Winnipeg Free Press

Ten More Cases of Fungal Infection

Dr. Michael Routledge, provincial medical officer of health, said he suspects the number of cases of blastomycosis is not unusual for this time of year. He said the province first began tracking the disease last September and doesn't have a lot of statistical information about it yet, including whether there have been any deaths. "The hardest part about blastomycosis is a diagnosis," Routledge said, noting the beginning stages of the disease mimic a chest infection like pneumonia. Routledge s...

Search Continues for Bodies of Dad, Son

[Viktor Hergert] and Nadia Hergert and their six children moved to Canada from Germany, but are originally from Russia. Viktor Hergert worked as a painter.

Scratch and Lose

Earlier this year, that province's ombudsman released a scathing report on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. that toppled several senior lottery executives. The ombudsman accused the OLGC of turning a blind eye to widespread theft and fraud by retailers who claimed winnings that rightfully belonged to customers.

Slain Mom Struggled, but Is 'at Peace Now'

"She was so much fun," she said. "We would have 'sister days' where we'd go shopping and have suntan contests. We liked to drink wine and she loved to be silly. She was such a joker." "She'd disappear for days at a time, and just when I would get really worried, she'd call," she said. "She'd ask me 'why are you thinking about me so much?'" "The police better have some good answers for us," said [Michealine], "and if they don't, we're going to make them go back and look again. This was murder."

Teen Shot by Police During Fight

"We're still at the early stages of the investigation," said police spokeswoman Const. Jacqueline Chaput. "We're still getting all the information together to piece together exactly what transpired." "Police were all over the backyard of my house," another resident said. "They surrounded my yard and the next yard and they were all over the place." 2:45 a.m. -- A man was shot and injured by police after he got involved in an altercation with officers in River Heights. The incident began with...

Bite From Black Widow Sends Man to Hospital

[Regan Penner], 43, and his roommate, Teresa Drabyk, alerted the Free Press late Sunday night after finding a black widow spider in some red table grapes bought at a River Heights grocery store a few days earlier. Penner said doctors and nurses weren't certain how to treat him. And if it hadn't been for providing staff with printouts about black widow bites from the Internet, he's not sure how things might have turned out. "The next thing I know, I've got everybody coming up to me and saying...

Death Notices

KRALKA (née BUNDA), Kataryna. LONG, Harry "Red." LONGCLAWS, Walter "Moose" Roland.

Giddyup, Pardner, It's My Turn in the Barrel

"Ha ha ha," [Vicky Dearborn] said. "We just thought barrel racing would be a little more rodeo-ish for you guys than milking a cow. You actually get a chance to get dirt on your face." "I'm fairly confident that no one will die," Vicky said in what she seemed to feel was a reassuring manner. "But you might want to wear shin guards under your pants." Another pause. "Actually I was frightened by a cow, too," Vicky confessed. "I was feeding a cow and she sucked my arm in all the way up to the el...

Greeting-Card Scheme for Soldiers Snowballs

"It's actually becoming global," [Robin Blecker] said Sunday. "I think people are getting it." "I think we've had people from almost every province send us some cards," Blecker said. "Just yesterday, I had an e-mail from a Canadian in Florida sending me cards, and an England resident from Manitoba sending me cards." In the meantime, Blecker has a request for anyone who has already received one of their homemade greeting cards in the mail. Military channels can be excruciatingly slow Blecker s...

Web Extra: Wanda Watkins' Statement

Our family is disturbed by the contrasting images of Afghanistan that we see -- the dark and hopeless one portrayed by the media and some politicians -- and the real Afghanistan -- the one we know through the eyes of our son and his fellow soldiers -- those who are living there, working side by side with the Afghan National Army, walking through the villages, interacting with the villagers -- the ones who tell you that the Afghan people's lives are improving every single day.

West End Resident Feels Sting of Racism

Eugenia Delgado arrived home from her overnight housekeeping shift at the Health Sciences Centre on July 1 to discover her door defaced with the words "rice eaters", while "rat" and "snitch" were splayed across her front window. "I have to wonder about people," said spokeswoman Const. Jacqueline Chaput. "We take these incidents seriously and they are definitely investigated thoroughly." "This is the first time I have ever heard of this sort of racism," he said. "It's disgusting."

In Brief

WINNIPEG police said they've made an arrest in the January slaying of a Burrows-area man who was beaten to death. "The investigators didn't have a lot of information at the start," said Const. Jacqueline Chaput.

Lottery Numbers

Winning number Monday for top prize of $250,000 was 5745906.

Man Given Jail Time for Harassing His Former Lawyer

Crown attorney Tim Owens described [Donald Winfield]'s behaviour as "twisted". Owens said Winfield has issues with women, adding that a female probation officer had to be removed from his case because of his inappropriate behaviour.

Maryland Plans $1.5-M Facelift

Daniel McIntyre Coun. Harvey Smith said he's happy to see [Amarjeet Warraich] invest in the neighbourhood, though he isn't as excited about the detached beer vendor. "This is encouraging. He's already cleaned the place up a bit," Smith said. "We've had less complaints about the hotel than we had before." "Our sense is it's really positive when anyone in the neighbourhood takes responsibility for their property and does work to improve it, so good on the owner of the Maryland Hotel," said Kate...

Measures Announced to Prevent Lotto Ripoffs

"Sign your ticket as soon as you buy it, and print your name as clearly as you can," said MLC spokesperson Jacqueline Jubinville. "That way you know this is your ticket. No one can take it away from you and try to cash it." The WCLC and the Manitoba Lotteries Corp. will begin to install customer display units at all 840 retailers. Those are big computer screens turned toward the customer that flash "Sorry, not a winner", or "Winner!" when the ticket is scanned. Those will all be in place by M...

Samyn Assumes City Editor Post

"As a kid growing up in Silver Heights who used to deliver the (Free Press), it's quite a thrill to now be in the position of helping shape the Free Press's news coverage," [Paul Samyn] said. "Paul has a deep knowledge of Winnipeg and a strong attachment to the city that is his home and the place that he loves," [Bob Cox] said. "He cares about the newspaper and understands its important role in the community. He'll do his best to create a newspaper that serves Winnipeg well."

Rottweiler Attacks Rollerblader

Winnipeg Police Const. Jacqueline Chaput said a 48-year-old man was rollerblading on the walkway Saturday morning while his 46-year-old wife and six-year-old daughter were riding their bikes alongside him. Chaput said the family encountered a man walking his Rottweiler walking the opposite direction on the path. Chaput said it's alleged that the man deliberately ran into the man who was on rollerblades, began attacking him and set his dog on the man.