Prairie Post

5 things you absolutely must know today

1. Bridge collapses in Washington state, two cars dumped into river

The Interstate 5 bridge, which crosses the Skagit River in Washington state, collapsed Thursday evening, dumping two cars into the river but with only minor injuries to the vehicles’ three occupants. The bridge collapsed after a truck struck an overhead girder with its cargo. The bridge is a major thoroughfare between Seattle and Canada and is used by an average 71,000 vehicles per day. [Washington Post]

2. Winnipeg’s first urban reserve celebrates groundbreaking

Long Plains First Nation broke ground this morning on their Madison Street property, in what will become the city’s first urban property with reserve status. Formerly the site of a Manitoba Hydro building, Long Plain First Nation bought the St. James property seven years ago and it took until last week for the federal government to recognize the land as having reserve status. In the coming months, a gas bar and smoke shop will open on the site while a four-storey office building is planned for the next few years.

Long Plain First Nation is 275 kilometres west of Winnipeg. The site of the former Kapyong Barracks in Winnipeg’s tuxedo neighbourhood, a high-profile location for an urban reserve, is still in legal negotiations between Treaty 1 First Nations and the federal government. [Winnipeg Free Press]

3. Fifth night of riots in Stockholm 

The Swedish capital endured its fifth night of rioting this week, with fires set to vehicles and schools and clashes with police throughout the city. Initial reports say the riots likely began as a reaction to last week’s shooting death of a 69-year-old man by police in the city’s northern suburb of Husby, a high-unemployment, low-income neighbourhood, though authorities have said they’re not entirely sure of the actual reason for the riots. [The Independent] 

4. Obama speech on counter-terrorism interrupted by heckler

U.S. President Barack Obama was interrupted repeatedly by a heckler during a major national security speech yesterday. Medea Benjamin, the leader of the human rights advocacy group, Code Pink, gained access to the private event by impersonating a member of the press and began shouting toward the end of Obama’s address, when he discussed policy on detaining suspects of terrorist acts. The Code Pink organization is known for interrupting speeches and is also highly critical of the president’s use of drones. [Huffington Post]

5. London attack victim mourned

The family of the Lee Rigby, the British soldier killed in a cleaver attack on Wednesday, expressed shock that their husband, father and brother was killed on home soil, in the streets of London, after serving in Afghanistan. Rigby’s stepfather noted he had always wanted to serve in the army and was a devoted family man. [The Guardian] 

Palmer does the social media for Spectator Tribune and his own Twitter account, too! @palmerfritschy