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Good morning, Sudbury! Here are eight stories to start your day

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Robert Steven Wright has waived his right to trial within a reasonable time for possession of child porn, and the matter has been adjourned for a year, until Oct. 15, 2020.

Good morning, Greater Sudbury.

Here are some stories to start your weekend.

Wright's child porn possession case adjourned for a year:

Robert Steven Wright has waived his right to trial within a reasonable time for possession of child porn, and the matter has been adjourned for a year, until Oct. 15, 2020. Wright appeared before the court Thursday via CCTV. The charge stems from a single typed document found on his computer, said his lawyers Berk Keaney and Michael J. Venturi. They issued a statement after the charge was laid. Police found no images or videos. "We have no doubt this charge will be withdrawn." Wright is being held at Sudbury Jail after being arrested and charged Dec. 11 for the murder of Renée Sweeney. He faces a charge of second degree murder after the Crown Attorney's office was successful in its effort to authorize a direct indictment, meaning the case will go directly to trial with no preliminary hearing.

Alexander Stavropoulos expected to plead guilty to attempted murder charge:

Alexander Stavropoulos, the man accused of stabbing a mother and injuring her infant in a Marcus Drive parking lot in early June, is expected to plead guilty next week to charges of attempted murder. Stavropoulos made a brief court appearance via CCTV Thursday morning. The court heard he intends to plead guilty, and his matter was adjourned one week until Oct. 24. He is charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and one count of breaching probation in connection to the June 3 incident, where he allegedly stabbed a 35-year-old mother in the neck. Her nine-month-old infant was not stabbed, but sustained multiple bruises after being struck repeatedly during the attack. A judicial pre-trial was scheduled for Oct. 29, which will still take place should the Crown and defence need it. The Crown is also putting in an application to have Stavropoulos registered as a dangerous offender.

Sudbury Airport short-term parking is now coin-free:

The Greater Sudbury Airport has gone to a coin-free pay by license plate parking system in their short-term parking lots. The Sudbury Airport Community Development Corporation has prioritized making parking easy and convenient for airport guests by incorporating HotSpot mobile app payments and tap debit and credit card payments at the pay stations. “Improvements to the airport continue to be a priority of the SACDC Board," said Todd Tripp, airport CEO, in a press release. “Coin-free parking and the HotSpot mobile app provide visitors with a new level of convenience and an easier way to pay for parking when they access the terminal,” Tripp adds. Parking is enforced by airport security using handheld license plate scanners. It is important to know your license plate number of your vehicle prior leaving your vehicle, as you pay by entering your license plate number into the pay station or app. Get the full story here.

Beth Mairs drums up support as finish line approaches:

Sudburians will head to the polls next week to cast their vote in the 2019 federal election. With less than a week to go on the campaign trail, Sudbury NDP candidate Beth Mairs is not coasting to the finish line, but keeping her nose to the grindstone. The NDP candidate held an "Orange UpRiSingh" rally on Oct. 16, and her campaign office on Larch Street was packed to the gills with more than 50 supporters taking shelter from the rain and chanting "Beth" and "NDP". "I think that we've had momentum from the start, and I think that the momentum that we're experiencing across the country for the NDP is certainly reflected here," said Mairs. "People are more willing to go NDP. I'm finding that people are in this terrible dissonance where they're disappointed in the Liberals and they're scared of the Conservatives, but they're not really sure about us. I think now it's becoming clearer and clearer that we're a legitimate choice." Full story can be found here.

Next phase of Robinson-Huron Treaty lawsuit underway in Sudbury:

A treaty signed in 1850 to allow settlement of First Nations land in Ontario in exchange for sharing resource revenue has become the focal point of a lawsuit being heard in Sudbury this week. A total of 21 First Nations communities, descendants of the people who signed the Robinson-Huron treaty in 1850, won the first battle in December 2018. Justice Patricia Hennessy ruled Ontario and Canada had failed to live up to a clause in the treaty calling for a periodic increase in the payments the communities receive as the mineral and forestry resources were developed. The hearings this week at the Radisson Hotel are aimed at determining how much the First Nations are owed in back payments, and who will pay for it – Ontario or the federal government. The 30,000 people living in the more than 40,000 square kilometres covered by the treaty each receive $4 a year, an amount that has not increased since the 1870s. More on this story here.

Wolves and Colts square off Friday night in Sudbury:

The Sudbury Wolves return to action at home on Friday night as they host their divisional rivals, the Barrie Colts at 7:05 p.m. Barrie’s roster features five NHL prospects including 2019 first round Carolina Hurricanes prospect Ryan Suzuki. Second year forward, Tyson Foerster leads the Colts offensively with 12 points in 8 games so far this season. Quinton Byfield continues to lead the league and team in points with 20 points through 10 games. Jack Thompson also continues his outstanding play with 15 points in 10 games to place him second in the league in scoring amongst defencemen.

Santa Claus (and Superman!) coming to town for annual parade Nov. 16:

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will of course be at the Greater Sudbury Santa Claus Parade Saturday, Nov. 16, but so will Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. That's because the theme of Sudbury's 61st annual Santa parade is Superhero Christmas. “Superheroes right now are so big between all of the movies that are out, not just with little people, but people of all ages,” said Maureen Luoma, executive director of Downtown Sudbury, who sits on the parade organizing committee. “It seemed really timely.” With Halloween just around the corner, many kids will likely go trick-or-treating in superhero costumes, so Luoma said they could possibly wear them to the parade (maybe accompanied by a Santa hat) a few weeks later. The event starts this year at 2 p.m. in the TD Canada Trust Parking Lot at the corner of Durham and Cedar streets with the Santa Watch Party. Running until 5 p.m., the Santa Watch Party includes live entertainment, free wagon rides, children's activities and festival foods.

Check out Sudbury.com's election page:

The federal election is just four days away and advance polls have already come and gone. Sudbury.com will be bringing you news releases and stories from all of the parties and candidates running on the 2019 federal election page. Be sure to check in at our election page daily for the news of the day and for a closer look at the candidates running in Sudbury and Nickel Belt. 

Friday weather:

The sunshine will return as we head into the weekend. Mainly cloudy to start the day Friday, but clearing by noon. Today's high will be sitting at around 7. Clear skies into the evening with some cooler temperatures and the overnight low hitting -2. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.

Current Weather

Mostly Cloudy

Mostly Cloudy

-3.3°C

Pressure
101.5 rising
Visibility
32.2 km
Dewpoint
-6.8 °C
Humidity
77%
Wind
W 10 km/h

Radar Satellite


Hourly Forecast

Today
9 AM
-6°C
Chance of flurries
Today
10 AM
-4°C
Chance of flurries
Today
11 AM
-3°C
Chance of flurries
Today
12 PM
-2°C
Cloudy
Today
1 PM
-1°C
Cloudy
Today
2 PM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
3 PM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
4 PM
1°C
Cloudy
Today
5 PM
1°C
Cloudy
Today
6 PM
1°C
Cloudy
Today
7 PM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
8 PM
0°C
Cloudy

7 Day Forecast

Chance of flurries

Today

1 °C

Cloudy. 30 percent chance of flurries this morning. Wind becoming west 20 km/h late this morning. High plus 1. Wind chill minus 12 this morning. UV index 3 or moderate.


Mainly cloudy

Tonight

-9 °C

Cloudy. Becoming partly cloudy after midnight. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 9. Wind chill minus 13 overnight.


Periods of snow

Saturday

4 °C

Mainly sunny. Increasing cloudiness in the afternoon then 40 percent chance of snow late in the afternoon. Wind up to 15 km/h. High plus 4. Wind chill minus 14 in the morning. UV index 4 or moderate.


Chance of flurries

Saturday night

-6 °C

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 6.


Sunny

Sunday

6 °C

Sunny. High 6.


Clear

Sunday night

-4 °C

Clear. Low minus 4.


Sunny

Monday

9 °C

Sunny. High 9.


Cloudy

Monday night

-3 °C

Cloudy. Low minus 3.


A mix of sun and cloud

Tuesday

4 °C

A mix of sun and cloud. High plus 4.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Tuesday night

-3 °C

Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. Low minus 3.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Wednesday

5 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. High plus 5.


Cloudy periods

Wednesday night

-5 °C

Cloudy periods. Low minus 5.


A mix of sun and cloud

Thursday

7 °C

A mix of sun and cloud. High 7.


Yesterday

Low
-4.4 °C
High
1.6 °C
Precipitation
1.2 mm

Normals

Low
-7.1 °C
High
3.2 °C
Average
-2.0 °C

Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise
7:08 AM
Sunset
7:50 PM

Record Values

Type Year Value
Max 1977 14.7 C
Min 1970 -22.2 C
Rainfall 2009 26.6 mm
Snowfall 1975 8.1 cm
Precipitation 2009 27.2 mm
Snow On Ground 1959 94.0 cm

Based on Environment Canada data