Accepting Toronto’s flood-prone future

Plus, scenes from the Trump bubble, swimming star Maggie Mac Neil’s secret weapon, and blinded by the light (emitting diodes) [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning — and cheers to the official end of the LCBO strike; [its 10,000 workers will return tomorrow with stores opening up again on Tuesday](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Richard Lautens/Toronto Star Extreme Weather [As Toronto mops up from this week’s flooding, we need to start asking ourselves the tough questions]( Last Tuesday marked the fourth “100-year-storm” since 2005, effectively killing the phrase’s meaning. Like many Torontonians, Mayor Olivia Chow was quick to blame climate change. However, as Kate Allen reports, the reality is a bit more complicated, and potentially far scarier. We face a monumental dilemma: [what amount of calamity will the city simply have to learn to live with?]( Dreamstime/Toronto Star Illustration U.S. ELECTION ’24 [Donald Trump and Joe Biden are both in dangerous bubbles. We’ll see who pops first]( At the Republican National Convention, Richard Warnica found himself moving between distinct worlds, each governed by its own logic. To be in Milwaukee this week was to step into a fantasy world of peace and prosperity, where conservative attendees were more than willing to ignore obvious paradoxes. [But strangely enough, the defining bubble of the event was actually the ever-shrinking world of Joe Biden](. R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star Olympics [She’s already an all-time great. Now, swimmer Maggie Mac Neil is (dolphin-)kicking it up a notch]( As the reigning Olympic champ in the 100-metre butterfly, Maggie Mac Neil will make a splash at the Paris Games just by showing up. However, as Kerry Gillespie writes, the 24-year-old is gunning for an even rarer achievement: becoming the first repeat gold medalist in the women’s event. [To do so, she’ll rely on her secret biomechanical weapon](. Jermaine Wilson/Toronto Star City Life [Chow unveils $2 million in funding to support Toronto’s struggling local festivals]( Mayor Olivia Chow unveiled the Special Events Stabilization Initiative this week, a one-time $2 million financial relief grant to stabilise Toronto’s cultural and arts festivals following the pandemic and high inflationary challenges. As Jermaine Wilson notes, the move comes after two signature events, the Just for Laughs comedy festival and Taste of the Danforth, pulled the plug on their 2024 editions. [Here’s how the program will work](. Dreamstime CARS [Blinded by the light: here’s how today’s high-tech headlamps became a highway scourge]( No, it’s not just you; some LED headlamps are so bright that nighttime drivers experience a glare that can compromise their ability to drive safely, Mark Toljagic writes. Some studies suggest that 12 to 15 per cent of all collisions are due to glare caused by high beams. [To figure out how North America arrived here, we have to head over to Europe](. UP CLOSE R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star For years, Qasim Khan felt like the theatre world didn’t know what to do with a “brown queer guy.” Now, amid a banner year, he’ll soon conquer one of acting’s Mount Everests: the title role in a production of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” [As Glenn Sumi details, it’s been a long time coming](. Read THIS HarperCollins Has author Rachel Cusk gone too far? Once hailed as one of Britain’s best young writers, Robert Wiersema writes that her approach in “Parade” is at times both frustrating and unintentionally hilarious. [Here’s why](. Thanks for reading. Rest assured that First Up is only ever intentionally hilarious. You can reach our team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_216967), and Kevin will see you back here Monday. If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](