Whitehead calls it a career
8:53 PM
Receiver/returner Lucky Whitehead announced his retirement from football in a social media post Friday.
Whitehead rejoined the Blue Bombers midway through last season.
In addition to returning kicks, he had 14 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown in 10 games.
Whitehead was also a member of the 2019 Bombers team that won the Grey Cup.
He was a member of the B.C. Lion from 2021-2023.
His career also included stints in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets.
In the social media post announcing his retirement, he expressed gratitude to his coaches, teammates and fans.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Lucky Whitehead (13) pictured practicing at Princess Auto Stadium Wednesday.
240731 – Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
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Big Blue add six Americans
7:56 PM
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have added six American players: defensive backs Cam Allen, Trey Vaval, Isaiah Avery and Dexter Lawson Jr., linebacker Latavius Brini and receiver David Wallis.
Allen was most recently with the Denver Broncos in 2024 as an undrafted free agent following a collegiate career with the Purdue Boilermakers.
Vaval split his college career between Minnesota State and Missouri Western State. He joins the Bombers after attending training camp with the Atlanta Falcons last year.
Avery attended rookie minicamp with the San Francisco 49ers last season. He spent his college days at Portland State (2022-23), Liberty University (2019-21) and City College of San Francisco (2018).
Lawson Jr. spent the last two years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, appearing in 13 games and registering 45 tackles and one interception.
Brini attended the Toronto Argonauts training camp last year and then joined the Montreal Alouettes before being released after the preseason. He first turned pro as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 and appeared in three preseason games before being released.
Wallis turned pro with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He has also had NFL looks from the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.
AI weapons scanners installed permanently at Health Sciences Centre
3:58 PM
Artificial intelligence weapon scanners have been installed permanently at Health Sciences Centre.
The scanners are in the adult emergency department, the children’s emergency department and the Mental Health Crisis Response Centre.
The province received positive feedback from staff members after the scanners were tested as HSC, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in a news release Friday.
Toronto-based Xtract One Technologies said last week it was contracted to install scanners at HSC.
Man charged in Opaskwayak Cree Nation stabbing
2:48 PM
A man has been charged after a stabbing on Opaskwayak Cree Nation.
Police were sent to a home on Bracken Dam Road at about 11:40 a.m. on Feb. 1 and helped the adult male victim until emergency crews arrived.
Police learned the incident had happened at a different nearby location, went to the home and made an arrest.
A 33-year-old OCN man has been charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. He remains in custody, the Manitoba First Nations Police said Friday.
Portage and Main barricades gone
2:01 PM
Work crews have finished removing concrete barricades to eventually allow pedestrian crossing at Portage and Main, but work at the intersection continues.
Temporary fences will soon be up at all four corners as crews continue underground and utility work, the City of Winnipeg said in a news release Friday.
Lane closures will remain unchanged until that phase of work is complete. A list of the closures is online.
New lane closures are expected in April, when work to rebuild centre medians and other utility adjustments begin.
Work began at the site last year. Pedestrian traffic has not been allowed at the intersection since 1979. Councillors voted in March to reopen the intersection. The city is also studying options to close the underground portion of the site, though no date has been set to do so.
It’s expected the intersection will open to pedestrians by July 1.
New school for West St. Paul
1:44 PM
The province is building a new kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school in the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul.
About 600 students will attend the dual-track French and English school just north of Winnipeg.
The school will also include 74 infant and preschool child-care spaces.
Design work on the new school is expected to start in the coming months, with construction expected to begin next year, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt said in a news release Friday.
Teen sought after RCMP truck’s windows smashed
1:15 PM
Police arrested one teen and are searching for another after an RCMP truck’s windows were smashed outside an officer’s home.
A member of the Lynn Lake detachment awoke at about 2 a.m. Wednesday after hearing “intense banging noises” outside.
A second officer called to say someone had tried to kick in the door to his own home. The second officer went outside, scared off the suspects and saw extensive damage had been done to the pickup.
RCMP arrested a 16-year-old male and are searching for another male, police said in a news release Friday.
The first male has been charged with mischief under $5,000, and breaking and entering with intent. He was released from police custody.
Thief stole $40K worth of items
12:23 PM
Police are searching for a thief who broke into a shipping container and stole more than $40,000 worth of plumbing and refrigeration copper wire.
Blue Hills RCMP were sent to a business in the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford after similar break-ins on Jan. 8 and Jan. 29.
Police asked anyone with information about the incidents to contact Carberry RCMP at 204-834-2905, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online.
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A thief broke into the same shipping container on Jan. 8 and Jan. 29.
Shoppers gives $10M for MMIW fund
11:06 AM
The Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health is donating $10 million to a Manitoba fund that helps families of murdered and missing Indigenous women.
Shoppers Drug Mart has committed to donating $50 million nationally through the foundation by 2026 “to improve access to care, increase awareness of women’s unique health needs and support critical women’s health research and innovation.”
The province created a $15-million endowment fund in 2024 to enable a grant program managed by the Winnipeg Foundation. It supports families of missing and murdered Indigenous females and two-spirit people.
