Morning Brew: April 25th, 2008

Photo: "Ontario Sweet Carrots" by polka dot dress, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Friday April 25th, 2008:

As if losing everything in the devastating Queen St fire wasn't enough. Owners of the popular Duke's bicycle shop (that served Toronto for 90 years before being gutted in the blaze) are now struggling to cope with a staggering $64,000 bill from the city for resulting demolition work rendered. If everyone in Toronto pitched just $0.03 each, the problem would be taken care of.

Gas prices continue to rise and are predicted to be $2.25/L within just a few years. Couple this with grocery staples going up and the economy go down and we have issues. Bread is rising outside the oven, and meat is following in its heels (because it requires lots of grain and fuel to produce).

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About 20 shots were fired and four men and a black SUV are being sought after a gun fight near Sherbourne and Wellesley last night. Incidentally, now you can tip off police on crimes by sending text messages anonymously.

Toronto is not a bike-friendly city. Tell us something we didn't already know.

After a bungled Crown case resulted in staying of charges, it's unfortunate that the courts won't rule whether or not Toronto police officers beat up drug dealers, stole their money and drugs, and sold them back to high-level criminals (as detailed in a recent CBC report).