Michael roared towards the Florida panhandle as a Category 4 hurricane this morning, hours before it was projected to make landfall and with long−range forecasts predicting its remnants will eventually pass south of Nova Scotia. The unexpected brute has grown swiftly into what could be one of the panhandle’s worst hurricanes in memory, with destructive…
Man Charged With Kidnapping Two Kids
EDMONTON — A man faces charges that include kidnapping with a firearm following an Amber Alert that was issued in Edmonton. But while the alert issued Friday afternoon related to a 14−year−old girl, Edmonton police say the abduction charge stems from an earlier confrontation. The girl was found safe with the 47−year−old suspect, who was…
Irreplaceable Instruments Stolen From 54-40 Rock Band
VANCOUVER — West Coast rock band 54−40 says it was robbed of seven “irreplaceable” instruments ahead of two shows in Vancouver Friday and Saturday night. In a pair of statements posted to the group’s Facebook page, the band says the instruments were stolen from a rented cube van Friday morning in New Westminster, B.C. The…
Walmart Removes Bathing Suit Ad for ‘Fat Girls’
SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Walmart Canada is apologizing for a now−removed advertisement promoting an item with the term “fat women swimsuit” in the title. The third−party ad for a modest, plus−sized floral print bathing suit described the product as the “best choice for fat girls to spend hot summer.” In an emailed statement, Walmart spokeswoman…
Killer Paul Bernardo On Trial for Possession of Weapons
NAPANEE, Ont. — Notorious killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo is due in an eastern Ontario courtroom today for his trial on a weapons possession charge. Authorities accuse the maximum−security inmate of possessing a “shank” — consisting of a screw with a pen as a handle — in prison in February. The 54−year−old Bernardo had…
Don’t Take Pot on International Flights
OTTAWA — Canada’s transport minister says travellers aboard domestic flights will be allowed to carry a small quantity of cannabis with them after Oct 17. But Marc Garneau warns against packing it into luggage that’s destined outside the country. And the country’s airport screening authority says it has yet to finalize procedures for dealing with…
Canadian Scientist Receives Nobel Prize
WATERLOO, Ont. — A Canadian professor ended a 55−year drought for female physicists when she was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize for physics on Tuesday, becoming only the third woman to ever win it. Donna Strickland of the University of Waterloo in Ontario won part of the US $1.01 million prize, which she shared with…
Neurosurgeon Stitches Up Beloved Teddy Bear
HALIFAX — A Halifax neurosurgeon performed a career first when a young patient asked him to stitch up a beloved teddy bear while the boy recovered from surgery. Dr. Daniel McNeely has looked after eight−year−old Jackson McKie since he was an infant, and said he couldn’t say no when the boy asked him to fix…
Trump Approves of New Continental Trade Deal
OTTAWA — In the new dawn of North American free trade, the stock−taking of winners and losers has begun, but the catalyst of the marathon 14−month negotiation — U.S. President Donald Trump — is calling it a great deal for all three countries. It was a magnanimous early morning Twitter appearance from an American president…
Paralyzed Humbolt Player Getting Used to New Normal
AIRDRIE, Alta. — Erika Burns knew something was wrong the day that a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos collided with a semi−trailer in rural Saskatchewan. The 20−year−old had been dating Ryan Straschnitzki for about a month and had been texting him on his way to the playoff game in Nipawin, Sask., on April 6. “He…