Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Blog of the Week: Winnipeg O' My HeartBy: Emma Durand-Wood

Posted: 06/8/2014 1:00 AM | Comments:

I might be kind of a nerd (OK, I know I'm kind of a nerd), but I really love Thursdays because that's the day my neighbourhood's community newspaper, the Herald, is delivered.

There are usually all sorts of neat little tidbits inside: notices for upcoming events, stories about area residents and the interesting things they do with their lives, Kathryne Grisim's restaurant reviews and even the odd advertisement catches my eye.

One of the paper's regular columns is called Community Correspondent, where residents share short essays on whatever topic is on their mind. Sometimes (but not always) it seems to be written by an older person, bemoaning the current state of the city or the world. Most of the time, I kind of agree with them. I guess I'm an old soul. Or a curmudgeon. Or both.

A column late last month was headlined What happened to the screened veranda? In it, Transcona resident Ron Buffie mentions some of the city's newer houses "have that old-timey look with verandas across the front," but wonders why none of them is screened. Buffie's article is charming and funny and makes some very good points.

Well, Ron, we have a screened veranda (we call it the porch), and we adore it. I agree with you in wondering "why more houses are not being built with verandas, screened verandas. It seems like such a sensible and inexpensive method of helping to enjoy our summers."

Enjoyment is the key word here. Call me crazy, but I have never been a particularly big fan of mosquitoes (and unfortunately, they have an absurdly strong affinity for me). I used to love the intense Winnipeg summer sunshine, but something in me shifted when I had my first baby, and now I am a shade-seeker. Our shady, screened front porch is our haven from the sun and the bugs, and since the weather has finally warmed up, we've been enjoying it at all hours of the day.

Our son begs to eat breakfast outside almost every morning, and it's a pleasure to breathe in the fresh morning air, watching folks stream up and down the street on their way to work or school. During the scorching afternoons, we'll drag the Exersaucer onto the porch, plunk our daughter in it and enjoy popping in and out of the porch as we blow bubbles in the front yard, putter in the garden or chat with neighbours.

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Porches are SIMPLY PERFECT

Laura Cela Alea de Larin, liga los Porches
Laura Cela Alea de Larin, liga los Porches.

By: deBeluchi

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Laura Cela & Alea de Larin, liga los Porches - Video

Pretty porches by pmpub.com
visit to pmpub.com pretty porches and gardens ,pretty porches with swings.

By: Raysandee sawal

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Pretty porches by pmpub.com - Video

For many Michiganders, summer and beer go hand-in-hand. Drive through Mitten towns on any given summer weekend, and youll likely spot folks sitting on their front porches, sipping on the cool, flavorful drink.

Michigan, of course, has endless top-notch choices when it comes to craft beers and Michigan-made brews. In fact, our state is currently fifth in the U.S. in the number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, according to Pure Michigan.

Related: More beer? Michigan liquor law changes would double microbrewery limits

Related: Michigan mead brew sales take off as state fuels the buzz

So, raise a pint and get to know a few great Michigan breweries and distilleries.

Where: Grand Rapids

About it: Since 1997, Founders Brewery has made a name for itself as the top beer stop in Grand Rapids. The Founders Family focuses on craft beers, and they have a simple philosophy: We dont brew beer for the masses. Instead, our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste. In short, we make beer for people like us.

Online: http://www.foundersbrewing.com

Tweet em: @foundersbrewing

Friend em: http://www.facebook.com/foundersbrewing

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5 flavorful Michigan breweries worth the drive

NBC Memphis: Magazine Salesman Imposter Steals Packages from Porches
NBC Memphis covers how neighbors used Nextdoor to help land a package thief behind bars.

By: NextdoorSF

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NBC Memphis: Magazine Salesman Imposter Steals Packages from Porches - Video

All subjects in the police blotter are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

A theft and broken window was reported at 9:41 a.m. on June 1 at a vehicle parked in the LA Fitness, 27245 172nd Ave., parking lot.

A theft and broken window was reported at 7:58 a.m. on June 1 at a vehicle parked in a driveway on the 24600 block of Southeast 277th Court.

Items were reported stolen at 7:53 a.m. on June 1 from a locked tool trailer parked in a driveway on the 27400 block of 237th Place Southeast.

A tablet computer was reported stolen at 7:11 p.m. on May 31 from Office Depot, 16913 SE 270th St.

A rock was reported stolen at 5:43 p.m. on May 29 from front lawn of a residence on the 22300 block of Southeast 256th Street.

Shoplifting was reported at 2:28 p.m. on May 29 at Walmart, 17432 SE 270th Place.

A residential burglary was reported at 8 a.m. on May 29. Police say an unknown suspect entered a home through the unlocked front door, and stole car keys, a wallet, cell phone and a car from the driveway at the 22200 block of Southeast 250th Street.

A pistol was reported stolen at 8:07 p.m. on May 28 during a burglary to a residence on the 16000 block of 258th Street.

An attempted shoplifting was reported at 2 p.m. on May 28 at Kohl's, 17002 SE 270th Place.

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Containers of milk stolen from front porches | Police Blotter

UPDATE: Crawford County Area Fire Departments Respond To Cogeneration Plant Fire UPDATE: Crawford County Area Fire Departments Respond To Cogeneration Plant Fire

Updated: Monday, June 2 2014 2:10 PM EDT2014-06-02 18:10:35 GMT

UPDATE:A bulldozer may have caused the fire that spread to a pile of wood chips at the Cogeneration Plant on Sunday.

UPDATE:A bulldozer may have caused the fire that spread to a pile of wood chips at the Cogeneration Plant on Sunday.

Updated: Monday, June 2 2014 5:17 AM EDT2014-06-02 09:17:53 GMT

Deputies in Benzie County are investigating a string of crashes that eventually ended with the arrest of two people.It started with a hit and run early Sunday morning.

Deputies in Benzie County are investigating a string of crashes that eventually ended with the arrest of two people.It started with a hit and run early Sunday morning.

Updated: Monday, June 2 2014 3:48 AM EDT2014-06-02 07:48:50 GMT

Breaking news from the Upper Peninsula Saturday. Firefighters in the Eastern Upper Peninsula have been battling multiple mobile home fires in Kinross Township.

Breaking news from the Upper Peninsula Saturday. Firefighters in the Eastern Upper Peninsula have been battling multiple mobile home fires in Kinross Township.

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Coast Guard Suspends Search for 2 Lost on Lake Michigan

MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC) - A suspect was going door to door posing as a magazine sales person, but when no one answered, he would snatch packages from the doorsteps. It was all caught on camera.

Tracey Wiswall's surveillance cameras and his electronic neighborhood watch site helped solve the reoccurring crime.

It started a week ago when he got confirmation about a package delivery.

"I got here; the package was gone. So I looked at the video and there he was. He came from my neighbors', took it and left," said Wiswall.

The video captures the thief grabbing the package and taking off. A camera on his roof captured a clear image of the suspect. Wiswall posted it on Nextdoor.com.

Everyone was on the lookout and a week later, Mike Armstrong spotted the man and called police.

"It's awesome knowing that everybody joined together to make it happen," 'said Armstrong.

On Thursday, the suspect was arrested all because of this virtual neighborhood watch, giving everyone a voice and an extra set of eyes.

'It's all about levels of security, you have alarms, a dog, a security company, but if you have a neighborhood network of people who are looking out for each other, all that is what makes your neighborhood safer, "said Wiswall.

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Magazine salesman imposter steals packages from porches

An Allentown man said he was stressed out over not finding a job when he smoked PCP and then got behind the wheel of a minivan in December.

But Jason Simo crashed into a handful of cars along Allen Street and then smashed through two front porches, city police said.

Today Simo, of the 500 block of Saint George Street, was sentenced to one to two years in Lehigh County Prison, followed by two years of probation by Judge James Anthony.

He was ordered to pay more than $18,000 in restitution for the damage to the cars, porches and at least one injured person.

"This was not a typical DUI ... This was a very serious accident," Anthony said.

Simo was on parole at the time of the Dec. 9 crash and is set to be sentenced for his parole violation by Judge Maria Dantos. If Dantos makes that sentence consecutive to today's sentence, Simo could face state prison, Anthony said.

Police were initially called to North 10th and Allen streets for three cars struck and two front porches damaged by a minivan, according to court records.

Police said they found Simo confused and disoriented and he seemed to be under the influence. As the 27-year-old Simo was getting medical attention an officer saw that he was holding a small plastic bag containing a white substance; it would later test positive for cocaine, records say.

Police were then alerted to a series of damaged cars five blocks away on Allen Street, where witnesses said Simo rear-ended two cars with the minivan and hit a number of parked cars as he fled east on Allen Street, records say.

"I've got to apologize for everything I did," said Simo, who has been in county prison since the crash. "I just make bad decisions sometimes."

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Man sentenced for crashing into handful of cars, two porches after smoking PCP

Dubai: Age is definitely no bar to making a difference to your community. And four students of Dubai International Academy (DIA) have proven just that.

As part of their International Baccalaureate (IB) studies at DIA, Blake Ellevsen, Richa Rao-Pandit, Jenna Karoliina and Sofiya Mars raised money for Dubai Dogs Trust, a non-profit organization to help abandoned and stray dogs find homes.

Bracing the heat, these four third graders carried a mop, brush, a sponge and soap to clean cars and porches last week in the Emirates Living community.

I love dogs and I have always wanted to do something for the rescue efforts of stray and abandoned dogs in the UAE. Last year I sold my toys to collect money for the Dubai Dogs Trust. This year, my friends and I wanted to do something different and therefore decided to wash cars and porches around Meadows and The Lakes, said Australian Blake Ellevsen.

We initially started off by cleaning cars, but soon it started getting tough for us as the cars were too big for us. So we changed our strategy and asked people if we could clean their porches instead. It was real fun, said Blake.

The children charged Dh15 per wash and after working tirelessly for four hours from 3.30 to 7.30pm they managed to collect Dh675.

Indian expatriate Richa Rao-Pandit said the experience taught her some valuable lessons. I now know earning money does not come easy and cleaning is not an easy job at all. I love my mother even more now as I understand the hard work she does to keep our house in order, she said.

Finnish student Jenna Karoliina said the car-washing job was exhausting, but worth it. It was hard, but fun. I love pets and care for them and I was happy to do the job as it was for rescuing stray animals.

Other DIA students took up other initiatives. The IB primary programme incorporates an action component where students apply their learning to the real world.

Over the past six weeks, students have worked in groups to identify a local or global issue. They have done due research and identified areas in which they can make a positive impact on their community through direction action, said Julian Wilcock, primary principal of the school.

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Little kids with big hearts wash cars to help pet centre