As violence against cab drivers in the city continues to increase, the province is now looking for ways to better to protect drivers. Transportation Minister Steve Ashton is meeting with taxi cab companies to consider new measures to end violence against the drivers. There have been 8 assaults against cabbies in the city, in the last month alone.
Another legal battle may be looming involving 2 Manitoba children who were taken from an alleged racist home. The father in the case is planning to appeal a court ruling that gave permanent guardianship of the kids to Child and Family Services. The father apparently feels he has a right to teach his beliefs to his kids. The children were seized by child welfare workers in 2008, when one showed up to school with racist writings and drawings on her skin.
2 spacewalking astronauts from the shuttle Endeavour have attached a 7 meter long room to the international space station. The room, named Tranquility, is the last big addition to the orbiting outpost.
Former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, is recovering in a New York hospital, where doctors opened a clogged artery in his heart. 2 small stents were placed in the artery in a one hour operation that’s actually not uncommon for people with heart problems. Clinton could apparently be released as early as today.
A huge cleanup lies ahead after more than half the cars of a 99 car CN train jumped the tracks about 40 kilometers northwest of Brandon. All the cars were carrying potash. Via Rail even had a couple of its trains delayed because of the spill….although everything is back to normal for Via this morning.
Fewer cars being sold means, fewer tires being bought. The global slump in the auto industry has now shown up in Michelin’s bottom line. The tire giant says its profit last year sank to 143 million dollars….down some 70 per cent from 2008.
Well more than 6 years of planning and construction for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, comes to an end today. The opening ceremonies are set for tonight….7:45 p.m. Winnipeg time to be exact. The ceremonies will be held at BC Place stadium, the first time they’ve ever been held indoors. Speedskater Clara Hughes says she has one concern about being the Canadian flagbearer tonight. Hughes says she gets really emotional during the opening ceremonies, and can’t stop crying.
Some of the athletes and spectators for the winter games might be wondering where winter is. A storm is expected to dump up to 90 millimeters of rain on Vancouver by tomorrow night. And the forecast calls for Vancouver to get a daily high of plus 8 celcius for at least the next week or so.
The man credited with inventing the Frisbee has died. Walter Morrison passed away at his home in Utah yesterday at the age of 90. Back in 1957, Morrison sold the rights to a plastic flying disc which he called at the time, a “Pluto Platter.” It was of course renamed the Frisbee, and went on to sell over 200 million.
As it tries to win back public trust, Toyota says it’ll soon be more forthcoming about problems with its vehicles. And, the world’s biggest automaker says it’ll go beyond what’s legally required. Toyota’s reputation has been battered recently by recalls of almost 9 million vehicles worldwide, thanks to problems like faulty gas pedals and brakes.
