Toronto Morning: What you need to know today

TORONTO – Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale is not suing Mayor Rob Ford after all.

The mayor issued a second apology late Wednesday evening, this one in an open letter, for remarks he made during an interview with Conrad Black broadcast last week.

Dale said he accepts the mayor’s apology.

ZoomerMedia also released a statement of their own apologizing for airing the portion of the pre-taped interview in which Ford insinuated Dale was a pedophile.

“We sincerely regret the part ZoomerMedia played in broadcasting the offending words spoken by Mr. Ford, and apologize for that,” wrote ZoomerMedia’s vice president of communications, Leanne Wright.

WEATHER

Cloudy. High plus 3.

More on current weather conditions and a 7-day forecast. 

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TRAFFIC AND TRANSIT

Roads: Click for the latest Toronto traffic.

Mass Transit: Click for TTC and GO Transit Updates.

SPORTS

Raptors:

Kemba Walker hit a buzzer-beating jump shot in overtime to lift the Charlotte Bobcats to a 104-102 overtime victory Wednesday, handing the Raptors their eighth loss at home this season.

IN THE NEWS…

A Brampton, Ont. widow is making a public plea for the return of a hard disk drive containing priceless photographs of her late husband after it was stolen in a burglary this week.

Jurors at the Ashley Smith prison-death inquest are slated to return their verdict today.

It’s going to be a messy weekend, so you may want to take care of that Christmas shopping sooner rather than later. Though temperatures are expected to rise Thursday and Friday, it’s going to be a wet one.

Arson charges have been filed after a three alarm fire broke out in the Forest Hill area of Toronto early Thursday morning.

Stephen Harper or Barack Obama both announced Wednesday that they will not be attending the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman flew to North Korea on Thursday to help train the national team and renew his friendship with the North’s young leader Kim Jong Un.

ALSO COMING UP TODAY…

Bal Gosal, minister of State (Sport), with Tourism Minister Michael Chan, will make an announcement about sport in Ontario. (1:30 p.m. at Earnscliffe Recreation Centre, Brampton)

The arrival of the first return flight of Canadian Armed Forces members deployed on Operation RENAISSANCE to assist with the hurricane relief effort in the Philippines. (1:45 p.m. at 8 Wing Passenger Terminal, CFB Trenton)

A 42-year-old dump truck driver will appear in court in connection with the death of 14-year-old Violet Liang on the first day of school. The driver is charged with careless driving and failing to yield to a pedestrian. (1:30 p.m. at Old City Hall)

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