Busy day? Here are five stories popular with Globe readers to help you catch up.
Blacks Photography to close all stores
Blacks Photography is closing all 59 stores on Aug. 8, unable to keep them open in a digital age, Marina Strauss reports.
The shutdown of the stores, most of them in Ontario, will leave 485 employees without jobs, but parent company Telus will try to find them positions at its other outlets, including Telus and Koodo stores, spokeswoman Luiza Staniec said.
The company re-imagined some Blacks stores last year into a more gallery-like setting, but they haven't been able to"realize profitable growth," Ms. Staniec said.
Telus tried to find a buyer for Blacks but wasn’t able to find a suitable suitor.
Parents urged to lighten up as kids get D-minus for physical activity
As Canadian children continue to fail physical activity targets, a new report is stressing the benefits of outdoor play and requesting that adults give their kids more freedom to do so.
Canadian kids received a D-minus for overall physical activity for the third year in a row on ParticipAction's latest annual Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, released Tuesday.
Most three- to four-year-olds met the early-years guidelines of at least 180 minutes of daily physical activity, but older kids didn't meet the recommendation of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily activity. Moderate activities include walking quickly, skating and biking. Vigorous activity includes running, basketball and soccer.
“Because we fear kids being alone playing outside, or we fear them scraping a knee, we constantly supervise kids [and] keep them indoors," said Elio Antunes, president and CEO of ParticipAction."And we know that kids indoors are less active and have higher levels of sedentary behaviour.”
The report recommends parents"encourage children to engage more fully with their outdoor environments in a variety of weather conditions" and suggests educators"regularly embrace the outdoors for learning, socialization and physical activity opportunities" in order for kids to get - and stay - healthy.
Suspect in Edmonton police shooting identified as man wanted for hate crimes
The killing of an Edmonton police officer Monday night took place while hate-crime investigators were trying to arrest a suspect in the racial harassment of a local family, the city’s police chief says.
The suspect has been identified as 42-year-old Norman Walter Raddatz, Tu Thanh Ha reports.
Mr. Raddatz is believed to have died in his burning house, which had gone up in flames after multiple shots were fired at police.
Officers were shot as they tried to force their way inside the home to serve an arrest warrant against Mr. Raddatz for an existing bylaw violation and for new charges relating to an ongoing criminal investigation.
“The case that led to last evening’s events was a lengthy hate-crime file with evidence dating back to February, 2014,” Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said. “The online hatred and bullying of an Edmonton family had become extreme and the family members were increasingly worried about their personal safety.”
Sergeant Jason Harley, who was the first officer at the door, turned away as the shooting started and was wounded in the lower back. The body armour he was wearing saved his life.
Constable Daniel Woodall, a 35-year-old member of the Hate Crimes Unit, was also wearing body armour. Constable Woodall suffered a “catastrophic wound” and died at the scene.
Both officers didn’t return fire.
Canadians who posed nude on Malaysian mountain are in custody
Two Canadian siblings who were part of a group of foreigners blamed for an earthquake that shook Mount Kinabalu Friday are now being held in police custody with three others, Verity Stevenson reports.
Danielle and Lindsey Petersen of Saskatchewan allegedly posed nude on the mountain during a backpack trip, and Malaysian officials say their actions disrespected the mountain and caused the earthquake.
Canadian Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Jacqueline Laframboise said the ministry is aware the two Canadians have been prevented from leaving Malaysia. “Canadian consular officials in Malaysia are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and are providing consular assistance to the Canadian citizens.” She couldn't say whether the travellers were charged.
Local media reported Sunday that a senior official with Sabah Parks said the Canadians could face charges for allegedly violating local laws.
A sizzling summer TV viewing guide
Wondering what to watch on TV this summer? John Doyle has some suggestions, from the frivolous to the serious:
1. Orange is the New Black (Netflix, June 12) returns for its third season with major tension as the series resets the narrative
2. Full Circle: Chicago (Super Channel, June 15) is the second batch of the 10-episode dramatic series that follows a small group of people whose lives are intertwined
3. The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC, June 18) is a high-gloss soaper set in the early 1960s that follows a group of women whose bond is the profession of their husbands
4. True Detective (HBO Canada, June 21) shifts gears in its second season, set in California and focused on the body of a man found along the Pacific Coast Highway
5. Humans (AMC, June 28) is a dark comedy set in suburban London where every family wants an artificially intelligent servant, based on the Swedish sci-fi drama Real Humans
6. Poldark (PBS, June 21) returns for those whose taste runs mainly to British TV