Photo: "Kensington" by SEATTLE DREDGE, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup AND POLL for Friday September 5th, 2008:

Commuters that use routes at the 401/404/DVP junction can expect traffic nightmares to continue today, and possibly into the weekend. The cleanup and road repairs resulting from the truck fire on Wednesday night are extensive (and it doesn't help that for every working person, there are four leaning on shovels, watching).

Israeli flight crew employees of the airline El Al were reportedly being monitored by Hezbollah terrorists right here in Toronto, while they stayed at the Sheraton Centre during layovers. CSIS is saying nothing, but I'm saying we need some good non-terrorist Lebanese to come to Toronto and open a restaurant because it's near impossible to get good Kofta and Batata harra in this city.

Photo: "Jack, with bone." by bigdaddyhame, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup AND POLL for Thursday September 4th, 2008:

Residents of a building in Bayview Village, where a woman was found bound and brutally murdered by stabbing, are questioning how police have handled the case so far. Their concern? It wasn't until the media cornered the lead investigator (24h later) that they learned that no suspects were in custody. Sleeping with one eye open must be traumatic.

Here we go. Waterfront Toronto has discovered that surprise costs are everywhere, and hard costs are currently estimated to be 65% higher than originally anticipated (5 years ago). They've announced major pushed back dates for a number of waterfront revitalization projects, and are seeking permission from the province and feds to borrow cash.

A phone poll conducted with Canadians puts support for Obama over McCain at a whopping margin of 66-15. Even those identifying themselves as Conservatives seem to like the Democratic candidate, with those polled favouring Obama 55-27. My prediction in the US in November? McCain 50.1, Obama 49.9, with voter irregularities swept under the rug (because the 3rd time is a charm). Vote in our poll below.

Photo: "DSC_7879" by Louis Tam, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Wednesday September 3rd, 2008:

There's plenty of transit news today:
- Details from Metrolinx' long-term traffic congestion correction proposals have been released to the media, and (of course) look like a totally Technicolour transit pipe dream.
- The TTC will install GPS-based vehicle tracking that will be accessible to riders, and allow us to know whether that bus is coming now or in 30 minutes.
- Three rider illnesses that affected service at Dupont station yesterday morning were all unrelated (despite reports of a suspicious smell in the area). Could it be that breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day, because it prevents fainting on the subway commute?

Photo: "For the drop" by sjgardiner, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Tuesday September 2nd, 2008:

Toronto's urban densification, lack of green infrastructure like trees and green roofs, and our antiquated sewer systems are responsible for massive amounts of raw sewage making its way into the Great Lakes. Unfortunately our solutions (making jokes about growing a tail from swimming in Lake Ontario, and relying entirely on water treatment/filtration) aren't cutting it.

The Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization project, which involves the creation of a massive Loblaw grocery store, hasn't seen the lift of a hammer yet. Speculation that unforeseen construction challenges are the reason have been dismissed by Loblaw, who are saying that they're simply waiting for the right time to proceed.

Photo: "601" by mospin, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Friday August 29th, 2008:

Another long weekend is here. Whether you're staying far away from deli meats up at the cottage, avoiding deli meats while watching the CNE Air Show, or eating anything but deli meats at home, enjoy! The Star has a decent what's-open-and-what's-not guide.

Residents who were displaced from their homes following the massive propane blast hydro vault explosion are finally being told that they'll (maybe?) be able to return to their dwellings this weekend. It's been more than 5 weeks since the explosion, and a lot of the victims are really unhappy about how this has all been handled.

A new bridge in Mississauga lends further evidence to the notion that the center of the universe (Toronto) could learn a thing or two from the dreadfully uncool expanse that surrounds it (the 905). LED lighting, super wide pedestrian walkways, and bike lanes - all on one bridge!

Photo: "on the edge" by jonathancastellino, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Your Toronto morning news roundup for Thursday August 28th, 2008:

Toronto's 45th homicide of 2008 is a strange one, in that one of the alleged participants in the killing turned herself in before authorities even knew a murder had been committed. Five storage facility squatters are believed to have beaten a fellow squatter to death after a dispute, and then stashed the body in a recycling bin. It's still not clear how long ago the murder took place, but it is clear that it was long enough for a guilty conscience to settle in.

Police found a seriously hardcore crazy mutha of an assault gun, loaded with lots of live ammunition, in a Toronto home. That's the whole story. It's a crazy friggin' gun, folks. Just look at it!

Should a barely-pubescent 9-year old girl be forced by her mother to get a bikini wax in Etobicoke before heading to the beaches in Europe for a family vacation? Apparently aestheticians are seeing more and more of these kinds of requests. Are people really so repulsed by hair, or has "girl power" gone too far?