Heed lesson on ex-hubby’s loutish behaviour

Lifelong friends will now be facing off in WHL

Trent Crane and William Irvine have been friends since before they can remember.

Through good times and bad, a tight bond was forged during their formative years in Morden. The boys went to school together, fought like siblings and were frequent hockey teammates.

They also played dozens of golf rounds together and were teammates on Manitoba's gold-medal winning baseball team at the 2016 Western Canadian peewee championship. They hung out constantly.

Their connection — Trent and William were born 29 days apart in the spring of 2003 — endures to this day.

US measles cases hit highest mark in 25 years

NEW YORK - Measles in the U.S. has climbed to its highest level in 25 years, closing in on 700 cases this year in a resurgence largely attributed to misinformation that is turning parents against vaccines.

"This is alarming," said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert. Not only is measles dangerous in itself, but its return could mean other vaccine-preventable diseases seemingly consigned to the past may be coming back as well, he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 695 cases had been reported in 22 states this year as of Wednesday afternoon. That was up from 626 reported Monday and makes this the nation's worst year for measles since 1994, with eight months still to go in 2019. There were 963 cases in 1994.

Roughly three-quarters of this year's illnesses in the U.S. have been in New York state, mainly in two ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and suburban Rockland County. Most of those cases have been in unvaccinated people.

COVID cases spike even as US hits 200M vaccine milestone

A collection of breaking news briefs filed on December 13, 2021

• Province seeks help from Ottawa to staff intensive care units

• Bombers hosting Grey Cup celebration at IG Field Wednesday

• Snowmobiler killed in crash with pedestrian in Pimicikamak Cree Nation

• Missing man last seen in Elmwood neighbourhood

• Small passenger plane crashes after engine failure

• Latest round of Teachers' Idea Fund projects announced

• Eight dead as COVID-19 climbs in Southern Health

• Extent of Wheeler's injury still unknown, Moose dealing with COVID-19 situation

• Teenage boy arrested after Charleswood stabbing

• Teen girl arrested in bus shelter stabbing

• Man with ties to Winnipeg wanted by Saskatoon police in sex assault investigation

• Woman slain on College Avenue

• Jets shuffle lines at practice without injured Wheeler

• Pionk returns to practice with Jets

• Province extends paid sick leave

Manitoba firm fills merch tables

Fans of California-based rock band Mammoth who purchase one of the group’s T-shirts tonight at Canada Life Centre will be purchasing clothing that was screenprinted in Manitoba.

HD Graphics Inc., headquartered 30 minutes southeast of Winnipeg in Île-des-Chênes, prints merchandise for the music group’s Canadian tour dates.

Formed and fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen, son of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, the American band is currently opening for 1990s post-grunge survivors Creed on their “Summer of ‘99” tour.

Mammoth isn’t the only internationally touring rock act on HD’s client roster. The company also screenprints merchandise for Alter Bridge, Tremonti, Myles Kennedy and Sevendust — acts associated with Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti and his manager, Tim Tournier, who HD founder Derek Eastveld counts as friends.

Trudeau courts progressive voters in B.C.

VANCOUVER - Jack Raymond had only just made up his mind.

Standing at the edge of crowd at an atrium in downtown Vancouver on Sunday afternoon, Raymond and a few hundred people were waiting to hear from Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who was making his final pitch to voters on a whirlwind trip through British Columbia.

"I was waiting till the last minute to decide," said Raymond, who was there with his wife, Sarah Robertson, and had their infant daughter, Bria, in a baby carrier.

The New Democrats earned his vote in the 2015 federal election, but this time he is voting for Taleeb Noormohamed, the Liberal candidate in Vancouver Granville, where ex-cabinet minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is seeking re-election as an Independent.

City asks downtown businesses to let public use washrooms

People who need washrooms would be welcome to use the facilities of businesses under a new plan responding to Winnipeg’s historic downtown dilemma: where can we go when we have to go?

A proposed pilot project will see the city partner with businesses to keep their washrooms open, accessible and clean for all members of the public.

The city would help fund increased cleaning and increased lavatory supplies for businesses willing to open their bathrooms to the public for free. Those washrooms would then be outfitted with door decals and marketed with the help of Downtown BIZ, so people could simply search for nearby washrooms while in the downtown core.

Also this summer, the city — in collaboration with Downtown BIZ and BridgmanCollaborative Architecture — will return the famed orange pop-up public toilets. The city has in recent years gained national and international attention for the pop-up facility fashioned from an old shipping container, painted a bold shade of orange and moved throughout the downtown over the course of two summer seasons.