The South Bayview Bulldog

Megan Markle has written an article for the New York Times telling of a miscarriage this summer. Then, Scotland becomes the first country to make sanitary products free. Below that, Canadian spy wonks probe the money movements of an Iranian citizen living here. Finally, the gripping rescue of a woman from her sunken vehicle after she fell asleep and drove it into the Mahoning River in Alliance, Ohio.

Interest is high this Wednesday in a long, long exchange between members about Conspiracy Pizza in the wake of Tuesday’s closure of Adamson BBQ for violation of lockdown rules. The owners of Conspiracy, which shares space with Adamson on Wicksteed Ave., have been at pains to distance themselves from the rebellious position taken by Adamson on this matter. FB

Adam Skelly has been recorded grinning happily and nodding his head to the beat of rebel music as bylaw officers arrived Tuesday to shut down his lockdown rebellion at the Etobicoke Adamson BBQ at 7 Queen Elizabeth Blvd. His publicity show, announced on Instagram, occurred on a day when the Ontario virus count went a little haywire.

The transition to a Joe Biden presidency in the US will begin, President Trump has said. But Trump continues to refuse to concede.

Homeless men pushing people onto Manhattan subway tracks

A horrifying series of apparently intentional attacks on subway riders by homeless people in New York City has alarmed the community. Two such attacks are recounted on video in this WCBS report.

Netflix says Queen’s Gambit breaking all records

Queen’s Gambit, the buzzy, female-led drama set in the 1960s chess world, has become Netflix Inc.’s most popular limited scripted series ever. BNN

Adam Skelly, owner of the highly successful upstart barbecue restaurant on Wicksteed Ave., has launched an Instagram rebellion against the Ontario government lockdown on indoor dining. Mr. Adamson now owns three such outlets and has announced that his Etobicoke location will defy the lockdown closure Tuesday. City bylaw officers are said to be ready to investigate the challenge. Listen to the full flavour of the Adamson announcement here. And this isn’t the first time Adamson has sounded off against C-19 restrictions.

A mobile crane used to move lighting for night work on the Eglinton LRT collapsed Monday evening when the ground under it was eroded by water, workers on the scene reported. One man closely involved in the incident said the crane operator was aware of the erosion and was making “one last move” of a light standard as the crane toppled over. This source, who identified himself as an apprentice crane operator, told The South Bayview Bulldog that he and the operator leaped clear of the crane as it fell over. He said no one had been injured in the incident although police reports spoke of one person with injuries.

The government’s lockdown on retail business is getting a skeptical review Monday as the Hudson’s Bay store in the downtown Sak’s building has remained open. The purported loophole? There’s Pusatieri’s food outlet somewhere in the department store. According to HBC, that makes it a grocery store. Meantime, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has denounced a decision to permit big box stores like Costco and Walmart to stay open when small retailers are forced to close. It seems like a tough call for the government. Both stores have large grocery businesses even though they sell almost everything else as well.

Loblaws has announced yet another variation on the many aspects of grocery home delivery. It was three years ago that the food giant announced the first organized form of delivery. Now it has partnered with a firm called Gatik Al. According to BNN, this arrangement will see five Ford Transit 350 box trucks outfitted with Gatik’s self-driving system, which will drive on five fixed routes across the Toronto area for seven days a week, 12 hours a day. Self-driving you say. BNN

Bill Gates thinks all vaccines will work

Hard-headed billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates believes “almost all” the Covid-19 vaccines will work and work well, he said in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. Already, vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have shown to be effective in early company data, and Gates said he expects vaccines from AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson and Novavax to have similar success soon. Monday morning, AstraZeneca announced that its vaccine has been 90 percent effective in the final trial stages. “I’m optimistic that by February, it’s very likely they’ll all prove very efficacious and safe,” he said. Gates spoke with CNN on Friday, a day before more than 177,000 people tested positive for the virus and about 1,400 people died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Area scout troops continue to sell Christmas trees this season despite pandemic strictures. Leaside 132nd is limiting business to online sales only with pickup times open. A poster for the 58th Toronto Scouts suggests that sales will go on more or less as normal at the Church of the Transfiguration at 111 Manor Rd.

69th Toronto Scouts cancel Trace Manes tree sales this year

A warning of significant snowfall warning has been issued regionally but the Weather Network forecast for Toronto is one of rain and snow. The precipitation is expected to begin Sunday morning with perhaps 5 to 10 cm of snow possible before the snow tapers heading into Monday. The areas near Lake Ontario will see wet snow or rain. The precipitation is the result of a Colorado Low that will track from Ohio towards the St. Lawrence River Sunday into Monday. There is still some uncertainty in model guidance as to the exact track of the low and the axis of heaviest snow. Environment Canada continues to continue to monitor data.

Two people are confirmed dead and a third person is in critical condition after a collision of several vehicles on Highway 401 at Winston Churchill Blvd. about 9 a.m. Saturday morning. In the minutes following the crash, a number of incorrect details were published. Police now say a man and a woman have died and a third man is critically injured. They were in a Ford F-150. Police tell media that they think the crash first involved two vehicles in the westbound lane. One of these vehicles then crossed through the median and hit a third vehicle. After that, some other vehicles were incidentally caught in the tangle. Toronto Sun video