Rob Ford used his weekly radio show to brush off a drink-throwing incident that saw a woman charged with assault. The 27-year-old reportedly threw the beverage - reportedly a slushie (maybe a Slurpee?) - at the mayor during a walkabout at the College Street Taste of Little Italy festival. It missed, but some of the liquid splashed on Ford and he and members of his team chased after the girl.
"It's no big deal," he said, though he's now considering hiring a security team.
Also in flying beverages, the TTC is investigating a driver's claim that a bus driver threw a water bottle at her. The incident allegedly took place at Weston Rd. and Lawrence Ave. W. during an aggressive exchange at the traffic lights. Tara Golfetto says as the driver passed he shouted and swore before throwing a water bottle that hit her in the head.
(It's not Toronto news, but it somehow seems relevant: Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum has been taken in to custody early this morning by Quebec's anti-corruption unit.)
We're entering year three of Union Station construction and things are about to get serious. In about six months time the Bay Street concourse, where GO tickets are currently sold, will close and a new area closer to York Street will open. It's going to be one of the biggest changes for commuters until the reworked station opens in 2015.
The Force must have been with a Toronto couple during their Star Wars-themed wedding photos - they've gone viral online. Leslie Seiler and Paul Kingston had the wedding party Photoshopped in front of a pursuing group of All-Terrain Armored Transport vehicles (At-Ats) from The Empire Strikes Back. The couple have had to cut short their honeymoon to deal with the publicity.
Subway maps are typically not printed to scale. For reasons of simplicity and readability, most are laid out like a wiring diagram, similar to the London Underground's famous route-finding graphic. If you've ever wondered what the TTC's map would look like was arranged accurately, read no further. Reddit user formerpremier has you covered.
Toronto's waterfront will become a sea of sails and rigging next week when 16 tall ships drop anchor for the 2013 Redpath Waterfront Festival. Several vessels, including the Privateer Lynx, served in the War of 1812; another has a hull made from salvaged German U-boats.
Finally, it wasn't the triumphant end crowds of TTC fans, agency staff, and media were expecting for the city's oldest subway train on its retirement run. Just a few stops from its final destination the train, almost 40 years old, suffered a terminal electrical fault at Eglinton West and had to be emptied. Farewell, then.
FROM THE WEEKEND:
- The Distillery continues its rise as a fashion destination
- Toronto bartenders compete for world class status
- A total bummer interview with Japandroids
- Inside the new George Brown waterfront campus
- Abramovic's MAI Prototype lands in Trinity Bellwoods
- New theatre-themed club lands on restaurant row
- 25 things to try at the Toronto Wine and Spirit Festival
- A brief history of the first shopping mall in Toronto
- Get to know a Toronto startup: Hubdoc
- This Week in Comedy
IN BRIEF:
- Woman sexually assaulted in Bayview village [CBC]
- Man shot and killed in Willowdale [Toronto Star]
- Man dead after car crashes into construction site, falls two storeys [Toronto Star]
- 4 killed in GTA road accidents [CBC]
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: Stephen Sokolov/blogTO Flickr pool.