Morning fog and drizzle give way to sunshine this afternoon

Motorists in Portage la Prairie are waking up to thick fog Monday morning, creating reduced visibility on area roads.

Drivers are being reminded to slow down, use headlights, and keep a safe distance from other vehicles.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, fog patches will dissipate later this morning as skies begin to clear.

There’s also a 30 percent chance of drizzle before conditions improve this afternoon, with a high of 24 degrees but feeling closer to 31 with the humidex.

Air Canada cancels plan to resume flights Sunday as union defies back-to-work order

Air Canada cancelled hundreds of additional flights on Sunday after the union representing its flight attendants announced the workers would remain on strike in defiance of a back-to-work order.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees said it filed a challenge in Federal Court on Sunday to an order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board that said its members must return to work by 2 p.m. ET.

"Our members are not going back to work," CUPE national president Mark Hancock said outside Toronto's Pearson Airport. "We are saying no."

Ukraine's allies meet as Zelenskyy travels to Washington to meet with Trump

Ukraine and its allies held a virtual meeting Sunday as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares for a high-stakes discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's office said in a Sunday afternoon statement that he took part in the call with the "Coalition of the Willing," a group of nations that have agreed to support Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian's full-scale invasion. The statement did not indicate that Carney would be part of Monday's discussions.

Local author brings Métis story home to Fort la Reine

A deeply personal homecoming brought Alberta-based Métis author Karen Hourie Ellefson back to Portage last week, where she hosted a special reading of her children’s book inside the Hourie House, a historic building named after her own family.

The event was part of a free summer reading program at the Fort la Reine Museum, organized in partnership with the Family Resource Centre. The museum’s executive director, Emma Ens-MacIver, says the experience was both meaningful and memorable for Ellefson and the community alike.

Portage motorcycle rides keep growing in popularity

What began as a spur-of-the-moment decision by Jim Brands to take his motorcycle out for a spin has grown into a weekly tradition that draws riders from Portage la Prairie and beyond.

Brands says the idea first came to him about six years ago while standing in his front yard. He noticed his motorcycle sitting in the garage untouched for weeks, and his boat sitting idle in the yard. That prompted a thought: something needed to be done. Remembering how a cousin used to phone friends to ride somewhere for supper, swap stories, and then head home, he decided to do the same.

Boxelder bugs clustering in Portage area

Boxelder bugs are starting to gather in greater numbers around Portage la Prairie as summer winds down. John Gavloski, entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, says they begin leaving the trees where they feed in late summer and fall, searching for warm, protected places to spend the winter. Buildings with large south or west-facing walls are especially appealing, and some bugs find their way indoors.

Jazzy John’s generous performances

In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, "Ya like jazz?"

If so, you may well take an interest in this Portage local.

Every Wednesday at the Portage la Prairie Regional Library and Thursday at the Prairie Fusion Art Gallery, “Jazzy John” Sushelnitsky offers free performances of swing-era jazz that echo across the prairies.

A retired teacher, John brings decades of musical devotion and community spirit to life through his guitar—and now through his YouTube channel, John’s Jazz Joint.

CPCS adding more to wellness retreat for 2025 edition

Central Plains Cancer Services (CPCS) has been preparing for fall programming with some adjustments to a program that is returning.

Last fall, CPCS began hosting a wellness retreat at Southport for survivors and thrivers of a cancer diagnosis. Sharilyn Knox, Executive Director of CPCS, notes that this year's edition is starting to fill up already.

Decades after a PM got pied, the threat landscape in Canadian politics has changed

When Prime Minister Jean Chrétien got hit in the face with a pie 25 years ago, the only thing hurt was his pride.

A quarter-century later, Canada's security landscape has changed radically. Threats of violence against politicians have become far more common. What seemed like a harmless prank then looks more like a warning now.

"There is this view that you're a politician, it's all fair game," said Catherine McKenna — who was herself the target of multiple threats of violence while she served as a federal minister.