This CBC report chronicles the moving story of Terry and Georgia Pirovolakis as they battle against time and a rare genetic disorder called SPG50 to save their son Michael, 18 months. The hereditary spastic paraplegia will eventually rob Michael of all functions in his arms, legs and brain. Since Michael was diagnosed in April, lawns across East York and Leaside have seen a mushrooming of signs asking for help. The family is trying to raise $3 million, the staggering price of specialized gene therapy to cure Michael. A Go Fund Me campaign has already raised $684,000.
There was no winning ticket for the $9 million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw. However, the guaranteed $1 million prize went to a ticket holder in Ontario. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on Sept 25 will be approximately $11 million.
Niagara Regional Police say both Joshawa Raymond Douglas Brooks, 28, of Fort Erie, and his wife, 29, have died in the Niagara River after Brooks abruptly grabbed his young son and leaped into the river Friday. His wife also plunged into the turbulent waters in an effort to save her son. In the end, the lad is the only one to survive. The attack happened around 6:30 p.m. in the area of Jarvis Street and Niagara Boulevard in Fort Erie. An eyewitness account was carried by NewsTalk610 Radio.
Bob Steckley was in his driveway when he noticed the commotion going on by the water, so he ran to the shoreline with a few life jackets. Steckley entered the water and said the boy was terrified. “His eyes were huge as I came towards him. He was starting to go under, splashing around.” Once the child was brought to shore, Steckley and another good Samaritan performed CPR on the unresponsive mother until they were relieved by emergency responders The child’s mother was transported to hospital in critical condition, while the young boy was taken to a local hospital for further assessment. Steckley, a former Ward Three Councillor, is still waiting to hear whether or not the mother pulled through. He says he didn’t get much sleep last night.
Once again no winning ticket was sold for the $40 million jackpot in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw. That means the jackpot for the next draw on Sept. 24 will be approximately $50 million, and there will also be two Maxmillions prizes of $1 million dollars each up for grabs.
Mason’s Fine Foods has opened at 692 Mt. Pleasant Rd. just south of Soudan Ave. It sits between Starbucks and Meridian Credit Union and is part of the regeneration of the block. Two doors down at 688, the former DiSantis Men’s Hair Salon is nearly remade into a modern retail premises. Mason’s is owned by Peer to Peer Hospitality and sells good-looking sandwiches and accessories made on the site for both sitting in and taking out. It will soon have a retail meat counter as well.
A man is dead after a shooting in an industrial area of Scarborough Thursday night. His name is published by media as Charankan Chandrakanthan, 25. Tammie Sutherland reports police believe a social gathering was happening in the area at the time and are urging any witnesses to come forward. Also happening is the stabbing of two teens in Brampton and the brandishing of firearms among young know-it-alls in the same City.
The so-called Climate Strike of students staying out of class to protest the state of the environment is proving a big success in many countries. The “strike” is set to last a week until next Friday. The concern of students is strong in places like Australia and India. There is no evidence of such activity in China, however, one of the world’s largest users of petroleum. The Climate Strike movement has been busy for several months. It is an issue of enormous complexity not least of which is the world’s growing population. Some young women have sworn publically that they will never have children because of the climate.
Lawrence Park resident Kate Wheeler has posted her concerns to Facebook about damage to a 200-year-old oak tree which sits on the property she owns with her husband near Mt. Pleasant and St. Leonards Ave. It is near the property line at the rear where a new home is being built, and reportedly, a pool measuring 32 by 16 feet which Wheeler feels may damage the tree roots.
Time for some pictures snapped personally or pulled from the sky by Bulldog agents in recent days. Upper left are the cutest soccer champs ever with their trophies at the East York Soccer League games this week in Dieppe Park. They wear the shirts of the law firm of Morris Stoltz Evans. Upper right, the vanity plates on this Rolls Royce outside McSorley’s suggest that the driver can thank his dad for an elegant ride. The saloon’s clientele must be impressed. At center-right is a stunning sunrise posted to Ann Brown’s Leaside Chit Chat page by Russell Sutherland, Visual Storyteller. We’re looking east down Eglinton from Don Avon about 6.45 earlier this month. At the bottom, well, we just love these guys from the 330 Air Cadets in the gym at Danforth Tech. They’re telling other kids who want to join the fun to get over to the school on Monday, September 23 at 6 p.m.
A Conservative government would overcome legal objections to building new petroleum pipelines by fast-tracking any cases right to the Supreme Court of Canada, party leader Andrew Scheer says. Scheer and other Conservatives have for years said Ottawa has to “assert federal jurisdiction” to get important projects built, but he has not until now explained what that would mean in practice. CBC
