World Headlines: The truth about electric vehicles

First Up

By Ashley Okwuosa

Good morning. On Saturday, a statement confirmed former U.S. President Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at 98 years old. Here’s the latest.

MUST READS

Arctic UAV

CLIMATE

Here's why electric vehicles really are cleaner than gas-burning cars

Twitter and Facebook are riddled with myths about EVs, writes Marco Chown Oved. One of the biggest is that they produce more emissions than gas-burning cars if charged on a carbon-heavy electrical grid. The Star spoke to academics, researchers, and other experts to put this falsehood and others to rest. From the climate impact of their batteries to the handful of countries where EVs actually increase emissions, the Star is cleaning up three major myths about electric vehicles.

R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star

CITY HALL

John Tory quit, but did his affair break the rules?

When he first announced his resignation just over a week ago, then-mayor John Tory admitted to “a serious error in judgment” by having an inappropriate relationship with a former junior staffer. Though Tory is no longer mayor as of Friday, the city’s integrity commissioner, Jonathan Batty, confirmed he will continue investigating the relationship at Tory’s request. As the city awaits his findings, Ben Spurr and Alyshah Hasham unfurl a tangle of policies that offer guidance on relationships in the workplace — and reveal areas where clarity may be needed.

CANADA

Old UFO stories resurface in Canada after the Chinese balloon saga

Following reports of four objects shot down by the U.S. from the air this month, including a Chinese spy balloon, more Canadians are coming forward with UFO sightings, writes Patty Winsa. Chris Rutkowski, who has been compiling research for the annual Canadian UFO Survey since 1989, says people are submitting “a steady, constant stream of UFO reports.” Survey volunteers say 92 per cent of sightings can be explained away as helium balloons or airplanes. Still, the other eight per cent open a door of possibility. Here’s how recent events have impacted accounts of UFO sightings and what this could mean for life outside earth.

Steve Russell/Toronto Star

GTA

A drive-by shooting leaves this Ontario hamlet reeling

The serenity of Lloydtown, a quiet little town with no commercial businesses or traffic lights, was shattered last Sunday morning when police say the driver of a white SUV fired 13 shots at a 65-year-old man walking his dog. The attack has rocked the community, which is about an hour’s drive from Toronto, and left citizens mystified by what happened. Betsy Powell shares insight from police and local citizens about a possible motive behind the crime and why criminals are moving into rural towns and small Ontario cities.

Paige Taylor White/Toronto Star

GTA

This man has lived in the urban wilderness for 20 years. He’s finally ready to come inside

Steps from one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares but surrounded by trees, Russell Dickson has enjoyed a front-row seat to nature. For years, he has called the urban wilderness home, but at 61 years old, Russell says he’s ready to trade his blue-tarped tent for a home indoors. But a lack of affordable and subsidized housing in Toronto means he doesn’t know when that will be — anywhere from four to 14 years. Ben Mussett shares Russell’s story, from how he began living outdoors to what made him finally ready to come inside.

UP CLOSE

Giovanni Capriotti/For the Toronto Star

The Promised Land is a group of DJs on a mission to pay homage to the Black and queer roots of North American dance-music culture. They play house, disco, funk, new jack swing, and pop, either created by Black and queer musicians or championed by them. Briony Smith shares everything you need to know about the group and its monthly dance night at the Piston, a bar in Dovercourt Village.

TRY THIS

Supplied

Since the government announced a ban on the manufacture and import of single-use plastics like checkout bags, we wonder, what’s the best way to carry your groceries? Katherine Flemming rates the strongest, easiest-to-store, and most attractive reusable bags to lug your groceries home. Here are the top finds.

Thanks for reading. You can reach the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca, and I will see you back here Monday.

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