Temps hit 38 below zero in Alaskan city, setting new April record

By Jessica Storm, AccuWeather, Accuweather.com

April 10 (UPI) -- A historic cold blast settling into Alaska this week will send temperatures plummeting far below zero, which could topple century-old low-temperature records in one city and even a longstanding state record.

The severe cold comes at a time when Alaska normally starts to thaw out from brutal winter weather.

"April is typically the time of year when Alaska is steadily climbing out of the Arctic's icy grip, with average high temperatures rising 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit from the beginning of the month to the end in places such as Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Fairbanks and Anchorage," AccuWeather meteorologist Renee Duff said.

High temperatures in Anchorage, Alaska, usually start April in the upper 30s, before reaching the lower 50s by the end of the month. Fairbanks rivals this spring warmup average by rising from the mid-30s in early April and ending up near the mid-50s by the last day of the month.

"But that has been far from the truth so far this month, with temperatures running close to 18 degrees below normal month-to-date in Fairbanks," Duff said.

Anchorage set a daily record low of 9 degrees on Thursday. The previous record low for April 8 of 10 F was set back in 1986.

The cold air is also keeping snow from melting, which led to a new record Thursday. A snow depth of 24 inches was measured Thursday, the latest on record the snow has been that deep around Anchorage. The previous record came from 2011-2012 at the end of Anchorage's snowiest winter on record when 134.6 inches of snow fell. This year only 69.7 inches has been measured, which is below normal for the city. A normal total for April 8 is 71.8 inches.

It's been a topsy-turvy start to April in Fairbanks. The city began the month with a high of 11, and low temperatures that didn't reach above zero degrees. Around Easter, the city's temperatures nearly recovered, just a couple degrees below the average high, but this was short-lived as temperatures tanked again to fall below -20, despite average lows being around 15 degrees.

"The next three days will bring historic-level cold for this time of year to parts of mainland Alaska. The state record low for April of -50F (-45.6C) might be broken," Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks said on Twitter on Wednesday.

"A cold snap this extreme in April hasn't been experienced in the Fairbanks area since 1911, when three consecutive record lows were set from April 9-11," Duff said. Record lows are likely to be challenged during the latest cold wave, including Friday night's record of minus 32 F.

RELATED West witnessed more sporadic rainfall, longer droughts over last 50 years

Bettles, Alaska, recorded a temperature of -38 F at 6 a.m. Friday. This is a new all-time record low for the month of April, Thoman said. The previous record was -37 F set back on April 7, 1986. Thoman said climate observations at Bettles date back to May 1944. Bettles is located roughly 240 miles northwest of Fairbanks and is located near the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.

"Also, -32 F is the all-time April low temperature on record in Fairbanks, which has a shot at being broken as well," the local National Weather Service office said on Twitter.

The temperature dipped to -16 F Friday morning in Fairbanks.

While Fairbanks usually sits at a high of 40 in early April, temperatures in the city didn't rise above 3 degrees on Friday, a whopping 37 degrees below normal. This broke the record for lowest maximum temperature on April 9th and was the latest in the season a single-digit high had occurred in the city, according to climatologist Brian Brettschneider. April 8 held the previous record, according to the NWS.

As of 1 a.m. local time Saturday, the city was sitting at -25 degrees, just 7 degrees shy of tying the all-time April low temperature.

Fairbanks is currently amid a record-setting stretch of days since it last surpassed the 40-degree mark. It has been 180 days since Fairbanks last was above 40 degrees. That record broke the previous mark of 176 days previously set from Oct. 3, 1965, to March 27, 1966. The city is expected to keep adding to the new record as temps remain below 40 into next week.

So why exactly are Alaska's temperatures plummeting in the middle of the spring? The answer can be found with the jet stream, an upper-level phenomenon that directs the atmosphere.

"A deep southward dip in the jet stream will allow extreme cold from the Arctic to invade mainland Alaska on Saturday, with temperatures expected to plunge 15-35 degrees Fahrenheit below normal," Duff said.

Temperatures will be more typical of the heart of winter than nearly the midpoint of meteorological spring.

High winds won't help with the cold at all. In fact, several areas of Alaska are under wind chill advisories on Thursday. Utqiaġvik, Alaska, had AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures in the minus 30s Thursday night.

Howard Pass, Alaska, among other locations, experienced a wind chill of -74 degrees Thursday night as winds gust over 50 mph.

Residents of Alaska are being urged to take precautions when going outdoors.

"People spending any length of time outdoors will want to be sure to bundle up appropriately and leave no skin left exposed to lessen the risk of frostbite and hypothermia," Duff added.

By Sunday, temperatures may recover a bit as the core of the Arctic air is expected to slide eastward into the Yukon Territory of northwestern Canada.

"This unusually cold air mass will begin to turn southeastward into the Canadian Prairies and then into the northern U.S. Plains, likely sending temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal for the first half of next week," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

For Alaska, there will be a major flip in the weather pattern. An area of high pressure will build over the Gulf of Alaska, ushering in milder air on southwesterly winds to the state.

"By Tuesday and Wednesday, much of interior Alaska may see temperatures as much as 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, which may translate to a 30-50 degree rise in temperatures for many locations," Anderson said.
ADVERTISE

TOXIC RED TIDE

Wastewater pumped into Tampa Bay could cause a massive algae bloom

By Larry Brand, University of Miami

4/9/2021


Red tide in recent years has killed large numbers of Florida’s manatees, a threatened species. Photo by David Hinkel/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

April 9 (UPI) -- Millions of gallons of water laced with fertilizer ingredients are being pumped into Florida's Tampa Bay from a leaking reservoir at an abandoned phosphate plant at Piney Point. As the water spreads into the bay, it carries phosphorus and nitrogen -- nutrients that under the right conditions can fuel dangerous algae blooms that can suffocate sea grass beds and kill fish, dolphins and manatees.

It's the kind of risk no one wants to see, but officials believed the other options were worse.

About 300 homes sit downstream from the 480 million-gallon reservoir, which began leaking in late March. State officials determined that pumping out the water was the only way to prevent the reservoir's walls from collapsing. They decided the safest location for all that water would be out through Port Manatee and into the bay.

Florida's coast is dotted with fragile marine sanctuaries and sea grass beds that help nurture the state's thriving marine and tourism economy. Those near Port Manatee now face a risk of algal blooms over the next few weeks. Once algae blooms get started, little can be done to clean them up.

RELATED Drone picks up potential second leak at Piney Point reservoir in Florida

The phosphate mining industry around Tampa is just one source of nutrients that can fuel dangerous algae blooms, which I study as a marine biologist. The sugarcane industry, cattle ranches, dairy farms and citrus groves all release nutrients that often flow into rivers and eventually into bays and the ocean. Sewage is another problem -- Miami and Fort Lauderdale, for example, have old sewage treatment systems with frequent pipe breaks that leak sewage into canals and coastal waters.

All can fuel harmful algal blooms that harm marine life and people. Overall, blooms are getting worse locally and globally.

Problem with algae blooms

RELATED Summer toxic algae blooms may be growing threat to health

Just down the coast from Port Manatee, the next three counties to the south have had algae blooms in recent weeks, including red tide, which produces a neurotoxin that feels like pepper spray if you breathe it in. Karenia brevis, a dinoflagellate, is the organism in red tide and produces the toxin.

This part of Florida's Gulf Coast is a hot spot for red tide, often fueled by agricultural runoff. A persistent red tide in 2017 and 2018 killed at least 177 manatees and left a trail of dead fish along the coast and into Tampa Bay. If the coastal currents carry today's red tide father north and into Tampa Bay, the toxic algae could thrive on the nutrients from Piney Point.

Even blooms that are not toxic are still dangerous to ecosystems. They cloud the water, cutting off light and killing the plants below. A large enough bloom can also reduce oxygen in the water. A lack of oxygen can kill off everything in the water, including the fish.

RELATED Florida team studies hydroponic hemp as toxic algae remedy

This part of Florida has extensive sea grass meadows, about 2.2 million acres in all, which are important habitat for lots of species and serve as nurseries for shrimp, crabs and fish. Scientists have argued that sea grass is also a major carbon sink -- the grass sucks up carbon and pumps it down into the sediments.

Once the nutrients are in a large body of water, there isn't much that can be done to stop algae growth. Killing the algae would only release the nutrients again, putting the bay back where it started. Algae blooms can remain a problem for years, finally declining when a predator population develops to eats them, a viral disease spreads through the bloom or strong currents and mixing disperse the bloom.

Agriculture runoff

The phosphate mining industry around Tampa is a large source of nutrient-rich waste. On average, more than 5 tons of phosphogypsum waste are produced for every ton of phosphoric acid created for fertilizer. In Florida, that adds up to over 1 billion tons of radioactive waste material that can't be used, so it's stacked up and turned into reservoirs like the one now leaking at Piney Point.

The reservoirs are obvious in satellite photos of the region, and they can be highly acidic. To get the phosphate out of the minerals, the industry uses sulfuric acid, and it leaves behind a highly acid wastewater. There have been at least two cases where it ate through the limestone below a reservoir, creating huge sinkholes hundreds of feet deep and draining wastewater into the aquifer.

Since saltwater had previously been pumped into the Piney Point reservoir, acidity is less of an issue. That's because the seawater would buffer the pH. There is some radioactivity, but only slightly above regulatory standards, according to state Department of Environmental Protection, and probably not much of a health hazard.

But the nutrients are a risk. In 2004, water releases from the Piney Point reservoir contributed to an algae bloom in Bishop Harbor, just south of the current release site. In 2011, it released over 170 million gallons into Bishop Harbor again after a liner broke.

Another significant source of algae-feeding nutrients is agriculture, particularly cattle ranching and the sugarcane industry. Nutrient runoff from cattle ranches and dairy farms north of Lake Okeechobee end up in the lake. South of the lake, much of the northern third of the Everglades was converted to sugarcane farms, and those fields back-pumped runoff into the lake for decades until the state started cracking down in the 1980s. Their legacy nutrients are still in the lake.

The nutrient-rich water in the lake then pours down the Caloosahatchee River and into the Gulf of Mexico near Fort Myers, south of Tampa. That's likely feeding the current red tide off the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River.

When water from the Everglades region's agriculture is pumped south instead, huge blooms tend to appear in Florida Bay at the southern tip of the state. Some scientists believe it may be damaging coral reefs there, though there's debate about it. During times that flow of water from the farms increased, reefs throughout the Florida Keys have been harmed. Those reefs have become overgrown with algae.

With the current red tide, the coastal currents have carried it north as far as Sarasota. If they carry it farther north, it will run into the Piney Point area.

Larry Brand is a professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

 

Lightning strike destroys tree outside Wisconsin high school

April 9 (UPI) -- A security camera at a Wisconsin high school captured the moment a lightning strike destroyed a tree right outside the building.

Jennifer Johnson, the principal at Wautoma High School, said lightning struck the tree just as students were sitting down to take the ACT Aspire test at 8:25 a.m. Thursday.

"Initially, the students and staff were startled by the event; however, after realizing what had just happened, they were fascinated by the rare incident that occurred just feet from them," Johnson told WBAY-TV.

A video recorded by a school security camera shows the moment the tree was illuminated by the bolt of lightning before crashing to the ground in pieces.

Johnson said no one was injured and there was no damage to the property other than the destroyed tree.

RATHER AMAZING THE LIGHTENING ACTUALLY DISINTIGRATES THE TRUNK LEAVING THE BRANCHES TO FALL TO THE GROUND.

WE HAD LIGTHENING HIT AN ELM ON OUR BOULEVARD,. THE CRACK WAS SO LOUD IT SHOOK THE HOUSE AND KNOCK THINGS OFF SHELVES 

SURPRISINGLY THE TREE LIVES!

Dig uncovers 'Lost Golden City';

largest ancient city ever found in Egypt


An archaeological discovery, named the "Lost Golden City," is seen in Luxor, Egypt. Scientists say the city is 3,000 years old and excavation work to uncover it began last September. Photo by Zahi Hawass Center For Egyptology/EPA-EFE

April 9 (UPI) -- Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a 3,000-year-old city that dates back to the era of ruler Amenhotep III, one of the country's most powerful pharaohs who reigned for almost four decades in the 1300s B.C.

Egyptian officials, who announced the find on Thursday, are calling the discovery in the southern province of Luxor the "Lost Golden City." The city is also known as Aten.

Betsy Brian, a Johns Hopkins University egyptologist, calls the significance of the find second only to the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922.

"The discovery of the Lost City, not only will give us a rare glimpse into the life of the Ancient Egyptians at the time where the Empire was at its wealthiest but will help us shed light on one of history's greatest mystery: Why did Akhenaten and Nefertiti decide to move to Amarna?" Brian said, according to ABC News.

RELATED Analysis of King Tut's treasure shows aesthetic influence of Levant

After seven months of excavation, the mission led by former Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawass found neighborhoods of the city. The mission's initial objective was to find a mortuary temple of King Tut.

Hawass said the find was the largest ancient city ever uncovered in Egypt. The dig revealed archaeological finds, such as jewelry, colored pottery and mud bricks bearing seals of Amenhotep III, who ruled during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt.

"What they unearthed was the site of a large city in a good condition of preservation, with almost complete walls, and with rooms filled with tools of daily life," Hawass said in the ABC News report, adding that discoveries included a residential area and a bakery.

RELATED Museum staff in Egypt facing charges over failed King Tut beard job

Many foreign missions have previously searched for the city, but none were able to locate it. Hawass said his team expects to uncover tombs filled with treasures.

Excavation work to uncover the Lost Golden City began in September.

Large snake photographed in tree at Pittsburgh park

April 9 (UPI) -- Police in Pennsylvania said a large snake photographed slithering through a tree in a public park is believed to be a non-venomous species.

Pittsburgh Public Safety said Thursday that the snake had been photographed in a tree by a member of the public along a trail in Frick Park.

Police, animal control officers and Pittsburgh Park Rangers were summoned to the park Thursday to search for the serpent.

The city said in a later update that experts at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium reviewed the photo of the reptile and believe it to be a black rat snake, a non-venomous species that is native to Pennsylvania but is not often seen in the Frick Park area.

RIP

Ramsey Clark, attorney general under Lyndon Johnson, dies

APRIL 11, 2021 


Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark walks on Pennsylvania Avenue as thousands of protesters gather nearby to demonstrate against the Iraq War in Washington on September 15, 2007. File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI | License Photo

April 11 (UPI) -- Ramsey Clark, the attorney general under President Lyndon B Johnson for 22 months then became a civil rights attorney, has died at his home in New York City. He was 93.

Clark died on Friday, a family member, Sharon Welch, told The New York Times and The Washington Post.

In 1977, Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark swore in his son. Clark served until 1969, and then became a private practice attorney. His clients included former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and the Harrisburg Seven, antiwar activists led by the Rev. Philip Berrigan, the radical Roman Catholic priest, and several followers of the Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh.

As attorney general, Clark prosecuted Benjamin Spock, a pediatrician and best-selling author for conspiracy to aid draft resisters during the Vietnam War.

He later became a vocal critic of the war and other U.S. policies, including conflicts in Grenada, Libya, Panama and the Gulf War. In 1972, Clark met with Communist officials in Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam.

He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas and a law degree from the University of Chicago, according to a Department of Justice biography.

Clark was appointed assistant U.S. attorney general of the Lands Division by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, when Clark was only 33 years old.

The United Nations General Assembly awarded in 2008 Clark its Prize in the Field of Human Rights, given every five years to human rights defenders.

IN GEORGIA A JAPANESE GOLFER WINS THE MASTERS 

Hideki Matsuyama wins 85th Masters golf tourney, first major title

With the victory, Matsuyama made history as the first male golfer from Japan to win a major championship. He is only the second man from an Asian country to win a major


Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan celebrates while wearing the Green Jacket after the final round of the 2021 Masters Tournament on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

April 11 (UPI) -- Japan's Hideki Matsuyama held off an erratic Xander Schauffele for a one-stroke victory at the 85th Masters Tournament on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, claiming his first major title and the Green Jacket.

With the victory, Matsuyama made history as the first male golfer from Japan to win a major championship. He is only the second man from an Asian country to win a major, joining South Korea's Y.E. Yang, who beat Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship.

"Hopefully, I'll be a pioneer and many other Japanese will follow," said Matsuyama, who received the Green Jacket from 2020 winner Dustin Johnson.

Matsuyama, who is now a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, won more than $2 million in prize money for his improbable triumph at Augusta.

RELATED Masters golf: Matsuyama takes 4-stroke lead into final round

Before the tournament, many sportsbooks listed him at 60-1 odds to win the Masters, making him one of the biggest long shots to win the event since Danny Willett in 2016.

The 29-year-old Matsuyama, who shot 65 in Saturday's third round, closed with a 1-over 73 on the final day to finish the tournament with a 10-under 278. He built a six-stroke lead on the back nine, but watched it disappear after a series of mistakes and a late surge from Schauffele.

Holding a four-shot advantage, Matsuyama went for the green in two on the par-5 15th hole. Instead, he found the water and bogeyed the hole.

RELATED Corey Conners sinks hole-in-one at 2021 Masters

Schauffele, meanwhile, made his fourth consecutive birdie on hole No. 15 to cut Matsuyama's lead to just two shots with three to play.

Schauffele's next swing all but ended his comeback attempt. His tee shot on the par-3 16th bounded off the hill and trickled into the pond. His third shot from the drop area traveled into the gallery, leading to his triple-bogey 6.

It was the first triple-bogey of Schauffele's major championship career. Before his blunders on the 16th hole, he carded birdies on Nos. 12, 13, 14 and 15 to make it interesting.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits out of a greenside bunker to the 18th green in the final round of the 2021 Masters Tournament on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

RELATED Masters: Justin Rose enters weekend with one-shot lead at Augusta

On the front nine, Schauffele sank three birdies, but also had two bogeys and a double bogey, finishing at even-par 72 in what proved to be an inconsistent final day for the American.

"I was pretty wild, I'd say," Schauffele said. "I fought hard and I felt like I made it exciting at the end. I hit a really good shot there on 16. I committed to it and hit a perfect shot. We thought it was down and left to right, it was not down and left to right. And the rest is history."

Despite bogeying three of his last four holes, Matsuyama held on to become the first Masters champion with a final round over par since Trevor Immelman's 75 in 2008.

Five-time Green Jacket winner Tiger Woods congratulated Matsuyama on social media after his historic victory at Augusta, saying it would "impact the entire golf world."

"Making Japan proud, Hideki," Woods wrote on Twitter. "Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country. This historical [Masters] win will impact the entire golf world."

Will Zalatoris, the 24-year-old Masters rookie, took advantage of Schauffele's struggles and finished behind Matsuyama at 9-under 279, earning more than $1.2 million in winnings. It was the best finish by a first-timer at the tournament since Jordan Spieth was runner-up in 2014 to Bubba Watson.

Spieth and Schauffele tied for third at 7-under 281.

Jon Rahm had a final-round-best 66 to jump 16 spots and share fifth with Marc Leishman. Justin Rose, who entered the weekend as the leader, came in seventh at 5-under for the tourney.

Anti-mask advocate added to no-fly list in Canada
Jane Stevenson 

TORONTO SUN

4/11/2021

© Provided by Toronto Sun Chris Sky (Saccoccia), 37, from King City, is shown at a speaking engagement.  ANTI MASK PROTEST IS NOT JUST ANOTHER SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

A no-fly list designation is the latest wrinkle to befall high-profile anti-mask advocate Chris Sky, of King City, Ont.

Sky, who’s real surname is Saccoccia, said Sunday that while recently attempting to get on a Flair Airlines flight at Toronto Pearson Airport — en route to speaking events in Calgary and Edmonton — he was barred from checking in.

Sky said he was told his name was on a no-fly list, adding no one provided him any explanation as to why.

He documented the entire incident on video and posted it on his Instagram account.

“I was not happy about it,” said Sky on Sunday. “Obviously, the government doesn’t like it when I go speak places so they try to stop me any way they can.”

Zarah Malik, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada, said on Sunday he couldn’t specifically comment on Sky’s case.

However, generally, Malik said: “There are many reasons unrelated to Canada’s Secure Air Travel Act (SATA) List that could cause delays or prevent someone from boarding a flight. For example, airlines and other countries may have their own security lists and rules to screen travellers. The SATA list contains the names of individuals who may pose a threat to aviation security or who may travel by air to commit a terrorist act.”
Malik added anyone “will receive confirmation in writing from Public Safety Canada at the time of the denial of boarding that explains their right to apply for recourse.”

Sky, who said he had yet to hear the reason, had other plans.

“I’m going to use every resource I have to get that friggin’ illegal, disgusting, communist-style, lawless, dictatorship, piece of crap, no-fly list taken off my good name and I’m going to hold the federal government accountable,” he said.

In the meantime, not flying has led to another transportation option for him.

“I’m driving across Canada as we speak!” said Sky. “I just left Manitoba, and I’m on my way to Saskatchewan, and then I’m going to go all the way to Vancouver, and I’m going to come all the way back! They ain’t going to stop me from speaking!”

Protesters defy curfew in Old Montreal, setting fires, breaking windows
CBC/Radio-Canada 1 hour ago

© Giuseppe Valiante/The Canadian Press Some protesters lit fires in garbage cans and on the street, while others set off fireworks and chanted slogans deriding Premier François Legault.

Demonstrators lit fires and shouted slogans in Old Montreal Sunday evening in defiance of a new 8 p.m.curfew that went into effect to prevent the spread of COVID-19 cases.

A large crowd blocked off a street near Montreal's Place Jacques-Cartier. Some lit fires in garbage cans, while others set off fireworks and chanted slogans deriding Premier François Legault and demanding more freedom.

Garbage fires were lit at many intersections and protesters picked up what they could find on the street and threw it at store windows, shattering many.

Many of the demonstrators were not wearing masks.

Dozens of police, some in riot gear, arrived on the scene around 8:30 p.m., at which point some protesters began to disperse.

The provincial government announced the earlier curfew on Tuesday. Premier Legault said it was a necessary "preventative" measure to stop people from gathering indoors, and avoid an explosion of COVID-19 cases.

A curfew was first imposed across Quebec on January 9. It required Quebecers across the province to be in their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. unless they had a valid reason to be out. The curfew was later moved back to 9:30 p.m. in some regions, including Montreal.

Hundreds defy Montreal's 8 p.m. curfew in violent, destructive protest

MONTREAL — Hundreds of protesters set fires and smashed windows through a swath of downtown Montreal on Sunday in defiance of a newly adjusted curfew intended to stem surging COVID-19 case numbers in the city.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Police responded with tear gas in a bid to control the crowd, who were purportedly protesting Quebec Premier Francois Legault's decision to roll the city-wide curfew back from 9:30 to 8 p.m. The move, previously replicated in other COVID-19 hot spots across the province, took effect in Montreal and nearby Laval on Sunday.

The protest began in relative calm, with a mostly young crowd dancing to music from loudspeakers while lighting fireworks and chanting, "freedom for the young."

But the festive atmosphere quickly turned violent as a few protesters lit a garbage fire in Montreal's Jacques Cartier Square, which was met with tear gas from riot police.

Police soon rushed the crowd, prompting dozens of protesters to scatter and cause mayhem down the cobblestone streets of Montreal’s tourist district.

They lit garbage fires at many intersections and seized projectiles from city streets, hurling them at nearby windows and shattering many.

A spokeswoman for Montreal police said she couldn't offer any comment on the protests, describing them as an ongoing situation. She said that more information would become available as things stabilized and police on the scene could file their reports.

Marwah Rizqy, a Liberal member of the provincial legislature that represents a Montreal riding, tweeted her disapproval of the protestors' actions.

"Chanting freedom while ransacking windows of stores that are already just getting by. It’s disheartening / outrageous," Rizqy tweeted in French.

A few protesters were still out on the streets at around 9:30 p.m. throwing glass, breaking city infrastructure and running from police.

Sirens rang through the streets as firefighters put out the many small blazes lit along Old Montréal’s alleys and narrow roads.

The curfew ostensibly at the heart of the protest was imposed to curb COVID-19 infection rates that have spiked in several regions in recent weeks.

Quebec reported 1,535 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, as well as five additional deaths linked to the virus.

Hospitalizations jumped by 25 to 608, with 139 patients in intensive care.

Health Minister Christian Dube tweeted that the numbers are concerning given that 58 per cent of new cases involve people under the age of 40.

"While vaccination accelerates, we must continue to adhere to the measures if we want to defeat this pandemic," Dube wrote.

"Let's show solidarity."

Legault said last week that he was imposing the health order in Montreal and Laval despite a relatively stable case count as a precaution, due to the heavy presence of more contagious virus variants.

Residents in those regions who leave their homes between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. without a good reason could face fines of over $1,000.

Legault extended the curfew in Montreal and other red zones from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in mid-March, but said last week that the evolving COVID-19 situation gave him no choice but to reverse course.

Legault previously placed Quebec City, Levis, Gatineau and several municipalities in Quebec's Beauce region under the earlier curfew.

The government also closed schools and non-essential businesses in those areas, and Legault announced Thursday that the measures would be extended until at least April 18.

The province also gave 59,447 doses of vaccine on Saturday, and has currently given a shot to just over 22 per cent of the population.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2021

Expert says gathering outside Alberta church attended by many conspiracy theorists

SPRUCE GROVE, Alta. — An expert investigating hate groups says a weekend gathering outside an Alberta church charged with violating COVID-19 regulations is exemplary of the increasing number of far-right groups and conspiracy theorists who've latched on to the anti-lockdown and anti-mask movement.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Up to 500 people gathered outside GraceLife Church west of Edmonton on Sunday, four days after Alberta Health Services shut down and fenced off the building. The health agency says it will remove the fences when the church shows it will comply with public health measures meant to contain the spread of the virus.

Dozens of police officers monitored the crowd as some sang hymns, read from a Bible and prayed for the church to reopen. Several others were heard yelling that the pandemic is not real and is made up by the government, which are all conspiracy theories.

In the afternoon, some tore down fences, but RCMP immediately intervened and put the metal guards back up. Police said in a statement they will only use the level of intervention necessary to maintain peace, order and safety.

"It would be accurate to say that the event attracted far-right and right-wing conspiracy-minded individuals for sure," said Elizabeth Simons, the deputy director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, who was monitoring the crowd.

"We're hugely concerned."

GraceLife Church and its pastor, James Coates, are charged under the Public Health Act for holding services that break health restrictions related to capacity, physical distancing and masking. They have a trial set for May.

The church said in a statement that members of its congregants were not at the Sunday gathering, and that it has no control of the building or its grounds at this time.

"The closing of the Grace Life facility has understandably resulted in significant public outrage and caused even larger crowds to gather in one place. Albertans have a constitutional right to assemble, associate, and worship," the statement said.

Simons agreed many of the people participating in the demonstration were not associated with the church and it included a familiar set of characters from Canada’s hate movements and their supporters.

She says she saw many holding signs warning of tyranny and communism, and many also falsely said mosques were allowed to hold services without restrictions, and only churches are being attacked.

"We feel that the anti-lockdown and the anti-science movement is one of the biggest threats that we're facing."

Simons says everyday people who may be vulnerable and lack critical thinking skills or media literacy are more susceptible to far-right messaging.

Alberta's Premier Jason Kenney was asked during a news conference on Saturday what his message would be to people who might plan to attend the gathering at GraceLife Church on Sunday.

"My message for any Albertan would be to take COVID seriously and to keep people safe," Kenney said.

"My message to people of faith in particular would be that if you believe in the sanctity of human life, please act accordingly. This virus is real, it's taken the lives of 2,000 Albertans, of millions of people around the world, and we are right now in the midst of what is likely the biggest wave of infection that we've experienced to date."

Simons says far-right people attending anti-mask and anti-lockdown protests is not new in Alberta or the rest of Canada.

Two months ago, hundreds of anti-mask and lockdown protesters marched the streets of Edmonton and chanted “no more fake news" and “no more fake science", Simons said.

Some even carried tiki torches, which many say is a symbol used by white supremacists.

Simons says the amount of misinformation being spread about COVID-19, and what is believed by so many people, is something she has never seen before.

"It's something that is really unprecedented. We have not dealt with something of this magnitude before."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2021.

----

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press