Don’t belittle or overreact to mate’s vicarious thrills

‘I wouldn’t change my journey’

Jake Ceresna looks exactly how you’d imagine a professional football player would.

The 6-5, 290-pound defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers has a hulking, broad-shouldered frame built on a pair of tree-trunk legs.

But considering where he came from, it’s rather remarkable that he’s been giving opposing quarterbacks nightmares in the pros for a decade.

For starters, he hails from New Fairfield, Conn. The list of pro football players from the town of approximately 14,000 people starts and ends with Ceresna.

‘It will probably be in the best shape that it’s ever been in’: Mantario Trail to reopen in June

The Mantario Trail is anticipated to reopen at the end of June, owing to volunteers’ “remarkable progress” on restoring the popular route that had been devastated by wildfires.

Outdoor enthusiasts are celebrating the province’s latest update on the roughly 62-kilometre trail in eastern Manitoba that’s been closed for more than a year.

“It will probably be in the best shape that it’s ever been in because of the new stuff that’s going to be put up — the signage and everything,” said Gilles Boulley, president of the South Whiteshell Trail Association.

Boulley called the multipurpose trail that straddles the Manitoba and Ontario border, “one of the gems of the (local) trail system.”

Transit installing driver-activated emergency-alert system

All Winnipeg Transit buses will soon be equipped to warn bystanders and motorists to call 911 instead of boarding the vehicles while an emergency is taking place.

The city is now installing a system that displays “Emergency Call 911” followed by “Do Not Board Bus” on electronic message boards that are visible only from the outside. When a driver activates the system, the message will also be sent to Winnipeg Transit’s control centre.

The entire 645-bus fleet will be upgraded with the new safety feature by Dec. 15.

“This emergency-signal system ensures another layer of protection for our operators and our passengers by ensuring help arrives as quickly as possible,” said Greg Ewankiw, Transit’s director.

Democracy is a civic election issue

Scott Gillingham should be worried — very, very worried. Not just because he’ll likely win the upcoming mayoral race for no better reason than the lack of a tenable, progressive alternative, but because longtime, and in some cases, progressive councillors are currently quitting his administration.

And they’re not going quietly.

Just take Coun. Sherri Rollins’ (Fort Rouge – East Fort Garry) recent announcement that she would not be seeking re-election. When she cited the reasons she won’t be running again, she dropped a bit of a bombshell.

In addition to citing the mayor’s lack of transparency on issues such as homelessness, she also observed that he and his advisers “increasingly sideline the public service.”

IOC president Bach discusses ‘challenges’ for 2026 Games

ROME (AP) — Costly construction delays, a leadership vacancy linked to a volatile political climate and a lack of sponsors amid a spreading financial crisis has prompted International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach to acknowledge the “challenges” facing organizers of the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

With the IOC’s coordination commission visit to the Milan and Cortina venues postponed by three months to December because of national elections in Italy slated for later this month, it was left to Bach to handle matters during a visit with outgoing premier Mario Draghi before receiving an award from the Italian Olympic Committee.

“As always before Olympic Games, there are challenges — in particular light of this new emerging world order and the financial and economic crisis,” Bach said Friday.

“But we have overcome some challenges in the last couple of years," Bach added, referring to games held in Tokyo and Beijing amid the coronavirus pandemic. “So I’m not too worried because we know about the enthusiasm, efficiency and the dedication of our Italian friends.”

Physician watchdog under fire for ‘outrageous’ policy

The Manitoba physician watchdog’s policy of deferring its own investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct while a police probe is ongoing is “outrageous” and is further evidence an independent review is needed into the regulatory body, critics say.