Good morning!
JOE STOVER PHOTO
Two photos of a gas pump in Churchill on July 20, 2017 show gas rising to $2.33/litre before dropping to the normal $1.70/litre rate in the afternoon, after a mistake by Omnitrax led to a sudden price hike for the cut-off town. July 20, 2017
Gas gouge: Churchill residents, already facing higher prices after rail service to the northern town was shut down, were even more frustrated Thursday when gas prices jumped to $2.33 a litre. Mayor Michael Spence said the hike was “mind-boggling” because Omnitrax said last week it had 200,000 litres of fuel there. The company, which owns Churchill’s port and rail line, said the increase was a mistake. Dylan Robertson reports. READ MORE
Your forecast: There will be a mix of sun and cloud today, with a high of 27 C, a 30 per cent chance of showers early this morning — with risk of a thunderstorm — and wind from the southeast at 20 km/h in the early afternoon.
In case you missed it
PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
Big dip in cross-border trips: Car travel from Manitoba to the U.S. was down more than 22 per cent in May compared with the same month last year, easily the largest decrease in any province. The nationwide decrease was 8.3 per cent. The last time car trips by Canadian residents were this low was May 2003. Ryan Thorpe reports. READ MORE
No putting off pot, says Philpott: Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott was in Winnipeg on Thursday and said Ottawa won’t delay the legalization of marijuana, as Brian Pallister and other premiers have called for. Philpott, who met Thursday with her provincial counterpart, Kelvin Goertzen, also announced an expansion of the highest-level containment laboratory at the microbiology facility. Nick Martin reports. READ MORE
Adult sentence for attack: Lionel Harper, 17, was sentenced as an adult to six years in prison Thursday for his role in a brutal attack last year on two workers at the Behavioural Health Foundation in Selkirk. “Both will have lifelong effects as a result of the horrific attack,” provincial court Judge Dale Schille said. Kevin Rollason reports. READ MORE
Up next
Jeopardy host Alex Trebek with Winnipeg contestant George Buri. (Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)
Question-able: George Buri is hosting a viewing party tonight, but it’s for a quiz show, not the Bombers game. Buri, who teaches history at the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg, will appear on the U.S. game show Jeopardy!. He flew to California in April for the recording but can’t comment on the results until the episode has aired. Stefanie Lasuik reports. READ MORE
Around the water cooler
JUSTIN SAMANSKI-LANGILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Blue Bombers Defensive Back Roc Carmichael poses on the sidelines during last Monday’s practice at Investor’s Group Field.
Friday night football: The Blue Bombers face the B.C. Lions in Vancouver tonight. Kickoff is 9 p.m. The last time the Blue played the Lions, also in B.C., they blew a first-half lead in their playoff game and ended up losing by one point. Jeff Hamilton reports. READ MORE
Trending now
Owen Sweeney / Invision / The Associated Press Files
Chester Bennington
Linkin Park: Trending after the death of the band’s frontman, Chester Bennington, at the age of 41 on Thursday. Bennington was found in his Los Angeles home, the victim of an apparent suicide. READ MORE
On this date
On July 21, 1979: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that ground beef bought in five Winnipeg stores over the previous month had bacteria levels in excess of federally mandated limits. The town of Headingley was selected to be a “test-tube city” by MTS for a wired-city experiment, in which 100 homes would have fire and burglar alarms installed that could be remotely monitored. The appeal of the Village People was considered baffling but undeniable. Dolly Parton was considering taking a role in a movie called Nine to Five along with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. READ MORE
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