Travelling from Canada to the United States by land will get a little easier for Manitobans after the opening of two new border crossings.
The entry points are located in Gretna and Winkler, linking up with Neche and Walhalla, North Dakota, respectively.
The two ports located on the American side are refurbished ports and have been upgraded with increased security, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Both crossings will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The University of Winnipeg Wesmen are holding a garage sale today, where team memorabilia, uniforms, athletic equipment and other items will be available for purchase.
The sale will run from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight on the second level of the Duckworth Centre during Wesmen volleyball vs. UBC matches.
Proceeds from the sale will go towards UWinnipeg’s Athletic Scholarship Fund.
Similar sales are scheduled for Friday, February 3 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the same location.
A 28-year-old man was killed early Friday morning after he was ejected from his vehicle during a crash on Highway 245.
Manitoba RCMP say the man was travelling westbound at the time when his 2003 Ford F-350 pickup truck collided with a bridge abutment on the Boyne River near Carman.
The single-vehicle crash happened just before 3 a.m., causing the vehicle to roll at least once. The man — a resident of the RM of Dufferin — was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were no passengers in the vehicle at the time.
Police say seat belt use is considered a factor in the crash.
RCMP are continuing to investigate and won’t be releasing the victim’s name.
Characters from "Finding Demo" perform during the opening night of Disney On Ice at MTS Centre on Thursday, January 26, 2012. The 100 Years of Magic celebration runs until Sunday. (TED GRANT / CHRISD.CA)
More than 60 Disney characters thrilled thousands of youngsters at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre on Thursday night as Disney On Ice opened.
The spectacle is in the city for three days, running until Sunday. Mickey and Minnie led the fun, entertaining the audience with moves choreographed by Emmy award winner and Canadian figure skater Sarah Kawahara.
Tickets for Disney On Ice: 100 Years of Magic are on sale now at Ticketmaster for the remaining shows. Prices start at $15.
View the photo gallery below.
The Forks (CHRISD.CA FILE)
A three-day hockey tournament this weekend will make good use of the recently-opened river rinks at The Forks.
The 12th Annual River Pond Classic Shinny Hockey Tournament begins tonight at The Forks’ Historic Port.
The free event is open to all ages with six players from each team on the ice at any given time. Games will be played in 12-minute periods, while volunteer referees will call the game at their own discretion.
The old-fashioned tourney will focus on recreational values and hockey etiquette, so there are a couple rules to keep in mind: Only skates, gloves and hockey sticks are required. No goal equipment is allowed, neither are slapshots, body contact or raising the puck.
Anyone wanting to play can send an e-mail to gdepape@gmail.com. Further information is available online.
Teams currently competing in the warming hut competition will also compete on the ice beginning at 5 p.m. today. Czech Republic fans are expected to come out in droves, so The Forks has put the call out for their own fans to come and cheer on the other teams.
The tournament will run until Sunday.
A Winnipeg company is heading to the 2012 Academy Awards. (OSCARS-GUIDE.COM)
A small Winnipeg bath shop will be schmoozing with celebrities in February by hawking their products at the 84th Academy Awards.
SoGa Soap & CupFakery will participate in the luxury gift lounge from February 24-25 at the W Hotel in Hollywood, California, in honour of the Oscars’ nominees and presenters.
“My dream is to some day fill some celebrities’ wedding with Bubble Bath CupFakes, so when I was accepted my hands were shaking. I’m still shaking this morning,” owner Louise Vargas said.
The small home-run West End business will gift its signature Bubble Bath Truffle — a little bath treat in the shape of a cupcake — to members of the press and celebrity publicists.
Vargas’ soap was handpicked by members of The Artisan Group, which exists to promote handmade artisans at celebrity events.
Toby the cat (DJ BEATTIE PHOTO)
An orange tabby cat who has lived at the Riverview Health Centre for the last several years is in need of a new home.
Toby has been cared for by staff in one of the palliative care units and was the feline companion for one of the residents, named Ruth, until she passed away in 2010.
Toby remained at the centre for the next few years until a change in management decided he needed to go. Now faced with finding him a new home is DJ Beattie, an employee of the centre who has cared for the feline for the last three years.
“I am not in a position to take in another cat at this time, and I have asked everyone I can think of if they can help out with this situation,” Beattie said.
“Myself and some of the other staff are trying to at least get him into a no-kill shelter, no luck so far. This cat has served as an unofficial “therapy animal” for many years, and I don’t think he deserves to go out like this.”
Anyone willing to take Toby in can call the Riverview Health Centre at (204) 478-6203.
UPDATE: Toby has been adopted by a staff member at the centre.
An eagle sits perched on a pole on Higgins Avenue on Thursday, January 26, 2012. Winnipeg is in store for another delightful day as mild temperatures continue to linger. It won't be as warm as yesterday, but it will be sunny. Environment Canada is calling for a high of -3°C with light winds. The weekend will be a little cooler, but definitely nothing to complain about, as Saturday and Sunday will get up to -5°C and -10°C respectively. (MAURICE BRUNEAU / CHRISD.CA)
Posted by Sarah Klein
Springhill Winter Sports Park (HANDOUT)
A girls only charity event in support of breast cancer research will be put on at Springhill Winter Sports Park on Monday, January 30.
Girls from across Winnipeg are being encouraged to bring their sisters, mothers and friends to get out and become active this winter.
Amie Seier, a Creative Communications student from Red River College, is organizing the event.
“Getting girls involved with snowboarding and skiing for a breast cancer research was something I always wanted to see happen here in our city,” said Seier. “I did some research and saw that a company called Boarding for Breast Cancer was putting on events throughout North America and I thought it would be a great idea to bring that here too.”
Proceeds from lift ticket and rental sales will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
The hill will be open from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. with a free Moksha Yoga session starting at 6 p.m. Free hot chocolate and hot dogs will be offered along with prize giveaways from Vixin Hair Salon and West 49.
Springhill Winter Sports Park is located just north of Winnipeg off Highway 59 before Birds Hill Provincial Park.
Posted by Brian Schultz
A new female correctional facility in Headingley will open in the coming weeks, providing 193 beds and 100 cells.
The 120,000-square-foot centre cost the Manitoba government $79.5 million, with increased space and the improvement for better rehabilitation programs.
“The new facility adds much-needed capacity in our province but, aside from that, female offenders will have access to more space to be able to participate in programs that give them an opportunity to turn their lives around,” said Justice Minister Andrew Swan.
Twenty-five of the beds will be used to house federal female inmates. The province also announced another 160 beds will be added at Milner Ridge Correctional Centre and 40 beds at The Pas Correctional Centre this year.
RCMP have closed Highway 6 after a semi truck slid and lost control in a curve.
Police say the highway is closed to both north and southbound traffic about 40 kilometres north of Tan Creek.
The semi is expected to be removed within the next hour, at which time traffic will begin flowing again. The driver was not injured in the crash.
Road conditions are slippery in the area and police are reminding the public to pay close attention to road conditions.
UPDATE: 3:03 p.m. — The highway is now reopen.
A team from New York, NY works on their warming hut called "Rope Pavilion" at The Forks on Thursday, January 26, 2012. (CHRISD.CA)
Students from the University of Manitoba pose next to their warming hut called "Hothut" at The Forks on Thursday. (CHRISD.CA)
Once Mother Nature decides to unleash its chilly wrath again, five new warming huts at The Forks will definitely come in handy.
The teams began crafting their masterpieces Thursday as part of An Art+ Architecture Competition on Ice, where groups from around the world will work on their creations meant to keep outdoor enthusiasts out of the elements.
“The creativity and genius behind this year’s huts are something everyone should come down and see,” said Paul Jordan, chief operating officer of The Forks. “It’s one thing to put these thoughts down on paper, but to see it come together on site is another thing all together.”
One of the draws this year is a design by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Los Angeles-based Gehry International, Inc. submitted a design called Five-Hole, which is formed out of chiseled ice blocks stacked and composed in a sculpturally casual way. Frank’s son, Sam, is representing the sculpture during the competition.
The Mjölk Team from the Czech Republic has also made the journey to Winnipeg to construct their design called Ice Pillows. Other entrees include Rope Pavilion by Kevin Erickson and Allison Warren from New York, NY, Wind Catcher by Tina Soli and Luca Roncoroni from Norway, and a homegrown entry from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba called Hothut.
More than 140 entries were received for the annual competition, which were later narrowed down to just five. The huts will be spread out throughout The Forks property for the public to enjoy.
Three people have been charged after a man and a woman, both 29, were stabbed early Wednesday morning at a home in the 400 block of Bannerman Avenue (above). The woman has been upgraded to stable condition, while the man is still listed as critical. Three males, aged 17, 18 and 21, are facing numerous charges. The suspects were known to the two victims, according to Winnipeg police. (STAN MILOSEVIC / MANITOBAPHOTOS.COM)
Posted by Sarah Klein
Weather presenter Kasia Bodurka delivers an online weathercast for Winnipeg. (THE WEATHER NETWORK)
WINNIPEG — If you’re a weather fanatic and a Shaw Cable subscriber in Winnipeg, you may just have to wait a little while longer to enjoy The Weather Network in high-definition.
The Pelmorex Media-owned broadcaster flipped the switch on its HD signal last May and has been offering weather forecasts, news and its regular features in crisp quality since then.
Three cable providers currently carry the HD feed across the country, including Cogeco, Rogers Cable and MTS TV in Manitoba.
“As I’m sure you will agree, weather information is very important to us Manitobans, and MTS was pleased to add this channel to our lineup as soon as it became available to us,” said MTS spokesperson Sylvie Houghton. “The Weather Network has a long history of being innovative and leading in the industry and it has proven very popular with our customers.”
The Weather Network aired promos leading up to its HD debut last spring. (YOUTUBE)
MTS launched TWN HD on December 8, 2011, along with 14 other HD channels.
Local viewers have recently become vocal on when Shaw might be adding the ultra-sharp channel to its programming lineup.
“We’re always looking to add new channels wherever possible in bringing our customers the best in entertainment and latest channels,” said a Shaw spokesperson. “We’re constantly adding new networks to our lineup.”
On Tuesday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said TWN must be included in all carrier’s basic television packages until September 2018. The HD feed? That’s not a requirement and is part of a provider’s premium pay packaging.
“We do look forward to The Weather Network HD channel reaching all providers and to the possibility of Shaw including our HD programming,” said Trevor Campbell, Director of Corporate Communications for The Weather Network.
TWN makes it clear that its standard-definition feed varies in some respects from its HD simulcast. Regional information on the HD feed may be more widespread than the traditional channel, which is more accurate in providing strictly local weather information. The network says it plans on launching fully local HD information in the coming months.
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