Three generations (L-R): Rocco Racioppo, Immacolato (“Mac”) Racioppo Sr., Immacolato Racioppo Jr.

It’s the genuine end of an era as Immacolato Racioppo (known to locals as “Mac”) retires from Millwood Shoe Repair at 706 Millwood Rd. just off Bayview Ave.  Mac has re-soled and heeled shoes, cleaned them up, ground skates and done many other vital duties to keep South Bayview on its feet. His son Rocco Racioppo writes on Facebook that he and his dad joined “Uncle John” at Millwood Shoe Repair in 1979. But that was 20 years after John Racioppo opened the business. “It’s been a great 58 years.” Rocco writes, “We have made many friends, many we consider family. I was taught the importance of respect, and hard work will never hurt you. It is okay to get your hands dirty it is never below you. My experiences I have been lucky enough to learn from over 38 years will stay with me for life. On May 1, 2017 my father is walking away and (will) hopefully enjoy retirement. After 38 years my dad and I are leaving a part of our lives behind. Uncle John started it in 1959 and we carried it to 2017.” It’s understood the business will continue under the same name with a new owner.

HAZARD:
Howard St + Rose Av
-Truck struck hydro pole
-Live wires laying on road
-Hydro is o/s
#643754
^dh

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) April 12, 2017

Carlaw Ave at high speed

The CBC says City Staff is recommending that the downtown Relief Line swing west to Carlaw south of Gerrard St. to avoid damage to historic homes CBC

Thor Eaton has died peacefully at home on Monday, April 10, 2017. He is survived by his wife Senator Nicole (Courtois) Eaton, son Thor Edmond (and his wife Michelle (Bakos)) Eaton and Cleophee (and her husband Scott McFarland). Mr. Eaton is also survived by his three brothers, John, Fred and George and their families. The full obituary is published at the Humphrey Funeral Home site. It invites friends to join the family for a celebration of Thor Eaton’s his life at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 21st in Timothy Eaton Memorial Church at 230 St. Clair Avenue West.

The Menchies Purple Vikings are winners of the Novice championship at the Queen of House tourney played last weekend at Leaside Arena. Queen of the House is a new tournament with not much online but it seems these winning 8 and under girls are part of the Leaside Wildcats organization. Good work girls.

#TTC 56 Leaside: s/b via Duplex, Orchardview, Yonge, Roehampton, Redpath; n/b Redpath, Soudan, Berwick; 9 pm-5 am. Tunnel borer removal.

— Transit Toronto (@transittoronto) April 12, 2017

Aerial in March shows main station to upper right

Looking northwest shows the bank building left, and secondary entrance,, right

Depiction of the finished Mt. Pleasant Station

A sparsely-attended meeting organized by Metrolinx to answer questions about the Mt. Pleasant LRT Station was held in the basement of Northern Secondary School Tuesday. As many will know, the entrance to the transit line will be housed at street level in a re-built 1920 bank building modified to handle the traffic. A secondary entrance will be located to the east of the intersection. Both entrances will be on the north side of Eglinton Ave. E. Excavation of the underground station is about to begin and will require on and off single lane and various no-turn prohibitions at the corner for the best part of a year. The rebuilt stone bank is expected to rise sometime in 2020.

The Mailonline has revelaed that the passenger who was dragged from an United Airlines flight is 69-year-old grandfather Dr David Dao, a doctor of internal medicine. Footage of the Vietnamese-American being hauled off the overbooked flight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Sunday is causing an outrage on several continents including China, where widely believed he is Chinese.  Dr Dao is heard in videos saying he needed to get home to Louisville so he could see patients. Also “They’ll kill me” (earlier post)  The Mailonline says Dao is a father of five and a grandfather, who specializes in internal medicine. Four of his five children are doctors. His wife Teresa, 69, is a pediatrican who trained at Ho Chi Minh University in Saigon and also practices in Elizabethtown, Kentucky about 40 miles south of Louisville. Their eldest son Tim, 34, practices medicine in Texas; their second son Ben, 31, is a medical graduate; their daughter Christine, 33, is a doctor in Durham, NC; and their youngster daughter Angela, 27, is a medical graduate of the University of Kentucky.

NEW YORK POST CLAIMS HE HAS A SORDID PAST

There is even more to learn about Dr. Dao however. The New York Post says he is a poker playing fanatic who has traded drugs for sex, according to police and court records.  Doctor dragged off flight was convicted of trading drugs for sex

Disoriented man repeated “They’ll kill me.”

The medical doctor who was thrown off the United Airlines flight from Chicago to Louisville was clearly disoriented, repeating “I have to go home” and “They’ll kill me.” He sneaked back on the plane and had to be removed a second time. The reporting has not caught up to public curiosity about what really happened. The man was politely asked (according to the airline) to get off but refused. Police were called and in the process the man started to bleed at the mouth. One passenger on the flight said he felt that United might have offered more money (home much?) to persuade the man. They needed the seat for crew deadheading to staff another flight the next day. But, says the witness, why not send them by car on the five-hour drive to Louisville. An afterthought to be sure. Don Lemon is heard to say he just doesn’t know what his state of mind would be if someone tried to pull him “bloodied” off a plane. Sure Don. How about, “I’m Don Lemon of CNN.”