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Storms forecast to bring rain, but also a risk of winds, lightning, as wildfires rage

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

Storms across the country could bring much needed rain, but meteorologists say it’s not enough to extinguish the danger as Canada experiences its worst wildfire season of the 21st century. “Unfortunately, we are not expecting to see enough precipitation to make a huge effect on this situation at this time, especially with how dry it is,” said Sara Hoffman, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. “But again any rain is appreciated and definitely helps.” There were 447 active fires in Canada on Tuesday afternoon, with 226 listed as out of control. Quebec’s public security minister said a rainy forecast in that province was bringing hope for progress in battling the blazes, as more than 7,200 people remained out of their homes due to fires. François Bonnardel said the fire effort was bolstered by the arrival this week of two contingents of American firefighters, with more reinforcements from Spain and Portugal expected to arrive W...

Cormac McCarthy, author of ‘No Country for Old Men,’ dies at 89

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who in prose both dense and brittle took readers from the southern Appalachians to the desert Southwest in such novels as “The Road,” “Blood Meridian” and “All the Pretty Horses,” died Tuesday. He was 89.McCarthy died of natural causes in Santa Fe, New Mexico, publisher Alfred A. Knopf said.McCarthy, raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, was compared to William Faulkner for his Old Testament style and rural settings. McCarthy’s themes, like Faulkner’s, often were bleak and violent and dramatized how the past overwhelmed the present. Across stark and forbidding landscapes and rundown border communities, he placed drifters, thieves, prostitutes and old, broken men, all unable to escape fates determined for them well before they were born. As the doomed John Grady Cole of McCarthy’s celebrated “Border” trilogy would learn, dreams of a better life were only dreams, and falling in love an act of folly.McCarthy’s own story was one of belated,...

S&P/TSX composite makes small gain Tuesday, U.S. stocks rise ahead of rate decision

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

TORONTO — Gains in the energy, financial and base metal sectors helped Canada’s main stock index post a small gain Tuesday as the loonie crested 75 cents US, while U.S. markets also rose modestly the day before a highly anticipated interest rate announcement from the Federal Reserve. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 69.09 points at 19,990.40.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 145.79 points at 34,212.12. The S&P 500 index was up 30.08 points at 4,369.01, while the Nasdaq composite was up 111.40 points at 13,573.32.“Investors are waiting for the Fed decision that comes out tomorrow,” said Anish Chopra, managing director with Portfolio Management Corp.“Based on the … modest market moves upward, they’re leaning slightly positive that the Federal Reserve will take a pause and won’t raise rates.” The Federal Reserve is set to make its next interest rate announcement Wednesday. Meanwhile, the latest inflation data for the U.S. came out Tuesd...

Ontario not ready for surge in Alzheimer’s cases

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

There appears to be hope yet in life-altering treatment for those with Alzheimer’s.Health Canada has approved a new test to detect the brain-damaging disease, but the Ontario government is not ready to roll out screenings and therapies in a timely and effective manner.CityNews 680’s Sladjana Tamindzic and James Munroe spoke with the CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, Cathy Barrick, to learn more.Q&A with the Alzheimer Society of Ontariohttps://toronto.citynews.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/10/2023/06/13/alzheimers-for-web.mp3

Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie to run for leader of Ontario Liberal Party

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie has officially registered to run for leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.Crombie is expected to formally announce her run at a press conference on Wednesday.NEW – Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie is now officially registered to run for leader of the Ontario Liberal party. Official confirmation expected from her at a news conference Wednesday afternoon— Richard Southern (@RichardCityNews) June 13, 2023In late May, Crombie confirmed with CityNews that she had set up an exploratory committee for a potential leadership bid.Ontario Premier Doug Ford addressed the speculation that Crombie was considering a run, saying it would be a “slap in the face” to Mississauga residents for her to remain as mayor while running for Liberal leader.RELATED: Following the dissolution of Peel Region, there are questions about who’s next?Crombie later explained that exploring a leadership bid with the Ontario Liberal Party while remaining mayor...

More GO Transit riders flag issue with accessibility at Exhibition station

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

Just one day after CityNews reported on the accessibility issues plaguing the Exhibition Go Station, another wheelchair user said they were left stranded on the platform.Calls are now growing louder for Metrolinx to provide a better solution for those who rely on the elevators while they remain out of service.Hannah, who relies on a wheelchair, was left stranded on Friday night after taking the GO train from Oshawa to see a concert at Budweiser stage.Before arriving at the North Platform at Exhibition station, she was informed the elevators were out of service. Her friend Sara called GO Transit directly to find a solution.“The gentlemen said the only way to get there is to walk around, ‘You need to book 48 hours in advance, it’s plastered all over our website,’ so now the only way to get there is to walk,” explained Sarah.The elevators have been out of service since November as the busy station undergoes a revamp for the Ontario Line.In the meantime, GO trans...

How will each of the Toronto mayoral candidates address the issue of housing?

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

With the price of housing still on the rise and many struggling to afford to live in the city, it will be top of mind for many voters heading into the Toronto mayoral byelection.The province has set a target to build 285,000 new homes by 2031 and a plan to reach this goal was announced back in March by the City of Toronto.But each of the candidates have presented their own plan for how to tackle the housing crisis and build affordable housing across the city.Here’s how each of the top mayoral candidates plan to address this issue:Ana BailãoEstablish a specialized Anti-Displacement and Evictions Prevention Unit with 30 staff within Municipal Licensing & Standards.\Commit to ensuring that 20 per cent of all new homes built by 2031 – a minimum of 57,000 homes – will be purpose-built rental homes.Making additional surplus municipal properties available for non-profit and co-operative housing available to build new affordable homes.Hold City Hall accountable and instruct the Ci...

The Beatles are releasing their ‘final’ record. How AI helped make it possible

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

Artificial intelligence has been used to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo to create “the last Beatles record,” decades after the band broke up, Paul McCartney said Tuesday.McCartney, 80, told the BBC that the technology was used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds during the making of director Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary series, “The Beatles: Get Back.” The “new” song is set to be released later this year, he said.Jackson was “able to extricate John’s voice from a ropey little bit of cassette and a piano,” McCartney told BBC radio. “He could separate them with AI, he’d tell the machine, ‘That’s a voice, this is a guitar, lose the guitar’.”“So when we came to make what will be the last Beatles record, it was a demo that John had that we worked on,” he added. “We were able to take John’s voice and get it pure through th...

5 injured after school bus overturns on Dan Ryan Expressway

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

CHICAGO — Five people were injured after a school bus overturned Tuesday on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 35th Street.The single-vehicle crash was reported around 2:30 p.m. in the inbound lanes. 5 teens injured after stolen vehicle crashes into fire hydrant on South Side Images from the Illinois Department of Transportation camera appear to show emergency personnel treating people at the scene. The Chicago Fire Department said five people, all students, were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.The driver of the school bus refused medical treatment, the fire department said.It also appears a few people with backpacks were standing next to the bus.The bus was turned upright again shortly after 3 p.m.As of 3:30 p.m., all lanes have reopened, according to the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. This is a breaking news story and will be updated as it develops.

Chicago Fire Department battles house fire on South Side

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:15:33 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Fire Department is on the scene of a house fire Tuesday afternoon on the South Side.The fire is in the 4500 block of South Michigan Avenue. 5 injured after school bus overturns on Dan Ryan Expressway The fire was upgraded to a two-alarm fire around 3:50 p.m.Skycam 9 is over the scene. This is a breaking news story.