Readable, teachable news.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Millions of dollars worth of coins, and a load of candy, were scattered along the Trans-Canada Highway and in the bush in northeastern Ontario on Wednesday.
A Brink’s tractor-trailer truck was driving along Highway 11 north of Kirkland Lake, when it hit a rock cut.
In this case, rock cuts are steep, rocky cliffs on either side of the highway created when a highway is carved through a hill.
They are common in northern Ontario.
A team of Russian scientists in Antarctica has found an ancient lake buried under more than three kilometres of ice.
The lake – Lake Vostok – has been sealed off from the rest of the world for at least 15 million years.
Scientists think the lake may contain tiny organisms, like bacteria, which are not found anywhere else on earth.
If the organisms exist in the lake, it would be because they have been able to adapt to living in the darkness, saltiness and extreme cold of the hidden lake. In that case, they would likely have developed special features that no other organisms on earth have.
Major League Baseball (MLB) begins on April 4.
Until then, the baseball players are in spring training to fine-tune their skills.
The teams, fans and players are hoping to have a great year—and none more so than 49-year-old pitching hopeful, Jamie Moyer.
If Moyer wins a game this season, he’ll be the oldest pitcher in MLB history to win a regular season game according to the Elias Sports Bureau, an organization that keeps track of baseball statistics.
People in the community of High Park in Toronto have come together to rebuild a special playground there.
On March 17, an early-morning blaze destroyed a section of the castle-like wooden playground in the park.
Police and fire officials are investigating to find out the cause of the fire.
In the meantime, local residents and business owners are already actively planning and raising funds to rebuild the one-of-a-kind structure.
The Jamie Bell Adventure Playground, where the “castle” was, is in High Park, just north of Lake Ontario in Toronto.
It opened in 1999 and is named after a Toronto resident whose idea it was to build the unique playground.
Members of the community are pulling together again to rebuild the portions damaged by the fire.
And it’s not just local residents who have offered to assist; Canadian Tire has pledged a significant donation towards the project.
It was arguably the biggest soccer game in Canadian history.
Certainly it was the biggest and most exciting game the Toronto soccer team, Toronto FC, had ever played.
Last night, Toronto FC played LA Galaxy, which has superstar midfielder, David Beckham (#23) on its team.
Beckham is not just one of the world’s best soccer players; he’s also a world-famous celebrity.
The teams met to play a quarter-final match in the CONCACAF Champions League, which is a tournament featuring teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
It was the first time a Canadian team had been in the CONCACAF playoffs.
Image on this page: Ryan Johnson, Toronto FC; Image courtesy of TorontoFC.ca.
Scientists have discovered a chameleon so small it could sit on your little finger.
The chameleon, which is about three centimetres long, lives on a small island called Nosy Hara, off the coast of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean.
It is the smallest chameleon and possibly the smallest reptile ever discovered. It lives among rocks and leaves on the forest floor. At night it sleeps on plants, about five to 10 centimetres above the ground.
It is mostly grey and brown with an orange tail, and it doesn’t change colour like most chameleons do. The scientists say this is because it’s already the right colour to blend in with its surroundings.
The head of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) was fired from his job this week.
Most people think it’s because he disagreed with Toronto’s mayor’s plans for public transit.
In this case, public transit refers to the city’s system of buses, subways and streetcars.
Gary Webster has worked at the TTC since 1986; for nearly six years he has been the TTC’s Chief General Manager.
As the head of the TTC, part of Webster’s job was to advise Toronto’s politicians about how the city’s transit system should operate.
The Italian government is trying to figure out if there is any truth to reports that rock is falling from the Colosseum.
The Colosseum is a world-famous landmark in Rome, Italy. It is the place where gladiators fought during the time of the Roman Empire (around 80 AD).
It has been damaged over the years by earthquakes and stone robbers, but it remains one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions.
On Feb. 4, The New York Knicks basketball team played the New Jersey Nets at Madison Square Gardens in New York City.
The Nets played hard, but they simply couldn’t beat this Knicks team. There was something special about them… and that was Jeremy Lin.
Jeremy Lin turned heads during that game by scoring 25 points and adding seven assists.
Good numbers for any player, but especially for an undrafted player with only a handful of games under his belt.
But this where the story really gets good.
Canada is expecting two very special visitors from China.
Er Shun and Ji Li are two giant panda bears, which China will be lending to Canada. The pair will live in Toronto for five years, and then in Calgary for five years.
The giant panda is unique to China. They are more than just a native species, however. To the Chinese, panda bears are very symbolic.
If China lets one of its panda bears live in a country, it’s a sign that China feels warmly towards that country.
In this case, the offer came during a recent four-day visit to China by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
