Harrisons responds to vandalism with compassion

Rock musical returns to Winnipeg stage after 14 years

Can any household honestly claim to be normal?

The Goodmans — the central family of the rock musical Next to Normal — seem perfectly average on the surface. But it takes only a lyric or two before the domestic mythology gets punctured.

“They’re the perfect loving family, so adoring and I love them every day of every week,” sings Diana Goodman, the matriarch, as she introduces her family in the play’s first song, Just Another Day. “So my son’s a little s—-, my husband’s boring and my daughter, though a genius, is a freak.”

Diana’s bold, she’s honest, she’s strong and for more than 15 years, she has been dealing with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Her energy shifts and swings, but her commitment to her family’s well-being is steadfast.

4/20 party organizers lose their mellow

The organizing committee behind the subdued 4/20 cannabis celebration expected at the Manitoba Legislative Building this Saturday has been torn apart by internal political rifts over the past year, as former participants accuse head organizer Steven Stairs of embezzling money meant to fund the event — allegations Stairs vigorously denies.

Tracey Cecchini, who identified herself to the Free Press as a member of the Winnipeg 420 Organizing Committee, said other committee members and event sponsors "all pitched in money" to help fund the event last year.

"Unfortunately the money was never put into the treasury, the money was mishandled," said Cecchini.

"He was using it to throw parties at his house, he was paying his rent, he wasn't putting it back into the 420 (Organizing Committee) for our permits, and (for) what we were going to do for this year."

Dark mornings fuel school safety fears

School officials are fielding complaints about Manitoba’s decision to abandon biannual clock changes as they urge children to wear bright clothing and take other safety precautions to commute to class in the dark.

The St. James-Assiniboia School Division board office has received two formal complaints related to the province’s new year-round time zone — Manitoba Standard Time (MBT).

“Both were concerned about student safety in the dark and one questioned if we would be changing the start times of all our schools,” said Tara Smith, chairperson of the board of trustees.

Smith said in an email that the division, encompassing Deer Lodge, Westwood and surrounding areas, has no plans to adjust schedules at any of its kindergarten-to-Grade 12 buildings.

Ready to launch: Inside the massive undertaking to revitalize the beloved Nonsuch replica

For 44 years, the Nonsuch has been enchanting visitors to the Manitoba Museum, bringing a whiff of adventure and the romance of the sea to our landlocked city.The jewel in the crown of the Hudson’s Bay Company Museum Collection, the replica of the 17th-century fur-trading ship takes those who board her back in time.

Decades’ worth of schoolchildren have clutched the rails at the side of the rickety gangway that leads you onboard and descended the narrow stairs — backwards, please, for safety! — into the fo’c’sle, where they could marvel at the tiny bunks — how short men were back then — and peer out the round portholes, imagining them being lashed by salt spray as you crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a grand adventure to find a new trade route for England.

Few of us on long-ago field trips ever stopped to think about why this Prairie city was honouring a British ship that never actually visited Manitoba — let alone why we had built an entire museum wing around a replica that, while it sailed more than 14,000 kilometres in European, Canadian and American waters, was hauled into Winnipeg in pieces.

As the first phase of its $17.5-million Bringing Our Stories Forward capital campaign, the museum has spent about three years planning its refurbishment of the Nonsuch exhibit, which has remained largely untouched since it was installed in 1974, in part to better tell that story.

Bombers not tipping their hand on starting quarterback

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are going to keep the Montreal Alouettes guessing for as long as possible.

The Blue and Gold aren’t offering any clues about who will be under centre in Saturday’s East Division final at Percival Molson Stadium (3 p.m. kickoff).

The Bombers practised in an official capacity on Wednesday — their first since a stunning 25-22 win over Toronto in the East Division semifinal on the weekend.

They typically start the week with an open session, but the practice was closed to the general public and media.

Esteban Jaramillo