Toronto 10K will close Yonge St. Sunday morning

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Yonge Street will be closed this Sunday between Erskine Ave (north of Eglinton Ave.) to Richmond Street between 6 and 11 a.m. for the  Toronto Yonge Street 10K Marathon. There will be other closures further along the route which, as is set out below, heads west from Yonge at Richmond Street. 
  •  Yonge Street between Erskine Avenue and Richmond Street
  •  Richmond Street from Yonge Street to Peter Street
  •  Peter Street/Blue Jays Way between Richmond Street and Front Street
  •  Westbound Front Street between Blue Jays Way and Bathurst Street
  •  Bathurst Street from Front Street to Fort York Boulevard
  •  Fort York Boulevard from Bathurst Street to Fleet Street (closure from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
  •  Fleet Street’s westbound lanes from Strachan Avenue to Fort York Boulevard – closure from   6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

GO to run every 30 minutes all day on Lakeshore

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Toronto Star

LUC Awesome Sale this year is May 11 and 12.

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A favorite event is the Leaside United Church Awesome Sale that comes along twice a year. This spring the Awesome Sale will take place on Friday May 10 ( 3 to 7 p.m.) and Saturday May 11 (9 a.m. to noon). As usual there will be thousands of pre-sorted items including, jewellery, clothing,  small appliances, housewares and many other items. All funds will go to support the LUC and Outreach programs. The church is located at the corner of McRae Dr. and Millwood Rd. 

Tight fit for drywall crane on Rose Park Drive

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Leaside historical tableau opens Tuesday

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Many Leasiders are looking forward to what will no doubt be a cornerstone event in this month centennial celebration. The tableau display describes, explains and interprets the cultural landscape of Leaside through the decades of Leaside’s history. The exhibit opens Tuesday at the Leaside Library and runs through Sunday April  28, 2013. Here are the times:  Official Opening: Tuesday, April 23, 9.25am Regular. Open times: Tuesday April 23, to Sunday April 28, 2013. Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9.00am to 8.30pm; Friday, Saturday: 9.00am to 5.00pm; Sunday: 1.30pm to 5.00pm Leaside Public Library, 165 McRae Drive

Latest on that nocturnal chopper nuisance

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The annoying helicopter activity over Yonge-Eglinton and points east last night was apparently caused by a developer or real estate firm taking video for future use of some kind. This is the word from Josh Matlow (Ward 22) on his tweet parade today. Says Mr. Matlow “They were collecting footage for a potential development, gave no warning to the City or local residents. I don’t want this to be repeated.” Amen sir. 

Chopper over Eg/Mt Pleasant draws complaints

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A helicopter has been circling the Mt. Pleasant /Eglinton area on and off for the last few hours leaving residents annoyed and confused.  City News has said that it is part of a movie shoot. Twitter thread. One Broadway Ave area resident told The South Bayview Bulldog that she saw and felt the rumble of a big black whirlybird. She’s not happy.

U.S. man accused in G20 riots wins bail

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Doorman Joel Bitar
Court granted self-styled anarchist Joel Bitar bail in the amount of  $100,000 today and permitted him to return to New York City where he lives with his mother and father. Bitar is a 27-year-old doorman who in the past has called anarchy “direct democracy”. Police say he was a one-man wrecking crew, wielding a hammer at business windows and police vehicles and causing damage totalling $400,000.  Bitar and four other U.S. citizens have been tracked down by Toronto Police with the help of  U.S. authorities by sifting through thousands of pictures and hundreds of videos. In this instance, according to Detective Sergeant Gary Giroux, an outraged peaceful protester followed Bitar taking pictures of him. The images form a history, police say, of the Manhattan doorman’s violent rampage while masked and later when he unmasked and melted into the crowds. The peaceful protester will testify for the Crown at Bitar’s trial. Michele Mandel was in court today and wrote a highly readable account.

Marcus Gee states opposition to a casino

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Marcus Gee, the conservative writer who frequently supports Mayor Ford, has written in the Globe and Mail that Toronto should not accept a casino. His column is headlined “Casinos are for losers, and Toronto is a winner”. In making his case Mr. Gee expands on two themes. He says only a city that is so depressed or so hard up that it cannot pay for its services ought to be seeking a casino. Toronto, he says, is neither. He quotes  the planning department assessment that downtown is a vibrant, growing place. In fact, any resident knows this from simple observation. Mr.Gee also remarks on the requirements set out by city manager Joe Pennachetti which stipulated a minimum of $100 million in so-called hosting fees. The city manager, said Gee, all but put his little finger in his mouth like Dr. Evil by making this demand. 

Future of Yonge Street is writ large on the wall

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It has to be said that Josh Matlow (Ward 22) has his work cut out for him. The future of the east side of Yonge Street north of Davisville Ave is writ large on walls wherever one looks. And the message is up, up, up. The challenge for the city is  to somehow reconcile the continued pleasant enjoyment of private homes on streets like Belsize Drive and Soudan Ave. with the pressure to build light-blocking giants next door. The task has not been made any easier by the precedent set when the Minto Midtown went soaring to new heights near Yonge and Eglinton Ave. But whether its the ratty, and in some cases vacant little shops north of Davisville and Manor Road, or the lurking expectations for the Art Shoppe building between Hillsdale and Soudan, everything seems to signal a rising skyline that is unstoppable.   

FBI lectures hair-trigger media for arrest report

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation harshly refuted reports that a suspect in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings was arrested Wednesday. Several media outlets, including The Associated Press, CNN and Fox News reported an arrest was made Wednesday afternoon, citing law enforcement sources. “Contrary to widespread reporting, no arrest has been made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack,” the FBI said in a released statement. “Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting.” CBS and NBC initially countered press reports saying that no arrest had been made.

Singer Rita McNeil dead at age 68 after surgery

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Canadian singer Rita MacNeil has died. She was 68. According to a statement on the singer’s website, MacNeil passed away last night from complications following surgery. Rita MacNeil was born on May 28, 1944, in Big Pond, Cape Breton, N.S.