Human Ecology

Champions League final kicking off earlier to help fans, families and host cities

The Associated Press 2 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

MONACO (AP) — The final of the men’s Champions League is moving forward three hours to a 6 p.m. kickoff in central Europe, UEFA said on Thursday.

Better for families and children to attend and watch on television, use public transport after the game, and for fans to party post-match in host cities, the European soccer body said.

The earlier start will be used at the next final on Saturday, May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary. The final has been played on Saturdays since 2010.

The 9 p.m. kickoff in recent years meant a game that went to extra time and a penalty shootout would finish barely before midnight local time.

Winnipeg elementary school shoots for moon with stuffie design

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Preview

Winnipeg elementary school shoots for moon with stuffie design

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025

A stuffed animal designed by elementary schoolers in Winnipeg could be launched into outer space on NASA’s Artemis II mission.

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Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025

SUPPLIED

Royal School’s Luna the Polar Bear design is one of 25 finalists in a new NASA contest.

SUPPLIED
                                Royal School’s Luna the Polar Bear design is one of 25 finalists in a new NASA contest.

Winnipeggers’ pride bruised by crime, broken infrastructure: poll

Tyler Searle 5 minute read Preview

Winnipeggers’ pride bruised by crime, broken infrastructure: poll

Tyler Searle 5 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025

Life in the big city on the Prairies isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, suggests a new poll that shows Winnipeggers are much less positive about their community than other Manitobans are about theirs.

The poll shows 76 per cent of Winnipeggers agree the city is a great place to live, but a contradictory finding is that they believe conditions in Manitoba’s capital are as bad as they have ever been. Those sentiments are highlighted in a Probe Research poll that found Winnipeggers are “proud, yet profoundly frustrated” about crime and aging infrastructure and their faith in public officials has dwindled.

“We definitely see that there is a palpable sense of frustration with some things, especially for younger folks,” Probe partner Curtis Brown said Tuesday

“This says that there’s work to do. The public expects work to be done to fix some of these big, ongoing challenges that Winnipeg — and all communities, frankly — have been grappling with for years.”

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Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Winnipeg cityscape from Fort Garry Place Monday, August 25, 2025. Reporter: ?

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Winnipeg cityscape from Fort Garry Place Monday, August 25, 2025. Reporter: ?

Gardening’s hidden benefits: How digging in the dirt could bolster mental wellbeing

Jessica Damiano, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Gardening’s hidden benefits: How digging in the dirt could bolster mental wellbeing

Jessica Damiano, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

If you spend any time gardening, you probably understand what I mean when I say it feels good — despite the lifting, sweating and straining involved. Yes, exercise is good for our bodies, but there’s something about digging in the dirt while listening to a bird soundtrack that lifts my spirits. Even the scent of the soil and mulch makes me happy.

As it turns out, there are scientific reasons for this.

In fact, there’s an entire field called horticultural therapy that’s dedicated to using “plant-based and garden-based activities to support people who have identified treatment needs,” according to Karen Haney, a horticultural therapy instructor at UCLA Extension in Long Beach, California.

“Research suggests 20-30 minutes (of gardening) a few times a week can reduce stress and lift mood, with benefits increasing the more regularly one gardens,” says Sarah Thompson, a professionally registered horticultural therapist in Boise, Idaho.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

This Aug. 21, 2025, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a pair of hands holding a mound of soil on Long Island, N.Y. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

This Aug. 21, 2025, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a pair of hands holding a mound of soil on Long Island, N.Y. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

The US Open dating show: How Grand Slam tennis tournaments are shooting for a Gen Z audience

Alyce Brown, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

The US Open dating show: How Grand Slam tennis tournaments are shooting for a Gen Z audience

Alyce Brown, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Over the course of the past week across the U.S. Open's grounds, eight couples went on their first dates — on camera.

They were all part of the tournament’s newest content creation venture, “Game, Set, Matchmaker,” the most recent play for Gen Z attention from the world of Grand Slam tennis. From Wimbledon to Flushing Meadows, the sport is starting to take risks in pursuit of a new generation of fans.

“We’re always looking for new ways to engage new audiences,” said Jonathan Zipper, the senior director of social media for the U.S. Tennis Association. The USTA governs tennis in the United States and runs the U.S. Open. "In particular, Gen Z and Millennials are a focus for us to bring into the sport of tennis. So we think about the different types of content that those demographics typically engage with and enjoy watching.”

The eight-episode YouTube series that made its debut Sunday comes amidst an explosive moment for dating shows. “Love Island,” “Love is Blind” and “The Bachelor” are just a few shows in the genre that have dominated young American audiences in the past year.

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Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

Game Set Matchmaker's Prianca and Saad are filmed on a date at the 2025 US Open on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in Flushing, NY. (Kent Edwards/USTA)

Game Set Matchmaker's Prianca and Saad are filmed on a date at the 2025 US Open on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in Flushing, NY. (Kent Edwards/USTA)

Essays on listening insightful, poetic

Reviewed by Susan Huebert 3 minute read Preview

Essays on listening insightful, poetic

Reviewed by Susan Huebert 3 minute read Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025

In Hark: How Women Listen, Alice Vincent looks at some of the ways women can listen more attentively and thus gain insights that might otherwise be lost to them.

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Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025

Hark

Hark

Lawyer argues Meta can’t be held liable for gunmaker’s Instagram posts in Uvalde families’ lawsuit

Itzel Luna, The Associated Press 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit filed by families of the Uvalde school shooting victims alleging Instagram allowed gun manufacturers to promote firearms to minors should be thrown out, lawyers for Meta, Instagram's parent company, argued Tuesday.

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The families sued Meta in Los Angeles in May 2024, saying the social media platform failed to enforce its own rules forbidding firearms advertisements aimed at minors. The families, who were present at last month's hearing, did not appear in court, with a lawyer citing the back-to-school season. Many plaintiffs attended the hearing virtually, he said.

In one ad posted on Instagram, the Georgia-based gunmaker Daniel Defense shows Santa Claus holding an assault rifle. In another post by the same company, a rifle leans against a refrigerator, with the caption: “Let’s normalize kitchen Daniels. What Daniels do you use to protect your kitchen and home?”

Minnesota sues TikTok, alleging it preys on young people with addictive algorithms

Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Minnesota sues TikTok, alleging it preys on young people with addictive algorithms

Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press 3 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota on Tuesday joined a wave of states suing TikTok, alleging the social media giant preys on young people with addictive algorithms that trap them into becoming compulsive consumers of its short videos.

“This isn’t about free speech. I’m sure they’re gonna holler that," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference. "It’s actually about deception, manipulation, misrepresentation. This is about a company knowing the dangers, and the dangerous effects of its product, but making and taking no steps to mitigate those harms or inform users of the risks.”

The lawsuit, filed in state court, alleges that TikTok is violating Minnesota laws against deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud. It follows a flurry of lawsuits filed by more than a dozen states last year alleging the popular short-form video app is designed to be addictive to kids and harms their mental health. Minnesota's case brings the total to about 24 states, Ellison's office said.

Many of the earlier lawsuits stemmed from a nationwide investigation into TikTok launched in 2022 by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from 14 states into the effects of TikTok on young users’ mental health. Ellison, a Democrat, said Minnesota waited while it did its own investigation.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

FILE - The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

FILE - The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

AI-powered personal finance is here: for better and for worse

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Preview

AI-powered personal finance is here: for better and for worse

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025

Financial advice at your fingertips is by no means a new innovation.

Yet with the rise of artificial intelligence, getting insights about your money has been taken to new heights of potential benefit — and dangers.

“There is a lot of upside to using AI, especially for budgeting, and it’s often good as a first draft for anything you want to do,” says Monisha Sharma, Toronto-based chief revenue officer at Fig Financial, which provides consolidation, home improvement and unsecured loans.

Fig has some insight on AI’s benefits. The fintech company leverages AI technology to make loans quickly to Canadians, but its use case is contained to Fig’s own specific data to ensure a low error rate.

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Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025

3 steps to save money when you’re tempted to spend

Danielle Labotka Of Morningstar, The Associated Press 4 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

Why do so many of us struggle to save?

Saving for the future can be difficult because of a cognitive bias known as hyperbolic discounting: our tendency to place greater weight on immediate satisfaction, even if focusing on the long term will have a greater payoff. This bias is why, when you get a raise, you may consider getting a new car—incurring a higher monthly payment—instead of sacking away more money each month for retirement and perhaps getting to retire several years earlier.

Feeling stressed about finances can also get you off track with your savings. While some people respond to financial stress by saving more, others respond by spending more in order to regain feelings of control.

Unfortunately, these shortsighted decisions on spending versus saving can have large effects on our ability to achieve our future goals, because of the enormous power of compound interest. So, let’s talk about what you can do to keep saving when you feel the urge to give up.

Jeans ad is regressive as can be

Jen Zoratti 4 minute read Preview

Jeans ad is regressive as can be

Jen Zoratti 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025

American Eagle thought it would be a good idea to have a woman who embodies western beauty standards talk about inherited traits in a commercial and then seemed surprised when people online were like “hmm, this seems like an ad for eugenics.”

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Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025

Ageism keeps rearing its ugly head

Pam Frampton 5 minute read Preview

Ageism keeps rearing its ugly head

Pam Frampton 5 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025

All the seniors’ discounts in the world can’t make up for the ageism that is rampant in our society.

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Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025

Pam Frampton

Ads featuring confident older women, like this one in Lecce, Italy, with the message ‘Because you’re unique’ — are too few and far between.

Pam Frampton
                                Ads featuring confident older women, like this one in Lecce, Italy, with the message ‘Because you’re unique’ — are too few and far between.

Not just Big Bird: Things to know about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and its funding cuts

Audrey Mcavoy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Not just Big Bird: Things to know about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and its funding cuts

Audrey Mcavoy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps pay for PBS, NPR, 1,500 local radio and television stations as well as programs like “Sesame Street” and “Finding Your Roots,” said Friday that it would close after the U.S. government withdrew funding.

The organization told employees that most staff positions will end with the fiscal year on Sept. 30. A small transition team will stay until January to finish any remaining work.

The private, nonprofit corporation was founded in 1968 shortly after Congress authorized its formation. It now ends nearly six decades of fueling the production of renowned educational programming, cultural content and emergency alerts about natural disasters.

Here's what to know:

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Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

FILE - One of the control rooms at the Arizona PBS offices at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix is seen Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Katie Oyan, File)

FILE - One of the control rooms at the Arizona PBS offices at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix is seen Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Katie Oyan, File)

There is no innovation without social accountability

Marwa Suraj 5 minute read Preview

There is no innovation without social accountability

Marwa Suraj 5 minute read Monday, Jul. 21, 2025

“Can a country call itself innovative if its founding wounds remain open?” That’s a question I’ve been sitting with for a while.

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Monday, Jul. 21, 2025

FILE

Modernizing health care involves much more than AI and new technology. Innovation doesn’t move forward in isolation.

FILE
                                Modernizing health care involves much more than AI and new technology. Innovation doesn’t move forward in isolation.

‘Love Island’ revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating

Sarah Jones-smith, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

‘Love Island’ revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating

Sarah Jones-smith, The Associated Press 6 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

It used to be that dating was as simple as deciding between dinner, a trip to the movies or an arcade. Now, understanding the dating scene has become intermingled with smartphones, matchmaking apps and one’s ability to navigate thorny social issues like racial preference in a mate.

“Love Island,” a widely popular international reality television franchise, is emblematic of the complexities of modern dating. It has also sparked heated discussions among fans about the desirability of Black women and darker-complexioned people both on and off air.

The show, which aired the finale of the seventh season of its U.S. version Sunday and is airing the 12th season of its U.K. version, casts conventionally attractive “islanders” who are generally in their early to late 20s for a six- to eight-week stay in a luxury villa. Men and women compete for long-lasting relationships and a cash prize.

But as the show’s daters face challenges meant to test their bonds, as well as elimination by villa mates or by fans’ vote, notions of who is and isn’t desirable frequently come up for viewers and contestants alike. In the end, many fans are left with the perception that racial bias, colorism and misogyny are especially inescapable for Black women on reality dating shows.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

This image released by Peacock shows promotional art for the reality series "Love Island USA." (Peacock via AP)

This image released by Peacock shows promotional art for the reality series

UK arrests four people over cyber attacks on Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods

The Associated Press 1 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2025

LONDON (AP) — Four people alleged to be part of an organized crime ring were arrested Thursday for damaging cyber attacks that hit British retailers Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Harrods, the National Crime Agency said.

The unnamed suspects were identified as British males aged 17 and 19, a 20-year-old British woman and a 19-year-old Latvian man. They were arrested on suspicion of blackmail, money laundering, crimes for violating the Computer Misuse Act and participating in an organized crime group.

M&S said the cyberattack in April stopped it from processing online orders, left store shelves empty and cost it about 300 million pounds ($407 million).

Supermarket chain Co-op said attackers stole customers' personal data, disrupted payments and prevented it from restocking shelves. Luxury London department store Harrods restricted online access in May after it was unable to process orders.

First school year of cellphone ban well-received: minister

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Preview

First school year of cellphone ban well-received: minister

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Monday, Jun. 30, 2025

Sweeping restrictions on cellphone use in schools are here to stay, despite frustrations related to inconsistent enforcement and student workarounds during the 2024-25 rollout.

Manitoba banned phones in elementary classrooms last summer and introduced new rules to silence devices and keep them out of sight during Grade 9 to 12 lessons.

“How practical is that going to be in the real world? AI exists. Cellphones exist. Banning them is only going to make us sneakier,” said Diana Bonakdar, who just finished Grade 11 in Winnipeg.

Diana and Nadia Lovallo, the new co-presidents of the student council at St. Mary’s Academy, question the effectiveness of the policy and its long-term impact.

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Monday, Jun. 30, 2025

A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Sean Kilpatrick

A person uses a cellphone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Sean Kilpatrick

Tech industry group sues Arkansas over new social media laws

Andrew Demillo, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Tech industry group sues Arkansas over new social media laws

Andrew Demillo, The Associated Press 3 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A tech industry trade group sued Arkansas Friday over two new laws that would place limits on content on social media platforms and would allow parents of children who killed themselves to sue over content on the platforms.

The lawsuit by NetChoice filed in federal court in Fayetteville, Arkansas, comes months after a federal judge struck down a state law requiring parental consent before minors can create new social media accounts. The new laws were signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year.

“Despite the overwhelming consensus that laws like the Social Media Safety Act are unconstitutional, Arkansas elected to respond to this Court’s decision not by repealing the provisions that it held unconstitutional but by instead doubling down on its overreach,” NetChoice said in its lawsuit.

Arkansas is among several states that have been enacting restrictions on social media, prompted by concerns about the impact on children's mental health. NetChoice — whose members include Facebook parent Meta and the social platform X — challenged Arkansas' 2023 age-verification law for social media. A federal judge who initially blocked the law struck it down in March.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

FILE - Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs a bill requiring age verification before creating a new social media account as Sen. Tyler Dees, R-Siloam Springs, looks on during a signing ceremony, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)

FILE - Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs a bill requiring age verification before creating a new social media account as Sen. Tyler Dees, R-Siloam Springs, looks on during a signing ceremony, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. (Thomas Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)

Gordon Bell students make history as first team from outside Quebec to win national finals at inter-school cooking competition

Eva Wasney 4 minute read Preview

Gordon Bell students make history as first team from outside Quebec to win national finals at inter-school cooking competition

Eva Wasney 4 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 24, 2025

A group of local high schoolers are savouring the sweet taste of victory.

Earlier this month, five student chefs from Gordon Bell High School made history as the first team from outside Quebec to win the national finals of La Tablée des Chefs Canadian Culinary Competition, an inter-school cooking contest now in its 12th year.

“It’s a great honour,” says Matea Thiessen-Unger, who shares the win with her Grade 10 and 11 classmates Sebastian Salter, Avery Van Solkema, Yevhen Zinchenco and Cailyn Olshevski.

The competition is the grand finale of Kitchen Brigades, an extracurricular program designed by La Tablée des Chefs to foster an interest in cooking and healthy eating among secondary students across the country.

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Tuesday, Jun. 24, 2025

TABLÉE DES CHEFS PHOTO

Five student chefs from Gordon Bell High School made history earlier this month as the first team from outside Quebec to win the national finals of La Tablée des Chefs Canadian Culinary Competition, an inter-school cooking contest.

TABLÉE DES CHEFS PHOTO
                                Five student chefs from Gordon Bell High School made history earlier this month as the first team from outside Quebec to win the national finals of La Tablée des Chefs Canadian Culinary Competition, an inter-school cooking contest.

Downtown pilot project will add furniture, art, picnic tables to Graham Avenue

Joyanne Pursaga 4 minute read Preview

Downtown pilot project will add furniture, art, picnic tables to Graham Avenue

Joyanne Pursaga 4 minute read Monday, Jun. 23, 2025

Over the next three weeks, the city aims to breathe new life into a four-block stretch of Graham Avenue, with a bright new look, ping pong tables, street furniture and art.

As the Free Press reported last week, a pilot project will see Graham reserved for cyclists and pedestrians between Carlton and Garry streets, once a new primary transit network removes buses from the area on June 29.

On Monday, the city laid out its vision for the pilot, which is expected to continue at least until the end of summer.

“The buses will move off of Graham Avenue and in just three weeks … after that, we will completely transform this stretch of Graham,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

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Monday, Jun. 23, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Mayor Scott Gillingham speaks at the launch of the re-imagining Graham pedestrian placemaking project at Graham Avenue on Monday.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
                                Mayor Scott Gillingham speaks at the launch of the re-imagining Graham pedestrian placemaking project at Graham Avenue on Monday.

Animal Services asks for help building sensory garden

Massimo De Luca-Taronno 3 minute read Preview

Animal Services asks for help building sensory garden

Massimo De Luca-Taronno 3 minute read Monday, Jun. 23, 2025

The City of Winnipeg is counting on dog lovers to make life easier for furry companions who end up in its shelter.

Jennifer Medlicott, the communications co-ordinator at the Animal Services Agency, said there’s a desperate need to create a sensory garden in the facility’s outdoor play yards. The agency, at 1057 Logan Ave., generally houses more than two dozen dogs at a time.

“We’re just looking for opportunities to make the lives of the animals in our care better and I just think we just saw an opportunity,” said Medlicott on Friday. “We dream of a future where we have a large-scale transformation, but we were also trying to look at some short-term solutions and that’s where the sensory garden came up.”

A sensory garden is an area designed to stimulate one or more of the five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. It incorporates trees, flowers, and any other elements in nature to help reduce stress.

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Monday, Jun. 23, 2025

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS

Sebastian, a two-year-old American Bull Dog mix, runs over one of the enrichment structures at Animal Services.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
                                Sebastian, a two-year-old American Bull Dog mix, runs over one of the enrichment structures at Animal Services.

Graham Avenue stretch to get pedestrian, bike-only trial when buses vanish

Joyanne Pursaga 4 minute read Preview

Graham Avenue stretch to get pedestrian, bike-only trial when buses vanish

Joyanne Pursaga 4 minute read Friday, Jun. 20, 2025

The city will turn a four-block stretch of Graham Avenue into a living lab when Winnipeg Transit’s network overhaul pulls buses off the downtown street.

It will be cyclists and pedestrians only between Carlton and Garry streets in an indefinite pilot project scheduled to begin after June 29.

“In July 2025, buses will be removed from four blocks, creating a rare opportunity to transform the street into a safer, pedestrian-first space. With a focus on recreation, public gathering areas, and cultural programming, Graham Avenue can become a dynamic hub of activity in the heart of downtown,” a city document states.

Without changes, the area risks becoming a neglected corridor with minimal foot traffic once buses leave, it warns.

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Friday, Jun. 20, 2025

SUPPLIED

A rendering of Graham Avenue between Donald and Smith Streets.

SUPPLIED
                                A rendering of Graham Avenue between Donald and Smith Streets.

Growing up Bombers: Football increasingly a family affair in Winnipeg

Taylor Allen 8 minute read Preview

Growing up Bombers: Football increasingly a family affair in Winnipeg

Taylor Allen 8 minute read Wednesday, Jun. 18, 2025

Nine months after a serious knee injury put his career in jeopardy, an emotional Chris Streveler stood before reporters, searching for words to describe what it meant to lead the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a season-opening victory last week.

He could’ve started with what it felt like to suit up in front of 32,343 Blue and Gold supporters again after a gruelling rehab, or spoken about his three touchdown passes and how they helped his team prevail 34-20 over the B.C. Lions.

Instead, the first place the quarterback went was his daughter, Sunny, and how much it meant to him to play in front of her for the first time.

“I think it’s just really different having a daughter now, and after the injury, I just think my perspective is really different on the game, and life in general, and I have more appreciation for these moments,” Streveler told the Free Press earlier this week as the Bombers prepare to meet the Lions in a rematch on Saturday at BC Place.

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Wednesday, Jun. 18, 2025

SUPPLIED

Winnipeg Blue Bomber Chris Streveler with fiance Taylor and their daughter Sunny.

SUPPLIED

Winnipeg Blue Bomber Chris Streveler with fiance Taylor and their daughter Sunny.

‘Elio’ is an intergalactic tale — but for Toronto’s Domee Shi, it hits close to home

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

‘Elio’ is an intergalactic tale — but for Toronto’s Domee Shi, it hits close to home

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

TORONTO - For Domee Shi, making a movie about an introverted kid getting abducted by aliens felt oddly familiar.

Not because she’s had any close encounters, but because she remembers being a teenager longing to be taken away to a world where her weirdness was understood.

The Toronto native co-directs “Elio,” a Pixar animated sci-fi film about an 11-year-old orphan who yearns to be snatched by extraterrestrials to escape his loneliness — and gets his wish when an interplanetary organization mistakes him for Earth’s ambassador.

“He's this lonely artsy kid who just wants to belong somewhere. I definitely felt that way growing up,” says the Oscar-winning animator behind 2022’s coming-of-age Toronto-set hit “Turning Red.”

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Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

A scene from “Elio,” a Pixar animated sci-fi film about an 11-year-old orphan who yearns to be snatched by extraterrestrials to escape his loneliness — and gets his wish when an interplanetary organization mistakes him for Earth’s ambassador, is shown in this handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Disney/Pixar *MANDATORY CREDIT*

A scene from “Elio,” a Pixar animated sci-fi film about an 11-year-old orphan who yearns to be snatched by extraterrestrials to escape his loneliness — and gets his wish when an interplanetary organization mistakes him for Earth’s ambassador, is shown in this handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Disney/Pixar *MANDATORY CREDIT*