Wake Up Winnipeg - Episode 91

Wake Up Winnipeg - Episode 91

Hosted Live/Produced/Recorded by: Andru Valpy, Natty Somers.

Air Date: 09/02/2011 6:00 PM on UMFM 101.5 FM
Free Podcast Download Location: iTunes.
Web: http://wakeupwinnipeg.com/
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Rebroadcast: 09/07/2011 on CJUM 101.5 UMFM - 6:30 AM

After having been missing in action for nearly 3 weeks I welcomed Natty back to the show in true Wake Up Winnipeg fashion. It didn't seem fair to proceed with the episode without giving her some slack for having been gone from our studios for so long.

Once I felt she had enough, we carried on with the episode including our weekly headlines and event listings.

After having been missing since July 28^th RCMP Have confirmed that human remains found near Poplarfield are those of  33 year old Fisher Branch resident Nancy Swenty.

On Saturday evening, members of a civilian search party found a black Co-Op jacket that was believed to belong to Swnety in a field near Poplarfield, located 22 kilometers south of Fisher Branch.

The following morning, RCMP officials found the remains in a location close to where the jacket was found. Following an autopsy they confirmed the remains belong to Swenty.

The discovery ends months of concern and confusion surrounding Swenty’s disappearance after not showing up to work on July 28^th.

On July 31^st RCMP officers found Swenty’s truck in the Fraserwood area, about 80 kilometers southeast of Fisherbranch, but have not released details about the detail of the discovery or the condition of the truck.

The cause of death is not known at this time, but police are treating the death as a homicide.

On Thursday, August 24^th, 2011 at approximately 11:15 p.m. Winnipeg Police Service members responded to the 400 block of Dufferin Avenue for a report of a male and female that had been assaulted. 

Upon arrival, officers located a 48 year old male suffering from serious upper body injuries. Paramedics attended and transported the victim to the hospital in critical condition. An 18 year old female was also located with upper body injuries requiring medical treatment.   

The investigation has revealed that a group of people were outside a residence within the 400 block of Dufferin Avenue when two male suspects approached them. A brief verbal dispute occurred, however the suspects left the area. A short time later, the two male suspects returned now armed with a baseball bat.  It was at this time the suspects came upon a 48 year old male and 18 year old female who were unaware of the previous dispute. The suspects began assaulting the male victim to the upper body causing him to fall to the ground. The 18 year old female came to his aid at which time she was assaulted to the upper body. 

The female victim has since been treated and released from hospital however the male victim remained. 

A number of individuals were located nearby and taken into custody. 

As a result of the investigations, two 15 year old male youths have been charged with a variety of charges, including an upgraded charge of 2^nd degree murder. The youths have been detained to the Manitoba Youth Centre.

 

Good news came to those heading out to cabin country this weekend.

Yesterday afternoon Manitoba Conservation announced that travel restrictions and a ban on campfires have now ended in eastern Manitoba, including all parks in the Whiteshell region, and Grand Beach and Birds Hill provincial parks.

The lift was due to accumulated rainfall, forecast precipitation, the time of year and higher evening humidity.  

Campfires are now permitted in approved fire pits in these areas. Backcountry travel is also permitted in eastern Manitoba.

The Province has warned those camping or travelling through eastern Manitoba to use caution as portions of the region may still remain dry.  If Fires are spotted, they can be reported to Manitoba Conservation by calling 1-800-782-0076 (toll-free),  information is available at local Manitoba Conservation district offices and online at gov.mb.ca

Elections Manitoba has announced their advance and absentee voting procedures in advance of the October 4^th provincial elections. Advance voting for the upcoming election will take place from September 24^th through October first.

On Thursday, Elections Canada announced that residents who will be away on election day or during advance voting could be eligible to make an application for Absentee voting.

An absentee voter must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years of age and have resided in Manitoba for at least six months before election day and intend to be away for no more than six months.

Members of the Canadian Forces or those students attending school outside of Manitoba or those working for the Canadian or Provincial government will be exempt from those time restrictions.  However elections Canada states that the returning office must receive absentee ballots by 8pm on October the 4^th.

Additional details and applications for absentee ballots may be found on the Elections Manitoba website.

And on the lighter side of things, authorities at Miami’s international Airport found more than they bargained for on Wednesday when they found 7 exotic snakes and three tortoises wrapped in nylon bags that had been stuffed inside a brazil bound passengers pants.

The discovery happened when the male suspect went through a body scanner at one of the airport's security checkpoints on Thursday. He was then arrested by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials for violating animal trafficking laws.

Authorities declined to identify the man or offer any explanation for his botched attempt at reptile smuggling.

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• More: Learn more about absentee voting.
• Read more on provincial fire restrictions on the Manitoba conservation website.
• Tips on how to bring pets and wildlife into the United States

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After taking a well needed vacation Natty and I caught our listeners up on local happenings and provided updates on some of the projects we are currently involved in, including our ongoing efforts with The Aimless & Andy Sessions live from UMFM studios.

Continuing on in that spirit we once again opened up our studios to another artist named Colby who traveled through Winnipeg in early August.

Colby preforms under the name My Boy Rascal and he stopped by our studios while traveling with Folk Thief on his western Canada tour.

My Boy Rascal recorded a brand new track with us entitled "If I Could Break These Walls" which he had only recently preformed for the first time while on a stop in Brandon Manitoba.  On episode 91 we released the single exclusively on our program.

Colby sat down for an interview with us in which he discussed the origins of the song and the inspiration behind it.

He explained that while writing the song he was clouded with negativity that he was dealing with and some mental blocks that he was trying to break out of.

The song also deals with Colby's constant fear of dying. You can learn more about his new single and hear it for yourself by subscribing to our podcast in iTunes. 

On next week's program we will feature another Aimless & Andy Session with Jamie Rumley who we introduced you to on episode 75. She will be joining us to promote her new album entitled What Are You Waiting For which she will be releasing at the West End Cultural Centre on September 14th. 

We'll also be joined by Harlan Cohen who is the author of The Naked Roommate (and 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College). Be sure to tune in for his advice on University life.

Until next week,

-Av