A week after the Crown in Niagara Falls withdrew charges against Marineland, zoo officials from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) have staged a surprise inspection of the entertainment firm and announced they found 11 items needing correction. Marineland, on the other hand, says the OSPCA found “no signs of abuse, distress, mistreatment or neglect” of animals during the unannounced visit. There appears to be some careful semantics at work. OSPCA gave the tourist attraction 24 hours to fix the issues. Unlike the complaints which led to the charges which were dropped, the OSPCA carried out this inspection without a complaint, Marineland pointedly added. After the withdrawal of charges on August 10, the OSPCA seemed to be stinging that the Crown had ended the prosecution. It said there was no reasonable chance of conviction. Marineland has consistently blamed complaints on disgruntled ex-employees and radical advocates. Crown drops animal cruelty charges against Marineland

Kathy Milsom

Kathy Milsom has been appointed president and CEO of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation by the board of directors. She is a professional engineer and a member of the  board of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.  Ms. Milsom was chosen for the role following what TCHC officials have referred to as an “international search” overseen by the 12 member board, which includes four members of City Council. She will replace Kevin Marshman who stepped into the role on a temporary basis in April following the abrupt resignation of Interim President and CEO Greg Spearn.

Among truly shattering stories Thursday is the BBC report from Delhi about a ten-year-old girl who has given birth after being raped, it is said, by her uncle. In London, a gang of six moped bandits have robbed Boodles jewellery store in Knightsbridge of valuables worth tens of thousands of pounds. From Cuba comes word that a Belleville girl, Alexandra Sagriff, 18, died from acute pulmonary edema, acute myocardial infarction and ischemic heart failure, according to the state coroner. There was no alcohol in her blood when she was found dead in her hotel room during a school trip.  And it is 40 years since the death of Elvis Presley. A moment for the thousands of men named Elvis to ponder what they might otherwise have been Christened if Presley had not risen to such fame.

Leaside Mulberry

Pear tree shown on Triangle Gardener

The Facebook page Leaside Community continues to host interesting matters of local concern. Thursday shows many posts related to a case of what looks like fire damage on a much-loved Mulberry tree on private property in south Leaside. The owner was concerned this might be vandalism of the most alarming kind. Others raise the possibility that the tree has been struck by Fire Blight, a tree disease that is harboured in Juniper bushes. There is a juniper nearby, the owner confirms and she is seeking advice. Triangle Gardener

HAZARD: Mount Pleasant Road and Jarvis Street, @TPS51Div. Info – Man holding a brick over the bridge. Police on the way. #GO1484330 ^CdK

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) August 17, 2017

There are two bridges here but the pedestrian overpass is glassed in. The Bloor St bridge is open to Mt. Pleasant below.

The teen, Jeremiah Perry, 15, who drowned in Algonquin Park last month while on a Toronto District School Board camping trip, failed a swim test but was still allowed to go. His brother also failed and he too was permitted to go on the trip. Stories Wednesday tell of the swimming-test requirements for those able to participate. After failing a first attempt at learning to swim, Perry and his brother were supposed to be given more chances to learn, but were not. Nor is it clear whether time was an issue, or at what point a decision to deny the two an opportunity to go on the trip would be made. There would no doubt be enormous reluctance to tell two students out of dozens that they were being denied.

Pick this carrot!

Mary Grams with long lost ring

An Alberta woman, 84, has been re-united with a ring she lost while gardening 13 years ago. Astonishingly, the ring was found wrapped around a carrot pulled from a garden at the family farm by her daughter-in-law Colleen Daley. For many, the fateful appearance of the ring could well proclaim an unseen hand of destiny. Or just the rarest quirk of luck. The 105-year-old heirloom was lost by Mary Grams in 2004 while gardening. Despite furious searching, it could not be found. But this week it came back, secured on a carrot plucked from the soil in the same garden at Armena, southeast of Edmonton.

Trucks turn around on Merton

Wires down on Merton

Merton Street was closed for about an hour Wednesday morning after a high truck knocked down local service wires. Hydro workers recalled that it is a very common problem. During the repair, there was no control of traffic at Cleveland St resulting on a back of up vehicles and mass turnarounds.

An electrical fire at Toronto’s landmark CN Tower was extinguished Wednesday morning after firefighters took turns climbing into an antenna mast to deal with smouldering wiring and insulation. There was nothing to be seen outside except the CN tower. Power was turned off for a period which affected transmisson of some radio statons. For some on Twitter, like Arthur Sinclair, it recalled the 1975 fire during construction. He notes that at the time it was considered the world’s highest fire. This must be a distinction long-since lost to tower blazes elsewhere.