http://conairenews.com/BLOG RSSSun, 29 Dec 2024 04:59:42 GMTSun, 29 Dec 2024 04:59:42 GMThttp://conairenews.com/news now/money-launderingBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.com ORANGEVILLE, Canada - Talk about money laundering with a twist.A thief took his dirty laundry to new heights when  he broke into a local laundromat and made off with $10,000 in coins from the site's change machine.Ontario Provincial Police said the suspect, covered with a paisley-patterned mask,  managed to enter the business early Saturday. and ransacked the machine  stacked with the large amount of unspecified coins. The break-in was not reported untilFri, 14 Feb 2025 04:40:27http://conairenews.com/news now/money-launderinghttp://conairenews.com/news now/i-ll-be-okay-after-testBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comBARRIE- Canada - How do you fail a road test before you take it?You hit the accelerator and not the brake.A 17-year-old driver failed  their  test before it began after police stopped a  car speeding  in a community safety zone in Caledon Ontario.The teen, with their driving instructor on board, was clocked at 94 kilometres an hour in the 50 kilometre safety zone.Ontario Provincial Police said the pair were on their way to a  road test appointment  whenFri, 14 Feb 2025 04:30:27http://conairenews.com/news now/i-ll-be-okay-after-testhttp://conairenews.com/news now/www.flickr.comhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/41929865@N06/shares/184Ed7​By Pat Conroy/conairenews.comTORONTO,  Ont – The unsung kings of Queen Street were Bumps, Cal and the Greek with the cigar.And other humble princes too.  Some hunched at he tables, others on chairs, watching and smoking, silently to the sound of the balls. Or chomping a pastrami sandwich made behind the counter, the meat stuffed in a small fridge surrounded by special cues owned by the main men. A pile of Kaiser rolls stood proppedFri, 14 Feb 2025 01:15:45http://conairenews.com/news now/www.flickr.comhttp://conairenews.com/news now/hey-bill-gates-teach-me-basicBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.com  (Screenshots from https://archive.org)If it writes like a Bill Gates, compiles code like a Bill Gates and recruits money like a Bill Gates – it’s a Bill Gates.Or is it?Conairenews.com has uncovered a nerdy article, ostensibly written by Microsoft icon Bill Gates, and godfather overseer of Microsoft BASIC, showing  geeks how to add code to, of all things, a VIC- 20 computer.Did we say a Vic 20, the 1980’s Commodore home computer with the Spong Bob keyboard,Thu, 09 Jan 2025 06:22:58http://conairenews.com/news now/hey-bill-gates-teach-me-basichttp://conairenews.com/news now/pixieBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comBARRIE, Canada – There are photography drones, racing drones,  GPS drones, military drones, delivery drones, drones that land sideways on walls, hexacopter drones, loudspeaker drones.Now add one more: the garbage drone. And it roams the water and sucks up  junk-debris, plastics, cans, coffee cups, paper, especially microplastics.  By the bucketful.Dubbed the PixieDrone, this remotely-operated water waste collector can swallow up to 100 kilograms of floatingSat, 26 Oct 2024 07:33:20http://conairenews.com/news now/pixiehttp://conairenews.com/news now/street-racers-crash-into-home-in-city-s-thunder-alleyBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comBARRIE, Ont. – It was a scary scene in this cottage county city when two cars, street-racing, crashed into a home on a residential street.The Friday dinnertime incident occurred as a man and woman in separate cars raced down Grove Street when they lost control. One car smashed into the front door, causing structural damage. The other ended up on the home’s lawn. Neighbours heard a loud crash that “sounded like a bomb” followed by a woman’s scream when the crashFri, 14 Feb 2025 01:02:47http://conairenews.com/news now/street-racers-crash-into-home-in-city-s-thunder-alleyhttp://conairenews.com/news now/is-that-a-playstation-cord-hanging-out-or-are-just-unhappy-to-see-meBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comBarrie, Canada – It was game over for dumb videogame thieves who never got to push the play button before cops pulled the plug.Astute police, searching for the trio who stole a PlayStation during a violent home invasion, spotted the giveaway clue – the game’s power cord dangling from the trunk of the getaway car.The men were arrested before they even reached “expert” play mode and face a series of charges including assault, break and enter, obstructing police,Sat, 20 Jan 2024 04:36:25http://conairenews.com/news now/is-that-a-playstation-cord-hanging-out-or-are-just-unhappy-to-see-mehttp://conairenews.com/news now/llamas-on-the-lam-in-tourist-country​By Pat Conroy/conairenews.comTown of Blue Mountains, Canada - Who let the llamas out, who, who?And who’s going to get the llamas in, who, how?A trio of cuddly but pesky, wily llamas that escaped from their owner’s barn are making it spittin’ hard to corral.The young male llamas -Lluka, Llewis and, to avoid confusion, Todd - have been on the lam for three days since a worker inadvertently left the barn door open.Frustrated rescuers, aided by a local veterinary staff, helicopter, droneFri, 09 Feb 2024 02:55:32http://conairenews.com/news now/llamas-on-the-lam-in-tourist-countryhttp://conairenews.com/news now/botts-and-hearts-country-festival-evacuatedBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comORO Township. Ont - More  than 40,000 Country fans have been told to evacuate a park north of Barrie as severe  weather heads towards the Boots and Hearts festival north of Barrie. They have been told to seek shelter in their vehicles  following a tornado warning that was issued for a wide area around the park as a severe weather warning  in Wasaga Beach.Initial reports indicated multiple patients were being treated by paramedics followin an incident  inSun, 13 Aug 2023 00:02:47http://conairenews.com/news now/botts-and-hearts-country-festival-evacuatedhttp://conairenews.com/news now/wildlife-getting-the-ride-of-their-livesBARRIE, Ontario - Ducks and raccoons and impaired drivers, Oh My!Ontario Provincial Police are  honing their wildlife rescue and road safety skills as  they get drunk drivers off the  road. The latest police animal care caper involved a 47-year-old woman and her pet baby duck that was riding shotgun in a vehicle travelling erratically near Barrie.Police arrested the driver, coddled and  calmed the duck in its basket before transporting  the pair to the local detachment  where the duck wasFri, 21 Jul 2023 01:11:07http://conairenews.com/news now/wildlife-getting-the-ride-of-their-liveshttp://conairenews.com/news now/is-that-a-raccoon-in-the-driver-s-seatOntario Provincial Police photoBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comHuntsville, Canada – A baby raccoon is on the rocky road to rehab after police found it in the backseat  of a suspected impaired driver’s vehicle.The wide-eyed 8-week-old looked none the worst for wear when police drove the frightened animal to a local animal sanctuary after arresting the male driver.Now the male baby will go into rehabilation at the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and released into the wild in the Fall.“HeThu, 13 Jul 2023 05:22:36http://conairenews.com/news now/is-that-a-raccoon-in-the-driver-s-seathttp://conairenews.com/news now/18-detain-in-weapons-call-in-barrieby Pat Conroy (conairenews.com)BARRIE, Ontario - Easter Sunday turned into a tense afternoon as heavily-armed police swooped down on 18 people in an east-end plaza after a residents spotted a weapon  being brandished from a vehicle.The group, all known to each other, were travelling in four vehicles when police staged a takedown in the Duckworth plaza shortly after 2 p.m. after receiving a call from a concerned resident. According to eyewitnesses, the group was pulled from their vehicles andFri, 14 Feb 2025 01:25:02http://conairenews.com/news now/18-detain-in-weapons-call-in-barriehttp://conairenews.com/news now/family-day-horror-at-barrie-dinerBY Pat Conroy/conairenews.comBARRIE – CanadaIt was a Family Day horror for customers and staff at a downtown diner when a man suffering from a stab wound staggered in for help and collapsed in front of them.Staff scrambled to help the stricken victim and administered first aid   as he lay bleeding in front of shocked patrons before paramedics arrived. The 47-year-old died later in hospital.Barrie Police said the victim was involved in a confrontation with a group of individuals outsideTue, 21 Feb 2023 03:08:54http://conairenews.com/news now/family-day-horror-at-barrie-dinerhttp://conairenews.com/news now/dial-p-for-poochBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comBARRIE, Canada – A cryptic emergency call had local police scrambling until they found the tail-wagging source – a K-911 caller.As it turns out a pesky pooch with a penchant for iPhone apps managed to paw  its way  to dial 911 on the owner’s phone.The confused call taker scrambled to decipher muffled moans and groans and some drooling at the other end before dispatching Barrie police to check the 3 a.m. distress call  yesterday.“The dog had apparently chewedSat, 18 Feb 2023 07:02:11http://conairenews.com/news now/dial-p-for-poochhttp://conairenews.com/news now/rural-community-rocked-by-shooting-death-of-police-officerBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comBARRIE, CANADA – Police and local residents are reeling after the shocking shooting death of a police officer and the critical injury to another officer in a home in a rural area north of Toronto.The South Simcoe Policer officers were responding to an incident in Innisfil Township, south of Barrie, when gunfire erupted downing  the two officers. A suspect was also killed in the exchange around 9 p.m. Tuesday.Police said he wounded officers were rushed to aSat, 15 Oct 2022 04:27:45http://conairenews.com/news now/rural-community-rocked-by-shooting-death-of-police-officerhttp://conairenews.com/news now/sanctuary-pleads-for-cow-s-rescue-in-canadian-northSilver Willow Farm Rescue file imageBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comBARRIE, Canada – Is there hope for Hope?A local animal rescue centre’s owner hopes so as she pleads for help to corral a wayward and helpless cow alone in the wild Northern Ontario bush.“Hope will suffer a brutal death in the winter if she’s not rescued,” said Laura McArthur who runs the Silver Willow Farm Rescue and Sanctuary, near Barrie, Ontario.“Calling in my cowboy and cowgirl friends from the north,”  she pleads in aSat, 20 Aug 2022 07:07:00http://conairenews.com/news now/sanctuary-pleads-for-cow-s-rescue-in-canadian-northhttp://conairenews.com/news now/klopp-s-last-standRealvoir Dogs​Mon, 30 May 2022 21:55:47http://conairenews.com/news now/klopp-s-last-standhttp://conairenews.com/news now/turtle-thievesVideo: https://fb.watch/cFT0dVVtPUBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comWASAGA BEACH, Ontario – Who are those hare-brained turtle-kidnappers and why did  they abduct beloved SeeMore?He’a fun-loving turtle – albeit it a 250-pound statue- whose rude disappearance has left the community shell-shocked and, well, racing to find him.“Our beloved SeeMore was stolen,’ moaned disbelieving staff at Georgian Bay Optometry Clinic where  SeeMore previously  stood outside, in full summer gear welcomingThu, 28 Apr 2022 05:21:06http://conairenews.com/news now/turtle-thieveshttp://conairenews.com/news now/wild-wasaga-weekend-with-the-wild-onesPhoto OPPBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comWASAGA BEACH, Canada – In  scenes reminiscent of the onslaught of bikers into a town in the film, “The Wild One,” hundreds of contemporary hot-rodders descended on this beach community to drag-race, burn rubber and wheelie into the night.The unsanctioned weekend rally to showcase all things pedal to the metal led police to stage a massive operation, calling in dozens of officers and agents from  surrounding Ontario Provincial Police detachments andWed, 27 Apr 2022 05:51:53http://conairenews.com/news now/wild-wasaga-weekend-with-the-wild-oneshttp://conairenews.com/news now/shocking-anti-semitic-school-marchvideo: https://youtu.be/ZKZKCZf-iOwBy Pat Conroy/conairenews.comNORTH BAY,  Canada –  Police and residents of this city are reeling in  shock and  disgust at a cellphone video that shows young students marching on school grounds shouting “f*** Jews, “Heil Hitler”  with Nazi salutes and dressed in school uniforms."In all the time I’ve been chief of police, I never thought I would have to deal with in our community, said police chief, Scott Tod. “ The North Bay Police will completely andTue, 01 Mar 2022 23:48:20http://conairenews.com/news now/shocking-anti-semitic-school-march