Music icon Paul McCartney exploded onto an old battleground yesterday, churning out a song list laden with Beatles’ tunes to a pumped up crowd on the historic Plains of Abraham.
The knighted ex-Beatle was in town to help Quebec City celebrate its 400th birthday—and was an enthusiastic invitee.
“Bonsoir les Quebecois, bonsoir toute le gang,” McCartney shouted to his faithful after he opened the show by belting out the Wings’ song “Jet.”

REGINA—For most people, going on vacation means locking the door, stopping a newspaper subscription, and asking the neighbour across the street to keep an eye on the place.
But farmers know it’s not that easy. Someone needs to tend the crops, feed the livestock, and keep the farm running.
As such, vacations often fall by the wayside.
“I just don’t lock up my house and go,” said Lucille Gleddie, who lives just outside Red Deer, Alta.

LONDON—Lyrics to “Give Peace a Chance,” handwritten in black marker by John Lennon, have fetched more than $800,000 at auction for a Montreal-raised TV writer.
Christie’s said Gail Renard sold the item yesterday at its rock and pop memorabilia sale for 421,250 pounds—about $841,000 (Cdn.)
That’s about $200,000 more than it was expected to fetch.
Christie’s also sold a hand-painted drum skin that appeared on the cover of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album for 541,250 pounds (almost $1.1 million) at yesterday’s auction.

HAMILTON—Seven workers at a Hamilton automotive steel plant that has lost half its workforce since the start of the year have had their worries eased after winning more than $8.7 million in Lotto 6-49.
The workers at Coilpac Inc., which makes products for the automotive industry, picked up their prize Monday at the Ontario Lottery Corp. headquarters in Toronto after winning the jackpot Saturday.
The seven, who have been buying tickets for a year, each received more than $1.2 million.

With the surge of students returning to the district in the summer and the subsequent job shortage, many students find it very difficult to obtain a job for the summer months, not to mention finding one that suits their interests or their financial needs.
However, Allison Barron, a student working towards her English major at Providence College in Otterburne, Man., has side-stepped that issue and has created her own job by starting her own successful summer company.

To all of those garage bands and music lovers here in Fort Frances who have dreams of playing huge concerts and festivals to hundreds of thousands of screaming fans—don’t lose the dream.
Instead take former local musician Tom Gillon as an example.
Gillon was born and raised in Fort Frances and started playing guitar when he was only seven years old. Today he is one part of a four-piece band that shares a stage with music “heroes” like James Taylor, The Tragically Hip, Steely Dan, and many more .

Three years after Hurricane Katrina—one of the costliest and deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States hit—local author Rudy French has published a book titled, “You Can Learn a lot From a Hurricane.”
The book chronicles many of French’s experiences and tells the stories of the people that joined him in his effort to help the city.
French and his wife, Rose, are missionaries who went to New Orleans right after the hurricane hit. They spent two and-a-half years living on the Gulf Coast.

Mitch MacDonald has blown away the audience and the judges so far in this year’s Canadian Idol competition as he has walked through two rounds of audience votes and has made it into the top 16.
He sang his way into the hearts of many viewers across Canada, especially those from his home town of Port Hood in Nova Scotia. But he also has another close following—right here in Fort Frances.
As it happens, MacDonald is the cousin to local woman, Danette MacDonald.
Every week she and her family tune in together to cast their votes in support of their favourite contestant.

It’s high flying for local artist Cher Pruys, who recently won first-place in the general aviation category of the American Society of Aviation Artists’ 2008 International Aerospace Exhibition.
“I’m flattered and extremely happy about it,” said Pruys, whose winning mixed water colour and acrylic painting, “Remote Places,” captured what she calls a typical Northern Ontario sight: a Caravan from Rusty Myers’ and fly-in fishing in the north.
“It’s a worldwide competition and it’s the biggest one held for aviation painting,” said Pruys.

CALGARY—For one week a year, big-business activity in downtown Calgary all but grinds to a halt, as even top executives trade in their office garb for jeans and Stetson hats.
The oilpatch has a lot to celebrate during this year’s Calgary Stampede, with oil prices and industry profits at all-time highs.
Businesses that plan and cater events, including the traditional Stampede breakfasts, during the 10-day tribute to cowboy culture say the festivities are becoming bigger and flashier than ever.