More than 7,000 elms felled in Winnipeg last year due to disease

A city report reveals elm trees were chopped down more than expected last year due to Dutch elm disease.

Young swimmers look to make a splash at provincials

Young swimmers from across Manitoba and northwestern Ontario are racing against the clock Friday and Saturday at Pan Am Pool as over 260 athletes compete in the 2025 Manitoba Junior Swim Provincials, hoping to advance to the ManSask Championships in July.

Community disappointed after teepee stolen from school lawn

Parents were upset to discover a teepee that had been erected on the lawn of an East Kildonan elementary school had been stolen.

Staff at Angus McKay School, at 850 Woodvale St., reported the theft on Monday, a Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson said Thursday.

The teepee was part of a two-week installation for National Indigenous History Month in which land-based learning was to be highlighted, principal Jean-Paul Rochon said in a statement.

Chelsea Dyck, whose nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son attend the school, was shocked when she learned about the theft.

Should you let pets sleep next to you? (Does it even matter what the experts say?)

It turns out, our furry best friend might be our sleep enemy.

Lots of pet owners let their animals sleep on the bed with them, which usually disrupts sleep. But many would say it’s worth it.

And researchers don't necessarily disagree.

Melissa Milanak, a professor at Medical University of South Carolina specializing in sleep health, said most people at her clinic say their pets disturb them often at night.

Right To Play International asks people to play and share their stories on Wednesday

As two of Canada's most experienced Olympians, Miranda Ayim and Erica Wiebe have made careers out of playing sports at the highest levels of competition.

But some of their most formative memories are of playing as children with almost no stakes.

"We basically would have a neighbourhood-wide game of tag where we were just jumping fences from yard to yard," said Ayim, who was on Canada's women's basketball team at four Olympics.

"I don't know if our parents really appreciated that, but we felt so adventurous going from yard to yard and running but still feeling safe to do so in that neighbourhood, and enjoying that time and that feeling of freedom."

Your generosity can make a kid’s summer

In a few short weeks, children will be able to trade school books and assignments for the possibility of jumping in a kayak, getting on a horse, or racing down a zip line.

That means it’s also time to help needy families give their kids a camping experience they will never forget.

For the 45th summer, the annual Free Press Sunshine Fund is kicking off with the hope that thousands of generous readers will help children who deserve a break from their studies in an outing that normally would be out of reach financially for their families.

“The Free Press is again counting on our readers to help make the Sunshine Fund a reality for as many children in our province as possible,” Free Press editor Paul Samyn said.

Diversified roles in society shape painter Brian Hunter’s work and process

Brian Hunter’s multiple roles within society inform the works in his current exhibition, On Shaky Ground, at 226 Gallery, located at 226 Main St.

It’s his first solo show in seven years.

The 22 oils, created in response to “the current shifting and uncertain atmosphere,” are a departure from the artist’s previous work.

Nine years ago Hunter snagged top spot at the RBC Canadian Painting Competition. He spent a year in an art residency at the Gwangju Museum of Art in South Korea, and has shown in South Korea, Spain, Montreal and Toronto.

Singer-songwriter Kelly Bado’s music imbued with the richness of her culture

Kelly Bado, a keen observer of the world around her, forged a sense of camaraderie with her new city — with its landscape, its history and its people — at The Forks.

‘Praying in unity’: Eid worshippers celebrate Feast of Sacrifice

Around 15,000 local Muslims converged on the convention centre Friday to mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.

The event remembers the story in the Qur’an of Ibrahim’s willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son, Ishmael (known as Abraham and Isaac in the Old Testament, or what Jews call the Tanakh). It was held in three sessions to accommodate everyone who came to pray and hear sermons from Islamic leaders.

French speaking worshippers also gathered at the Heather Curling Club for prayers.

Ismael Mukhtar, an imam at the Grand Mosque, preached about the importance of being willing to follow God in life and to submit to him.

Toronto school board, firefighters warn of ‘dangerous’ social-media trends

TORONTO - The Toronto Catholic District School Board, along with some emergency responders, are warning parents about "dangerous" social-media challenges that are trending among students in Ontario schools.

The board said the challenges are recorded on video and shared online to encourage others to participate, but they can pose serious risks to students and the entire school community.

Among them is the so-called "paper clip challenge" that involves students inserting metal objects such as a paper clip into an electrical outlet and dropping a coin onto the prongs to cause electrical sparks.

The board said the "Chromebook challenge" involves placing paper clips, pencils or other objects into Chromebook USB ports to deliberately cause them to short-circuit, which can lead to overheating, burns or fire.

Canada international Achini Perera takes to the street for Cricket to Conquer Cancer

TORONTO - Achini Perera gets to tick a few boxes Saturday, playing cricket and helping raise money for a good cause.

The Canadian international cricketer is taking part in the inaugural Cricket to Conquer Cancer, a street cricket fundraiser for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

More than 40 teams will be participating at Celebration Square in suburban Mississauga, Ont., with celebrities including singer Jully Black, former soccer star Dwayne De Rosario and former Raptor Jamaal Magloire and West Indies cricketer Carlos Brathwaite.

Like many taking part, Brathwaite has a personal connection to the cause. His mother is a cancer survivor.

Oreo maker Mondelez sues Aldi, alleging grocery chain copies its packaging to confuse customers

Snack food maker Mondelez International is suing the Aldi supermarket chain, alleging the packaging for Aldi's store-brand cookies and crackers “blatantly copies” Mondelez products like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins and Oreos.

In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Illinois, Chicago-based Mondelez said Aldi’s packaging was “likely to deceive and confuse customers” and threatened to irreparably harm Mondelez and its brands. The company is seeking monetary damages and a court order that would stop Aldi from selling products that infringe on its trademarks.

Aldi didn't respond to messages seeking comment. The U.S. branch of Aldi, which is based in Batavia, Illinois, was named in the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Mondelez displayed side-by-side photos of multiple products. Aldi’s Thin Wheat crackers, for example, come in a gold box very similar to Mondelez's Wheat Thins. Aldi’s chocolate sandwich cookies and Oreos both have blue packaging. The supermarket's Golden Round crackers and Mondelez’s Ritz crackers are packaged in red boxes.

Dive-bombed or not, Vancouverites are still pro-crow, researchers say

VANCOUVER - Along her journey towards understanding Vancouver's crows, psychology professor Suzanne MacDonald says she made a friend.

It's a crow that brings her gifts after she set up a bird feeder at her home in the neighbourhood of Kitsilano.

Once, it was a barnacle-covered shell, which MacDonald treasures. Other times, it was "bits of garbage" that MacDonald doesn't fancy much, though she "appreciates the sentiment."

"I think he definitely recognizes me. When other people go out on my patio, he doesn't come to them. He knows me," said MacDonald.

Quebec language office pressed transit agency for months before Habs playoff run

MONTREAL - Quebec's language watchdog contacted the Montreal transit agency at least six times in the wake of a complaint about using the word "go" on city buses to cheer on a local soccer team.

The watchdog — the Office québécois de la langue française — asked for multiple updates on the agency’s efforts to remove the word, and kept the complaint open for nine months until “go” had been scrubbed from more than 1,000 city buses in Montreal, according to emails obtained by The Canadian Press.

The correspondence contrasts with the office’s public comments responding to an April report in the Montreal Gazette that revealed how the transit agency had replaced the expression “Go! Canadiens Go!” on its buses with “Allez! Canadiens Allez!” to appease the watchdog.

The news report, coinciding with the Montreal Canadiens' first home game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, prompted a public outcry and elicited a declaration from French-language Minister Jean-François Roberge in support of the expression “Go Habs Go!”

Big Ocean breaks new ground as K-pop’s first deaf group

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Big Ocean, a three-member K-pop group composed entirely of artists with hearing disabilities, is redefining the limits of music and performance — one beat at a time.

When Big Ocean takes the stage, they seamlessly incorporate sign language into their performances. But their polished shows are built on extensive preparation using high-tech tools born from necessity — vibrating smartwatches that pulse with musical beats and LED visual metronomes that flash timing cues during practice sessions. This technological approach represents significant progress in South Korea’s entertainment industry, where career opportunities for people with disabilities have historically been limited.

The trio, PJ, Jiseok and Chanyeon, made their debut in April 2024 and recently wrapped a solo European tour marking their first anniversary. The band performed in four countries, including France and the U.K., while promoting their second mini-album, “Underwater,” which dropped on April 20.

PJ rose to prominence as a YouTuber who educated viewers about hearing disabilities. Chanyeon previously worked as an audiologist. Jiseok was a professional ski racer.

Musées au rural: les gardiens du patrimoine

Les régions du Manitoba regorgent de petites villes et villages. Chaque point sur la carte est le fruit d’un héritage souvent conservé par de petits musées dont l’existence est essentielle. Pour préserver le patrimoine, mais aussi la santé des communautés dont ils racontent l’histoire.

L’on ne recense pas loin de 200 musées à travers le Manitoba dont plus d’une quarantaine se trouvent à Winnipeg. Mais l’on en trouve un peu partout dans les régions. À vrai dire, l’on en trouve presque autant qu’il y a de petites villes et villages. D’ailleurs, à l’image du Manitoba et des communautés qui y vivent, les musées reflètent une grande diversité. Certains parlent d’histoire, d’art ou de science. À Saint-Léon, on nous parle de la nature et d’innovation, à Austin, on raconte l’industrie agricole.

Même à l’intérieur de ces grands thèmes, ces musées disséminés çà et là invitent à découvrir les histoires qui sont propres à la région qui les abrite. On retrace l’héritage colonial européen, d’autres préfèrent rappeler celui des peuples autochtones.

Ces musées-là, généralement beaucoup plus modestes que ceux des grands centres urbains, jouent un rôle tout aussi important. C’est en tout cas ce qu’affirme Yves Bergeron, professeur de muséologie et de patrimoine à l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).

The penny costs nearly 4 cents to make. Here’s how much the US spends on minting its other coins

NEW YORK (AP) — The impending “death” of the U.S. penny has spotlighted the coin's own price tag — nearly 4 cents to make and distribute each, or quadruple its value.

Months after President Donald Trump called on his administration to cease penny production, the U.S. Mint announced this week that it had made its final order of penny blanks — and plans to stop making new 1 cent coins after those run out.

Coin production costs vary thanks to different raw metals used, complexity of their designs, labor needed and more. Many of those expenses have been on the rise — and the penny isn't the only coin entering our wallets today that costs more to make than it's worth (enter the nickel debate).

Here's a rundown of U.S. Mint production costs from the government's latest fiscal year.

Hot diggity dog! Wienermobiles put on riveting race in Wienie 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Give the Borg-Wiener Trophy at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Wienermobile affectionately known as Slaw Dog.

In a down-to-the-wire race among the six iconic Wienermobiles that serve as goodwill ambassadors for Oscar Mayer, the hot dog-on-wheels representing the Southeast proved to be the big dog on Carb Day ahead of Sunday's running of the Indianapolis 500.

It made a dramatic pass of the Wienermobile repping Chicago at the finish line to win the inaugural Wienie 500 on Friday.

The margin was about a half a bun.

Fatou, the world’s oldest gorilla in a zoo, is celebrating her 68th birthday in Berlin

BERLIN (AP) — Fatou, the oldest gorilla living in captivity worldwide, is getting ready for her 68th birthday in style.

The Berlin zoo on Friday presented Fatou with a basket of fruit and vegetables ahead of her official birthday, which falls on Sunday.

Fatou was born in 1957 and came to the zoo in what was then West Berlin in 1959.

Since she no longer has teeth, keepers ensure that her food is soft and easy to eat. Vet André Schüle said that “Fatou gets the best possible care here.”

‘Special to the world’: Supporters hope to save beloved Drumheller dinosaur

DRUMHELLER - A plan to send Tyra the tyrannosaurus, the popular tourist attraction that towers over the skyline in Drumheller, Alta., into proverbial extinction has sparked demands that she be spared.

The town of 8,400 northeast of Calgary bills itself as the Dinosaur Capital of the World. Home to the famed Royal Tyrrell Museum, the community also has statues of dinosaurs that look like they've crawled out of "The Flintstones" cartoon greeting people on the streets.

There's an extinct reptile riding a motorcycle. A triceratops in a frilly dress sits on a bus bench. Another dinosaur wearing a fireman's hat and holding a hose is poised outside a fire station.

The biggest is Tyra, standing across from the intersection of Gorgosaurus Street and Tyrannosaurus Drive near a visitor information centre. A nearby ice cream stand offers fossils, T-shirts and dino toys.

Sirop d’érable, le trésor de Saint-Pierre-Jolys

L’incontournable Festival du Temps des sucres se prépare à revenir au village de Saint-Pierre-Jolys les 5 et 6 avril. Prenant place dans la Cabane à sucre, une extension du musée, les visiteurs pourront festoyer et célébrer ce fameux sirop local aux teintes ambrées.

Le temps se fait plus doux dans le village de Saint-Pierre-Jolys où les récoltes de sirop d’érable ont doucement commencé depuis la semaine du 17 mars.

En effet, des gelées la nuit combinées à des températures plus élevées le jour créent les conditions propices à la saison des récoltes. Ce type de météo permet d’exercer une pression à l’intérieur de l’arbre favorisant ensuite l’écoulement de “l’eau sucrée” comme aime l’appeler Roland Gagné, le gérant de la Cabane à sucre du village.

“Grâce à Mère Nature, l’eau remonte des racines jusqu’en haut de l’arbre. Ça permet de nettoyer les veines de l’érable et ensuite le liquide s’écoule.”

Muslim student association serving thousands of meals during Ramadan at U of M

The University of Manitoba Muslim Students’ Association is serving more than 7,000 free meals during the month of Ramadan.

Anti-racism activist hopes to make our communities mutually respectful

Dr. Rehman Abdulrehman is a clinical and consulting psychologist at Clinic Psychology Manitoba. He has a consulting and coaching firm called Lead with Diversity, he is the assistant professor with the department of clinical health psychology at the University of Manitoba and he has just written his first book, Developing Anti-Racist Cultural Competence, which aims to help people develop practical skills, insight and better empathy when working with diverse groups.