Theatres, concert venues cautiously optimistic about reopening scenarios

Occupied Ukraine holds Kremlin-staged vote on joining Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Kremlin-orchestrated referendum got underway Friday in occupied regions of Ukraine that sought to make them part of Russia, with some officials carrying ballots to apartment blocks accompanied by gun-toting police. Kyiv and the West condemned it as a rigged election whose result was preordained by Moscow.

Meanwhile, in a grim reminder of the brutality of the 7-month-old invasion, U.N. experts and Ukrainian officials pointed to new evidence of Russian war crimes. Kharkiv region officials said a mass burial site in the eastern city of Izium held hundreds of bodies, including at least 30 displaying signs of torture.

The referendums in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions were widely seen as a prelude to Moscow annexing the regions. The voting, which was overseen by authorities installed by Russia, is scheduled to run through Tuesday and is almost certain to go the Kremlin's way.

Authorities in the Kherson region said residents of a small Moscow-controlled area of the neighboring Mykolaiv province also will be able to vote, and that small area was “incorporated” into Kherson until all of Mykolaiv is taken over by Russian forces.

Parcel Pizza delivers familiar favourite wrapped up with a saucy twist

Good ideas come to those who wait (for the right location).

Parcel Pizza, a new restaurant from the owners of the Roost and Oxbow, is a case of food inspired by its surroundings. The pizzeria, located on the main floor of a new residential building on Stradbrook Avenue — although it’s equidistant from Osborne Village, downtown and The Forks — is one of the only eateries in the neighbourhood. Choosing a cuisine that would draw people in was the first order of business.

“We thought that something that is universally beloved, like pizza, would be really beneficial for the area,” says co-owner Elsa Taylor. “Another reason, what with the plague and all, is that we wanted something that would be conducive to takeout and delivery.”

In addition to the location, Parcel represents several firsts for Taylor and business partners Caiden Bircham and Isaac Hedenstierna, who make up the Oddlot Collective restaurant group.

After 20 years, Planet of Sound is still in its own orbit around the world of music

According to a press release issued last week by the Recording Industry Association of America, for the first time since 1986 — the year songs such as Madonna’s Papa Don’t Preach, Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer and Falco’s Rock Me Amadeus were topping charts all over the globe — sales of vinyl records outstripped sales of compact discs for the initial six months of the year.

Hey, Mr. Mister, it wasn’t even close. The RIAA report stated that between January and June, audiophiles doled out US$232.1 million on vinyl albums as compared with just less than US$130 million on their digital counterparts. And while that bit of news was music to the ears of Planet of Sound owner Dave Wright, it certainly didn’t come as some big surprise.

“Vinyl is definitely on the upswing and has been for a while, which is precisely why we started carrying it in the store about 10 years ago,” says Wright, whose cosy, 800-square-foot shop at 1109 Henderson Hwy., which stocks a healthy number of LPs in addition to CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays, even an assortment of long-considered extinct LaserDiscs, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in November.

“It’s not just people who grew up listening to vinyl, either,” he goes on, sporting the office uniform: sneakers, dark jeans and an aquamarine-coloured, zip-up hoodie, the latter of which only partially conceals a well-worn, Joy Division T-shirt. “The other day there was a gal in here who I would have put at around 14. She picked up the Tea Party’s Edges of Twilight plus an album by the Wallflowers, the one that had their first big hit on it (we think he means Bringing Down the Horse). As she was taking out her debit card to pay I was like, how do you even know about these groups? Don’t they predate you by at least 10 years?”

Paralympics open in empty stadium - just like Olympics

On Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET, Toronto Star baseball columnist and Deep Left Field podcast host Mike Wilner will answer your questions about the Blue Jays and anything else baseball-related.

The silent stalker overtaking our sidewalks

Under the McPhillips railway bridge lives an overload of a sensory experience — and not in a nice way.

Once in a while, the city sidewalk sweepers make their way through the narrow, dark passageway, clearing away the sometimes inch-deep pigeon droppings along the edges. But most of the time, it’s the worst part of my walk.

There’s the guano — slick as grease when the sidewalk’s filled wall to wall with standing puddles — plus dead pigeons, broken pigeon eggs, discarded needles. Regularly, small handfuls of discarded, opened, probably stolen mail, as well as torn-open delivery packaging. The smell is overpowering, and it all seems like ground zero in an avian-flu-breeding sci-fi movie.

It’s also a pinch-point on McPhillips: the roadway has narrowed to two lanes to fit under the old bridge, and the sidewalks are narrow as well, tucked between a concrete wall on one side and steel girders that can only be described as encrusted on the other.

This stunner in Oak Bluff West is move-in ready

It’s something we all imagine at one time or another — the financial ability to build our dream home, and the freedom to have it designed to our personal preferences.

Several thoughts come to mind when in such a contemplative (and highly creative) state.

The first thought usually involves the lot on which the home will be built. In this case, it needs to be large, private, and visually appealing — let’s say stunning.

Then there’s the home itself.