Nathan Castel, 20, was arrested Wednesday, RCMP reported, after a three-month investigation into the June 27 death of Kyra Bighetty. Castel was scheduled to appear in court in [Thompson] Thursday.

Bighetty died as a result of injuries she sustained at home in Thompson, RCMP said in a statement. A police spokesman later added he did not know the nature of Bighetty's injuries and could not reveal the cause of death.

THE summer might be over, but that hasn't slowed the number of Manitobans who've tested positive for West Nile virus. Another 59 new cases were reported over the last week, raising this year's total to 504 -- the worst ever in provincial history. So far in 2007, three Manitobans died from West Nile and another 36 were infected with the most severe form of the virus.