The South Bayview Bulldog

Food delivery may become a bit slow in the east end of Scarborough as police report that a gang of thieves is ordering stuff and then stealing it from the delivery person. The gang dashes away presumably to a place where they can scarf the stolen edibles. There has been “an ongoing series” of such thefts near Morningside Ave and Sewells Rd. since January 10. Police say some delivery persons have also been threatened.

Rearview mirror damaged in collision with pedestrians

A victim’s laptop

Left behind on the car that hit pedestrians

Police investigate

Woman driver of Toyota stayed as scene

Captures from a City News video show the grim signs of an accident in a North York shopping area parking lot in which a woman pedestrian in her 30s was critically injured Thursday. Two others, another woman in her 30s and a 17-month-old child who was in a stroller at the time of the accident, were assessed by paramedics on scene and were released. It occurred during the noon hour near Lawrence Ave and Keele St. The driver of the vehicle, a woman in her 70s, remained on the scene. City News

Metrolinx has announced that work will go on through January and into February to install new and permanent traffic signal infrastructure at Brentcliffe Rd. and Eglinton Ave.  The work calls for cycling lane closures to facilitate works at the corners and crossing the intersection as seen in diagrams published here. 

Southern Ontario and the GTA will be cold and then buried in snow as the weekend begins. In fact, the coming week is forecast to be fairly cold. A drop of 15 cms is expected Saturday.

The Ontario government will compensate parents of children forced to stay home because of strikes called by the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.

Billie Eilish

Mitch Marner and mom Bonnie

Blaine Ruppenthal

Up first on Faces is alternate singer Billie Eilish, 18  We’ve caught her smiling even though she usually twists her pleasant features into sinister stares for her young audience. But now Billie is on contract to write and sing the theme song of the next James Bond movie, No Time To Die. Billie says she is honoured. At centre, Bonnie Marner, Mitch’s mom, who confesses to City News she never thought about her son, now 22, being a huge star. She just wanted him to have fun. Bless you, Bonnie. At right, shocking news that a young Winnipeg high school student and air cadet, Blaine Ruppenthal, 17, has died in hospital from the this year’s intense strain of Influenza A.

Casey is the new name given to the dog found in a suitcase by joggers earlier this month. Audra Brown updates the story.

The world’s second Starbucks pickup-only store will open in downtown Toronto in February to offer services solely for people ordering on their mobile phones. New York City was the first city to get the new, smaller Starbucks, which offers no seating, and only caters to customers who order ahead with the Starbucks app. The second pick-up location will open on Feb. 4 at 25 King Street West in Commerce Court. CTV

Crazy truck rage?

With the dawn Wednesday comes the story of a gravel truck driver who claims he didn’t even see the car that he hit and drove off the road on the 401 near Bayview Ave. Monday. Happily, no one was seriously hurt in the crash. It came to the attention of police because of dashcam video posted to Twitter. It shows the huge truck whacking the Honda Civic and driving it off the road. On the right shoulder, the truck sideswipes the car with a terrific force that seems intentional. As noted, the women driver of the Honda escaped serious injury. Her side of the story is not yet published. There many questions hanging over this one.