In the news…
Saying ``Congress must act,'' President George Bush is warning the economic damage to the US will be ``painful and lasting'' without passage of a 700 billion dollar bailout bill. Bush says the American economy is depending on ``decisive action on the part of our government.'' Yesterday, the House voted narrowly to defeat the massive relief measure that his administration and leading members of Congress had hammered out in weekend negotiations. But Bush says work continues on a rescue package.
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The futures market in Manhattan suggests stocks could be headed for a partial rebound after both New York and Toronto logged their steepest losses in years yesterday. The turnaround isn't completely unexpected -- carnage on the market often attracts bargain hunters. Asian indexes were mixed and markets are down slightly in Europe.
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The provincial government is being accused of not doing enough to help people prepare for dark clouds on the economic horizon. N-D-P Leader Howard Hampton says people are hurting already and Tory Ted Chudleigh says ``we are in desperate times.'' All of this after Finance Minister Dwight Duncan admitted yesterday there is more ``uncertainty'' because of the U-S financial crisis. Duncan is preparing an economic statement for October 22nd and says any restraint measures will be ``fairly modest in the beginning.''
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The Federal Conservatives have rejected a suggestion by N-D-P Leader Jack Layton that Prime Minister Harper call an all-party leaders' summit, in light of the financial market meltdown stateside. A spokesman for Harper says it won't happen - that the leaders will have the chance to debate all major issues at the televised debates tomorrow and Thursday. Deputy Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is warning this country's business elite that if the Tories win next month, Canadians will wake up in a nation they no longer recognize. He says the Harper government's economic record reads like a ``litany of failure.''
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Kitchener's finance and corporate services committee has approved a trimmed down proposal for the expansion of the Central Public Library on Queen Street. The planned expansion will now be 25-thousand square feet - down from 30-thousand - and will cost an estimated 39.8 million - down from 44.6. More than 32-million dollars for the project will come from city's economic development investment fund. Construction on the project is expected to last 2 and a half years. The Library was originally built in 1962.
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No one was injured in a Kitchener house fire this morning, but fire crews were in for an unpleasant surprise when they arrived on scene. Because of roadwork all the fire hydrants were dry. The fire broke out around 2:30 on Clark Avenue. An extra pumper truck was called in and firefighters were able to contain the fire to the home's basement. Four occupants escaped the home unharmed. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
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A special constable responsible for escorting prisoners to and from court has been charged with allegedly assaulting a person in custody. The 38-year-old man employed by Halton Regional police west of Toronto is charged with assault following the alleged incident on September 18. Police say the prisoner was assaulted while being transported to a Milton court and did not suffer serious injuries. Escort officer Michael Lindow of Mississauga has been suspended from duty and is to appear in court in Milton on November 4. The escort unit is part of the police court services bureau and special constables are civilian employees.
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A London man who had sex with his daughter over the past six years has been sentenced to four years in prison. The girl was first assaulted when she was about 11. Her father, who cannot be named to shield her identity, has been in custody since early April. His name will be on a federal sex offender registry for 20 years and is banned from possessing weapons for 10 years.
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A third arrest has been made in the shooting of a 16-year-old boy at a high school in Toronto's east end on September 16th. A 16-year-old police were seeking in connection with the shooting at Bendale Business and Technical Institute has turned himself in. He faces eight charges. Two others are already in custody, including the victim, who was later charged with armed robbery, and an 18-year-old man.
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Officials say at least 125 people were killed and 50 injured when thousands of pilgrims stampeded Today at a Hindu temple in western India. Police say severe overcrowding apparently caused the crush as more than 12,000 people gathered at the temple to celebrate a Hindu festival. A pilgrim who was standing in line, says the stampede apparently began as false rumors of a bomb spread among the crowd.
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Ontario's street racing law is one year old today and police continue to pull over speeders at an alarming rate. Many question whether the law is working if people continue to break the rules but OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino says he still considers the law a success. If the current trend of about 20 drivers ticketed a day continues - more than 10-thousand will be nabbed by the end of the calendar year.
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Today's the day Canadians can begin working to block calls from telemarketers. A national ``Do Not Call'' list comes into force today, and is being run by Canada's broadcast regulator, the C-R-T-C. Once a person registers their number on the list, telemarketers will be barred from dialing that number - or face a hefty fine if they do.
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In sports…
With the crowd chanting his name, Luke Schenn came through for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 18-year old scored the shootout winner to give his team a 4-3 preseason victory over the St. Louis Blues. Schenn was Toronto's first-round pick at this year's draft. Niklas Hagman scored twice and Alex Steen added a goal in regulation for Toronto.
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The Chicago White Sox have home-field advantage for a one-game playoff against the Minnesota Twins. The White Sox forced the playoff by beating the Detroit Tigers 8-2. The winner will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the playoffs.
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The Blue Jays will have to find a new president this off-season. Paul Godfrey has announced he's stepping down from the post he has held since September 2000. The resignation takes effect at the end of the calendar year. General manager JP Ricciardi has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave if Godfrey does, but he says he's staying put.
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The Baltimore Ravens are undefeated no longer. Jeff Reed kicked a 46-yard field goal in overtime and the Pittsburgh Steelers overcame a 10-point deficit for a 23-20 win over the Ravens.