Country Thunder down Kane Brown

Little house, big female energy and golf drama

From its earliest black-and-white flickers to today’s kaleidoscope of small-screen streaming options, television has offered many pleasures.

This new handful of new viewing recommendations dances nicely along that spectrum, from a period drama with a much needed modern perspective, a weekend of she-raging, a couple of spy thrillers and golf as a path to true grace (and a few gut-laughs). Onward!

●Little House on the Prairie (series premières Thursday on Netflix)

Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books, a new Winnipeg-shot adaptation moves beyond the 1974-83 sentimental TV adventures of the Ingalls family homesteading in the 19th-century American Midwest. The new effort promises to be not only grittier but also narratively broader, expanding beyond the story of the family planting roots in “free land.” Says the show’s Osage Nation consultant Julie O’Keefe, “If you’re going to tell the story, then you need to tell both sides.” The series has already been renewed for a second season. For more on the series, check out Randall King’s recent preview.

Free from the sugar high that is Facebook

Welcome to Jen Tries, a semi-regular feature in which Free Press columnist Jen Zoratti will try something new and report back. In this instalment, Jen Tries... quitting Facebook: Part 2.

Earlier this week, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before U.S. Congress, concerning the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. I’m sure you’ve seen all the memes. He really does look like Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I saw all the memes because Zuckerberg’s 10-hour grilling session in Washington, D.C., happened to dovetail with the end of my two-week Facebook hiatus. You may recall my March 23 Jen Tries column, in which I decided to take a short break from the social-media site I’ve been using for more than a decade, not because I was particularly concerned about my privacy, but because Facebook wasn’t fun any more.

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City considers first-come, first-served Transit Plus

The city's much-maligned Transit Plus, which is for people with disabilities, could soon do away with a system that prioritizes jobs and medical trips over recreation and visits with friends, in favour of first-come, first-served bookings.

While the city says the changes could mean Transit Plus users would no longer be guaranteed to get to work or medical appointments, several disability advocates are in favour of the move. They don't believe any trip should take priority over another.

Natalie Pirson has used Transit Plus, and the former Handi Transit system, for more than 20 years. She is pleased with the proposed changes, which will be discussed by the city's public works committee next week. Pirson was quick to point out the city will have to do more than change the booking system.

"I rely on Transit Plus for every aspect of my life," Pirson said on Thursday.

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Amber Bracken’s jarring photo features red dresses hanging from wooden crosses against a stormy skyline, with a rainbow in the distance.