Photo: "Extra Extra" by natashalcd, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

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

It's unseasonably warm and wet right now, and this will continue into the afternoon. But come this evening, winter temperatures will be back in a hurry, creating concerns that the roads are going to be super slick. If you're driving later today, please be safe.

Since we had a super exciting sneak peek last Thursday, we've been waiting anxiously to learn more official information about the TTC's plans for bringing GPS tracking of buses and streetcars to the ridership's toolkit. The TTC has remained unusually tight-lipped about it, which hopefully means that the news is so good that they wanted to save some thunder for their media release.

Although city council has voted against the idea of selling off parts of Toronto Parking Authority's and Toronto Hydro's assets, Miller says the idea of selling city-owned assets to bring money back into infrastructure is still viable and possible. Much hinges on the federal government's economic plan and budget, which is expected to include cash for Toronto's hurting situation. Would you forgive Harper and Flaherty for neglecting us in their first economic package if the new plan allowed us to fully realize Transit City?

--

Igor Kenk, the man accused of being the most prolific bike thief in Toronto (and maybe the world) is in even more hot water now. On the weekend, he was arrested and charged with assault after he had an altercation that allegedly resulted in him swinging a metal pipe at a couple while he was attempting to remove property from their home.

Convenience store owners are really feeling the economic crunch, mostly due to low margins on sales coupled with lackluster tobacco sales (since new laws resulted in the product being shuttered behind those grey cupboards). Some believe that one third of Ontario's 10,000 stores will be forced to close shop in the coming years.

The strike at York University continues. If an agreement between union staff and administration isn't reached today, classes will be officially cancelled for the remainder of 2008. This news hits international students particularly hard, since visa terms/requirements will be affected, leaving some students scrambling to get extensions.