http://www.102clearfm.com

A city bus driver, found himself walking after a passenger stole his bus yesterday.  The man wanted a ride to a specific location, but the driver refused.  That’s when the guy became aggressive, refused to exit, spit on and shoved the driver.  Fearing for his safety, the driver got off the bus.  Police did find the bus a few kilometers away, and, are still looking for the suspect.

What a difference a couple of days can make.  Just when we thought this year’s flood wouldn’t be that bad, government officials now say, it’ll end up being the 2^nd worst in history.  The warm weather we’ve had the last few days, is melting a lot of snow very quickly; and add to that all the water arriving from the U.S., river levels are rising rapidly.  Officials also say it could be several more weeks before the flood waters recede.

You’re not gonna believe this one !  After weeks of saying she hated it, it turns out the woman nicknamed, “Octomom” is now laying claim to the moniker.  Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to the octuplets in January, has filed applications to trademark her nickname.  The paperwork says Suleman wants to put the Octomom name on t.v. programs, clothing, and disposable and cloth diapers.

The feds have a stern message for Canadian autoworkers at G.M. and Chrysler.  They say they need to agree to wages and benefit cuts of up to 19 dollars an hour, if they hope to keep the automakers going.  But yesterday, the C.A.W. said the union wouldn’t stray from the pattern that saw workers agree to 7 dollar an hour cuts at G.M.

At first glance it would seem a very unlikely alliance, but in Montreal, it could add up to hockey heaven.  Reports today say Celine Dion, Seagram heir Stephen Bronfman and Quebecor CEO Pierre Peladeau are considering a joint bid for the Montreal Canadiens and the Bell Center.  The report says owner George Gillett is now into the 2^nd round of vetting of prospective bidders for the team and arena.

It’s a first on the hit show American Idol.  The judges decided to save 23 year old Matt Giraud from elimination last night, despite having the lowest number of viewer votes.  That means 2 finalists will be sent packing following next week’s disco themed show.

Another day of calls for sandbaggers.  Winnipeg officials have again made an emergency call for volunteers to help build up dikes around 100 city homes.

Places like Scotia street, and Glenwood Crescent are now being threatened by the rising river.  If you can help out today, you’re asked to call 3-1-1.  Some 5 to 600 volunteers are needed.   

The Manitoba government is expanding compensation for firefighters who develop cancer on the job.  Under legislation being introduced today, compensation will now be extended to include esophageal cancer and testicular cancer, in addition to the 8 other types it currently covers.  Union leaders say firefighters are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop certain kinds of cancer because of their exposure to toxic smoke and carcinogens.

New study out this morning says we’re far better of with the public services our tax dollars fund than, we would be with tax cuts.  Services like health care, education, pensions, policing and public works, are all a terrific bargain…..since the study found an average middle income family would have to spend about 41 thousand dollars a year, to buy such benefits on our own.

You knew this was coming.  After weeks of low scores, Steve-O is leaving, “Dancing with the Stars.”  The 34 year old reality star was eliminated from the show last night.  7 couples now remain in the competition.

Comedian Stephen Colbert is getting a component of the international space station named after him.  It’s going to be a piece of exercise equipment, which will now officially be known as, Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill….or….COLBERT for short.

The CEO of Italian automaker, FIAT, says his company is prepared to walk away from partnership talks with Chrysler if the union’s can’t agree to lower costs.  That means, Chrysler could find itself alone and in bankruptcy court, unless its Canadian and American unions agree to cut their labour costs by the end of this month.

The Mounties blame flooding in northwest Manitoba for the drowning of a woman after she and her husband tried to drive across the Woody river yesterday.  Flood waters swept the vehicle away.  Her 82 year old husband is also still missing.  So far, no names have been released.

An 8 year old boy still hasn’t regained consciousness after nearly drowning in a flooded culvert near Portage this weekend.  Samuel Gross, of the Westroc Hutterite Colony, fell into the flood water and got sucked into a culvert.  The boy’s uncle says his nephew is still on life support.

Flooding in the province has damaged some 200 homes so far.  Officials say the damage includes everything from flooded basements to more serious concerns that have made some homes a write-off. 

Meantime, financial help is on the way for people who have been affected.  The province has promised disaster assistance to cover evacuation costs and losses not covered by insurance. 

Prime Minister Harper will be in southern Manitoba today.  He’ll be taking a tour of all the flooding, both north and south of the city.  Harper will start his day in Morris, the town about 50 kilometers south of Winnipeg, is almost entirely surrounded by water.

6 teenaged girls have been arrested in the axe attack of a woman who was on her way to work.  The woman suffered cuts to the head during the assault yesterday, just meters from the credit union where she worked.  The woman is still in hospital in stable condition.

The Afghan military mission has claimed the life of another Canadian soldier.  The 21 year old trooper from Quebec was killed when her vehicle hit a roadside bomb.  4 other soldiers were wounded.  Karin Blais is now the 17^th Canadian soldier, and 2^nd female, to die in this Afghan mission.

All of Nadya Suleman’s babies are at home with her now.  The last of the world’s longest surviving set of octuplets was released from hospital last night.

Well it was a weekend of rescues on the Red.  Thanks to ice jams, some people in the St. Andrews area ended up on their roofs waiting for help to arrive.  At least 60 people were evacuated this weekend in southern Manitoba all because of flood waters.  And, the province says the flood threat ain’t over yet. 

Provincial officials estimate that damage could be in the millions after ice jams caused lots of overland flooding this weekend.  There’s been extensive damage to at least 17 homes in East Selkirk, and several more in Breezy Point were destroyed completely.

Captain Richard Phillips is in U.S. hands this morning, after a dramatic and well planned military operation freed him yesterday.  The American ship captain was rescued from a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean after 5 days as a hostage of 4 Somali pirates. 

In a couple of weeks, it’ll be end of the line for Passport On-Line.  The feds say they’ll stop accepting online applications at the end of the month.  Passport On-Line was launched in 2005 with a promise to reduce to wait times by allowing Canadians to pre-process their application.  The move to cancel the service at the end of this month, comes after complaints from the country’s privacy commissioner, about sloppy security.

“Hannah Montana: The Movie” opened big at the box office this weekend with 34 million dollars in ticket sales, making it the weekend’s top flick.  Last week’s champ, “Fast and Furious” fell to 2^nd and, “Monsters vs. Aliens” was third.

Some interesting numbers this morning.  2 automakers seeking more government bailout money to survive, were more than just profitable once upon a time.  In fact, in their good ole days, General Motors and Chrysler posted a combined total profit of around 37 billion dollars in this country between 1972 and 2007.

The thick layer of ice covering parts of the rising Red River has got everyone on edge.  Premier Gary Doer surveyed the Red River Valley yesterday by air, and said he’s never seen so much ice on the water before.  But despite that, the province decided to partially activate the floodway to divert the water around the city. 

A provincial conference has been told that teachers are the latest target for cyber-bullies.  The Canadian Teachers Federation says the bullying takes place on many social websites, like Facebook and MySpace.  And as a result, they say policies should be place that hold students accountable, even if that activity is done outside the school.

We’ll find out this morning how the country’s employment picture looked last month.  Statscan is warning that figures will show the labour market during this recession is still pretty grim. 

The Simpsons are about to be immortalized by the U.S. government.  Simpson stamps will be issued May 7^th, featuring the whole family…..Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie. 

More products have been added to a growing recall list, linked to those potentially tainted pistachios from the U.S.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning the public to not consume Amira salted California pistachios or Energy Foods roasted pistachios.  Both are linked to that salmonella outbreak down in the States.

Oh, how time flies.  It was exactly 6 years ago today that the U.S. troops helped Iraqis topple a statue of then president, Saddam Hussein, in a square in Baghdad. 

And Fox television is taking some heat over its new reality show.  It’s called “Someone’s Gotta Go.”  In it, employees of economically distressed companies, decide who gets fired.  One critic doubts people are gonna want to watch somebody else’s pain and misery.  But, a Fox executive says if you don’t like it, they don’t watch.

It’s a meat recall that hits close to home.  Vantage Food is recalling ground beef prepared for Safeway stores in this province last month.  The meat was sold in packages of approximately 450 grams; and have a best before, or freeze date of March 19^th.  Anyone who’s got this meat in their freezer is being advised not to eat it.

Another day….another flood update.  Forecasters now say barring any serious ice jams on the Red, or heavy precipitation, Manitoba could escape one of the worst floods in the province’s history this year with minimal damage.  While the flood has been downgraded to the 5^th highest water levels in Manitoba’s history, forecasters say it still has the potential to wash out roads and turn farmer’s fields into lakes.

Some tense times in St. Norbert yesterday.  A gas leak forced about 50 people from their homes last night.  The leak was noticed around 7 p.m., and, as a precaution, gas company and hydro personnel evacuated homes in the area, and closed off roads.  Eventually the leak was found, and everyone was allowed to go home.

The Pope plans to visit central Italy’s quake stricken area as soon as possible.  Officials now say at least 250 people died in Monday’s 6.3 quake, centered just north of Rome.  And strong aftershocks continue.

NBC’s Jay Leno was a shining light last night, in a city that’s been hit really hard by the recession and auto industry layoffs.  The “Tonight Show” host, put on a free show for thousands of people in a Detroit area sports arena last night, saying he wanted to do some good for the auto workers.  There was so much demand for the show, he’s scheduled another one for tonight.

Transport officials have got an idea this morning, about averting bird strikes while flying.  They want to lower the aircraft takeoff speed, because of the potential danger to planes and passengers from bird strikes.  Officials say although some airlines practice this already, it’s not mandatory and many are still going with high speed departures.

Well if you’re planning on making trip State-side, get ready for a major detour.  The province says it’ll close sections of highway 75 at noon today, because of expected washouts.  A few secondary roads are also set to be shut down.  Officials say they expect the highway to be closed for 2 to 3 weeks.

More good news for residents of the Red River Valley, who’ve been sandbagging their properties and bracing for flood water from North Dakota.  For the 3^rd time in a week, flood forecasters have downgraded predictions for the river’s crest south of the city.  They say the cool weather is certainly helping, by making this a slow spring melt.

Rescue workers are using their bare hands and buckets to search through the wreckage of a dormitory which collapsed during Italy’s earthquake.  A half dozen students are believed to be trapped inside.  At least 179 people died in yesterday’s quake, as thousands of buildings collapsed.

Gertrude Baines, has had the “Happy Birthday” song, sung to her more times than anybody.  Yesterday, she celebrated her 115^th at a home in Los Angeles.  Baines is considered by Guiness records, to be the oldest person on Earth.  According to her doctor, Gertrude only has two complaints these days….the arthritis in her knees, and limp bacon.

Okay, not sure if you’re gonna believe this or not, but…..actress Lindsay Lohan and her DJ girlfriend Samantha Ronson have split….again.  Lohan’s publicist says the two have taken a brief break so Lohan can focus on herself. 

A man who’s accused of stealing a small plane from a flight school in Thunder Bay, and flying across 3 U.S. states, is now in custody in Missouri.  Apparently the guy was captured shortly after landing the plane on a rural highway and taking off on foot.  31 year old Adam Leon is under arrest but has not yet been charged.  As Leon flew into U.S. airspace, he was actually intercepted by F-16 fighter jets whose radio calls and signals to land were ignored.

Starting today, city crews will begin monitoring the Red River around the clock.  Flood forecasters expect the river to crest here by April 16^th.  The magnitude of the crest, depends on when river ice moves out of the city and away from the floodway inlet.  And that’s expected to move by the middle of next week.

Meantime….cooler weather for this week, may actually ease the threat of flooding.  Forecasters say the slower spring melt will result in lower crests.  As well, there’s no precipitation expected over the next 4 to 5 days. 

Big brother will soon be watching.  Winnipeg school division schools, will soon have cameras monitoring staff and students in more than half of its 77 schools by the end of the year.  A division spokesperson says cameras will also be installed both outside school buildings and inside school hallways in high traffic areas, all in a bid to stop petty crime and improve school safety.

A Canadian has won what’s arguably the most grueling foot race in the world…a week long, 250 kilometer race across the Chilean desert in 37 degree heat.  Captain Mehmet Danis, a dentist with the Canadian Forces, crossed the line first this weekend, and also raised 4300 dollars for the United Way.

Finally, someone else is getting nailed.  A day after many southern Ontarians basked in spring like temperatures, many are being told to not put away their shovels and snow blowers just yet.  The weather office has issued a heavy snowfall warning for most of southern Ontario, where over 20 centimeters of the white stuff is expected to fall by late tonight.

A whole new way to spy is coming to the Internet.  Google is getting ready to unveil Google street view…a high def, photo mapping service featuring the country’s major cities.  It was created to give users the ability to virtually roam the streets of downtown cores, tourist attractions, commercial centers and neighborhoods.

The premier of Italy has declared a state of emergency after a powerful earthquake rocked the country’s center before dawn this morning.  The 6.3 quake, hit just north of Rome, where a number of buildings have collapsed and killed people. 

The news is looking pretty good on the flood front this morning.  Forecasters now say the Red River, won’t crest as high as first thought.  Apparently, water levels may not reach the heights set 30 years ago, in the province’s 2^nd worst flood of all time.  This despite all the snow we’ve had in the last week.

Well, after a whole lot of talk, it’s now finally gonna happen.  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will begin playing in a new 30 thousand seat stadium, starting in 2011.  After a number of proposals and ideas, the new 120 million dollar building will be built out at the U of M.  The deal also includes a new fitness center for the University and a renovation of University stadium, which will remain standing.

A Winnipeg police officer is charged with attempted murder, and another with fabricating evidence.  The charges stem from a 2007 incident in which a man who was mistaken for a robbery suspect was shot, and then charged with trying to grab an officer’s gun.  This now brings the total number of officers charged with a crime this year, to 6.

We told you about this a couple of time’s…..but now….a Canadian has made the short list for what’s being called the “Best Job in the World !”  39 year old Erik Rolfson of Vancouver is one of 16 candidates to become caretaker of Hamilton Island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.  The winner gets announced on May 6^th.  He or she will get a 6 month contract to lie on the beach and get paid 100 grand for doing it.

Mitsubishi says it plans to boost production of its new electric car, after the first 2 thousand were quickly snapped up.  So, they’re now planning on making another 5 thousand for next year.  The car, which can be recharged from a home socket, will be available only be lease.

Some pretty strong advice from one analyst.  Jacques Kavafian, a prominent airline analyst says, Air Canada needs to take drastic action to survive.  He says the airline needs to drop more than half of its routes, park half of its planes and cut about 6 thousand jobs.  He says the airline can either fly everywhere or make money….but, it just can’t do both.

Another day of worrying about ice jams.  Yesterday, the city added more properties to its flood risk list, all thanks to jams inside the perimeter.  Some 40 homes in the south-end, will now have to raise their dikes by at least a foot for protection.  A couple of days ago, 140 homes were put on alert, in the same area.

Ice cutting efforts north of Selkirk, will likely stop for now….thanks to one of the machines going through the ice on Tuesday night.  Luckily the driver wasn’t hurt, and the machine was pulled out and to shore. 

City police are investigating a suspicious death in Transcona yesterday.  Just after 9 yesterday morning, cops were called out to the 1300 block of Regent avenue west, where an unresponsive female was found.  She was rushed to hospital, but was pronounced dead.  Police now say they’re awaiting autopsy results as they investigate further.

Prime Minister Harper and the other G-20 leaders are busy meeting in London.  They sat down for a breakfast meeting this morning to open the emergency summit on the economic crisis. 

More products tied to that U.s. wide recall of California pistachios are being pulled from the shelves in this country.  Officials now warning us to not eat some President’s Choice brand, premium nut collections and white chocolate pistachio bark.  These products contain pistachios recently recalled in the States over salmonella contamination.

A 7^th octuplet born in January, has now gone home with mom, Nadya Suleman.  Josiah weighed 4 pounds, 8 ounces upon leaving the hospital yesterday.  Meantime, police are looking for whoever tossed a baby’s car seat through the back window of Suleman’s minivan.  The unemployed single mother of 14, has been a target of the public since she gave birth to the octuplets.

And despite fears of computer Armageddon, Conficker caused no major problems yesterday.  The worm that’s been sneaking its way into over 10 million pc’s since last fall was supposed to cause havoc April 1^st.  However, there was almost no major impact.  Nonetheless, computer experts warn Conficker is still out there.