Happy Friday, Winnipeg!

Bit of a hazy one out there. The air quality slipped into a yellow warning yesterday, with the index climbing to 10+ and well into the very high risk zone.

So take it easy today. Go light on anything strenuous outside, and it's best to keep the kids and grandparents indoors while this hangs around. A pretty good excuse to stay in, grab something cold, and catch up on the city with us.

In today’s edition:

— Jas Singh

If you've lived here long enough, you've probably crossed the Arlington Bridge more times than you can count. For over a century, it carried us over the rail yards and tied the North End to the rest of the city. Yesterday, crews lifted away its very first piece.

The old bridge was closed for good in 2023 after it was found too worn to fix, and now the careful work of taking it down has begun.

Once this stage wraps up, the next phase will pick up further north at Dufferin Avenue in 2027.

It's always a little bittersweet to watch a landmark go.

But this one is making way for something better: a modern bridge, built for today's safety and accessibility standards, that will connect the North End, Point Douglas, and the neighbourhoods around them for years to come.

Click here: To follow the project and see what's next for the new bridge.

The fair, the patios, a weekend festival, and an ice cream run that turns into forty bucks. It all adds up fast, and by August the summer budget is running low.

So here's one worth circling on the calendar. It costs nothing, most people have never tried it, and it's happening right here in Winnipeg.

Live harness racing is back this summer at The LOOP at Exhibition Park.

Horses fly around an open-air track pulling drivers on two-wheeled carts, and the finish gets the whole crowd on their feet. It was gone from the city for 30 years. Now it runs every Saturday all summer.

So if you've been after one summer plan that doesn't cost a thing, this is it. Bring the kids, bring a friend, bring your parents. Show up, grab a snack, watch a few races. That's the whole plan.

The season kicks off soon on Saturday, August 1, and runs every Saturday into the fall. The catch is that the best weekends fill up fast once families start locking in their summer, so it pays to pick your date now while the calendar is still open.

Click here: To view the full house & plan your showing!

Click here: To view the full house & plan your showing!

Click here: To view the full house & plan your showing!

Every so often, a young player comes along that a city just decides to call its own.

For a lot of us, Cole Perfetti has been that guy pretty much since draft night. Good thing he's sticking around.

The Jets have re-signed Perfetti to a five-year, $30 million deal, keeping the 24-year-old in blue and white through his prime.

Winnipeg took Perfetti 10th overall back in 2020, and at just 24, there's still room for his game to grow. Signing him long term gives the Jets one more piece to build around for years to come.

Click Here: To read the Jets' official announcement and what this deal means for the team's future!

Folklorama is almost back, and you can already feel it starting in the West End.

A brand-new mural is going up on Sargent Avenue, painted right on the side of the Morden's Chocolate building, to mark the festival's 55th anniversary.

It pulls together little pieces of the many cultures that make Folklorama what it is.

It's a sweet fit for the West End, a neighbourhood that has welcomed people from all over the world for generations. More than a mural, it's a little reminder of how lucky we are to experience so much of the world without ever leaving the city.

By the time the paint dries, the real thing will be here. Folklorama runs August 2 to 15, so if you want to start planning your nights out and see which pavilions to hit, now's a good time to take a look.

Click Here: To browse this year's pavilions and grab your Folklorama tickets!!

Good news for your morning coffee habit. That empty cup no longer has to head straight for the garbage.

Manitobans can now recycle empty disposable paper cups in their blue bins, following a province-wide update that makes recycling a little simpler and keeps even more waste out of the landfill.

Paper cups were left out of Manitoba's recycling program for years because of their protective coating. After working with recycling partners across the province, they've officially been added to the list of accepted items.

Now you can just empty it, pop the lid off, and it's good to go in the blue bin.

Click Here: To see what else you can recycle through Winnipeg's collection program!

If you or someone you know is flying WestJet in early August, this one's worth passing along. There's a chance of a strike right before the long weekend.

WestJet flight attendants have voted 99.4% in favour of striking, which means a walkout or lockout could begin as early as August 2 if the two sides don't reach a deal first. For now it's business as usual, and talks are still going.

Both WestJet and the union say a strike vote doesn't mean negotiations are over, so nothing's set in stone yet.

If you've got travel booked that weekend, no need to panic. Just keep an eye out, and we'll keep you posted as things develop.

Events marked with ($) require a ticket in advance. Please search them up before going.

Events marked with ($) require prior ticket purchase.