human — and our perfectly imperfect creations

Reviewed by Sara Harms: Stunning stories explore families’ untreated mental illnesses

John Longhurst: Moderator offers vision for future of United Church

Sharon Chisvin: Interfaith bridge-builder Khalid Mahmood honoured

Ben Sigurdson: Grandmother’s memoir lands Colby a Kobzar

Reviewed by Douglas J. Johnston: Golden state governor’s uneven past, tussles with Trump chronicled in frank, fresh prose

Reviewed by Joseph Hnatiuk: NATO (including Canada) anything but peacekeepers in world conflict: author

Reviewed by Alison Gillmor: Wayward prairie scholar reconstructs ancient text as his life falls apart in Martel’s profound prose

David Pitt: Paperbacks: Virginia family entangled with thugs

Sports

Ken Wiebe: Big guns on target for Jets in Columbus

Mike McIntyre: Winkler-product records first career major league hit, walk-off RBI single

Grace Anne Paizen: Around the PWHL: Playoff picture; Fantastic Fillier; Green Monster for MVP?

Mike McIntyre: Moose in playoff hunt

Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre: Jets look forward to playing old head coach as club lands in Columbus

Ken Wiebe: Jets’ playoff hopes dimming with loss to Dallas Stars

Joshua Frey-Sam: Star guard/forward Teddy Allen returns to Sea Bears after abrupt departure in 2024

Ken Wiebe: ‘I feel great on the ice’: Barron back as Jets face off against Dallas

Joshua Frey-Sam: Goodbye, Goldeyes — hello, Manitoba Mosquitoes

R.j. Rico, The Associated Press: After crash, Tiger Woods told deputy he was ‘talking to the president,’ body camera shows

Business

Malak Abas: Papiiro opens doors, journals in Village

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press: Energy stocks help lift S&P/TSX composite, U.S. markets mixed

Aaron Epp: April Fools’ Day jokes highlight real-life issues, joys of local small businesses, owners say

Aaron Epp: Manitoba gross domestic product growth modest in 2026: Deloitte

Aaron Epp: Winnipeg company’s web series in spotlight at international Shorty Awards

Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press: Stopgap measures aren’t enough to halt rising gas prices as the world scrambles for more oil

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press: Oil shock manageable but prices reflect assumption that conflict will end soon: BMO

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press: Stock markets continue to rise on hopes of end to Iran war, oil prices move lower

Aaron Epp: Harmony Aesthetics banks on cryogenic storage, preservation, future utilization of hair follicle stem cells

Malak Abas: Swan River-based cosmetics brand seeks ‘bigger breakthrough’

Canada

David Baxter and Kelly Malone, The Canadian Press: Carney to meet with cabinet, premiers following Trump’s latest tariff threat

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press: Business leaders lament latest U.S. tariff threat as experts play down risks

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press: Carney’s ethics filing reveals details of conflict of interest screen on Brookfield

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press: Surprisingly strong June jobs numbers quash Bank of Canada rate cut odds

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press: Ottawa tells chiefs to submit questions before meeting with PM on major projects bill

Vanessa Tiberio, The Canadian Press: What’s known about the attack on eight-year-old girl in Quadeville, Ont.

Nicole Thompson and Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press: Fraud experts warn of smishing scams made easier by artificial intelligence, new tech

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press: Some Ontario doctors can treat family members as regulatory college relaxes rules amid shortage

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press: N.S. opposition call government out over withholding environmental racism report

World

Hanna Arhirova, Vasilisa Stepanenko And Illia Novikov, The Associated Press: Ukraine’s capital buzzes during the day but it’s a battleground at night

Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Illia Novikov And Emma Burrows, The Associated Press: US is selling weapons to NATO allies to give to Ukraine, Trump says

Michelle L. Price And Joseph Krauss, The Associated Press: As Trump seeks to be a peacemaker, Netanyahu leaves Washington without breakthrough on Gaza deal

Wafaa Shurafa And Samya Kullab, The Associated Press: To get their own cash, people in Gaza must pay middlemen a 40% cut

Stella Martany And Qassim Abdul-zahra, The Associated Press: Kurdish separatist fighters in Iraq begin laying down weapons as part of peace process with Turkey

Gisela Salomon And Kate Payne, The Associated Press: Detained immigrants at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ say there are worms in food and wastewater on the floor

Sean Murphy And Will Weissert, The Associated Press: Trump tours Texas flood sites and defends officials as questions mount about response

Michelle Chapman And Wyatte Grantham-philips, The Associated Press: Bitcoin tops $118,000 for the first time, as the cryptocurrency continues to climb to new heights

Eric Tucker, The Associated Press: Furor over Epstein files sparks clash between Bondi and Bongino at the Justice Department

Paolo Santalucia And Silvia Stellacci, The Associated Press: U.N. refugee agency tries to help millions of displaced Ukrainians stay close to home

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