‘Ketamine Queen’ gets 15 years in prison

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge on Wednesday handed down a sentence of 15 years in prison to a woman who pleaded guilty to selling actor Matthew Perry the ketamine that killed him in 2023.

“You’re going to have to show some epic resilience,” Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett said to Jasveen Sangha, echoing the defendant’s words earlier in the hearing about her self-improvement.

Citing the unique role Sangha admitted to playing in Perry’s death and her broader drug-dealing business, the judge gave the 42-year-old a sentence that will almost certainly be more than all four of her co-defendants combined.

The hearing Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom was in many ways the pinnacle of the two-and-a-half-year investigation and prosecution that followed the overdose death of the 54-year-old actor, whose role as Chandler Bing on NBC’s “Friends” in the 1990s and 2000s made him one of the biggest television stars of the era.

Dozens arrested after ‘No Kings’ rally in L.A.

Authorities in Los Angeles deployed tear gas near a federal detention centre and made dozens of arrests following one of thousands of “No Kings” rallies held this weekend across the United States and in Europe to protest President Donald Trump’s actions and the war in Iran.

Los Angeles police said Sunday that 74 people were arrested for failing to heed a dispersal order that was given after Saturday’s rally ended. One other person was taken into custody on suspicion of possessing a weapon that police described as a dagger.

The arrests stood out from what otherwise were mostly peaceful protests. Organizers said there were more than 3,100 events registered in all 50 U.S. states.

As hundreds of protesters surrounded a federal complex in downtown Los Angeles, some threw rocks, bottles and broken concrete blocks at officers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement late Saturday night.

Manitobans continue to pick Canadian booze

WINNIPEG — Premier Wab Kinew says Liquor Marts’ refusal to order U.S. booze has changed Manitobans’ drinking preferences and boosted sales of Canadian alcohol.

“People started drinking more local, to the tune of $21 million more in sales of local products through the Liquor Marts,” Kinew said in an interview with The Winnipeg Free Press.

In March 2025, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries removed American booze from Liquor Mart shelves and halted all orders.

“Obviously, taking U.S. booze off the shelves, people change what they’re drinking,” Kinew said. “What was interesting is when we put the American stuff back, the Canadian products continued to be consumed at the higher level.”

Storm insurance claims could set record

WINNIPEG — Manitoba is on pace to set a record for insurance claims related to this week’s storms.

Insurance brokers have been inundated with calls to assess and process claims for flooded basements and properties. Local insurer ONE Insurance said it has received more than 700 claims and expects to issue millions of dollars to its clients.

“It is definitely the single largest event that we’ve experienced in our organization,” said interim CEO Rey Girardin.

Residents in the RM of Rockwood, including in Stonewall and Balmoral, have submitted the most claims, he said.

Doctors alarmed over specialist’s pending resignation

WINNIPEG — A group of doctors and medical staff has warned the possible departure of a highly specialized Health Sciences Centre physician would be “devastating news” that could spark an exodus of skilled medical professionals from Manitoba.

The 14 doctors and medical staff at CancerCare Manitoba wrote a letter May 7 about the pending resignation of interventional radiologist Alessandra Cassano-Bailey.

The document, which was addressed to three members of the organization’s senior leadership, said Cassano-Bailey tendered her resignation after efforts to introduce a liver cancer procedure — which is available elsewhere in Canada — were ignored for years.

“It will be a huge loss to the province if such an excellent and compassionate doctor leaves,” reads the letter, obtained by the Winnipeg Free Press.

Swan River property becomes ‘roaring torrent’

WINNIPEG — Michele Poole said floodwaters hit her 10 acres of land near Swan River so fast and hard Monday she was forced to flee to higher ground — her roof.

It was there Michele and her husband, Ron Poole, had to be rescued.

The 69-year-old retiree is one of hundreds of Parkland residents affected after a flash flood brought nearly 150 millimetres of rain to the area.

Michele Poole said she was warned by her son early in the day that flooding was possible. After surveying her dry pasture, Poole was confident she’d be fine, as sand, sandbags and people to place them were already en route.

NATURAL WEEDEATER

A black bear cub eats dandelions bordering Highway 10 in Riding Mountain National Park while foraging with its mother on a sunny Monday. Black bears are a common sight in the park throughout the summer. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)