Winnipeg in 2018: A year-end news crossword puzzle

Winnipeg in 2018: A year-end news crossword puzzle

For many years the Free Press has closed each December with a quiz testing our readers' knowlege of the news events of the previous twelve months.

This year we're going a different direction, introducing a crossword with the elements of a year-end news quiz (plus other Winnipeg references).

All names used in the puzzle are surnames, unless otherwise specified.

Once the crossword is completed, unscramble the circled letters for a two-word message from the Winnipeg Free Press.

Minago mining project under review with First Nation seeking funding options

A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR mining project in northern Manitoba is under review as its First Nation owner undergoes mass restructuring.

“All options are on the table” for the Minago Critical Minerals Project, said Blake Russell, senior adviser to Norway House Cree Nation’s chief.

The First Nation, north of Lake Winnipeg, had a leadership change following a May election. Chief Season Roulette pledged that all the nation’s programs would be reviewed to ensure they’re in-budget and providing value.

Norway House bought the Minago project for $10 million in 2024. The mining venture spans a swath of land along Highway 6, south of Ponton and north of Grand Rapids.

Churches get a chance to show off at Doors Open Winnipeg

EVERY Sunday morning, members of a church in the heart of the Glenelm neighbourhood climb to the top of their roof to sing and pray.

It’s not quite as dramatic as it sounds, since the red brick building housing Gordon-King Memorial United Church was built on top of a high basement used as the worship space for two decades, building manager Dan McCulloch says.

“The floor is actually a tar roof with all the drains in place,” he says of what’s underneath the sloping hardwood floors of the building completed in 1927.

That’s just one of the hidden details on display at the 700-seat modern Gothic building during next weekend’s annual Doors Open Winnipeg.

Thomas Ponder

Retired teacher’s ‘application’ for heaven resonates around the world

The perks are heavenly and the pay is divine.

Judging by the attention her “resumé” has received, retired Winnipeg teacher Beatrice Fediuk is a star candidate for a higher calling.

Her obituary — in the form of a resumé submitted as an application for eternal life — was written by her daughter Michelle Samagalski and was published in the Free Press on Saturday.

“Dear Lord, Please accept my application for Eternal Life. My resumé is as follows,” the obituary begins.

Trucking operation linked to fatality in Brandon shut down by Alberta government

The Alberta government has shut down Conquer Transport Inc., the trucking company linked to a crash near Brandon in which a 49-year-old woman, who had the right of way, was killed.

Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s transport minister, said the province launched an investigation into Conquer Transport after one of its semi-trucks ran a stop sign on May 27, 2026 at Highway 110 at Richmond Avenue East.

The semi hit an SUV driven by Xiaoyun Zhang, a Chinese immigrant who worked at the nearby pork processing plant. She died at the scene and the truck driver, 35-year-old Brijpal Panwar, has been charged with dangerous driving causing death.

“Our investigative team went out and … saw numerous non-compliance issues, whether it was hours of service with their drivers not being recorded properly, vehicle maintenance and inspections being insufficient, their safety program also being insufficient.”