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Morning Brew: Junction Resident Killed due to his Anti-gang Role, Non-compliant Gun Sweep, Violent Airline Passenger Arrested, Air France Lawsuit Settled, Dismal Decade for Toronto Sports

Photo: "Good morning TO" by Nikopol_TO, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

The public is learning more about the execution-style murder that has shocked residents of the Junction. The victim, Kenneth Mark, was known in the community for his valiant efforts in anti-gang activism and supporting local youth... and police think that these very activities may be the reason why he was targeted and shot in the head outside one of his favourite pizzerias.

On a related note, some 239 guns were seized by police after a month-long sweep for "non-compliant" weapons (i.e. those that aren't properly registered or haven't had licenses renewed, etc.) that might otherwise be stolen and used by bad people for bad things. Call me cynical, but this seems like a lot of effort to invest on a tertiary problem. The real problem is guns that are already in the possession of gangs, no?

A 16-year old Barrie teen is being sought, after disappearing with a 42-year old online female friend from Texas who came up to visit him in person. When found, he's likely going to get grounded by his folks, and either heavily chastized or high-fived by his teenage friends.

A Toronto man is paying an unexpected visit to Montreal after he got into a fight with a fellow passenger on a Toronto to Frankfurt flight. The pilot made a quick, unscheduled landing in Montreal, where the suspect was first let go (the victim didn't want to press charges) but then was re-arrested and charged for disturbing the peace after continuing on his tirade. The flight continued on its way just one hour behind schedule, leaving the guy having the temper tantrum in Canada.

Remember that Air France plane that overshot the runway when landing at Pearson airport four years ago? A class-action lawsuit has finally been resolved, and 184 of the 297 passengers will be getting an average of $65,000 each for their troubles. I'm curious if the 45 who opted out of the lawsuit, or the 68 who have already settled, are kicking themselves now.

And 2000-2009 was a really crappy decade for Toronto sports. Don't believe it? Check out CTV's decade in review - one Grey Cup is not much to cheer about, is it? I'm amazed that we can still call Toronto a sports town, given how poorly the Jays, Leafs, Raptors, and Toronto FC have fared in their respective leagues. We're long overdue for a championship team. I'm betting on our next being either the FC or Raps.


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