Dry-aged Certified Angus a beef-eater’s delight at Grilltime

Saturday saw a delicious unwrapping and preparation of Certified Angus Beef at Andy Elder’s Grilltime shop at 62 Laird Drive. Upper left, Tim Chapchuk of Macgregors Meat and Seafood of Toronto cut the meat. The Ontario striploin is dry-aged for 42 days to concentrate flavour  Macgregors says no cooking method can generate the depth of flavor of a dry-aged high quality piece of meat. It’s a bit like aging fine cheese. Bon appetit.

No winning ticket for Saturday’s $7 million Lotto 649 prize

No winning ticket was sold for the $7 million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw. However, the guaranteed $1 million prize was claimed by a ticket holder in the Prairies. The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on May 8 will be approximately $9 million.

Pedestrian blind-sided at Steeles/Markham, gravely hurt

In yet another incident of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle turning left and approaching from behind, a woman has sustained life-threatening injuries this week. It happened Thursday about 5:15 p.m. as a woman, 47, crossed Markham Rd. on the south side of Steeles Ave. walking east to west. A car driven by a man, 41, approached from the rear on Steeles to make a left turn onto Markham. He hit the woman and now police are asking for help locating security or dash camera footage of the scene. This blind-side jeopardy for pedestrians seems to throw up dozens of such accidents.

Peel police sort out heavy-damage fail-to-remain Saturday

One driver has serious injuries and another is being sought following a fail-to-remain collision at Steeles Ave. and Winston Churchill Blvd. about 2 a.m. Saturday. From the look of the wrecked car above, it rolled over. Police say they are on the trail of the other motorist.

Loblaws recall of PC sauces over possible glass fragments

Loblaws. is recalling certain President’s Choice brand and PC Black Label brand sauces due to the potential presence of glass fragments.The affected products include President’s Choice Creamy Horseradish in 250 ml bottles with best before dates (BBD) up to Sept. 9, 2019, President’s Choice Thai Red Curry Cooking Sauce in 400 ml bottles with BBD up to Dec. 15, 2019 and PC Black Label Lemon Curd in 250 ml bottles with BBD up to Sept. 21, 2019. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace — CP

Winning ticket for $50 million Lotto Max jackpot in Quebec

A ticket holder somewhere in Quebec won the $50 million jackpot in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw. There were also two Maxmillion prizes of $1 million each up for grabs, but neither was claimed. The jackpot for the next Lotto Max draw on May 10 will be approximately $12 million.

Ford plans to restore developer “de novo” power over City

The Ford government has proposed legislation which some City Councillors say will return Toronto to the whim of developers who wish to disregard municipal planning. Changes proposed for the new Local Planning Appeals Tribunal would permit so-called “de novo” hearings in which a developer can argue that planning laws should not apply to size, height, density and many other constraints on large buildings. One of those issuing statements of alarm is Ward 15 member Jaye Robinson. She is urging residents to comment or complain to the government here.  News release

Thai Queen grovels, Alex Jones axed and Yvonne’s a Righter

At left is Suthida Tidja formerly the security chief for Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Now she is his new queen. Her majesty was required to crawl to her future husband with her face against the floor in an unusual ritual symbolizing something or other. At centre is Alex Jones, one of seven hate mongers banned from Facebook Friday after much agonizing about free speech. The deeply entrenched anti-Semitism of Louis Farrakhan has also been dumped. It’s all good by The Bulldog. Finally, it’s one thing to be righter than right but another to be lovelorn at the same time. Yes, a dating service for Conservatives.

Cherry trees slow to blossom for traditional holiday viewing

Traditional cherry blossom viewing may be curtailed this weekend even as temperature threaten to reach the mid-teens on Saturday and Sunday. Other weekend events below:

Teens on birth control are less likely to suffer knee injuries

Researchers at Brown University in Rhode Island have found that oral contraceptives are linked to a lower risk of serious knee injuries — particularly in teenagers, according to a news release from the British Taylor & Francis Group, which published the findings this week in the journal The Physician and Sportsmedicine. “Young athletes use oral contraceptives for a variety of reasons,” lead researcher Dr. Steven DeFroda said in a statement, citing menstrual cycle regulation and stopping pregnancy. “With careful assessment of the risks, injury risk reduction could be another way in which female athletes may benefit from their use.” The authors’ observational study analyzed more than 165,000 women and girls who ranged in age from 15 to 49 and were found in a United States database showing insurance and prescription information over the course of ten years, researchers said. Their analysis revealed that teenagers on birth control were 63 percent less likely to need reconstructive surgery following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear than those not taking oral contraceptives, according to the study. Why? Apparently lower, stable hormones keep ligaments firmer.  The Telegraph

Can they top this? Cody principal’s high bar for Spring Fair

Many will recall (top left) the Maurice Cody Spring Fair of two years ago when principal Robert Nigro agreed to get a cream pie in the face from his vice Adelia Vala. To say that it was a hit with the kids hardly describes the fun. The 2019 annual fair is set for May 25. Thanks to Mo Tantowi for the tip. Elsewhere locally, John Burns has posted this delightful American Goldfinch at the Leaside Instagram account. He reports they’re back at local feeders. Centre right, eminent Leaside baseball stalwart Howard Birnie has been inducted into the Toronto Sports Hall of Fame in the Community Sport Volunteer category. Across the bottom are notices of the Leaside Garden Society Sale May 11 and the Family Wellness Fair at Hodgson Middle School next Wednesday, May 8. Lower right, take a peek at old (and abandoned) Pottery Rd. It snaked its way down the valley before the Bayview Extension was built. Thanks to outdoorsman Rudy Limeback.

Metrolinx starts to fess up about towers at Leaside Station

Metrolinx has published an article online which speaks openly about what many think is the elephant in the room when the Crosstown LRT is discussed. Normally, it’s all about how fast the new rail line will get people across town. Seldom in the past has the provincial transit authority talked how it’s really engaged in making Toronto bigger — much bigger. The article is called As Toronto looks to future growth, Leaside Station holds design secrets to grow with. It tells how some stations are being built to accommodate high-rise development over certain transit junctions. That’s the case with the main Leaside station where the foundation at the site (located on the southeast corner of Bayview and Eglinton) is being built to support condo and/or commercial development above. It leaked in 2015 that Metrolinx had consulted with developers about a large, maybe quite high building on the station site. The government has purchased two of the four-plexes on the east side of Bayview south of the station. The station site plus the residential buildings would create a sizeable footprint on Bayview for any new structure. It would also offer stunning eastern exposures overlooking Howard Talbot Park. Fancy a nice east view overlooking Howard Talbot Park?