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It’s a waiting game over at the zoo these days.  Kendra, a 12 year old Siberian Tiger is about to give birth.  Zoo officials think the tiger is in the final stages of her pregnancy, with the big event expected any day now.  If the predictions are correct, visitors to the zoo can expect to see the cubs in the tiger exhibit in the next 4 to 6 weeks.

A 31 year old Winnipeg man has been charged with assaulting a peace officer after a member of the Downtown Watch was assaulted.  Cops say the 27 year old Downtown Watch member was tending to an intoxicated person near Ellice and Edmonton when someone came up and started hitting him.  Marc Zurawell is now facing a host of charges.

Pretty big pot bust in the city.  2 men have been arrested after RCMP seized some 45 pounds of the green stuff.  The bust came after cops executed a warrant at a vacant business on College Avenue.  3 men in their 30’s are now facing a number of drug related charges.

The man who confessed to Norway’s twin massacres is being interrogated for a 2^nd time.  32 year old Anders Bray-vik was picked up at an Oslo jail this morning and taken to police headquarters.  So far, there’s no word on what’s behind this second round of questioning.

The weather office is out with its August predictions for the country.  And they’re saying August will see warmer than usual temperatures for most of eastern and central parts of the country…..and that includes Manitoba.  Further west, Environment Canada says much of Alberta and B.C. will see cooler and damper days.

The numbers just don’t lie…..Mexico is a pretty dangerous place these days.  New figures show the number of murders in that country, soared to more than 23 thousand last year, up almost 25 per cent from 2009.  Mexican officials blame it on their country’s escalating drug war.

Well it appears efforts to break the U.S. government’s deadlock are going nowhere fast.  The Republicans were supposed to vote last night on a bill that would boost the U.S. debt limit.  But, that vote got scrapped when Tea Party members demanded bigger spending cuts.  The deadline to reach a deal to break the impasse by the way is coming up fast…..this Tuesday.

It’s a big day for big tobacco.  Canadian tobacco companies will be watching closely, this morning’s ruling from the country’s highest court.  The Supreme Court will decide if tobacco firms can try to get the feds to help pay for treating smoking related diseases.  Those costs by the way could be in the millions, and perhaps even billions, of dollars.  6 province’s are currently suing tobacco companies to try and recoup the massive costs of treating those diseases.

They’re not taking any chances.  Vancouver police are boosting security as they prepare for their city’s first major event since the Stanley Cup riot back in June.  It’s the Celebration of Light….a fireworks competition lasting 3 nights starting tomorrow.  Vancouver police say they’re hoping for no trouble…but, they do want to be prepared just in case.

A 20 year old man is still listed in stable condition this morning….this after being attacked and shot in a McDonald’s parking lot early yesterday morning.  Cops say the man and his buddy were walking near the restaurant on Notre Dame around 4:30 in the morning, when 3 men confronted them.  A verbal confrontation ensued….and that’s when the gun got pulled and one guy got shot.  So far, police don’t have any suspects….but if you know anything about this….you’re asked to call Crimestoppers.

We first told ya about this story yesterday……66 year old Janet Goodin says after being arrested, strip searched and held in jail for 12 days, she still doesn’t have a clue how border guards mistook a jar of motor oil for liquid heroin.  Goodin says she’d sure like to sue Canadian Border Services, but she’s a senior on a fixed income and can’t afford to.  But the Minnesota woman says she would at least like an apology…and would like to be able to pay back relatives that she borrowed money from for legal fees. 

City police have put a number to the string of recent fires in a Fort Rouge neighborhood.  A police spokesperson says investigators are examining 20 garage bins and other structure fires over the last 3 months.  Several of them are deemed suspicious but police still can’t say if any of them are linked.  Area residents, are understandably worried….they fear a serial arsonist is at work.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are struggling to come to grips with the death this week of assistant head coach Richard Harris.  The team held its usual walkthrough yesterday in preparation for tonight’s game against B.C., but it wasn’t the usual jovial affair.  Players will be wearing stickers on their helmets this evening, with the initials R.H., as they dedicate the game to Harris…the team’s longest serving coach.

For the next 7 weeks or so, the NDP will likely be led by a rookie MP and longtime union leader.  Nycole Turmel is expected to be confirmed today as a stand-in for the ailing Jack Layton.  Layton, as we told earlier this week, is battling a new, unspecified form of cancer, and is focusing on treatment for the next 6 to 7 weeks.

“Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek will go under the knife tomorrow in San Francisco.  The 71 year old Sudbury, Ontario native snapped his Achilles tendon and hurt his other leg when he fell down chasing a crook at his hotel yesterday.  Trebek was injured as he chased a woman who apparently had just ripped off, cash, jewelry and other items from a room.  Police did manage to catch the female bandit….and she’s now facing a host of charges.

New warnings this morning from economists who say….our country is likely gonna suffer even if the U.S. manages to avoid debt default.  The U.S. government faces slashing its spending by up to 4 trillion dollars over the next decade.  Economists say Canada can’t help but feel the impact of that, since the majority of our exports go to the U.S. 

The Mounties are dismantling a drug lab that produced a substance they say, is up to 6 thousand times stronger than morphine.  The lab was found in a townhouse garage in a Vancouver suburb.  Because the substance was soooo powerful, officer taking apart the lab actually had to slap on fully sealed body suits to ensure the drug didn’t come close to their skin.

The NDP’s federal council will meet in Ottawa this morning to formally choose their new interim leader.  It’s almost certain the job will go to Quebec MP, Nycole Turmel, who’s already been given the thumbs up by several party executive, including Jack Layton.  Layton has of course temporarily stepped aside, so he can focus on his second battle with cancer.

The province has decided to build a 100 million dollar emergency channel to drain water from Lake Manitoba by the fall.  Premier Greg Selinger says the 8 kilometer long channel will divert flood water from the lake through Lake St. Martin and into Lake Winnipeg.  Provincial officials say they hope to have most of the channel done by this November.

The Blue Bombers suffered a real loss yesterday.  63 year old assistant head coach, Richard Harris died yesterday after collapsing at Canad Inn stadium.  Bomber President Jim Bell says the entire organization is in a state of shock.  Officials suspect the reason for Harris’ death was due to a massive heart attack.

One man is dead and police are now investigating after a workplace accident in rural Manitoba.  Yesterday afternoon, Carman RCMP were called to a construction site, where a 49 year old man had lost his footing and fallen from the rafters at the site.  He was fatally injured.  Now, both the RCMP and workplace safety and health officials are investigating.

Federal officials will review the arrest of a 66 year old Minnesota woman who was jailed for 12 days here in Winnipeg, when a jar of motor oil in her car was mistaken for heroin.  Public Safety Minister Vic Toews says he has requested a report from the president of the Canadian Border Service Agency. 

Well wishes have been flooding Jack Layton’s office phone line and e-mail account since he announced on Monday, he’s battling cancer yet again.  Layton is taking a leave of absence to fight this new form of the disease, which showed up on tests monitoring his successful battle against prostate cancer.  Meantime, the NDP caucus will meet this morning to try and decide who should be his interim replacement.

The jury’s been picked down in Texas for the trial of polygamist sect leader, Warren Jeffs.  He’s been charged with numerous offences including the sexual assault of a child.  Jeffs could face up to 119 years behind bars if he’s convicted.

Talk about survivors !  There’s word today that a couple of goldfish survived 134 days since that devastating earthquake hit New Zealand.  They did it amazingly without any food or electricity to power their tank filter.  The goldfish were in a 100 litre tank in the reception area of an office, when the quake struck which killed 181 people.  It was only this week that staffers were allowed back into the building…and that’s when they found the fish alive !!

Still no solution in the U.S. debt crisis.  But our own Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty is now weighing in.  He says he’s relatively confident that U.S. lawmakers will reach a deal and get the problem solved.  But Flaherty warns there’ll be consequences for the entire global economy if there’s no debt ceiling solution by August 2^nd…and that among the consequences could be higher interest rates.

Okay this news will certainly fire up a few people.  The NDP says Canadians may be paying up to 20 million dollars a year for what it calls “phantom gas.”  The party says consumers are being gouged by faulty gas pumps that overstate the amount of gas drivers are getting and overcharge them.  The Conservatives did announce a plan to inspect gas pumps 3 years ago, but nothing has happened and according to the NDP, consumers are being ripped off everyday.

Heading south?…then take a listen.  Our dollar is down about a tenth of a cent in trading this morning, after hitting its highest close in more than 3 and a half years.  Right now, our buck is trading at 1.05 and change U.S.

Farmers are now voting on their future in the Canadian Wheat Board.  The board’s farmer dominated board of directors says mail in ballots on Ottawa’s plan to scrap the board’s monopoly, are in farmers hands and the result will be made public September 8^th.  All of this may be for not however.  Federal Ag Minister Gerry Ritz has already said he’ll ignore the results.

Is it a hard time or good times for inmates at Headingly Jail?  The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is demanding the facility put a stop to entertainment prisoners.  This would include everything from watching hockey games on big screen t.v.’s, and playing video games.  But prison staff actually defend those kinds of activities.  They say entertaining the inmates keeps them out of trouble.

A city man who won a million dollars on a scratch n win ticket says his dog was the first to hear the good news.  Farrell Lavalee was at home with his collie Shiloh, when he started scratching his Set for Life ticket and uncovered two matching symbols.  He says he looked at the dog and said…”One more, and we can retire baby !”  And that’s exactly what happened…Farrell scratched and found the 3^rd symbol.  He says he still has a hard time believing he’s become a millionaire.

Some really sad, sad news on the political front today.  After defeating prostate cancer, NDP leader Jack Layton stunned a Toronto news conference yesterday with news he was diagnosed just last week with another type of cancer.  Layton will now take a leave of absence until the fall to focus on treatment. 

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he’s deeply saddened to learn of Jack Layton’s illness, and Liberal leader Bob Rae is praising Layton’s courage.  They were among the many well wishes that followed the NDP leader’s announcement yesterday that he’s fighting a new type of cancer.  Layton said tumors were found just last week, that are totally unrelated to the prostate cancer he a few years ago.  Layton will now step down as leader to take a break and focus on treatment until this fall.

Shares in Research in Motion took a tumble on the markets yesterday….this after the company announced it was cutting another 2 thousand jobs.  The cuts amount to more than 10 per cent of the BlackBerry maker’s global workforce. 

Manitoba’s health department says 7 workers have been disciplined after a nursing home patient in the city died from physical abuse by neglect.  Officials say the woman died after a wound went untreated.  They say the nurses were uncertain of what to do and didn’t follow basic protocols.  The patient apparently suffered from several skin infections because she was not washed properly.

The man suspected of killing 76 people in Friday’s bombing and shooting massacre in Norway, claims he’s working with other collaborators.  Anders Bray-vihk is being held in solitary confinement as prosecutors prepare to try him for the Oslo bombing and the island youth camp shooting rampage.  Bray-vihk admits to all of the killings, but plead not guilty in hopes of using court appearances to address the public.  He says the attacks were carried out to save Europe from Muslim domination.

The autopsy on singer Amy Winehouse is so far inconclusive, with 2 to 4 weeks needed for toxicology results to come in.  Winehouse’s mother, father and brother visited a makeshift memorial outside her London home yesterday and thanked everyone for their prayers.  A private family funeral will be held today.

City police are issuing warnings again about a Taser cartridge that’s been lost.  The cartridge contains probes on wires which deploy when the device gets discharged, and it was lost sometime yesterday morning.  Police warn it could deploy it someone picks it up, puts it in their pocket and static-electricity builds up.  A similar cartridge was lost back in May.

The numbers are not good.  70 people have died on Manitoba highways this year.  RCMP say that’s disturbing since the figure is typically about 40 this time of year.  An 18 year old man from Souris was the latest fatality.  He died this weekend when the car he was in rolled into the ditch just south of Brandon.

A diver from Winnipeg is recovering in a Chinese hospital after being hit by a car.  Kevin Greyson was in Shanghai competing at the World Aquatic Championships.  He was crossing the street to catch a bus to the meet’s venue when he was hit.  A team spokesperson says so far, it looks like Kevin will be okay.

The man who confessed to Friday’s twin attacks that killed 93 people in Norway, has requested an open hearing for his arraignment today.  Anders Bray-vihk, says he wants to explain his massacre to the public.  But the this morning the Norwegian court said prosecutors will request a closed hearing.  They apparently don’t want to give this guy a platform to get his message out.

A new study this morning says deaths from the chickenpox, have been dramatically reduced…especially among children….thanks to the vaccine for the disease.  Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control found that chickenpox deaths fell from an average of 105 per year to just 14, after the vaccine had been available for 12 years.  Chickenpox is of course a virus, and is highly contagious.

Good news this morning for those who take drugs.  Let me explain.  An unprecedented wave of expiring patents, could dramatically lower the cost of prescription medicines used by millions of people.  The next 14 months will bring generic versions of 7 of the world’s 20 best selling drugs…including the top two….cholesterol fighter, Lipitor and blood thinner Plavix.

Lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn say the hotel maid accusing the former I-M-F chief of sexual assault, is looking for money.  Lawyers blasted back after the woman began doing media interviews.  ABC news will air an interview with Nafi Diallo today….in which she gives new details about the alleged attack in a Manhattan hotel room.  The case against Strauss-Kahn is in limbo because of doubts about the maid’s credibility.

Pretty busy Sunday for those in the wedding business in New York state.  Hundreds of gay couples married on the day same-sex weddings became legal in the state.  But, thousands also attended rallies protesting the new law.  One group complained that lawmakers redefined marriage without giving voters a say.

She’s hit the big time….at least in the Phillipines.  Maria Aragon’s father says his 11 year old daughter has scored a 2 album, 2 year deal with Star records.  Details are still a little sketchy but Veni Aragon says he’ll find out more when he travels to the Phillipines next month.  Aragon hit the big time by singing a rendition of a Lady Gaga song.  That song went viral and even landed the little girl on stage here in Winnipeg, when Gaga was in town.

A superhero has roughed up the boy wizard.  In a battle of summer movie heroes, Captain America topped Harry Potter this weekend at the box office.  Captain America opened at number one, with more than a 65 million dollar take.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, dropped to second spot, taking in just over 48 million in its second weekend.

People lovin the Winnipeg Jets new logo and the new merch to go with it.  The store downtown selling the stuff, ran out of several items this weekend…everything from hats to t-shirts.  A spokesperson said, obviously the city was pleased with the redesign….and yes….more product will soon arrive.

Good news this morning for those who like to jet south in the winter.  WestJet says it plans to significantly increase its service to some popular sun destinations this winter, with new routes from several Canadian cities.  For instance, the airline says it’ll introduce non stop flights from Winnipeg to Palm Springs, California.  Those flights will operate on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis. 

Can you believe this story?!  Several residents of a seniors home in the province, may be trapped in their apartments for the summer, thanks to a broken elevator.  The only lift in the Kin Village, 6 storey building in Brandon broke down a month ago and stairs are now the only way up or down for its 50 residents.  But there are at least 8 to 10 people on the top floors who say they can’t use the stairs.  A spokesperson for the building says the elevator is old and may have to be completely replaced…..something which could take another 3 months.

NASA’s 30 year space shuttle program came to an end this morning with the landing of Atlantis.  Touchdown of the final shuttle mission happened just before 5 a.m. Winnipeg time.  A record crowd of over 2 thousand people were on hand at the landing strip when the bird touched down. 

As many Canadians are sweltering in summer heat these days, ya gotta make sure you don’t forget your pets might be too!  Animal welfare groups and veterinarians are reminding Canadians to help their furry friends cool off by limited their activity in the heat.  People are advised to keep their pets in the shade, given them plenty of water and keep them off hot asphalt.  And one final reminder…..make sure ya don’t ever leave your pet locked in a hot car !

He skied himself right into trouble !!  Canadian Olympic athelete, Manuel Osborne-Paradis, is in hospital and may be in trouble with police following an incident at the Calgary Stampede.  Reports say Paradis was drunk when he climbed onto the back of a moving party bus and fell onto the trailer hitch.  His clothing got hooked on that hitch, and he was dragged for some 80 meters and has since endured multiple operations for severe road rash.  Police however didn’t have much sympathy for the guy as they slapped him with a traffic infraction for riding or being towed on the outside of a vehicle.

Many parts of northwestern Ontario are not only hot….they’re on fire !  More than 100 forest fires are raging in the region, many of them sparked by 35 thousand lightning strikes….and they’re being stoked by high winds.  The monster blazes are currently being battled by more than 2 thousand firefighters, coming from all parts of the country.

The Empire State Building in Manhattan, was lit in red-white-and blue last night.  It was to honor NASA’s space shuttle program, which came to an end this morning after 30 years.  Atlantis touched down just before 5 a.m. Winnipeg time this morning….ending the space shuttle program entirely.

Mayor Sam says he has an idea to help with the potential parking problem over at the U of M.  Katz says 2 vacant plots of land near the University could potentially reduce a parking crunch at the city’s new football stadium.  The Mayor says having fans car-pool will still be the easiest and best solution, but he says he did speak with the U of M’s president about the possibility of opening up and developing those two empty plots for parking.  No word yet on whether or not that might happen.

It’s been a bad year for murder in our town.  So far this year, the city has recorded 23 homicides….compared to 22 for all of 2010.  But, we are not the murder capital of the country anymore.  That dubious distinction now goes to Edmonton where 29 homicides have been committed since the beginning of the year.

City police say the woman who faces murder charges in the rooming house fire that killed 4 people, may have known at least one of them who lived inside.  However, investigators are still working on the motive for the alleged arson.  Police say a woman was seen using some sort of an accelerant, to set fire to the front porch of the north end home, before fleeing the scene this weekend.  40 year old Lulonda Flett has now facing numerous charges.

Highway collisions claimed a number of lives in the province this weekend.  A 71 year old man died when his Buick collided with an Audi at an intersection on highway 8 in the R.M. of St. Andrews yesterday.  3 of the 4 occupants of the Audi were taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.  RCMP also say a 51 year old woman died Saturday evening when the van she was driving rolled in the R.M. of Alexander.  And earlier that day, a 33 year old man from Winnipeg died after a rollover on highway 12 in southeastern Manitoba.

A dirt bike collision in the RM of Tache has killed one 17 year old and put another 17 year old in critical condition.  Police say the accident happened late Saturday night.  The boy who died was from the R.M. of Springfield, but police say his name isn’t being released.  RCMP are still investigating.

Pretty abrupt and scary ending to one of the North America’s biggest music festivals.  Just hours before Ottawa’s Bluesfest was set to end last night, a violent burst of wind caused the festival’s main concern stage to collapse.  It happened as Cheap Trick was on stage.  Fortunately, no band members were hurt, but their truck driver was among 4 people who had to be taken to hospital.

Well some will say this news comes as no surprise !  A new survey by C.A.A. has found that traffic courtesy has been left in the dust.  The poll found that 3 in 4 Canadians believe drivers are behaving worse today than they were just 5 years ago.  Among the most annoying habits are road rage, being cut off, tailgating, and talking or texting while driving. 

British Prime Minister David Cameron says Parliament should delay its summer break to he can brief lawmakers on the phone-hacking scandal.  Parliament is due to break for summer tomorrow.  The British government is under huge political pressure over the scandal…and now lawmakers want answers.

City police have charged a 40 year old woman with 4 counts of 2^nd degree murder and 4 of attempted murder.  She was arrested this weekend after a rooming house fire claimed the lives of 3 men and a woman, and left 2 other men in critical condition.  Police say the woman was seen setting a fire on the home’s front porch before taking off from the scene.  Charged is Lulonda Flett.

A new study on grandparent drivers may surprise you.  Researchers at Children’s hospital in Philadelphia say kids may be safer in cars with grandparents at the wheel instead of mom or dad.  Analyzing insurance claims for 5 years, in 15 states, researchers found one per cent of kids were injured when riding with parents, versus less than one per cent for those who rode with grandparents.  That actually translates into a 33 per cent lower risk.  Researchers speculate that grandparents are extra cautious when they’re tasked with driving the grandkids around.

Researchers say even mild brain injuries seem to raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.  The new U.S. study looked at older war veterans and raised fresh concern about injuries that hundreds of thousands of soldiers have suffered from explosions in recent wars.

The phone hacking scandal rocking Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has claimed its most prominent victim so far.  Rebekah Brooks has resigned as C.E.O. of Murdoch’s News International.  Brooks was the editor of “News of the World,” in 2002 when the phone of a missing 13 year old schoolgirl was hacked.  The girl was later found murdered.  Both Murdoch, his son and Brooks have all agreed to appear on Tuesday before a Commons committee investigating the scandal.

Some pretty new beauty procedures out there these days….but this one’s gotta go !  The Vancouver Island health authority has ordered a halt to an unusual pedicure offered by a spa.  The procedure involves putting your feet into a tank, where small fish eat dead skin from each foot.  Doctor’s say the procedure is unsafe and can transmit infections from fish to people and vice versa.

Good news this morning if you’re planning on buying a house real soon.  A number of major Canadian banks are trimming some of their mortage rates today.  The group includes C.I.B.C. which is cutting its one year closed rate down to 3.5 per cent.  The new 5 year rate is now 5.39 per cent.  Rates are apparently dropping because of lower rates on the bond market, where banks raise their mortgage money.

NASA says its not concerned about the safety of the crew of Atlantis, even though the shuttle suffered a 2^nd major computer failure in 5 days.  The space agency says the crew simply switched to another of the 5 main computers onboard.  Engineers say they’ll be doing some troubleshooting today.

Lots of green for Google these days…..where profits have soared.  The Internet giant says it made 2.5 billion dollars in the 2^nd quarter of this year….up a very healthy 36 per cent over the same time last year.  The better than expected result helped send Google shares up 10 per cent in overnight trading.

Good news on the city’s bug battle.  Chief Entomologist, Taz Stuart says warm temperatures are drying up standing water, and the cool spring weather we had, have also helped to keep bug numbers down this year.  Stuart says low trap counts are likely to stay that way for 7-14 days.

The Harper government is being accused of not doing enough to provide safe drinking water at First Nations across the country.  The Council of Canadians says boil water advisories are in effect on more than 100 reserves.  And, it adds in another 49 aboriginal communities, water is not safe to drink even after its been boiled. 

A pretty grim estimate is being made on the losses from this spring’s flooding across our province.  Manitoba’s biggest farm organization says more than 12 thousand square kilometers of farm land has been rendered useless.  That’s more than double the size of P.E.I. ! 

City police have announced charges in Winnipeg’s latest firebombing, saying a crackdown on warring biker gangs is now underway.  Police have laid arson charges against 23 eyar old Taylor Brett Morrison and 33 year old Shaine Gerald Stodgell.  The charges come after a tattoo parlour in Osborne Village was firebombed a couple of days ago.  Police will not name the gang’s they suspect are involved….but the reports are the conflict is between the Hells Angels and Rock Machine.

Children’s entertainer, Fred Penner, is among 11 Manitobans who have been invested into the Order of Manitoba.  The 64 year old singer-songwriter was already invested into the Order of Canada back in 1991.  Othes who received the honor yesterday included Art DeFehr, owner of Palliser Furniture.  And NDP politician Eugene Kostyra.

After weeks of grief and hardship, there’s finally some good news on the flood front.  18 residents who underwent a mandatory evacuation in Wawanesa, were allowed to return to their homes yesterday….and most of those suffered no flood damage at all.  And, in Souris, some of the 190 flood evacuees are now also slowly returning home.

Conservation officials are investigating a 2^nd report of a cougar inside city limits.  Neither sighting has been confirmed yet by officials and one officer says it’s more likely a lynx or a coyote.  Police say the latest sighting was called in Monday night from the Transcona area.  This was the same area where the same large cat was seen over the weekend.

The polar bear is finally set to be listed under the country’s species at risk legislation.  Once that happens, a plan must be devised within 3 years to help prevent the bears from becoming endangered or threatened. 

Well it’s gonna get hot here this weekend….but the temps already steaming down south.  In fact, 23 states have heat alerts in place…ranging from Texas to the Atlantic coast.  Many U.S. cities hit record highs yesterday, including St. Louis and Okalhoma City at 38 Celcius. 

A Washington jury will hear opening arguments today in the perjury trial of ex-pitcher, Roger Clemens.  Baseball’s only 7 time Cy Young winner is accused of lying to Congress when he claimed he never took performance enhancing drugs, including steroids.  Prosecutors plan on calling another ex-pitcher, Andy Pettite, a one time Clemens teammate, to help prove their case.

If ya got any gold bars lyin around the house….you’re probably pretty happy these days.  The price of gold continues to climb after hitting a record closing high yesterday.  This morning it’s up another 10 bucks, and is now 1572 dollars U.S. an ounce ! 

The C.E.O.’s of Research in Motion say, better days are ahead for the troubled BlackBerry maker…and that’s thanks to a new line of 7 BlackBerry smartphones ready to hit the market.  In fact, company officials say this’ll be the biggest product launch in the company’s history.  In the past 3 years, the value of the company’s stock has plunged by 80 per cent.     

New survey this morning has found that, as baby boomers get older, they’re pushing back the age defined as “old.”  The poll found three-quarters of boomers still consider themselves middle-aged or younger.  Those who were surveyed were asked when does someone become old?  The answer given by the majority was 70.

The 4 crewmembers of the space shuttle Atlantis, are about to start transferring 4.2 tonnes of food and other supplies from the shuttle to the International Space Station.  When that’s done, 2.6 tonnes of trash will be transferred the other way.  This last ever mission by a shuttle is due to end in a week’s time.

Halle Berry has been granted a restraining order against an alleged stalker.  27 year old Richard Franco was arrested 3 times in 3 days outside the L.A. home of the Oscar winning actress.  Under the order, Franco must stay at least 90 meters from Berry and her young daughter.

It appears ex NHL player Vincent Damphousse and his estranged wife are headed for separate trials in Montreal on charges of assaulting each other.  Damphousse, who is 43, faces 6 counts of assaulting his wife, while she’s charged with assault with a weapon and theft.  Each has plead not guilty to all charges, and each is due in court this fall.

Traffic tickets are going high tech in the city.  Police will soon be able to give drivers electronic tickets instead of hand-written ones.  Officers say the aim is to save time and cash, since it takes about half as long for a cop to complete an e-ticket. 

A search is underway for a couple of brothers whose canoe capsized ina  river downstream from a dam in northern Manitoba.  Mounties got a report that the canoe had gone down north of the Nelson House First Nation.  Thompson RCMP say the brothers, who are 42 and 43, were fishing when the canoe flipped, throwing them both into the water.  Police say both men, were not wearing life jackets at the time.

Ron Evans has called it a day.  He says he won’t run again for the grand chief position with the Assembly of Manitoba chiefs.  He’s held the position for 6 years now.  Evans says it was a difficult decision to make, but after talking to his family, he decided it was the right one. 

A funeral will be held today for Betty Ford.  The widow of the late U.S. President Gerald Ford died this past Friday at the age of 93.  Michelle Obama, and former first ladies, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton will be among the dignitaries who will be there.  A 2^nd funeral will be held this Thursday in Grand Rapids, Michigan where Betty Ford will be buried alongside her husband.

2 astronauts are going for a spacewalk today.  They’ll be doing some repair work outside of the International Space Station.  The space shuttle Atlantis is of course on its final mission as NASA prepares to close out the shuttle program.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge plan to keep a low profile following their whirlwind trip to Canada and the U.S.  Palace officials say Prince William and Kate will spend the rest of the year under the radar in their North Wales home adapting to married life.  They also say the couple doesn’t want to overshadow the Queen as she approaches her Diamond Jubilee next year.

You’ve seen the health warning’s on cigarette packages….now….howbout bottles of booze?!  Well, Australia has decided to do just that.  It’s a voluntary program by the liquor industry aimed mainly at teens and pregnant women.  The country will soon put both written and picture warning’s on bottle’s of wine to spirits.

After a vote yesterday, a city council committee has accepted a somewhat controversial traffic and transportation plan for the Bombers new stadium out at the U of M.  The plan relies heavily on ticketholders turning to Transit Tom to get to the games……something only 5 to 10 per cent of people do right now.  The goal is to get that number to 30 per cent or more. 

And yet another prominent NDP cabinet member has decided to call it a day.  Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie says he will not be running in this falls election.  He says after 32 years in public office, it’s time to move on.  Last week, Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk also announced she would not run again…due to personal reasons.