_Local News

Oklahoma Tornado Developed Quickly: Storm Chaser

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:26:00 GMT

The death toll is expected to rise today after that massive tornado in Oklahoma.

(Photo from @Bryan_Bedford on Twitter. Captioned: Oklahoma tornado photo from my neighborhood. #okwx #PrayForOklahoma)

Stormchaser Dave Carlsen saw the storm first hand from Ada, Oklahoma. He tells CJOB the scariest thing was how quickly it developed.

"Usually the storms in Oklahoma, especially, take a while to develop. But this one, the cloud went up and maybe ten minutes later, there was a tornado on the ground."

The storm was nearly 800 miles wide and turned entire neighbourhoods to rubble.

24 people - including 7 children - are confirmed dead but officials say the death toll will likely rise.

LISTEN: Hal Anderson's full interview with Dave Carlesen:

To donate through the Canadian Red Cross:

Canadians wishing to support response efforts in the United States can make a financial donation to our 2013 Tornadoes and Severe Weather USA fund online at www.redcross.ca, by calling 1-800-418-1111 or by contacting their local Canadian Red Cross office. Donate $5 by texting 30333. A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider.

Donations will go directly toward helping the Red Cross relief operations in the United States to ensure that families have access to safe shelter, food, water, blankets and other basic hygiene items.

RCMP Nail 43 For Drunk Driving

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:00 GMT

The numbers are in - RCMP stopped 43 drivers in Manitoba and charged them with impaired driving over the last week.

In connection with MPI and other police services the RCMP ran a number of checkstops between the 13th and the 20th. The overall number of impaired driving charges is down just a little from the same campaign last year.

An additional 1,300 tickets were written for other road violations - more than half of which were for speeding.

Retention Pond Death

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:25:00 GMT

Winnipeg Police say the 18-year old man whose car ended up in a retention pond Tuesday morning near Dalhouse and Pembina has died. Emergency personnel were called around 6:30. He was taken to hospital in critical condition, and later died of his injuries. Police say it's not a criminal matter. His name won't be released.

Deerwood, MB - 101 Millimetres of May Long Rain

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Deerwood, Manitoba - southwest of Winnipeg - set the rainfall record in Manitoba this weekend with 101 millimetres.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Colin Tam says things will dry up over the next few days.

"Gradual clearing today and then it should be mainly sunny and dry for the next few days."

Thornhill, Manitoba, which is not far south from Deerwood and west of Morden, is dealing with overland flooding as they too got in the vicinity of 100 mm.

Winnipeg had about 20 mm of rain this weekend - 24 mm measured at The Forks, 18 at the airport.

Gimli and Dauphin didn't have any rain at all.

Chuck Fossay, a farmer near Starbuck, says the rain was a mixed blessing for farmers:

"The crop that you have in the ground, the stuff that you've seeded - they enjoy this good soaking rain, but at the same time it's going to keep us off the fields for another two or three days, and we still have a lot of crop to be seeded."

(Deerwood mapped below)

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No Cigarettes In Pharmacies May 31

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:51:00 GMT

In an ongoing crackdown on smoker's convenience - new legislation will come into effect later this month that will ban the sale of tobacco in stores that also contain a pharmacy.

Speaking for Safeway stores, John Graham says the chain will stop selling cigarettes in 29 of their 33 Manitoba stores.

"Nine, ten years ago there was a ban on the display of tobacco. Since then, there really has been, economically, very little benefit to selling tobacco. However, from a convenience factor, it's certainly an impact to customers who choose to continue to buy those products."

The same bill will also stop the sale of tobacco in vending machines.

It comes into effect May 31st.

Mayor Katz: Wyatt Should Have Let Them Speak

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:39:00 GMT

Mayor Sam Katz says it was wrong of councillor Russ Wyatt to deny people the chance to speak against a plan to contract out city golf courses....and he's told him so.

"After I heard about what took place, I actually communicated with Councillor Wyatt and told him that, in my opinion, that was not the appropriate action to take. Everybody should always have the opportunity to speak," Katz tells CJOB.

Wyatt refused to let several delegates address a committee meeting last Friday, saying they missed the deadline to register. But councillors almost always suspend the rules to allow late delegates to share their opinions.

Katz says he will make sure anyone who wants to speak - on either side of the issue - will get their chance at Executive Policy Committee tomorrow.

Witness To Testify About Chain in Murder Trial

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:17:00 GMT

A new murder trial is underway in Winnipeg.

34-year-old Wanda Bruce is charged with second degree murder in the stabbing death of Solomon Turner.

Turner was killed at a home on Austin Street two years ago.

A teenage boy is expected to testify he saw Bruce and a co-accused put a chain around Turner's neck after an argument and lead him down to the basement with a knife.

That co-accused will also testify.

The trial is slated to last nine days.

Senator Carstairs: Gifts To Politicians Usually Considered Bribes

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:36:00 GMT

Former Manitoba Senator Sharon Carstairs says the whole Mike Duffy business sounded wrong from the start.

"I don't know how you can give a gift of $90,000 to another human being who happens to sit in the Senate of Canada and not have Canadians en mass raise their eyebrows," she tells CJOB.

Carstairs says "gifts" to politicians are usually considered bribes.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pledged to tighten the rules in the upper chamber. He told his caucus this morning he is very upset about the conduct of some parliamentarians - and the conduct of his own office.

(Former Manitoba Senator Sharon Carstairs. Photo from sharoncarstairs.ca)

Car Hits Retention Pond; Person Critical

CJOB News Team reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:59:00 GMT

The Winnipeg police dive unit has arrived at the south Winnipeg retention pond where a man was pulled from a submerged car this morning.

Police say divers will check to make sure no one else was inside.

The man was rushed to hospital and remains in critical condition.

Crews rushed to the pond near the corner of Pembina and Dalhousie Drive around 7 this morning.

The hood of the car could be seen just peeking up from the middle of the pond.

CJOB's Keith McCullough was on scene:

(Pictures from CJOB's Keith McCullough)

Youth Addictions Facility to Open This Month

CJOB's Kim Lawson reporting — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:20:00 GMT

The province will open a new unit for youth battling addictions this month.

Instead of going to jail overnight, youth who are picked up drunk or high by police... and whose parents can't be found... will be taken to the Youth Addictions Stabilization Unit.

Ian Hughes, the President and CEO of Marmound, who will operate the facility, says the hope - that they will make use of addictions treatment resources available there.

"Our hope is that for those kids that we see regularly, can we then, more readily and easily, steer them towards addictions treatment."

Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau says the facility will fill a need in Manitoba.

"This was a hole, and so we've moved from a detention facility to a support facility that will assist the individual on their journey to wellness," Rondeau says.

The province will contribute 2.7 million dollars a year to the facility.

CJOB's Kim Lawson had a tour of the facility.

(Photos by CJOB's Kim Lawson)