Soldier who shot tentmate faces sentence of two years: judge

          Cpl. Matthew Wilcox, a Canadian soldier who served in Afghanistan in 2007, may be sent to jail for his act of criminal negligence causing death and neglect of duty in the March 6, 2007, shooting of Cpl. Kevin Megeney. The 24 year old is facing a prison term of at least two years, a military judge said Tuesday. Despite the sentence, Matthew's attitude has not changed, as "he's dealing with it like a trained soldier," Col. Troy Sweet said. "He's proud to have served his country." Wilcox's court martial heard evidence that he and the 25-year-old Megeney, were playing a game of quick-draw when Wilcox shot his close friend in the chest. Wilcox told the court that his action was none other than self defense, as he claims that he heard somebody behind him cocking the hammer on a gun inside his tent at Kandahar Airfield. Without looking, Wilcox blindly fired his 9-millimetre Browning pistol towards the target, which turned out to be his close friend- Cpl. Kevin Megeney. Members of Megeney's family told Wilcox's sentencing hearing their lives have been shattered by his death. Dexter Megeney, Kevin's father, said that since losing his son and best friend, he has not been sleeping well, and takes up to 18 pills a day to control stress. Karen Megeney, Kevin's mother, said that she has also had trouble coping after Kevin was killed two years ago.

          I think that this is a very sad article. Both Kevin and Matthew volunteered to fight for Canada in Afghanistan, where Canada was on a peacekeeping mission. They were proud Canadians and very loyal to their country. It makes me upset when I read an article like this. Matthew made a big mistake, and it ended up affecting him for the rest of his life- not only does he wake up every morning knowing that he killed somebody, but he also might have to serve two years in prison. Also, the Megeney family has been affected, as they have lost a son. Dealing with a terrible event like this can be tough at times, but I think that now it has happened, the families should remember Kevin for who he was and move on. A situation like this causes stress on both families, mostly on Matthew, who I hope will forget about the past and move on. One mistake shouldn't ruin a person's life; they can learn from it and take that knowledge into the future for later use.

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Three-part flu fight in works

          Ontario is delaying the seasonal flu shot program until after a pandemic vaccine, as there has been some concern that the seasonal flu shot could increase your chances of catching swine flu. To solve this concern, Ontario will roll out their new vaccination program in three parts. First, the seasonal flu shot will be available in October to people who are 65+ and residents of long-term care facilities. Next, the H1N1 vaccine will be available in November, first to those who are most susceptible to serious illness. After that, the province will provide the seasonal flu shot to the rest of the population in December and January. Data taken from a series of studies in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, appears to suggest that people who got the vaccination against the seasonal virus last year are about twice as likely to catch swine flu as those who were not vaccinated. This finding is causing lots of concern around the world. Starting next week, mail about the new vaccination program will be sent to every house in Ontario. The provinces in Canada are taking different actions to prevent this virus, but MP Dr. Carolyn Bennett, health critic for the Liberal party, says that, "I had thought these were decisions taken in a consensus way, that there would be one plan for the country. I'm very surprised." In the next year, we will find out which provinces' approach was the best solution to this problem.

          I believe that Ontario has taken a good approach to this solution. They have created a plan, and are ready to fight the virus. They figured out who was most likely to get the H1N1 flu virus first, and then they created a new vaccination program which was also based on the data from studies in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Ontario is prepared to fight the virus, as they have also started to mail every household to inform them about the new vaccination program. I don't understand why Canada hasn't taken the same approach amongst the province and territories to fight this virus. Not only would it make things much less complicated, but it would also treat every citizen of the country fair. Every person would be receiving the same shots, at the same time, which means that the disease would have less time to spread. In the end, I just hope that Canada and its provinces and territories are taking the right action, because I would not like to be a victim of swine flu, nor would I like to hear about any more deaths from the flu.

Rising seas create first climate refugees

          The World's first climate change refugees may belong to the 1700 residents of the Carteret islands. Ursula Rakova, a resident of the Cabaret islands, says that the stormy weather has come very unpredictable these past couple of years. "Now we cannot predict it because they come more frequent and stronger," declares Rakova; "Last Christmas the storms destroyed homes and the food gardens were devastated. Now we know the sea will wash over our islands. It is heartbreaking but we have to leave." The 17000 islanders are beginning to transport over to the larger island of Bougainville, where the land is higher which will allow them to grow their food. Over the next couple of years, the Cabaret islanders (Tulunn) will be heading over to the new island, leaving behind the 1000 year history of the Tulunn people. Rakova says, "It is especially hard for the older people. Many of them are refusing to leave. We don't want to force them. None of us want to go. But the saltwater is spoiling our ability to grow food. So there is no choice." Rakova travelled to Manhattan, New York, to claim for her people that they should become the world's first climate-change refugees.

          I think that Rakova has a very valid reason for her people to become the world's first climate-change refugees. The island is being flooded so much that the Tulunn people are not able to grow their crops because of the amount of salt water from the ocean. This reminds me of how our world needs to be more environmentally friendly- so things like this won't happen nearly as often. We need to cut back on the things we do to pollute the air and cause global warming. If I was in Ursula Rakova's situation, I would hate to have to move to a different island. Not only would I have to leave the place I know best, but I would also have to adjust to the people and the different setting on the new island. I hope that New York declares them the world's first climate-change refugees because the Tulunn people are going through a lot of change, and not doing this would be a mistake.

New Deputy Peter Sloly a Rising Star

          Peter Sloly has one goal in life- to become Toronto's first police chief of colour. He has many supporters who believe that this will happen. This week, Sloly will assume the position of deputy chief, one of just four deputies below the police chief. With only 21 years of experience, Sloly has rapidly ascended through the ranks- he is a rising star. At 43 years old, Sloly is believed to be the youngest officer in the country to achieve such an accomplishment-"one that is both remarkable and a liability", according to a high-ranking officer who did not want to be named. When asked about the critics, Sloly replied, ""Well, for one, I think I'm only a couple of years younger than the most powerful man in the free world, (U.S. President Barack Obama, who is 48). If you're required to be in a place for a certain amount of time, I guess I don't hit that benchmark. If it's about experiences, and adding value to help build the police service into the best it can be, then I think I hit that benchmark." Sloly has also helped to change the way Toronto police recruits new officers: about one-third of recent recruits are non-white. Peter Sloly has lots of leadership, and city councilor Michael Thompson says, “"If you think of all the qualities you would hope for in a police chief, Peter has them in spades. I really think it's not a matter of if, but when.”

          I think that this is quite a remarkable story because Peter Sloly could make history. He could become the first police chief of colour! I believe that Peter Sloly is doing an awesome job- not only is he almost the police chief of Toronto, but he is a good role model for young coloured kids who would like to be involved in the police force. Hopefully Peter can achieve the rank of police chief in the next few years, because it would make a world of difference to the city of Toronto if he was the chief. Peter has accomplished a lot in his short police career, and hopefully it will continue in years to come. My wish is for Sloly to become the police chief in the next few years, so that he can lead the police force and make it more multicultural in years to come.

Yale student was targeted, police say

          On Sunday at around 5 p.m in New Haven, Connecticut, the body of Annie Le was found stuffed in a wall on the day she was supposed to be married. New Haven police officer Joe Avery said, "We do not believe it's a random act, that's all I'm giving you right now." Investigators appear to be closer to determining who killed the 24 year old girl who was a Yale University graduate. The other Yale students are shocked that something like this could have happened at such a safe facility like Yale. One student, Natoya Peart of Jamaica, said "I'm not walking at nights by myself anymore. It could happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere." Le was supposed to be married to Columbia University graduate student Jonathan Widawsky that same day, but sadly, it is never going to happen. The death is the first killing at Yale since the unsolved December 1998 death of Yale student Suzanne Jovin.

          I think that this is a very sad story. Annie Le was apparently an extremely smart individual who wanted to be involved in medicine. Her long term goal was to become a laboratory pathologist, which would take 12 years of higher education. I don't understand how anybody would have the nerve to target and kill this girl who never hurt anybody. This girl was obviously going places in life, but somebody took that away from her. I hope that the police can solve this crime, find the killer, and then put him or her behind bars, so that nothing like this will ever happen again. Also, I think Yale needs to upgrade their security, because obviously somebody snuck in who wasn't supposed to. This is a very tragic event and I hope it will never happen again to anybody.

Man won't be charged in Scarborough evacuation

          Charges are not going to be laid against the 27 year old man who was connected with the event of September 14, 2009. In Northeast Scarborough at approximately 1:30 p.m, a potentially explosive device was found in a vehicle next to a large propane tank, which caused the police to tow the vehicle and evacuate the entire neighbourhood. When officers inspected the van at the towing pound, they found a 3-inch diameter PVC pipe with wiring and a bottle containing clear liquid attached to the assembly in the vehicle’s rear. The police evacuated the 1.6 km area bordered from Steeles Ave. to the north, Finch Ave. to the south, Morningside Dr. to the east, and Middlefield Rd. to the west. Investigators proposed charging the man with three different offences including mischief and possession of an explosive device, but after a while of consulting with the crown attorney, he was not charged. Instead, the man will undergo mental health assessments instead. As of now, the police are unsure of how potentially dangerous the device might be, but bomb experts are examining it.

          I think that this is a very scary event, because lots of innocent people could have been potentially killed. I think that the police should charge the man because it sounds like parking the van there with the device was no mistake. It was done to create fear which is the definition of terrorism. It does not sound as though he had a legitimate reason as to why that device was in his vehicle. I hope that the experts can find out how deadly the device really is, because my thoughts on the safety of the city of Toronto have changed. Hopefully the police can get this all sorted out and make the people of Toronto feel more safe.