Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Bartolucci helping Bigger in re-election campaign:
While he decided against running for mayor, former Ontario cabinet minister Rick Bartolucci will be involved in this October's municipal election. Bartolucci, who was a councillor in the former Region of Sudbury and is also a former Liberal MPP in Sudbury, will be helping Mayor Brian Bigger's re-election campaign. While he's not running it, Bartolucci has confirmed he'll be helping the campaign. It's a significant boost in political experience for Bigger, who had not run for office before 2014. Prior to that campaign, he had served as the city's first auditor general. In contrast, Bartolucci was part of Liberal governments in Ontario since 2003, serving as Northern Development and Mines minister, as well as Community Safety and Correctional Services. He retired from provincial politics in February 2013. Bigger, who won the mayoralty with 46.32 per cent of the vote, is facing 10 challengers this time around, including Dan Melanson, who finished second in 2014 with 19.25 per cent of the vote. Other returning candidates for mayor include Jeff Huska, who won 4.36 per cent last time around, and David Popescu, who won a mere 0.11 per cent of the vote four years ago.
Six of 41 forest fires burning out of control in the northeast:
Of the 41 forest fires burning across the northeast, six were burning out of control, according to Monday's update from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. The remaining 35 fires are either being held, are under control or are being observed. One new fire — Sudbury 108, about 0.4 hectares in size — is not under control. One fire was listed as extinguished as of this morning. Incident Management Teams continue to manage the two priority fires, the Lady Evelyn Cluster and Parry Sound 33. Parry Sound 33, which has caused evacuation orders, is being held at 11,362 hectares. While a daytime travel restriction remains in place for the Pickerel and Key rivers areas, officials are allowing cottage owners and residents to return to their properties. With weather conditions still hot and dry, those in the area will continue to see smoke drifting for the next two or three days, the ministry said this morning. Ground crews continue to mop up hot spots around the fire perimeter. Meanwhile, the massive Lady Evelyn Cluster is still being held, with the North Bay 72 fire still listed at 27,285 hectares. Helicopter bucketing continues to support ground crews battling that fire.
Pair of mayoral candidates sound off:
The campaigning continues as Sudbury's mayoral candidates look to unseat incumbent Brian Bigger. While the early going saw many candidates going after Bigger in the media, some candidates have turned their attention to the issues at hand, and fellow candidates. Jeff Huska took aim at Greater Sudbury Transit this week, stating that the service needs to extend to Kivi Park as the area is not accessible for everyone in Sudbury. Mayoral candidate Bill Crumplin says his counterpart in the race for the top city council job has “his head in the sand” when it comes to the opioid crisis. Crumplin says he was disappointed in Dan Melanson's take on Sudbury's opioid situation. Full comments from both candidates can be found in the links above.
Heat warning expected to continue Tuesday for Sudbury region:
A hot and humid air mass remains in place across the area. Daytime maximum temperatures tomorrow will once again be near 30 degrees with humidex values of 36 or for Tuesday. Cooler temperatures and lower humidity are expected by Wednesday with the passage of a cold front Tuesday night. The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors. Drink plenty of water even before you feel thirsty and stay in a cool place. Reduce your heat risk. Schedule outdoor activities during the coolest parts of the day. Never leave people or pets inside a parked vehicle.
With help from Science North, we were able to ID this colour-changing tree frog:
So last week we were introduced to a most unusual frog. The Chamberland family shared photos with Sudbury.com of a blue frog they found in the waters of Red Deer Lake. Now, let us introduce you to another unusual amphibian. Celine and Herb Cashmore of Chelmsford sent in the photos of a strange-looking, and quite lovely, frog. They said their children discovered the creature near the family’s hot tub, where it’s been hanging out for much of the past month. They hoped Sudbury.com could tell them what it is. Given its pale colour, the family thought perhaps the frog was albino. So, Sudbury.com reached out to Science North and the knowledgeable Bluecoats were quickly able to identify the frog. “It is a beautiful Eastern Gray Tree Frog or just Gray Tree Frog,” Sudbury.com was told by Kathryn Farr-Simon, a Bluecoat science communicator in the Wetlands Lab. Even stranger, the Eastern Gray is a bit of a chameleon it seems, able to change its colour from grey to “a vibrant green,” the Bluecoats said. Check out photos of the frog here.
Get a closer look at NHL vs Docs:
The NHL vs Docs hockey game in support of NEO Kids took over the Sudbury Community Arena on Sunday, Aug. 12. Local physicians and NHL players strapped on the skates and went head to head to raise money for NEO Kids. In just three years, the event has brought in close to half a million dollars and has grown in leaps and bounds each year. Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno is a driving force behind the event and the team had their cameras rolling in Sudbury on Sunday to get a behind the scenes look at NHL vs Docs. Check out the video that was posted to the Columbus Blue Jackets' Twitter here.
Wolves add Bud Stefanski to their coaching staff:
The Sudbury Wolves have announced that Bud Stefanski has been named assistant coach for the team for the 2018-19 season and will join head coach Cory Stillman and associate coach Darryl Moxam behind the bench. “I am excited to be joining the Sudbury Wolves organization and their coaching staff,” said Stefanski. “They have a lot of the right pieces in place and I look forward to a turn around season and a playoff berth.” Born in Timmins, Stefanski played two seasons for the Oshawa Generals before being drafted by the New York Rangers in the ninth round of the 1975 draft. Bud played more than 10 years of professional hockey in the AHL between the New Haven Nighthawks and Maine Mariners in addition to a number of stints in Europe. Stefanski made his coaching debut in 1996 with the Oshawa Generals as an assistant coach where they took home the OHL Championship that season. In 1999, he joined the Barrie Colts as an assistant coach before he was promoted to head coach in 2000 where he would coach for four more years. In 2004, he joined the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors for three additional seasons as head coach and director of hockey operations. Bud has also spent seven years as an amateur scout between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators.
GrEATer Sudbury's Best: Who makes the best vegetarian meal in town?
Last summer, Sudbury.com introduced a new video series named Summer's Best. Each week we asked you, the readers, to vote for Sudbury's best beach, best patio, best chipstand and more. We're doing it again - only this time, we are dedicating this year's series to food and drink! The series is called GrEATer Sudbury's Best. So far you told us where to find Sudbury's best fries, best steak, best dessert, best smoothie and best burger. Now we are on the hunt for the best vegetarian meal in town! Today is your last day to make your vote count so be sure to leave a comment here or on our Facebook page.
Tuesday Weather:
Sunny start to the day and into the early afternoon. There will be a mix of sun and cloud with 30 per cent chance of showers late in the afternoon and a risk of a thunderstorm late in the afternoon. Tuesday is going to be a hot one with the high hitting 30, feeling like 36. Partly cloudy this evening with 30 per cent chance of showers early in the evening with risk of a thunderstorm. Evening low will be 13. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
