Morning Brew: "Big Hurt" City Budget Cuts, Newspaper Editor Abduction Attempt, Tap Water and Laser Pointer Concerns, 9-Year Old Hero

Photo: "All Business" by Luke T., member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

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

The City of Toronto is aiming to cut operating expenses in 2010 by 5%, and by an additional 5% in 2011. Services will no doubt be cut and new expenditures curbed. The move has already been coined the "big hurt" but hopefully those that are already hurting big aren't the ones most affected (although I may be wearing rose-coloured glasses here).

Toronto tap water has been found to contain antibiotic resistant but non-disease-causing bacteria. While it remains safe to drink now, the concern is that if so-called bad bugs pick up the genes for antibiotic resistance, we could have a problem down the road. Until then, I'm going to continue to drink it with gusto!

The editor of the Punjabi Post newspaper in Brampton, who has openly expressed anti-extremist opinion in the past, was violently beaten but narrowly avoided being kidnapped at gunpoint on Friday night. Sounds like quite the harrowing experience for Jagdish Grewal.

Hey, kids. Stop shining laser pointers at airplanes and helicopters. It's really pissing off pilots and poses a serious danger. It may be fun to imagine mass destruction, but if an aircraft actually goes down and kills innocent people, the fun will be over in an instant.

A quick-thinking 9-year old boy may have saved some lives, including his own. When his mother suffered from a medical incident and blacked out at the wheel while driving on the QEW near Grimsby, he reached over, turned off the ignition, and safely guided the car onto the shoulder. High fives!

The hand-held device ban in cars begins today. While what's allowed and what's not allowed has gotten clearer, how it will be effectively enforced is yet to be seen.

And during a somewhat gloomy Saturday and gorgeous fall Sunday, here's what blogTO was up:

• Rick experienced a delightful coffee tasting at Te Aro in Leslieville.
• Matthew reviewed the David Bazan show at Lee's.
• June Too wondered if locally-sourced ingredients really make the food at Veritas taste better. She also attended the chocolicious 50s-themed Chocolate Ball.
• Jonathan Loek wrapped up his Fashion Week series of Street Style.
• Tim showed us guys and gals getting down to their undies on the runway, and pointed us to more excellent Fashion Week coverage.
• Sarah talked to potential 2010 mayoral candidate Adam Giambrone, about growing up in Toronto and the Toronto of today.
• Devon visited the newish Fin Izakaya and found that the Japanese-themed gastro-pub was a little hit-and-miss for her liking.
• And Derek posted an absolutely stunning collection of fall colours photos taken by blogTO readers in and around Toronto.