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War on Music and Ken Hong Restaurant, in the Exchange District, were both gutted by fire yesterday. The fire does not appear to be suspicious but damage to the buildings is being estimated just under a half million dollars. The Albert Street block was one of Winnipeg’s oldest structures, built in 1877.

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien is headed to court in Minneapolis, where his last summer’s boating-while-intoxicated charge will be decided by a jury. Attorneys had tried to work things out but couldn’t so a July 23^rd court date has been set.

Starbucks is changing the red dye it uses in it’s drinks that comes from crushed beetles – apparently it creeped some people out – and will instead use lycopene, which is a tomato-based extract. An online petition got more than six-thousand signatures. That means Starbucks strawberry drinks will now be vegan-friendly.

Cancer patients will now get 100 per cent of their oral treatment and support drugs paid for when receiving home care, through CancerCare Manitoba’s new Home Cancer Drug Program. This will save patients and their family tens of thousands of dollars and let them concentrate on beating the disease.

Police are looking for 13-year-old Erik Neufeld from Hanover. They believe he took the family truck and drove it to Winnipeg. Erik is blond, blue eyed, 5-foot-7 and about 95 pounds. He may be in a 2001 Chevy Silverado pick-up truck.

The Assiniboine Park Zoo has two new rare and endangered Asiatic lions. The twin brothers came here from Germany but the public won’t be able to see them for, at least, 30 days when they’ll be finished their time in quarantine, under zoo regulations.

Police on Vancouver Island have seized the motorcycle they believe was featured on a viral YouTube video. In the video, the driver hits speeds of almost 300 kilometers an hour, weaving between cars on the TransCanada. The owner of the bike has been given tickets which should cost her around $15-hundred dollars even though police suspect it was her 25-year-old son that was driving.

Levon Helm, the drummer and sometimes lead and back-up singer for The Band died on Thursday from throat cancer. He was 71.

An unreleased solo album from Joey Ramone, titled Ya Know?, will be released at the end of May.

Former Hole guitarist, Eric Erlandson, says Kurt Cobain was working on non-Nirvana music before he died in 1994 and may have recorded some solo material.

KISS is launching new comic book series, Dressed to Kill, in late June.

City council’s executive policy committee has voted in favour of giving a private developer $7-million to build a water park and hotel complex. The 2.2-hectare site sits at the southwest corner of Waterfront Drive and William Stephenson Way, just south of Shaw Park, where the Goldeyes play.

Winnipeg may soon have reduced speed limits in school zones, if changes to the provincial Highway Traffic Act are approved. The new legislation could be introduced today. Winnipeg is one of the few cities in North America that doesn’t have reduced speeds in school zones.

The Manitoba government says the plan this year is to fix 20 bridges and more than 24-hundred kilometers of road. The 589 billion dollars budgeted is up from last year, partially because of flood damage.

A section of the St. Boniface hospital was evacuated after staff saw a leak in a container of formaldehyde. No patients were at risk but air vents and foot traffic were restricted.

Mayor Sam Katz brought forward a motion yesterday to give veterans free parking at street meters. Other cities have already inacted the policy, like Brandon, Saskatoon, Red Deer and London.

 Police on Vancouver Island say they’re close to catching the driver of a YouTube video gone viral; he’s riding a motorcycle at almost 300 kilometres an hour. They have the IP address of the uploader and have figured out the stretch of highway it was filmed on.

More Canadians are eating breakfast on the run. Nine per cent of the population grabs their breakfast at a fast food place like Tim Hortons or McDonalds but people 19-35 are looking for healthier options.

No more weed for foreigners in Amsterdam. Dutch coffee shop owners went to court yesterday to keep the government from setting up a “members only” policy for Dutch nationals and marijuana.

 Dick Clark is dead at 82 of a heart attack. The man that introduced the world to new music with American Bandstand was a workaholic who launched a restaurant chain, a real estate investor, a concert promoter and all while ringing in New Years Eve. His fortune is estimated in the’hundreds of millions’.

California police have recovered guitars stolen from Tom Petty and his band, arresting a security guard. The band had offered a “no questions asked” $7,500 reward for information leading to the return of the instruments on their website but the break in the case was the suspect pawned one of the guitars at a Hollywood pawn shop for $250.

Rush has a new album, Clockwork Angels, in stores on June 12th and a 33 city North American tour. They’ll be performing the MTS Centre on September 26th. Ticket details to be announced.

The five ways the Manitoba budget, announced yesterday, is going to affect you: Gas tax is going up 2.5 cents a liter to pay for roads and bridge, smokers will pay about 63 cents more a pack; Birth, death and marriage certificate are going to cost you $30 starting in September; tattoos, haircuts and manicure will now be taxed and your vehicle registration will cost you $35. Ministers are taking a salary roll back while MLAs are on a wage freeze and Manitoba Justice is one of the few departments to get more cash. Minimum wage is going up by 25 cents on October 1^st to $10.25.

Sunday shopping hours to be extended in Manitoba but we don’t know to what yet. According to the Finance Minister, they’ll decide that after consultation with businesses.  The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce has said for years that Manitoba retailers should be able to decide when they open, just like in other provinces.

Mayor Sam Katz will not be voting today on a city plan to give Alberta’s Canalta hotel chain a $7-million grant to build a water park, hotel and parkade. The proposal is to build on a city-owned gravel parking lot across the street from Shaw Park and Katz is the majority owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball club.

The National Research Council has laid-off 54 employees – more than one-third of its Winnipeg scientific staff – and plans to sell both its buildings on Ellice Avenue.

 A woman escaped Monday after she was forced into a car at knife-point on Spence Street near Broadway, according to police. A local resident heard her and started yelling. The man is described as black, about 6-feet tall, with a thin to medium build.

A Transcona-area home has about $120 thousand dollars worth of damage after a fire around 5 last night. No one was home at the time and it’s believed the fire started in the kitchen.

USB is still trying to track down who vandalized 20 anti-homophobia posters students at Université de Saint-Boniface put up on bulletin boards around campus. And now one of the students has received some hate-filled religious pamphlets hand-delivered to her mother’s house.

Last week it was please don’t rescue the bear cubs, this week Manitoba Conservation is reminding everyone to please not feed the deer. It can actually hurt wildlife and the ecosystem.

Being happy is good for your heart. Being happy and upbeat can help protect even the most Type A personality from heart disease. A study from Harvard University found happy, positive people have healthier blood pressure, cholesterol and weight and usually exercise, eat healthier and don’t smoke.

Soundgarden is giving away their first new song in 15 years. “Live to Rise” is off “The Avengers” soundtrack is available free on iTunes until Tuesday. They plan to release a reunion album in the fall.

Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer has just launched a new coffee line called Rockin’ & Roastin’. It’s available in four different roasts.

Mario Trunoz, the Winnipeg man who pushed his girlfriend to her death from the 11^th floor of an apartment building, will spend two more years behind bars. He gets two-for-one credit for the time he served before pleading guilty. Alinda Lahteenmaki was 23 when she died in 2009. Trunzo initially claimed she committed suicide.

Prime Minister Harper and his wife are fine after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit Chile during their four-day trade visit. Also this morning, a magnitude 7 earthquake hit Papua New Guinea, with no reports of damage or injuries.

Four people had to be pulled from a car last night after becoming trapped following a crash with a police cruiser. It happened after 7 p.m. at the corner of Archibald and Cote. Two adults and two children were taken to hospital.

Firefighters worked to contain a blaze that consumed a home in West St. Paul yesterday  afternoon.No one was in the two-storey home when the fire broke out.

A body was pulled from a retention pond behind a Wilkes Avenue apartment block yesterday morning. Winnipeg police don’t suspect foul play.

Manitoba Conservation has admitted that the chances of the orphaned bear cub surviving, if he’s released in June, are only about 50/50.

It’s budget day in Manitoba. Last year’s flooding is being blamed for a lot of spending, and the defecit is close to a billion dollars, but the NDP have promised balanced books within 2 years. This could mean fewer tax breaks for most of us in the near future. They will also be announcing the new Manitoba Sunday shopping hours.

We love our beer in Canada but we also love our salt. A study has found that French fries sold at major fast food chains here have more than double the salt of those sold at U.S. locations.  Compared to many countries, chains in Canada sold the saltiest sandwiches, salads, fries and pizza. The saltiest burgers are in New Zealand though.

Would you want to know? Someone in Manitoba had a winning lottery ticket worth a million dollars, but the deadline to claim the prize has passed. This is the 2nd lotto max million dollar ticket to go unclaimed in our province in the past month.
 
A man from Steinbach finished the Boston marathon yesterday, and got the fastest time for a runner from Manitoba, 5th amongst Canadians. Greg Penner crossed at 2:46:48. The guy who won? 2:12:40

A violent weekend in Winnipeg  

• A nightclub stabbing outside Republic Nightclub sent a 20-year-old man to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
• A serious beating in the 1400 block of Notre Dame Avenue left a 36-year-old man in critical condition.
• A 27-year-old woman was the victim of a severe assault in the 600 block of St. Matthews Avenue.
• Two women were robbed at knifepoint by two other women and a 33-year-old woman was stabbed at Ellice and Maryland.
• Three homes were evacuated due to a garage fire in the 300 block of Manitoba Avenue.
• There were also multiple reports of gun sightings in the North End and nine garbage-bin fires

The man who was beaten to death Thursday night has been identified by Winnipeg police as Michael Charles Parker, 33, the city’s 12th homicide in 2012. Shane Kenneth Pruden, 40, has been charged with second-degree murder.

A body found Thursday afternoon on Beaconia Beach is a 22-year-old Winnipeg man, who was missing since last fall. Foul play is not suspected.

The rescued bear cub, nicknamed Makoon, will be released back into the wild in June. Officials will release him in a remote location to boost its chances of survival, since adult male bears tend to prey on cubs.

At least 120 reports of tornadoes were received before dawn Sunday as a strong weather front hit several Midwestern states, killing five.

Move over Macallan, there’s a new ultra exclusive whiskey out there. An Isle of Islay distillery has sent unmatured malt and charred oak to the Space Station to see how whiskey will develop in space.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are engaged. The couple already have 6 children together but have said that they wouldn’t get married until all couple, including gay and lesbian couple, in the US could legally marry.

Robin Gibbs of the Bee Gees is in a coma after contracting pneumonia. Robin Gibb has been battling both colon and liver cancer since 2010.

Guns N’ Roses did perform at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, just without Axl Rose. In fact, they deliberately avoided saying the words “Axl Rose’ during any of their speeches.

A man was beaten to death on Notre Dame Avenue early this morning, making it the city’s 12th homicide of the year.

If you have a flight planned today, Air Canada pilots are calling in sick causing delays and cancellations across the country

The Crown thinks disgraced hockey coach Graham James should have gotten more than two-years for sexually abusing former NHL star Theoren Fleury and Todd Holt, Fleury’s younger cousin, when he coached them as teenagers in junior hockey during the 1980s and early 1990s.They are appealing the sentence and asking for more time.

A police chief was killed and 4 officers were injured in shooting in small New Hampshire town during a drug bust.

Even though world leaders were loudly opposed to it, North Korea launched a rocket yesterday but failed to get a satellite into orbit.

A jury has found Michael Pearce guilty of manslaughter in the death of his boyfriend, Stuart Mark. Pearce originally said he killed Mark after the victim revealed he was HIV-positive but later said the confession was coerced. He remains free on bail while he waits for sentencing.

The provincial government announced it will cover costs for insulin pumps for eligible children and families through a new pediatric program. Talk to your doctor if you’re interested. The province says there are more than 500 children in Manitoba with Type 1 diabetes.

Jonathon Etienne Boyer, 27, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of North End resident Ricky Martin Lathlin during a home invasion. Lathlin, only 34, was killed when men invaded a townhouse in Gilbert Park. Friends there said Lathlin was protecting the people he was with when he was fatally attacked with a weapon.

GM is recalling 50 thousand large crossover SUVs to fix a problem with the windshield wipers. If you drive a Chevy Traverse, Buick Enclave or GMC Acadia, talk to your dealer.

It’s official. Rush will release their new studio album, Clockwork Angels, on June 12th Details of a full-scale North American tour to support the new album will be announced shortly.

Former Dictators and Twisted Sister drummer Rich Teeter died on Tuesday, April 10th at the age of 61, from esophageal cancer.

Crime in Winnipeg’s downtown is up by 28 per cent in the first three months of this year, compared to last year, though crimes like as sexual assault have been cut in half.

The Manitoba government and City of Winnipeg both want to see some new developments in our downtown’s sports, hospitality and entertainment district. There is a new tax incentive in place and several pieces of land downtown have been put out to tender.

A car crashed into a Main Street fabric store on Wednesday afternoon. A two car collision sent one of the vehicles into the corner of Mitchell Fabric. The drivers of both cars, along with two pedestrians, were taken to hospital, one in unstable condition and the other three stable.

City planning officials gave the go ahead to an Alberta-based hotel chain what want to build a $75-million, 50-thousand square foot water park and hotel complex by The Forks. Council could approve the project as soon as end of month and construction could start by the end of this year.

Cereal Research Centre, an agricultural research centre in Winnipeg will be shut down as part of a massive wave of federal budget cuts. 100 members will either be relocated or will actually lose their jobs.

Trayvon Martin’s parents said they were relieved yesterday that the special prosecutor decided to charge George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed their unarmed 17-year-old son last month in Florida. He is now in police custody and has been charged with second-degree murder.

If you’re having a hard time finding the perfect place to live, good news. Construction started on almost 200 rental units in Winnipeg in the last three months.

After you go grocery shopping, if a woman knocks on your car window asking for directions she could be about to steal your credit and debit cards when you’re not looking. The woman – a 5-foot-1, Caucasian female, about 20-30 years old – has been approaching cars in the 200-block of St. Anne’s Road and the 1500-block of Regent Avenue West.

A Winnipeg man has pleaded guilty for the death of his girlfriend. Alinda Lahteenmaki, 23, died in 2009 after falling 11 storeys from a suite on Assiniboine Avenue. Sentencing is slated for Mario Trunzo will be next week.

An Ottawa-based independent review and auditing firm says the chief and council of Peguis First Nation paid themselves thousands of dollars in money marked for flood compensation, thousands to private consultants and hired unqualified workers. Peguis Chief Glenn Hudson says the audit is inaccurate and said it gave an incomplete picture of flood spending.

Kendall Wiebe, 27, died from her injuries yesterday after being hit Saturday by a Jeep Liberty that lost control and smashed through the window of the Ultracuts hair salon on Portage where she works. She leaves behind a daughter, a fiance and his children. A trust fund has been set up in her honour of Wiebe at Assinboine Credit Union.

One of last weekend’s murders may have been a hate crime. Corey Berry was found beaten to death in Elmwood Park early Friday. Sources say Berry may have been wearing some women’s clothing and Winnipeg Police are now investigating that as a potential motive. No arrests have been made.

Three teenagers were robbed, assaulted and stabbed in three separate attacks yesterday. Two boys, age 15 and 16, were arrested for robbery with a weapon and assault with a weapon. The same two suspects are alleged to be responsible for an attempted theft of a scooter from Alfred Avenue, said police.

This month’s income tax deadline day is stressful, but it can also be deadly for drivers. The study found we have a six per cent increased risk of dying in the  on tax day. Remember to wear your seatbelts, obey the speed limit, restrict alcohol consumption and minimize distractions while behind the wheel…y’know…all those common sense things that we should be doing anyway.

A study published yesterday found people who frequently had certain dental X-rays were linked to an increased risk of a common, but usually non-cancerous, brain tumour. But, the Canadian Dental Association want to reassure everyone the radiation risk of dental X-rays is well known, these days only deliver a small amount of radiation and are only carried out when a patient needs it.

Mac users now need to worry about the risks of viruses and cyber attacks, same as PC users. A widespread virus called Flashback or Flashfake has hit hundreds of thousands of Apple computers worldwide and security experts say it’s just the first.

Black Sabbath will headline this year’s Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, making it their only North American gig of 2012. Also on the roster, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, Black Keys and Florence and the Machine.

The official set times for Coachella 2012 have been announced. Get ready for some hard decisions: http://ht.ly/acQIx

Kendall Wibe, the 28-year-old woman injured by the SUV that drove through the front window of an Ultra-Cuts on Portage, may be taken off life support today, according to some family members. Her co-worker, Lyndsey Johnston, has broken ribs. Police say that drugs and alcohol were not a factor and are looking at whether it was driver error or a mechanical problem that caused the crash.

Corey Berry , the 50-year-old man who was found beaten in Elmwood Park early Friday, was the breadwinner for his family. With three kids, two still in high school, and a wife who worked as a waiter part time, a trust fund has been set up to help.

Berry Family in trust Account for Corey Berry
RBC 963 Henderson Hwy
Transit # 01357
Account # 5051750

Winnipeg police are looking for a lost Taser cartridge that could be dangerous.  It came loose from an officer’s belt in the St. James area on Sunday. A build up of static energy could make it turn on, so not a great idea to keep it in your pocket. Just call police if you find it.

About 600 Assiniboine Credit Union customers received a call yesterday to let them know that criminals had used a skimming device to steal money from their accounts. Other financial institutions were also hit, so not a bad idea to double-check your bank balance.

MTS Allstream will not be raising the price to make a call from a payphone. Bell Canada and Bell Alliant have sent a request to raise the price of their calls to the CRTC.

Entertainment Weekly has reported the movie rights for Blood on the Tracks, the 1975 album Bob Dylan made as his marriage to Sara Lownds was falling apart, will be made into a movie.

If you missed KISS last night on Dancing With the Stars, they’ll be on again tonight. They’re promoting “The Tour,” their summer tour with Motley Crue. It will be the first time the two bands have shared a stage since 1982.

With all the publicity surrounding the case in Florida, the man who shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin will not face a grand jury, but instead a special prosecuter. This means the highest charge that can now be handed down would be manslaughter.

Wiebo Ludwig, the farmer who bombed and vandalized Alberta oil and gas facilities more than 15 years ago, died yesterday at 70.

Rumours from Japan that Sony will cut 10-thousand jobs worldwide after reports of their worst fiscal year ever. They blame weak TV sales, production disruptions from flooding in Thailand and the strong yen for their loss of $6.4 billion dollars US.

Facebook has paid an unprecedented $1 billion for Instagram, a photo sharing app. Apple picked it as the iPhone App of the Year in 2011 and, while it sounds like a lot of money, it works out to only about $33 per user.

 Ryan Pistorius, a grade 12 St. John’s Ravenscourt student, won first overall in the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship in Brisbane, Australia. He beat out more than 80 students from 16 different countries.

Another weekend, another two people dead in two different homicides. Family members said 42-year-old Allan Crockford was walking to buy beer with a relative when he was the victim of a violent robbery and was shot in the back. Two young men were involved in the shooting. Then, early Saturday morning, 50-year-old Corey Berry was found beaten on his usual route home from work. The two murders seem to be unrelated and police are investigating.

Manitoba’s NDP government plans to have it’s own online casino by next year. It would offer poker and other games and is predicted to bring in $1.5 million dollars it’s first year and about $17 million by 2018.

Two women were seriously injured Saturday after an SUV crashed through the front of an Ultracuts on Portage Avenue at Cavalier Drive. The 32-year-old driver lost control at a high rate of speed, according to police, but alcohol and drugs were not a factor.

Starting today, if you see some temporary “No Parking” sign on your street, it’s about to get a good scrub. The city will be cleaning streets, sidewalks, and back lanes. Vehicles parked in violation of the temporary parking ban may be ticketed and towed.

 Over 600 people were without power for two hours on Saturday night after a driver took out three hydro poles, crashed through a fence and then took off on foot.

Winnipeg police are investigating a North End home that was shot at early Sunday morning. The Pritchard Avenue home was damaged by gunshots but no one was injured.

Negotiations are underway with a developer for a hotel and water park at The Forks in Winnipeg. Mayor Sam Katz said it would be operated by a hotel and built on city-owned land. The city would give $7 million to the project on the condition the waterpark be available for public use.

Siloam Mission served nearly 700 people at its drop-in Easter lunch Friday. The mission prepared a traditional Easter meal with 125 turkeys, 113 kilograms of potatoes and 60 volunteers to make it happen.

It’s the first workday for Winnipeg’s new rapid transit system. It has a dedicated corridor from downtown to southwest end of the city, so most drivers won’t notice anything really different. Transit riders will though, since it only takes 7 minutes to get from one end to the other.

Gentlemen – start your engines, Heidi Klum is now fair game. She, officially, filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences with Seal.

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne sold their 5-bedroom oceanfront house in Malibu for just shy of $8 million dollars, a bit less than their $10 million dollar asking price. Don’t feel too bad for them, though. They bought the place in 03 for $5.1.

Bret Michaels, of Poison, thinks he’s got some advice to share beyond the Rock of Love bus. He’s going to be writing a weekly column on his web site called “Music For Your Soul” that will cover health, money and love.

Veteran CBS journalist Mike Wallace, known for his hardcore interviews on “60 Minutes,” died Saturday night at age 93.