Weekly News Recap: May 30, 2025

Weekly News Recap: May 30, 2025

King Charles, right, delivers the speech from the throne as Prime Minister Mark Carney looks on in the Senate in Ottawa on Tuesday. (Victoria Jones/Getty Images)

History is the study of all the world’s crime. -- Voltaire

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • VIDEO: 98-year-old Grunthal twins happy to still be teasing, living next door to each other (CBC) MANITOBA STORY #Adorable "Kay Rempel and Marie Chipilski might be 98 years old, but the identical twins say they still have some growing up to do. 'We should think before we speak,' Rempel said. 'That's the problem,' Chipilski added without hesitation. 'That's why we have to stay here longer.' "

  • Urban fires can mean long trips for helicopters to get water. One firefighter had a better idea (AP News) #Innovation " 'We don’t tell fire engines, ‘Protect the city and go find your own water.’ We put fire hydrants every 600 feet all around cities,” said Whaling, who has since retired from the county fire department. “But when it comes to the helicopters, we weren’t supporting them as robustly as we should.” His frustration sparked an idea: the Heli-Hydrant, a relatively small, open tank that can be rapidly filled with water, enabling helicopters to fill up faster for urban fires rather than flying to sometimes distant lakes or ponds."

  • VIDEO: Water voles are almost extinct - could glitter save them? (BBC) #SparklyPoo (Now, I HAVE heard everything). "Endangered water voles in Wales are being fed edible glitter in a bid to save them from extinction [...] With their future hanging in the balance, conservationists have been looking for new ways to track the naturally shy individuals in the wild - which is where the glitter comes in. The Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC) hopes that by offering the animals something sparkly to eat, the sparkle should come out the other end - providing some much-needed answers."

  • They’re 15. Wait Until You Read Their Newspaper. (New York Times) There is still room for more than just internet influencers. These young people are amazing. "He turned to Teddy Rattray, 15, the paper’s most prolific columnist and Billy’s friend since Little League, to float ideas for a restaurant review. 'We still haven’t done hot dogs,' Teddy said. Billy agreed: Hot dogs should be an editorial priority. The operation has grown slicker since the boys got into the news business last year, as eighth graders at East Hampton Middle School. Billy had been looking for a summer job that was more stimulating than his usual gig squeezing lemons at a food truck. He enlisted Teddy and Teddy’s cousin Ellis Rattray to put together an eight-page paper exploring Montauk from a teenager’s perspective."

  • Innovative horse simulator helps riders with disabilities saddle up (CBC) VICTORIA STORY I love this! "Casey's usual ride is a Fjord horse named Valla, but on Thursday, he became the first official user of the MiraColt horse-riding motion simulator developed for the Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association (VTRA). The first-of-its-kind device combines a commercially available riding simulator with an app-based software application designed by CanAssist, an organization part of the University of Victoria, dedicated to helping people with disabilities. The system allows riders to control the speed of their simulated ride through a variety of virtual trails. The university says it's aimed particularly at people unable to ride a real horse."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Is Moose Jaw the next vacation hot spot? How Canadian tourism might benefit from Canada-U.S. rift (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I heart Moose Jaw (and Drumheller). "The last few months have shown a drastic drop in Canadian travel across the border, whether for business or pleasure. And many in the domestic tourism industry — including in Fowke's hometown — say some of the less obvious locations, including small towns, could benefit the most."

  2. VIDEO: David Attenborough's Ocean documentary has a scene straight out of Dune (CBC) Sir David is a global treasure. "Like a massive, skulking sandworm out of Frank Herbert's Dune, there exists an inescapable maw where all in its destructive path — from fish struggling to flee to crabs tangled up in the nets — are doomed. But this isn't the desert planet Arrakis, it's Earth — and the beast is a bottom trawler, grinding the sea floor indiscriminately for fish. This is the shocking point-of-view moment in Ocean with David Attenborough, the latest and potentially one of the legendary broadcaster's last documentaries, releasing in select Canadian theatres Saturday and streaming on Disney+ on June 8."

  3. VIDEO: Bow Valley College unveils $5.5M film and TV production hub (CTV) CALGARY STORY Congrats! "Bow Valley College has raised the curtain on its new film and television production space. The school unveiled its 3,560-square-foot Digital Entertainment Nexus Production Hub on Monday, showing off the studio’s high-level production features."

  4. Canadian wins 100-km ultramarathon while stopping to breastfeed her baby along the way (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT Now, this. This is why Canadian woman are badass. #LoveHer "Imagine running a gruelling 100-kilometre trail race through the rugged terrain of northern Wales. Did we already lose you? Well, double-knot your sneakers, because now imagine doing it six months postpartum, stopping to breastfeed your baby at aid stations along the way and still winning the whole darn thing. That's what Canadian ultrarunner Stephanie Case did at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia on May 17, where she placed first among women with a time of 16:53:22 and made headlines around the world for the viral race photos where she's breastfeeding her six-month-old daughter, Pepper."

  5. At 95, Canadian artist and naturalist Robert Bateman still paints every day (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Happy Birthday Robert! "Canadian artist and naturalist Robert Bateman celebrated his 95th birthday on May 24 — and while many would have considered retirement long ago, slowing down hasn't crossed his mind. Bateman is still showing his work at solo exhibitions and international shows, painting every day and enjoying the nature surrounding his Salt Spring Island, B.C., home, where he's lived for 40 years."

  6. VIDEO: Royal visit a 'historic moment' for Canada and King Charles (CBC) CANADIAN STORY We remain and always will remain a strong independent country. "In Ottawa's Lansdowne Park, those gathered in the enthusiastic crowd on Monday reached out, trying to shake hands or grab a selfie with King Charles and Queen Camilla. In the grounds of Rideau Hall, a spontaneous rendition of God Save the King filled the air after Charles and Camilla completed that most royal of royal duties: planting a tree. And in the Senate [...] those listening broke into applause as Charles wrapped up his main task as Canada's head of state on a whirlwind trip to the country, drawing the speech from the throne to a close by saying, 'As the anthem reminds us: The true north is indeed strong and free.' The trip, which had unfolded in a highly charged political climate for the country after repeated annexation taunts from U.S. President Donald Trump, wrapped up with a sense that it was a historic moment for both the country and the monarch."

  7. VIDEO: The art and the artist: Chip Wilson's new Kitsilano sign (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY #OhChip "People's reactions to the Vancouver billionaire's latest public art offering are another example of the city's complicated relationship with the Lululemon founder. Justin McElroy reports."

  8. Winnipeg man sues former partner over $5M winning lottery ticket (CBC) WINNIPEG STORY Yikes! "A lawyer for a man who says his former girlfriend "ghosted" him after claiming a $5-million prize on a lottery ticket he bought will be in a Winnipeg court Friday, asking a judge for an order to prevent the woman from giving away any of her money or selling other assets."

  9. As George Lucas’s ‘Starship’ Museum Nears Landing, He Takes the Controls (New York Times) Even with the controversy, I can't wait to see it. "After years of delays, the mammoth Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is finally approaching completion in Exposition Park in Los Angeles. Despite its looming presence, though, the museum being built by George Lucas, creator of the 'Star Wars' franchise, has long seemed to lack the sort of defining mission that would protect it from being dismissed as a vanity project. What is a museum of narrative art? And why is Lucas building one?"

  10. VIDEO: Elon Musk leaves Trump administration after leading effort to slash U.S. government (CBC) #WahWah "Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump after spearheading efforts to reduce and overhaul the federal bureaucracy. His departure [...] marks the end of a turbulent chapter that included thousands of layoffs, the evisceration of government agencies and reams of litigation. Despite the upheaval, the billionaire entrepreneur struggled in the unfamiliar environment of Washington, and he accomplished far less than he hoped."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Here’s When to Worry About Random Memory Lapses (SELF) I have lapses. Thankfully, they don't seem to be these ones.

  2. How many types of insects are there in the world? (The Conversation) I knew you would want to know. Spoiler alert: turns out, there is a lot.

  3. How to Sew on a Button (The Art of Manliness) A life skill I learned at 10. Very useful.

  4. Why the watt is the most important spec in battery-powered devices (The Verge) #NerdAlert

  5. Why we still don’t know how many stars are in the Milky Way (Big Think) I have always wondered whenever I hear someone say how many starts there are: how do they know? Turns out, they don't.

  6. Hacks That Will Come In Handy For Grilling Season (The Takeout) Just in time. You're welcome.

  7. The Reenchanted World (Harpers) When you can find any answer with a quick Internet search, where is the mystery? I am glad there are still lots.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. "I expected a million; we received $125m" (Globes) "Israeli universities do not generally disclose the lists of their donors and how much they have raised, but in the past year three of them boasted especially high contributions. The latest was Tel Aviv University. This month, it received the largest ever donation received by an Israeli academic institution from a single individual during his lifetime: $125 million from Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer of New York-based asset management firm Blackstone, for the university’s medical faculty."

  2. $50 million donation to set up endometriosis research institute at UNSW (Honi Soit) "The donation by the Ainsworth family will establish the national Ainsworth Endometriosis Research Institute (AERI) over the course of 10 years at UNSW."

  3. VIDEO: Dodgers star Freddie Freeman and wife make huge $1 million donation (The Sporting News) "Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is a superstar on the field and off the field. A year ago, his son, Maximus, was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome and was in a pediatric intensive care unit in an emotional turn of events for the Freeman family [Freddie] Freeman and his wife, Chelsea, made a $1 million donation to the Children's Hospital of Orange County, where Maximus [was.]"

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

Welcome to our recap of the week's news, articles, and information of note. ViTreo Group Inc. provides this information for the benefit of our clients, associates, staff, partners, and stakeholders. The content is collected and curated by ViTreo President & CEO Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca.

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by ViTreo Group Inc. of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. ViTreo Group does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the ViTreo Group Inc. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate.

Vincent DuckworthComment