Morning Brew: Ford dodges prosecution and gets boost in the polls, TCH raid finds guns and swords, freezing rain and snow coming, and city hall snubs Hero burgers

Rob Ford won't face charges over apparent breaches of the Municipal Elections Act revealed in an auditor's report earlier this month. The city's compliance audit committee voted 2-1 against handing the case over to a prosecutor. The investigation into the mayor's election finances found his team overspent by $40,168 and accepted improper loans and favourable credit terms from companies owned by the Ford family. How do you feel about the decision - did the city make the right call?

Despite the setbacks, Ford's popularity seems to be climbing, according to a new Forum Research poll. The survey of 806 Torontonians found 48% approval for the mayor, up from 45% around Christmas time. The results show Ford is especially popular among those over 65 and in families earning under $20,000 a year. Have the recent court battles made him stronger?

The back-and-forth over the TTC's decision to award a sole-sourced contact extension to the company running its subway newsstands, bakeries, and lottery booths is "political and unfortunate," according to TTC chair Karen Stintz. The Commission is considering opening the contract to all bidders, possibly at the expense of a multi-million signing bonus from the original deal.

A police raid on Toronto Community Housing properties has found an arsenal of weapons, including a sawed-off shotgun, several handguns, swords, and ammunition, after a month of violence that's seen five young people fatally shot. The sweep, dubbed "Project Walk In," found several weapons in readily accessible places, leading one officer to call them "community guns."

That Texas low making its way into southern Ontario will bring mixed slow and all round sloppy conditions later this afternoon. Right now weather experts are calling for between 5 and 15 centimetres of snow by tomorrow morning, with slushy conditions early evening. Be safe.

Former mayor David Miller says new Premier Kathleen Wynne should focus on getting shovels in the ground on new transit lines as soon as possible, saying if we build it, riders will come. Miller says the city should start work on the projects it can fund while it works on paying for the rest. Good plan?

Streetcar service took a nasty hit on Queen East and Kingston Road yesterday after a city garbage truck pulled down overhead electrical wires. Power was temporarily cut to the Russell Yard and shuttle busses had to be deployed on several routes during the rush hour.

There'll be no Angus beef with that gravy at City Hall. The government management committee has cancelled a winning bid by Hero Certified Burgers to operate a stand in Nathan Phillips Square, deciding to find a company with a more diverse culinary offering instead.

Finally, think you know Toronto's neighbourhoods? An online game lets you put that knowledge to the test against the clock. The idea is to quickly click on the neighbourhood boundary when the name comes up at the top of the screen. The lower the time the better.

IN BRIEF:

• Former CN supervisor says fatal Via crash could have been avoided [CBC]
• Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission tables new Toronto ridings [National Post]
• Nine-storey condo project on Robertson Davies Park faces local ire over size and lost trees [Toronto Star]
• Notorious tenant Nina Willis ordered to pay up for locking out landlord [Toronto Star]
• Baby strollers not allowed in some Toronto doctor's offices [Toronto Star]

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: "Ten Second Pause" by cookedphotos/blogTO Flickr pool.