Toronto  swimming legend Cindy Nicholas has died at the age of 58 from liver cancer. Nicholas became a youthful sensation in the 1970s for her swimming exploits and was widely known as Scarborough’s Sweetheart. For her successes, she was awarded the Order of Canada and later rode a wave of popularity to a seat in the Ontario Legislature (Scarborough Centre). She earned a law degree and practiced near her home. Nicholas burst onto the public scene in 1974 as a 16-year-old when she set a world record for swimming Lake Ontario from Youngstown to the Canadian National Exhibition. Wikipedia records that Nicholas swam the Lake Ontario crossing in 15 hours and 10 minutes. She later swam across the English Channel on 19 occasions, including the first two-way crossing by a woman. She completed a record five two-way crossings including two in one year, earning her the sobriquet Queen of the Channel. Nicholas was named top female athlete of the year in 1977 and given the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award. In 1979 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 1993, she was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2005. She was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. At that time Nicholas is quoted as having said: “I have my home, my  work, my family, my spouse, my daughter and my parents. I’m a lucky girl.”

The annual Magical Gardens of Leaside self-guided tour will take place Saturday, June 18, 2016 and passports are available at several locations. The Leaside Garden Society  sponsors this pleasant day. Tour members can drop in at the eight gardens between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Passports are $15 and provide garden addresses and a tour map. Here’s where to get them:

Bob’s Garden Centre, 959 Mr. Pleasant Rd., north of Broadway
Royal LePage Real Estate, 1391 Bayview Avenue, at McRae Dr.
Stars Food Shop, 900 Millwood Road, at Randolph Rd.
Urban Nature Store in the mall on the west side of Brentcliffe south of Eglinton
Write impressions, 1515 Bayview Avenue, at Millwood Rd.
Wisey’s Pies & Bakehouse, 874 Eglinton Ave. East, at Laird

A Florida craft beer company, Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach, has created six-pack rings that feed wildlife rather than killing it.  And in case the fish or other creatures aren’t in the mood for a snack, the rings are 100% biodegradable and compostable. As reported by Consumerist, the brewery says the design is just as resistant and efficient as plastic packaging, though it is more expensive to produce. The hope is that customers who care about dolphins, turtles, and other creatures of the sea will be okay paying more if it means keeping those animals swimming safely. “It’s a big investment for a small brewery created by fisherman, surfers and people that love the sea,” Peter Agardy, head of brand at Saltwater Brewery, says in a video about the packaging.

St Clair Station: Pleasant Blvd. entrance closing at 2am tonight until mid-June. Use main entrance on St Clair. PRESTO coming soon #TTC

— TTC Customer Service (@TTChelps) May 19, 2016

Nike has released a line of Starbucks-inspired sneakers. They are the “Nike SB Dunk Low “Starbucks” Premium”, the sneakers are brown-colored with streaky swirls of khaki, which of course looks like the steam from a fresh cup of joe. The Nike swoosh is the same green and white colors as the Starbucks logo, and the green is also featured on the outline, along the heel, tongue and base of the shoes. The sneakers are said to be available for a limited time at select Nike retailers but there is no word from Nike about the availability in Canada. And like many in the SB Premium line, these have a grande price, of about $100 a pop, or about the cost of 20 venti-sized lattes.

Tsai Ing-wen has been sworn in as the president of Taiwan. She was openly elected. Comparisons are often made between Taiwan (which makes the undemocratic Chinese Communists crazy) and North Korea, which is run by a Mafia family who keep threatening to nuke the world.

In Niagara Region, a 3-year-old boy has been critically injured when his dad reversed a riding lawn mower not knowing the child was behind him. It happened in the community of Pelham. Reports say the father thought the child was inside the house as he cut the lawn. The family’s next door neighbor is a paramedic supervisor who stabilized the child on the scene. The hospital says the boy is in critical condition.

https://twitter.com/tpscalls/status/733498748274364416

Toronto MLB team breaks five game losing streak. Tulowitzki clinch hit and high quality closer heriosm by Joe Biagini profiled here . The Raptors were crushed 108 to 89 by the Cavaliers.

An odd fire of still unknown origin in and near the Runnymede Station shut down the Bloor St. line today (Line 2) and it caused a huge backup of passengers as the place was evacuated.  “It is still active, but we are in the process of putting it out,” said District Chief Stephan Powell of Toronto Fire. “There are copious amounts of smoke at Runnymede Station. We are currently ventilating that smoke.” Powell said the fire seemed to have started at more than one point and that a subway train was reported as having caught on fire.

Police are alerting the public to the theft of a container of Percocet (also known as oxycodone) the powerful opioid, taken today about 12:45 p.m. from a location at Danforth Avenue and Dawes Road.  They can be harmful, or even fatal, if ingested, especially to children. Percocet comes in round, oval and oblong and can be blue, peach, yellow or pink