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Weekend Newsstand: July 17, 2010
Illustration by Matt Daley/Torontoist.
In weekend news: bubbles get blown at Queen’s Park, the lotto jackpot gets jacked up, golf makes a comeback while making drivers angry, and there is peace to be had by your pets.
Officer Bubbles has gone viral. The video of the very surly cop who threatens to arrest a G20 protester for blowing bubbles has even made it to Fox News. Bubbles, a.k.a. Constable Adam Josephs, sidles over while the bubble-blower chats with a female officer and warns, “You touch me with that bubble, you’re going into custody.” Apparently, Josephs was also talking smack about the public he serves on his Facebook profile, which was made private yesterday morning. Seemingly grumpy as fuck on and off duty, he hung up on the Star. He’ll be pleased to know that bubbles will be floating in Queen’s Park with a vengeance today, as protesters gather to support a public inquiry.
And speaking of the G20 (yes, still), police say twenty more names could be added to their G20 “most wanted” list. Police announced today that two people were arrested and warrants were issued for another three. Look forward to more pictures being released in the coming days.
If you didn’t play for Friday’s fifty million dollar Lotto Max jackpot because you have expensive taste and figured it wasn’t worth it, you might be tempted to pick some numbers next time around. No one held a winning ticket, so the jackpot rises to about seventy-six million dollars for the July 23 draw. Still, it seems Canadians might be getting a bit bored with the frequency of the outrageous jackpots (too much of a good thing?); ticket sales increased from last week, but dropped 28% from the last big pot in June.
After forty-two years of absence, the Canadian Open returns to Toronto. With it comes “a handful of guys with no fashion sense” and the closure of Islington Avenue. The tournament, which has had a rough go of it recently with no major sponsors or stars, is making a comeback at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. Instead of a roadway, Islington will become a TV camera and merchandise tent haven until July 30. Residents have special city-issued passes that get them past security, but closure confusion has already begun as commuting drivers try to navigate their way through side streets. Still, unlike three years ago, this time eight of the twenty-five best players in the world are coming to check out the course, and the local economy stands to rake in twenty million bucks.
If Fido’s not doing so hot and burying him in a box under your porch just doesn’t seem right after years of unconditional friendship, there’s a solution. “Pet-death specialist” Helen Hobbs offers an alternative at her Beaches storefront Pets at Peace. In her shop, you’ll find hardwood floors (ooh), exposed brick (aah), and glass display cases that hold specialized pet urns and lockets. Hobbs went from working at a regular funeral home to opening a doggy daycare to…combining the two? It’ll cost you $225 for a whole package, which includes pickup, cremation, and the urn. Hobbs said one elderly woman was beside herself at the loss of her cat, admitting, “I’ve cried more for my kitty than for the death of my mother.” Yikes. But if this sounds like you, you know where to go.
And finally, cops are trying to figure out what happened between a taxi cab and two cyclists. The collision occurred at Bloor and Bathurst streets at about 2:30 a.m. this morning. The cyclists, likely in their twenties, were found unconscious. The cabbie is A-okay.
Happy Weekend!