The Hamilton Spectator
HYPED FOR HOMETOWN JUNOS
The Junos stage is ready for the limelight — all that's left is rehearsals and the big day. The Spectator got a sneak peek inside TD Coliseum Friday to see the primer for what the public and TV broadcast will look like for the Juno Awards on Sunday...
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`We're afraid,' tenant says after fire
As fire alarms rang through the halls of a downtown seniors building early Wednesday morning, Timmy Manson couldn't be bothered. He'd heard them before. Lately, Manson recalled Thursday, alarms in the 460unit CityHousing Hamilton highrise “had been...
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Public school board reports hundreds of hate incidents with new tracking tool
Use of the Nword and other slurs, removing a turban, misgendering and playing a Nazi marching song are among the hundreds of inci dents reported through a new Ha milton public school board tracking tool. Between March 2025 and February 2026, 325...
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SEEING SIGNS OF THE JUNOS
The Juno Awards are rolling into Hamilton — and downtown traffic is about to get a bit more tangled than usual. The City of Hamilton has announced that there will be road closures, transit impacts and lane restrictions due to the annual celebration of...
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Free hairstyles, fresh confidence for hundreds of youngsters
Elevenyearold Elin Anangfac loves that her twists bounce when she dances Kpop in her basement. Arihanna Soulliere, 18, appreciates having “versatile” hair that can hold many different looks. And Jahari Smith, 14, loves that his hair's texture makes...
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CRUSHIN' IT FOR CHARITY
Floyd Moerschfelder, right, shows four minor hockey players from Haldimand County how to crush beer cans using a homemade machine at his family farm outside Fisherville. The longtime Lions Club member is close to raising $50,000 for youth hockey and...
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MAPLE SYRUP SWEET SPECTRUM
The maple syrup season is underway at Mountsberg Conservation Area, where sap collected from nearby trees is being boiled into syrup in the sugar shack. The annual Maple Town program runs from late February through early April, with daily activities...
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SLABS OF SUCCESS AT ROMA
Roma Bakery owner Anthony Di Filippo with the Stoney Creek bakery's famous bread pizza slab. The family business on Barton Street is undergoing a multimilliondollar expansion. Find the story on
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What a difference a year makes for Matthew Schaefer
It's eight hours before game time and Matthew Schaefer is already at work. Standing rinkside in a New York Islanders' hoodie and shorts, the 18yearold from Hamilton is shaking hands with strangers, hugging friends who've made it to the morning...
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Hamilton fugitive wanted for Mob killings arrested in Mexico
An international fugitive wanted for nearly a decade for two Mob shootings that killed innocent bystander Mila Barberi in Vaughan and Hamilton mobster Angelo Musitano in Waterdown has been arrested in Mexico. Daniel Tomassetti was arrested in August...
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Remember when Hamilton bid to host the Summer Olympics?
Had things gone a little differently, we'd be well into our celebrations by now. Parties, festivals, athletic competitions and various other retrospectives would be in full swing. All thinking back on the 50 years since Hamilton hosted the Summer...
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Hamilton school choir lands Blue Jays anthem gig
A Hamilton school choir is entering the big leagues. The vocal ensemble at Annunciation of our Lord Parish Elementary School will sing both Canadian and American anthems before an expected crowd of 40,000 people when the Toronto Blue Jays host the...
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When her therapist suddenly disappeared, everything fell apart
Savannah Saieva says she felt so abandoned by the cityrun children's mentalhealth clinic she relied on, she attempted to take her own life. As a vulnerable teenager, Saieva spent two years with Child and Adolescent Services, building a trusting...
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CATCHING SOME AIR
Everyone is frantically looking for great event ideas now that it's March break. We've got you covered with these events happening March 12 to 15. You'll also find a fun March break planner on thespec.com with multiple events and ideas happening...
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This year, city has seen 228 pothole damage claims
Peter De New is no stranger to potholes on Hamilton streets — and the damage they can do to vehicles. The Kirkendall resident said between his Smart car and his wife's Nissan Leaf, they have had three tires “destroyed” after hitting various potholes...
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THE LEADER OF THE PACK
Environment and Climate Change Canada is warning of the risk of flash flooding with an incoming deluge dumping rain on frozen ground and into already swollen creeks and rivers in the Hamilton area. Hamilton could be hit with up to 40 millimetres of...
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His 40th birthday wish? Running across the Sahara Desert
A few weeks from now, he'll be running roughly 270 kilometres across the Sahara Desert in Morocco in conditions that'll replicate being in a microwave set on high. So how does someone around here get ready for such a scenario? Turn up the heat in the...
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WARMING UP ON THE WATERFRONT
Cyclists, joggers and many dog walkers hit the Waterfront Trail last week, lured by warmer temperatures. That trend should continue, with daytime highs expected to rise into the mid teens.
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Troubles, and joy, at downtown library
The central branch of the Hamilton Public Library unlocks its doors and people at once begin to enter. They bring with them all the troubles and joy our city holds. Established 135 years ago and in its current building on York Boulevard for the past...
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`YOU ARE LIKE FAMILY' AT DUARTE'S
Longevity is our good news theme, and first let's note we lasted to the cusp of spring, officially arriving March 20, and doubledigit temperatures this weekend will feel subtropical. And then too, we note the longevity of a noble canine, timeless...
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Queer faith communities carve out inclusive space during holy season
It's an iftar like any other. People gathering together to eat a meal after fasting all day for Ramadan, talking with one another and playing games while filling up their stomachs. But Jihan Hussein says there is one key difference between a Queer...
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This Hamilton student can recite 314 digits of pi in 60 seconds
At 3:14 p.m. on March 14, Hamilton student JohnDavid Petz will attempt to break a Guinness World Record by reciting 314 digits of pi in one minute. Pi, which has an approximate value of 3.14 and an infinite number of decimal places, is an ancient...
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Mayor asks judge to evict former partner from home facing ordered repairs
Mayor Andrea Horwath is asking a judge to order the eviction of her former commonlaw partner from a home she has sought to demolish, citing the high cost of cityordered repairs to the building. Horwath is the registered owner of the West Avenue...
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FROM RUNWAYS TO SHIPYARDS:
A new partnership that puts Hamilton's Mohawk College at the centre of an Ontario shipbuilding investment is part of a growing emphasis on industryled education and meeting longterm workforce needs, president Paul Armstrong says. The college...
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EARLY EVENING INDULGENCE
Horses enjoy a lateafternoon dinner along York Road near Old Guelph Road. Daytime highs steadily increase into next week, with 8 C expected on Thursday. Weather map, A22.
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`Competition and compassion'
Win or lose, Hamilton brothers Jack and James Wiseman were all smiles on the court, cheering and highfiving their teammates. The Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School teens and about 20 other Titans competed in bocce at a Special Olympics...
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Hamilton LIVE
Discover fun things to do, great eats and cool city finds in our inaugural issue inside today's Spectator JunoFest Who's performing at twoday event in March. What's On Concerts, wrestling, plays and more. Hidden Hamilton Five places that reveal city's...
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City tax budget to see 3.87% hike for 2026
Hamilton taxpayers will see a 3.87 per cent residential tax increase, after the city officially adopted the 2026 tax budget Tuesday. Mayor Andrea Horwath, under strongmayor powers imposed by the province, had final say on the budget councillors had...
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Dad wants to match $20K police reward for son's homicide
It's been two years since he watched a gunman execute his son with a shot to the head. Now, Derek Laffin wants to match a newly announced $20,000 reward to solve the case being offered by Hamilton police. “I'll match that,” he says, overcome with...
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Sport system under strain showed in Milan Cortina
Canada losing ground to other countries in the 2026 Olympic Games is a symptom of a sport system under strain, said a Canadian Olympic Committee leader Sunday. Canada finished outside the top five countries in the medal table at the Milan Cortina...
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Parents protest program overhaul at HWDSB
A jampacked room of parents and kids had a message for Hamilton's public school board: Save atrisk specialty programs. Better yet, expand them. More than two dozen people filled a HamiltonWentworth District School Board (HWDSB) committee meeting...
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HOCKEY HEARTBREAK
Team Canada's bench reacts to their 21 overtime loss to the United States Thursday in the women's goldmedal hockey game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Canada held a late 10 lead, but the Americans rallied, scoring with the extra attacker in...
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Hamilton's rocky roads
From Main Street to Mohawk Road, Hamilton residents say Steeltown's streets are littered with potholes — and that the city isn't doing enough to make daily commutes less bumpy. “I have travelled around southern Ontario for work and Hamilton is the...
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The latest champ from city's first family of boxing
Moments after the ref was done raising his arm in victory and he was able to begin celebrating his latest win, Bradley Wilcox flipped the switch from disciplined boxer to wild party animal. As fast as he could get showered and dressed, he and his...
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Golden run for Canada's Oldham
Megan Oldham delivered Canada's second gold medal of the MilanCortina Olympics on Monday, winning the women's freestyle skiing big air competition. The 24yearold from Parry Sound, Ont., finished with a tworun combined score of 180.75 to edge...
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Mystery odour plagues Waterdown neighbourhood
The scent is sickly sweet, but also like chemicals. It pops up at least once a week, but only hits the nostrils of some people in the neighbourhood. Those who can smell it, though, suspect a nearby glass recycling plant is to blame. Since last...
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This madeinHamilton tool is helping make curling happen at the Olympics
A madeinHamilton tool is helping produce the perfectly pebbled ice for curlers competing at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Curling sheets are different from the perfectly flat rinks skated on by hockey players and figure skaters. Curling ice...
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Hamilton rapper lil OT killed in Burlington parking lot shooting
A lot of these “young boys joining the streets” think it's fun out here, lil OT says to the camera. “It's not fun out here.” He tells viewers he recently lost a “younger bro” and is a different person because of the losses he's experienced. “I don't...
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`They have to double it at least'
Those who rely on social assistance to get by in Hamilton are increasingly ending up homeless as rents outstrip their meagre incomes, says a new paper calling for reform. Provincewide, more than 30,000 Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support...
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Speedskater Maltais hangs on for bronze for Canada's first medal
Valérie Maltais was cursing under her breath. The Canadian longtrack speedskater sat second in the women's 3,000metre race at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics following a solid twirl around the oval. The biggest issue? Four elite competitors she...
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LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Two freestyle skiers carried the flag and led the way for hundreds of Team Canada athletes Friday as the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics officially opened with a multisite ceremony spread across northern Italy. Moguls skier Mikaël Kingsbury, of...
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The HamiltonBurlington Olympic bunch
We're almost at the moment when many of us will start scouring our closets for those old, red Vancouver mittens and that wellworn newsboy cap from Salt Lake City. Then retiring to the couch where we'll spend the next couple weeks cheering wildly and...
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From McMaster to centre stage at the Olympics. Again
It was early one morning when she was sitting on an HSR bus heading to McMaster University. Knowing she had an exam waiting when she arrived, she was focused on her own thoughts and not really paying attention to much else. Suddenly her introspective...
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Illegal `fancy garage' demolished
Demolition of a poolside oasis and other structures built illegally on city parkland in Upper Stoney Creek is well underway. Joe Tarasca spent about $400,000 during the pandemic to build a glassenclosed building, driveway and fence on what turned out...
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`Something has to be done': Reports of flat tires from spikes spur investigation
Lisa Nicassio suspected a usual culprit when her car jammed up on Fifty Road last weekend. “My steering wheel wasn't turning, the tires weren't really moving. I thought, `OK, maybe there's slush or ice on the road and that's why I'm slipping,' ” the...
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`BLOOMLAND IN OZ' AT RBG
Follow the yellow brick road — or rather, Plains Road West — to Royal Botanical Gardens. “Bloomland in Oz” opened Saturday at Royal Botanical Gardens, returning the annual floral showcase with a storybook twist inspired by “The Wonderful Wizard of...
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH BUS BLING
When Hamilton artist Stylo Starr started riding the city bus as a preteen, she could have never imagined her work adorning a piece of public transportation. But that all changed Friday, as the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) officially unveiled a new...
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St. Joseph's pitches $1.2 billion tower to tackle hallway medicine
St. Joseph's Healthcare has plans for a nearly $1.2billion renovation of the Charlton Campus that would see a new tower built and 128 beds added. In addition, the hospital wants to build 24 new kidney dialysis stations at the King Campus in Stoney...
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City of Hamilton budget cut reversals spur confusion
Mayor Andrea Horwath says she was as “surprised” as anyone to see the closure of the Stoney Creek Arena included in the fine print of a city budget proposal — the budget she herself announced publicly a week ago. Horwath told councillors at a meeting...
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Businesses trash plan to end recycling pickup
Businesses across the city are trashing a budget proposal to end cityfunded pickup of recycling from commercial properties. The proposed cut, included in the Dec. 12 staffproposed tax budget but only shared publicly Friday, would see cityfunded...
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`She's a pretty sturdy old gal'
Margareta Tukleris' family was certain she'd make it to her 100th birthday, no problem. The Stoney Creek family held a big party for the matriarch that year, feeling blessed to have been able to mark the milestone. Then Margareta's 105th birthday came...
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Hamilton digs out from under 20 to 25 cm of snow
The snow globe vibes aren't going anywhere any time soon. Residents across the city are digging out from a winter storm that swept across the region and dropped anywhere from 20 to 25 centimetres of snow on most parts of Hamilton on Sunday — even more...
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A revamped coliseum. The Junos. New festivals Is 2026 Hamilton's year of music?
TD Coliseum reopened late last year after a $300million revitalization with Paul McCartney performing. Days later came the announcement of Route 905 Country Festival, adding another music festival to Hamilton's bustling scene. Now, a new concert...
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FUN AT THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
The longanticipated return of the Hamilton Children's Museum has come with an unexpected hurdle: showing up in person no longer guarantees entry. Visitors to the newly renovated space — which reopened earlier this month after a nearly fiveyear...
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Homeless turn to library, mall for warmth
Noah Edgar, struggling with homelessness, takes a break from the bitter cold in Jackson Square's bustling food court in downtown Hamilton. He and his partner have spent the night bundled up under blankets by a vent blowing warm air outside the...
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`We want to make this a 21stcentury gallery'
Thousands of square feet of expanded gallery space, a new Main Street entrance — and a possible affordable housing tower, geared toward local creatives. Those are just some facets of the Art Gallery of Hamilton's (AGH) planned major revitalization...
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Her second marathon turned into a run to remember
She was a few kilometres from the finish line of the Houston Marathon when she glanced at her watch and started doing some mental calculations. If she could continue at this pace for just another few minutes, Erin Mawhinney realized she could post a...
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Bidders line up to build battery farms
Last year's sweltering summer strained the power grid as Ontarians struggled to keep cool. But the province had a powerful ace up its sleeve. Stored inside 278 giant lithiumion batteries — each the size of a tractortrailer — in rural Haldimand...
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Alone but not lonely
He lived alone, had no family by blood, and yet more than 60 souls packed a café on a cold night, on bruised Barton Street East, paying homage to him, lighting candles and telling stories marked by tears and laughter. Alan Reid, who died the week...
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`AN INVITE TO THE TABLE'
A Rubik's Cube at every seat set the tone for this month's older adult lunch: play. But a steady flow of conversation in the Faith United Church basement hall meant most cubes went untouched and a planned craft — tissuepaper flowers to brighten the...
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QUACKIN' GOOD TIMES
Paula Robinson works on her sculpture of a runner duck — yet to be named — during a pottery class at the Dundas Valley School of Art on Monday afternoon. The duck is a surprise gift for a friend, crafted at the community art school known for offering...
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These Hamilton businesses are feeling the love of the hit series `Heated Rivalry'
When Relay Coffee Roasters coowner Rachel Hofing booked a film shoot for a supposedly small production for her downtown Hamilton café last March, she didn't think much of it. Hofing knew the shoot was for a Canadian television series with a small...
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A ROUTINE MADE FOR ONE
Caroline DeJong shows off her figure skating moves for her sixmonthold daughter, Lucy, on the Watertown Rotary Skating Trail at Memorial Park in Waterdown on Thursday morning.
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Election tops list of city hall stories to watch this year
Brace for “silly season” with a looming municipal election expected to be one of the major stories of the year at Hamilton city hall. The 2026 municipal and school board votes will take place Oct. 26 — and election years tend to feature a “silly...
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A ROCKING GOOD TIME
Opportunities to enjoy rinks outside are likely getting paused this week as the temperature rises by the weekend — starting with a risk of freezing rain Tuesday morning. Getting ahead of the thaw, Nora McVea and her little brother Wyatt enjoyed being...
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PRO HOCKEY'S JOYOUS RETURN
The PWHL game between the Toronto Sceptres and Seattle Torrent drew a crowd of more than 16,000 to TD Coliseum on Saturday. Was the Hamilton stop on the Takeover Tour a test run for a possible expansion franchise?
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FROM CANES TO CHACHA
Seniors arrive at the YMCA on the central Mountain using walkers and canes, but over the course of a onehour specially designed class, they are dancing the chacha. “It sounds difficult, but it isn't because it's fun,” said 90yearold Hans Schulte...
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PWHL brings Takeover Tour to Hamilton
She's played in arenas all over the world. Denmark, Czechia, Finland, South Korea, China, Sweden, Germany and on and on. Closer to home, there aren't too many significant rinks across North America her skates haven't touched. But when was the last...
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2025 in Graeme MacKay's CARTOONS
Spectator's cartoonist Graeme MacKay looks back at 2025 with some of his highlights. Visit on New Year's Day to see MacKay's full gallery.
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Planning a trip to the tropics?
Trips to the tropics are meant to be carefree — but vacations, like life, aren't immune to the odd curveball. A widespread blackout in Cuba last year left some Canadians stranded in resorts for days. When Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica in October,...
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Five years later, Phil gets his voice back
For most of the past five years, Phil Serez has sounded more than a bit like a robot. That's not a complaint. Honestly, it's a blessing my buddy sounds like anything. ALS has stolen so much from him. He can no longer move any part of his body except...
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Vinny Tirabassi lived through riches and ruin — then died in a place meant to help him
Vinny Tirabassi was on the right track. After money and relationship trouble left the man once married to a $10.5million lottery winner homeless, Tirabassi checked into a downtown men's shelter on Nov. 7, 2024, signing up for lowincome housing,...
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Dog park still shut six months after `temporary closure' for soil testing
A City of Hamilton dog park remains closed six months after it was shuttered due to potential soil contamination. The Birch Avenue leashfree dog park was closed until further notice by the city June 13 “as a precautionary measure” over health...
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