Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Happy first day of spring, Sudbury!
March 20 marks the vernal equinox and the official first day of spring. So what is the vernal equinox? In short, vernal means spring, and the translation of equinox is "equal night". Earth's inhabitants in both the northern and southern hemispheres will experience an equal amount of daylight. The equinox occurs when the sun is directly in line with Earth's equator and the length of day and night are almost exactly equal. This will occur at 5:58 p.m. EDT on March 20. For those of us living north of the equator it marks the official start of spring, while those in the southern hemisphere are now starting autumn. Spring 2019 will also kick off with the third and final supermoon of the year, with the next not set to rise until Feb. 9, 2020. This will be the first time since March 2000 when these events coincided this closely, and the first time since March 20, 1981 when they occurred on the same date. While spring may be here according to the calendar and the sun, the weather might say otherwise, as today's high is only expected to get up to 2 degrees Celcius, with chances of some snow flurries tonight. We're a long way from the coldest March 20 on record here in Sudbury, as the mercury dropped all the way to -26.3 degrees Celcius in 1986. The warmest recorded first day of spring in Sudbury wasn't all that long ago, and it was shorts and t-shirt weather in 2012 when the high soared all the way to 23 degrees. We now start the steady climb of increasing hours of daylight until the summer solstice on June 21.
Child porn suspect scheduled to make first court appearance today:
The 32-year-old Sudbury man charged with a number of child pornography-related offenses on Feb. 14 is scheduled to make his first appearance in court on March 20. Callam Rodya was released on $1,500 bail on Feb. 14, under the supervision of his mother in law. Rodya must meet a number of conditions as part of his release. He is prohibited from attending any public area where children under the age of 18 might be present, such as playgrounds, beaches, high school or daycare centre. He cannot be in the company of any child under 18 years of age unless under the direct supervision of an adult or guardian of youth or child. He is not to possess or consume any unlawful drugs or substances. He is prohibited from possessing or using any computer device, including smartphones, laptops or desktop computers or video game systems capable of accessing the internet, unless it's at work and for work purposes. He cannot have an account with any internet service provider, and his assurer (mother-in-law) must protect any device capable of accessing the internet with a password. Rodya, a reporter for CTV in Sudbury at the time of his arrest, faces three counts each of possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, making available child pornography and one count of possession of a Schedule 1 controlled substance (cocaine). He is scheduled to appear in court today at 9:30 a.m. Check back with Sudbury.com for an update on this story.
Sudbury police investigate Instagram post threatening school shooting:
Greater Sudbury Police are investigating an anonymous threat of a school shooting at College Notre-Dame, made on Instagram. The post, which has now been deleted, said the attack would take place Friday. Another account, which is still active, puports to show a 'kill list,' detailing the students and grades allegedly to be targeted. The list includes about 40 names. “Shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday, a staff member from College Notre-Dame went to the police headquarters on Brady Street to report a threatening social media post directed at the school. “The Instagram post was uploaded under an account named 'sch00lsh00ter767,' which also included pictures of firearms and made reference to a school shooting. The post was captioned 'Friday March 22nd, everyone will finally know my name… Look out CND.'” The criminal investigations division is investigating the threat to find out who posted it and its validity. Anyone with information related to this post, the Instagram account sch00lsh00ter767, or the people behind the account are asked to call police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers 705-222-8477. Full story and video can be found here.
Laurentian ladies rule the rings at U Sports Championships:
Laurentian's ladies had a strong campaign in the OUA circuit, finishing the season with a silver medal, falling to the Queen's University Golden Gaels in the finals back in February. By finishing in second, Laurentian qualified for the U Sports Championships, played in Fredericton, N.S. from March 15-19. The Voyageurs had their way with representatives from Western Canada and the Maritimes in the round robin, but were defeated by Brock and Queen's to finish the round robin in fourth place with a record of 5-2. A top four finish in the round robin set up a semi-final matchup with the Dalhousie Tigers, who boasted a record of 6-1 from round robin play with their lone loss coming at the hands of the Voyageurs. The Sudbury ladies dispatched of the Tigers by a score of 8-2, setting the stage for a final against the Brock Badgers. Laurentian scored three points in the first end of the finals and never reliquished the lead from there. The Badgers managed to pull the score to 3-2 in the third end, before the teams traded singles from the fourth to the 10th and final end, giving Laurentian the 7-5 victory and the gold medal. Your Canadian champions are Kira Brunton (skip), Mikaela Cheslock (lead), Alyssa Denyer (second), Megan Smith (vice), and Emma Johnson (lead).
Could the Python 5000 be a solution to our pothole problem?
As people in Greater Sudbury go through our annual kvetching about the number and size of potholes in the city, a Canadian-made pothole patching machine holds out promise of smoother roads ahead. The Python 5000, already in use in places like New York City and, closer to home, Thunder Bay, is a one-person device that the manufacturer says can repair three times as many potholes as three-person crews do the traditional way. The city has considered buying the machine, and at Monday's operations committee meeting, Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann asked the status of those deliberations. “Are we making any headway?” Landry-Altmann asked. Tony Cecutti, the city's general manager of infrastructure, said staff have looked at the Python 5000, but didn't recommend buying one during the recent budget process. Full story here.
MNRF won't determine cause of death for Wanup moose:
The death of a moose that took up residence on the side of Estaire Road in Wanup recently won't be investigated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Residents of the neighbourhood off Highway 69 in the South End of the city had been keeping an eye on the moose cow for several weeks. Because it stuck close to a water body on the side of Estaire Road, barely moving, residents were concerned the moose was sick or injured. Food left for it went untouched. Eventually, the ministry sent a biologist to check on the animal, who reported the moose appeared to be healthy. Apparently, it was not. The animal passed away March 15, residents told Sudbury.com. However, MNRF told Sudbury.com there will be no investigation as to the cause of the animal's death.The animal's body remains by the roadside, much to the displeasure of some residents in the area. MNRF spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski said the ministry will not be removing the moose's body as it is in a fairly remote area south of the city, and the ministry will let nature take its course. Full story here.
Missing woman: Jolene Pitawanakwat, 19, last seen March 15:
Greater Sudbury Police are asking for the public's assistance to locate 19-year-old Jolene Pitawanakwat, who was last seen March 15. The young woman is described as being 5-4, 120 pounds, with a slim build, long black hair and brown eyes. There are no clothing descriptors for Pitawanakwat at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact Greater Sudbury Police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-TIPS (8477) or www.sudburycrimestoppers.com.
Wednesday Weather:
Periods of snow to start the day, becoming mixed with rain late in the afternoon. Wednesday's high will be around 2. Chances of some snow flurries tonight mixed with rain. Overnight low will be sitting at -1, feeling like -5 with the wind chill, then warming up to 5 by Thursday. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
