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Morning Brew: Latest on Scarborough shootings, Ford declares war on gangs, concrete falls from the Gardiner, rancor at the Humber Cinema, and sewer pipe dreams

Toronto police say they're concerned about retaliation from rival gangs after Monday night's deadly shooting in Scarborough. Chief Bill Blair said the violence, which seems to have started after a confrontation between two armed partygoers, has all the hallmarks of gang activity. Two people, a 14-year-old girl, Shyanne Charles, and a 23-year-old man, Joshua Yasay, of Ajax, were killed and 23 others injured. Last night, local residents held a candlelight vigil for the victims.

In the wake of the bloody violence, Rob Ford maintains job creation is the best way to combat gang violence. Ford has consistently voted against cash for community grants for troubled neighbourhoods, something which councillor Adam Vaughan says puts him at odds with the majority of council. Ford told reporters yesterday that it was "time to declare war" on gangs.

For what feels like the millionth time, concrete has fallen from the Gardiner Expressway this this morning, closing Bathurst Street between Lake Shore and Fort York boulevards. There doesn't seem to have been any damage, but there is no 511 streetcar between Queen Street and Exhibition Loop. According to the city engineer, the heat could be to blame.

Yesterday, we reported the Humber Cinema at Bloor and Jane had closed. Well, turns out it's not quite that simple. The theatre is under new management and back open for business but a serious internal dispute is threatening to derail the movie house's future progress.

The city will study sewers in several parts of the city flooded during Sunday's torrential downpour to try and determine why the deluge was too much for the infrastructure to handle. Several basements were flooded and sinkholes appeared during the two-hour period of rain. In Whitby, several people were injured when lightning struck a public tent.

Well, it was absolutely boiling yesterday. Temperatures hit 36.2 degrees at Pearson Airport making it officially the hottest July 17 since, err, last year. The weather is supposed to be more agreeable from today onwards.

Finally, a Toronto man is seeking help after a bizarre incident in a Paris McDonalds. Dr. Steve Mann, who wears a special computer vision system screwed to his skull, had to fight off a group of people who attempted to steal his invention.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Photo: "Trans European Textiles Co." by John Elmslie in the blogTO Flickr pool.


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