News briefs for July 30, 2019

The Winnipeg Goldeyes dropped a 2-1 decision to the Gary SouthShore RailCats in Gary, Ind. Tuesday.

The Fish carried a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning when the Cats loaded the bases and then brought home two RBIs off a John Price Jr. single.

The Goldeyes’ lone RBI came in the top of the first inning when Tyler Hill singled, stole second, advanced to third on a flyout by Carlos Garcia and then scored off an errant pickoff throw to first by RailCats starter Trevor Lubking.

Winnipeg starter Kevin McGovern took the loss. The Fish and RailCats square off again Wednesday.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes have added a Cuban-born catcher to the fold.

Rey Pastrana, who hails from Havana, was inked by the American Association baseball squad this week. He recently finished a four-year college career at Marshall University in Huntington, W.V., hitting .271 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 57 games in his senior year.

The 22-year-old rookie had a sound final year defensively, throwing out 41 per cent of base stealers (24 for 59) while allowing no passed balls.

He fills a space created with the release of Cody Young on Monday. 

The Goldeyes, enjoying a seven-game winning streak, open a three-game series against the host Gary SouthShore RailCats tonight. 

An NDP government would adopt a plan by the Main Street Project to boost services to address the meth crisis.

Party leader Wab Kinew said a government he leads would contribute $1.5 million in capital funding to leverage federal dollars to expand the MSP’s programming space.

It would also allocate $2 million a year in operating funds. The MSP proposal would involve hiring the equivalent of 17.8 full-time positions.

The funding would include repurposing MSP’s existing protective care beds to accommodate clients who are detained while high on meth. 

Kinew said this would reduce pressure on emergency rooms and facilitate a client’s move to treatment.

The plan also calls for creating meth-specific beds within the MSP’s detoxification and stabilization units and building long-term meth treatment beds.

A 22-year-old University of Manitoba student has been accused of ejaculating on children’s clothes taken from gym lockers. 

Investigators from the Winnipeg Police Service’s Child Abuse Unit looked into five incidents from January to May 2019 at the Frank Kennedy/Active Living Centre on University Crescent.

"During each incident, it is believed the suspect retrieved clothing from unsecured lockers within a community change room area and deposited his seminal fluid on the clothing before returning it to the locker," the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Tuesday. 

Police identified a suspect with help from U of M security and DNA testing. The clothing belonged to children aged five to 11, police said. 

Christopher Simba Yannick Buckeridge was arrested July 27 and has been released on a recognizance. He’s charged with five counts each of theft under $5,000 and mischief Under $5,000/obstruct in enjoyment.

The 2019 edition of the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival wrapped Sunday with an overall drop in attendance numbers compared to previous fests.

This year, ticketed attendance came in at 98,673, compared to 103,251 in 2018 and more than 105,000 in 2016, which posted the highest Winnipeg fringe attendance so far.

Not counting the free outdoor performances, the festival had 178 shows in 30 venues over its 12-day run. Sold-out performances numbered 209 out of 1,511 total indoor performances.

Outdoor attendance totalled between 60,000 to 70,000, with close to 5,000 in Kids Fringe attendance.

The drop came despite consistently good weather for a fringe. Some rain fell, but no day was rained out.

Tasha Hubbard’s award-winning documentary nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up is returning to Cinematheque by popular demand after a sold-out run several weeks ago and a successful showing at the Gimli Film Festival. 

The documentary follows the journey for justice embarked upon by the family of Colten Boushie, who was shot in the back of the head by Gerard Stanley and subsequently died. What followed was a highly-publicized trial that resulted in an acquittal of Stanley, the process of which captured international attention and shed light on the racialization of Canada’s legal system. 

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up will screen at Cinematheque on Aug. 3, 4 and 17 at 1pm and Aug. 19 and 26 at 7pm. Tickets range from $6 to $10 and are available online at the Winnipeg Film Group website.