Sustainable Tourism

Stop the online world, I want to get off

Russell Wangersky 5 minute read Preview

Stop the online world, I want to get off

Russell Wangersky 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025

One day, I won’t need to keep up.

I look forward to that. When I won’t need to know what is happening with tariffs and governments, when I won’t have to fill my morning cup with a daily dose of man’s inhumanity to man, when I don’t have to dig through dross.

I’m just back at work after a few weeks out in a non-media world, realizing after several days I felt like I was coming up from underwater — and that, crucially, I was actually thinking about things beyond the regular churn of news. That I was having thoughts not directly connected to work purposes, that delightful meanderings of mind were still possibly in my weary head.

Thoughts about the domed shape of a sea urchin’s pale-green shell once all of its spines have fallen away; about the feel of small smooth beach rocks as you hold them in place against your index finger and rub them with you thumb. About the distance and weight of the horizon on a grey day, and the slap and lop of small waves on a beach protected by offshore rocks.

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Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025

Russell Wangersky/Free Press

Sea urchin shell on moss, Bear Cove, Conception Bay North, N.L.

Russell Wangersky/Free Press
                                Sea urchin shell on moss, Bear Cove, Conception Bay North, N.L.

Grey Cup week could feature game-changing economic score for Churchill, political triumph for Kinew

Dan Lett 5 minute read Preview

Grey Cup week could feature game-changing economic score for Churchill, political triumph for Kinew

Dan Lett 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

It is an incredible economic and political gift that could keep giving to Manitoba’s NDP government for years, if not decades, to come.

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney released a list of five major projects that his government would fast-track to give Canada more economic independence from the United States. No Manitoba projects made that first short list, but something called “Churchill Plus” was identified as being under consideration for approval in the second round.

Churchill Plus includes improvements to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba’s North, including the provision of an icebreaker ship and possibly an all-weather road, to allow greater access to the port and provide improved transportation links for northern and Indigenous communities.

There is no way to exaggerate the economic and political dividends that could flow from Churchill Plus.

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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

SUPPLIED

Improvements to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba’s North, including the provision of an icebreaker ship and possibly an all-weather road, will allow greater access to the port and provide improved transportation links for northern and Indigenous communities.

SUPPLIED
                                Improvements to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba’s North, including the provision of an icebreaker ship and possibly an all-weather road, will allow greater access to the port and provide improved transportation links for northern and Indigenous communities.

Why Winnipeg needs low-fare transit

Adam Johnston 5 minute read Preview

Why Winnipeg needs low-fare transit

Adam Johnston 5 minute read Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

Picture a single mother choosing between groceries and bus fare, or a youth not being able to access recreational activities because transit is too expensive. In a city where costs continue to rise, access to public transit shouldn’t be a luxury, but a daily necessity for survival.

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Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Setting low or zero fares on Winnipeg Transit is a matter of fairness and equity.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
                                Setting low or zero fares on Winnipeg Transit is a matter of fairness and equity.

Amazon’s Zoox launches its robotaxi service in Las Vegas

Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Amazon’s Zoox launches its robotaxi service in Las Vegas

Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

Amazon's Zoox on Wednesday launched its robotaxi service in Las Vegas, offering free rides through parts of the entertainment mecca for anyone willing to gamble on the safety of a driverless vehicle that operates without a steering wheel.

The Las Vegas debut of Zoox's long-planned ride-hailing service reflects Amazon-owned robotaxi maker's confidence in the safety of its boxy vehicles after two years of testing them in the city.

The robotaxis initially were only available to employees in Las Vegas before gradually expanding to friends and family members. Now, anyone with the Zoox app will be able to request a ride to five designated locations, including Resorts World, the Luxor hotel and the New York-New York hotel. The longest distance the Zoox robotaxis will travel is about three miles (4.8 kilometers) while carrying up to four passengers.

All rides will be provided for free for at least the first few months to help promote the existence of the service in the perennially popular travel destination. Once it begins charging for rides in Las Vegas, Zoox says its prices will be comparable to traditional taxis and ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft.

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Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

Amazon-Zoox robotaxis are beginning to give free rides through parts of Las Vegas as part of its driverless service's launch. (Zoox Inc. via AP)

Amazon-Zoox robotaxis are beginning to give free rides through parts of Las Vegas as part of its driverless service's launch. (Zoox Inc. via AP)

Great potential in Churchill port project — but…

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

Great potential in Churchill port project — but…

Editorial 4 minute read Monday, Sep. 8, 2025

Prime Minister Mark Carney, seeking to bolster Canadian economic power at a time when its closest ally and trading partner is becoming increasingly hostile, wants to get started on some nation-building projects. Among them, he has indicated, is one to make some serious upgrades to Churchill’s port, funding for which is expected to be announced soon.

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Monday, Sep. 8, 2025

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Prime Minister Mark Carney

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
                                Prime Minister Mark Carney

Churchill and LNG would mix like oil and water

Chris Debicki 5 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 9, 2025

Churchill has always been a place of connection and of change. However, last week’s remarks from Prime Minister Mark Carney that Churchill could become a year-round export terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) suggest a risky vision for the future that could imperil the balance and diversity that has allowed this unusual community on Hudson Bay to endure.

At its founding, Churchill connected Inuit, Dene and Cree communities with the Hudson Bay Company’s vast trading network. In the waning days of the fur trade, Churchill re-emerged as an important cold war base, housing thousands of troops.

When North America’s defence needs changed, Churchill again reinvented itself as a research hub for aerospace and a broad array of scientific enquiry. Through the second half of the 20th century, Churchill also became a critical social service centre for much of Hudson Bay and the central Arctic. Now it has emerged as one of Canada’s great ecotourism destinations. Few places better capture the adaptability and resilience of the North.

The prime minister and Premier Wab Kinew have both described Churchill LNG exports as a “nation-building” project. Investment in the transportation corridor that connects the Arctic to southern Canada through the port and railroad is indeed overdue. The Port of Churchill is a national asset with enormous potential and diverse strengths.

Clean air as privilege

Marwa Suraj 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 6, 2025

For elders with dementia, youth with anxiety, or evacuees coping with displacement, smoke is not just a public health irritant. It’s an accelerant for mental health issues.

You can’t put an N95 on your brain. You can’t tell your nervous system to calm down when the air outside looks like dusk at noon.

For older adults, people with asthma, families on fixed incomes, or those living in crowded apartments or trailers, wildfire season in Manitoba is more than just a nuisance. It’s a trigger. Of breathlessness. Of panic. Of helplessness.

And every year, the advice is the same:

Gaza as a twisted real estate opportunity

Gwynne Dyer 5 minute read Preview

Gaza as a twisted real estate opportunity

Gwynne Dyer 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 6, 2025

A motley band of greedy fantasists got together at the White House a week ago (Aug. 27) and came up with a cunning plan to bring peace to the Middle East while lining their own pockets at the same time. It was “leaked” within days, as it was clearly meant to be, and since then the sound of outraged clucking has been loud in the land.

It is “a Trumpian get-rich-quick scheme reliant on war crimes, AI and tourism,” wrote the Israeli daily Ha’aretz.

“It’s a textbook case of international crimes on an unimaginable scale: forcible population transfer, demographic engineering and collective punishment,” said Duncan Grant, head of Swiss-based human rights group Trial International.

“It’s insane,” said H.A. Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute. They are right, so far as they go — but they only know the half of it. The other half is that this is an insane crime that could actually happen.

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Saturday, Sep. 6, 2025

The Associated Press

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel. A plan to convert wasteland to luxury, expelling Palestinians in the process, is still being planned in the White House.

The Associated Press
                                Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel. A plan to convert wasteland to luxury, expelling Palestinians in the process, is still being planned in the White House.

Offhand insult in 2003 gave rise to the Banjo Bowl — one of CFL's most-colourful and enduring rivalries

David Sanderson 11 minute read Preview

Offhand insult in 2003 gave rise to the Banjo Bowl — one of CFL's most-colourful and enduring rivalries

David Sanderson 11 minute read Friday, Sep. 5, 2025

It was the verbal shot heard ’round the world. Or at least, across a pair of Prairie provinces.

Canadian Football League fans in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are well familiar with the origin of the Banjo Bowl, the annual tilt that pits the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers against their principal rival, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Followers of both teams can tell you that the match evolved out of a comment uttered by former Bombers placekicker Troy Westwood in September 2003, when he sarcastically referred to Saskatchewaners (Saskatchewanites? Saskatchewians?) as “banjo-picking inbreds.”

Then, how he doubled down on that jibe a few weeks later when, at a scheduled news conference, he told members of the media that he had misspoken, as “the vast majority of the people in Saskatchewan have no idea how to play the banjo.” (For the record, Westwood’s mom was born in the Land of the Living Skies, and his aunts and grandmother were living there when he was spouting off.)

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Friday, Sep. 5, 2025

THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Jermarcus Hardrick (51) holds the Banjo Bowl trophy as he celebrates with fans after defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in CFL football action in Winnipeg Saturday, September 9, 2023.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
                                Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Jermarcus Hardrick (51) holds the Banjo Bowl trophy as he celebrates with fans after defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in CFL football action in Winnipeg Saturday, September 9, 2023.

Hydro rejects generator option for evacuated community

Nicole Buffie 4 minute read Preview

Hydro rejects generator option for evacuated community

Nicole Buffie 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 5, 2025

The chief of an evacuated northern First Nation that is still without electricity has demanded the provincial and federal governments spend $8 million on a generator so residents can return home, however Manitoba Hydro says the proposal is unrealistic.

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Friday, Sep. 5, 2025

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS

Chief Gordie Bear said 12 people have died since being displaced from their homes for more than 100 days due to wildfires and blamed it on the prolonged evacuation.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
                                Chief Gordie Bear said 12 people have died since being displaced from their homes for more than 100 days due to wildfires and blamed it on the prolonged evacuation.

Worse-for-wear riverwalk a victim of total neglect

Rebecca Chambers 5 minute read Preview

Worse-for-wear riverwalk a victim of total neglect

Rebecca Chambers 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 5, 2025

Partway down my well-beaten path from West Broadway to The Forks, I feel a bit like Dorothy navigating Oz. The path ahead is lined with Winnipeg’s version of dancing poppies and flying monkeys: hazards, confrontations and ghostly spectres to which we’ve become perhaps far too accustomed.

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Friday, Sep. 5, 2025

Pedestrians enjoy a sunny day on the riverwalk. (Sasha Sefter / Free Press files)

SASHA SEFTER / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Pedestrians enjoy a sunny day on the riverwalk at The Forks. 190712 - Friday, July 12, 2019.

Two Quebecers identified among 16 dead in Lisbon streetcar crash

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Two Quebecers identified among 16 dead in Lisbon streetcar crash

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

Two Quebec archeologists were among 16 people killed in Wednesday's streetcar crash in Lisbon, the Quebec government has confirmed.

André Bergeron and Blandine Daux were a couple and had worked as part of a specialized team of archeologists in Quebec's Culture Department, restoring historical artifacts. Bergeron retired from the Centre de conservation du Québec in 2022.

"Quebec has lost two passionate people who dedicated their lives to preserving our archeological heritage," Premier François Legault said on his X account. "My thoughts are with their loved ones."

Portugal observed a national day of mourning Thursday, a day after the capital’s worst disaster in recent history. The streetcar, a popular tourist attraction, carries passengers up and down one of the city's steep hills, past picturesque views.

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Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

Cranes are positioned to remove the wreckage of a tourist streetcar that derailed and crashed in Lisbon, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Cranes are positioned to remove the wreckage of a tourist streetcar that derailed and crashed in Lisbon, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Second summer of motorized boat ban, uncertainty going forward raise longer-term concerns for tourism-driven economy inside Riding Mountain National Park

Gabrielle Piché 9 minute read Preview

Second summer of motorized boat ban, uncertainty going forward raise longer-term concerns for tourism-driven economy inside Riding Mountain National Park

Gabrielle Piché 9 minute read Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025

WASAGAMING — As the sun shimmers over Clear Lake’s still waters, everything appears smooth. But there is an undercurrent of uncertainty running through Manitoba’s most popular national park.

Riding Mountain, and other national parks across Canada, are increasingly facing difficult environmental challenges.

For Riding Mountain, it’s the invasive zebra mussel species. In Alberta’s Jasper National Park, it was 2024’s devastating wildfire that caused more than $1 billion in damages. In Nova Scotia, tinder-dry conditions this summer led to the controversial decision to close back-country access in two national parks — Cape Breton Highlands and Kejimkujik.

This is the new reality for places such as Wasagaming, Riding Mountain’s picturesque townsite that borders on Clear Lake — where bureaucratic decisions to address environmental threats run counter to the desires of residents and tourists who want to enjoy popular summer destinations to the fullest.

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Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025

TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN

28082025 Adam Vanstone readies kayaks for customers while working at The Clear Lake Marina in Riding Mountain National Park on Thursday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN
                                28082025 Adam Vanstone readies kayaks for customers while working at The Clear Lake Marina in Riding Mountain National Park on Thursday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

A roadtrip through Scotland’s rolling hills, ancient history and the zany spectacle of Fringe

Eva Wasney 4 minute read Preview

A roadtrip through Scotland’s rolling hills, ancient history and the zany spectacle of Fringe

Eva Wasney 4 minute read Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

Caravanners, backpackers and daredevil cyclists.

Roadtripping in Scotland is a chance to explore the country’s awe-inspiring landscape on your own schedule, while dodging droves of eclectic travellers doing the exact same.

My partner and I spent eight days in July navigating the Scottish countryside in a rented campervan.

We picked up our home on wheels — a well-appointed Volkswagen van — near Edinburgh and headed north for the highlands. Rolling farmland quickly gave way to rolling hills and tall evergreens. A wee taste of what was to come.

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Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

A rebuilt highland outpost, Eilean Donan is one of Scotland’s thousands of castles.

A rebuilt highland outpost, Eilean Donan is one of Scotland’s thousands of castles.

Amid geopolitical uncertainty, Manitoba poised to become a hub for increased efforts to assert Canada’s Arctic sovereignty

Conrad Sweatman 21 minute read Preview

Amid geopolitical uncertainty, Manitoba poised to become a hub for increased efforts to assert Canada’s Arctic sovereignty

Conrad Sweatman 21 minute read Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

Political ground is shifting, ice is melting and Winnipeg and Manitoba appear poised to play a role worth considering in this uncertain new era of Arctic politics.

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Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

Aviatrice Riette Bacon photo

Aviatrice Riette Bacon photo

Trump suggests more US cities need National Guard but crime stats tell a different story

Ed White And Christopher L. Keller, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Trump suggests more US cities need National Guard but crime stats tell a different story

Ed White And Christopher L. Keller, The Associated Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2025

President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, to fight what he says is runaway crime. Yet data shows most violent crime in those places and around the country has declined in recent years.

Homicides through the first six months of 2025 were down significantly compared to the same period in 2024, continuing a post-pandemic trend across the U.S.

Trump, who has already taken federal control of police in Washington, D.C., has maligned the six Democratic-run cities that all are in states that opposed him in 2024. But he hasn't threatened sending in the Guard to any major cities in Republican-leaning states.

John Roman, a data expert who directs the Center on Public Safety & Justice at the University of Chicago, acknowledged violence in some urban neighborhoods has persisted for generations. But he said there's no U.S. city where there “is really a crisis.”

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Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2025

Members of the Louisiana National Guard patrol at Union Station, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Members of the Louisiana National Guard patrol at Union Station, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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.

One Tech Tip: Ditch the chatbots and take your AI nature apps on a birdwatching hike

Matt O'brien, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

One Tech Tip: Ditch the chatbots and take your AI nature apps on a birdwatching hike

Matt O'brien, The Associated Press 5 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

I didn't notice the scarlet tanager until the alert appeared on my phone: “Merlin heard a new bird!”

Despite its brilliant plumage — jet-black wings on a crimson body — the songbird can be a hard one to spot in a forest because it prefers to stay high in the canopy. It sounds a little like a robin to an untrained ear.

But the free Merlin Bird ID app detected a scarlet tanager was likely nearby by using artificial intelligence to analyze my phone’s live sound recording. I paused my hike, quietly scanned the treetops, saw the bird as it kept singing and clicked a button to add the species to my growing "life list" of bird sightings. Digital confetti burst on my screen.

Like a real-world version of Pokémon Go, a gotta-catch-'em-all drive to add to my Merlin list has helped me find a great kiskadee in Mexico and a rusty-cheeked scimitar-babbler in the Himalayas. But sometimes the greatest revelations are close to home, as more AI nature app users are starting to discover.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

FILE - A northern mockingbird appears on April 28, 2015, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)

FILE - A northern mockingbird appears on April 28, 2015, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)

What Americans think about Trump’s handling of crime, according to a new poll

Jill Colvin And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

What Americans think about Trump’s handling of crime, according to a new poll

Jill Colvin And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press 6 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — As armed National Guard troops patrol the nation's capital as part of an unprecedented federal takeover of Washington's police department, handling crime is now a relative strength for President Donald Trump, according to the latest AP-NORC poll.

Americans are generally not happy about the Republican president’s handling of issues like immigration and the economy but are more positive about his tough-on-crime approach, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Indeed, the vast majority of Americans, 81%, see crime as a “major problem” in large cities — a concern Trump has seized on as he has deployed the National Guard to the District of Columbia and threatened to expand that model to cities across the country. Despite that perception, data shows that violent crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low. But Trump’s approach appears to be helping him, at least for the moment: His overall approval rating has increased slightly, from 40% in July to 45% now.

But the poll shows there is less public support for federal takeovers of local police departments, suggesting opinions could shift over the coming weeks or months, depending on how aggressively Trump pursues his threats.

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Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2025

Armed National Guard soldiers from West Virginia patrol the Mall near the Capitol in Washington, as part of President Donald Trump's order to impose federal law enforcement in the District of Columbia, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Armed National Guard soldiers from West Virginia patrol the Mall near the Capitol in Washington, as part of President Donald Trump's order to impose federal law enforcement in the District of Columbia, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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: ?

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)

Searing heat draws visitors to California’s Death Valley, where it’s tough to communicate the risks

Dorany Pineda, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Searing heat draws visitors to California’s Death Valley, where it’s tough to communicate the risks

Dorany Pineda, The Associated Press 7 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Ray Estrada's 11-year-old grandson is used to Las Vegas' scorching summers, but he'd always wanted to experience the heat in one of the Earth's hottest places. So Estrada recently drove him to Death Valley National Park, with an umbrella, extra water and electrolytes in tow. That day, the thermometer soared to 118 F (47.78 C).

“We have to be very careful when we go out there,” Estrada told him. “If you start feeling dizzy or whatever... we’re just gonna turn back and be safe so we can do this again another time.”

The extreme temperatures in this stretch of California desert attract visitors every year, some determined to finish a grueling, multiday race, others just curious about the sizzling heat and the landscape's vast beauty. Yet despite the warnings, the heat kills one to three people annually, and park rangers respond to overheated visitors multiple times per week, making communication about heat safety a priority for the National Park Service.

But that's easier said than done.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

People walk up to an overlook at Zabriskie Point, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Death Valley National Park, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People walk up to an overlook at Zabriskie Point, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Death Valley National Park, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Green chemist and musician on fighting climate change

Janine LeGal 6 minute read Preview

Green chemist and musician on fighting climate change

Janine LeGal 6 minute read Saturday, Jul. 19, 2025

There’s no shortage of doom and gloom associated with the words “climate change” these days. As a result, many people are stressed out and feeling helpless.

Particularly concerning is that, more than ever, younger people are experiencing considerable distress with environmental anxiety, also known as eco-anxiety or climate anxiety. The Journal of Mental Health and Climate Change, an open-access publication that features interdisciplinary scientific research on mental health and climate change, continues to write extensively on this subject.

While prominent environmental activists, including well-known science broadcaster David Suzuki, paint a bleak picture of the future, many other professionals in various fields are working tirelessly to educate, inspire and fight the good fight for the next generations.

Born and raised in Lynn Lake, Man., Devin Latimer is one of those professionals. The faculty member in chemistry at the University of Winnipeg is also a long-time musician, bass player with local band Leaf Rapids and the Juno award-winning Nathan Music Co.

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Saturday, Jul. 19, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

University of Winnipeg chemistry professor Devin Latimer, is passionate about climate justice and hopeful about the future.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
                                University of Winnipeg chemistry professor Devin Latimer, is passionate about climate justice and hopeful about the future.

Winnipeg’s transit system has changed. Here’s your survival guide.

Free Press staff 4 minute read Preview

Winnipeg’s transit system has changed. Here’s your survival guide.

Free Press staff 4 minute read Monday, Jun. 30, 2025

Winnipeg Transit's bus network is undergoing a complete transformation on June 29. The Free Press has created a survival guide to help you navigate the new system.

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Monday, Jun. 30, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESs fileS

A new bus stop sign on Notre Dame Avenue near Ellen Street. The overhaul of the Winnipeg Transit system focuses on frequency to make bus travel more attractive to riders.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESs fileS
                                A new bus stop sign on Notre Dame Avenue near Ellen Street. The overhaul of the Winnipeg Transit system focuses on frequency to make bus travel more attractive to riders.