Llamas run amok in Sun City, Arizona

Emergency crews in Sun City, Arizona had their work cut out for them Thursday after a pair of Llamas staged a jail break.

The Andean assailants we spotted running through neighbourhoods and down a highway before they were eventually wrangled cowboy style.

The suspects were brought into custody where they will presumably charged with spitting in public.

Power outage shuts downtown core Friday morning

A power outage shut down a wide swath of the downtown core Friday morning.

People began reporting lost power at around 10:30am over a large area from Eglinton Ave to Wellesley and Yonge to Spadina. The outage is affecting about eight thousand people.

Police are reminding drivers that if lights are out, treat the intersection as an all-way-stop unless they are out directing traffic.

Hydro One crews say they've narrowed the source of the problem to the  Bridgman Transformer Station, near Casa Loma. They are trying to determine the cause by Toronto Hydro did not have an estimate for when power would be restored.

This outage does not appear to be affecting subway or streetcar service, both of which run on electricity.

UPDATE: Toronto Hydro expects power to be restored to the downtown around 6pm.

We're experiencing an outage in the downtown core:Eglinton/Wellesley/Spadina/Yonge. 8K customers affected. @HydroOne & our crews are on site
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) February 13, 2015

The food court at @GBCollege's Casa Loma campus is pitch black. #darkTO pic.twitter.com/17yyLMvFKx
— The Dialog (@DialogGBC) February 13, 2015

Ornge air ambulance stranded on 402 due to squalls

A line of snow squalls in south-western Ontario has stranded an Ornge air ambulance on the 402 Thursday afternoon.

The chopper had been responding to a multi-vehicle pile up near Strathroy when blinding snow began to pound the area. Pilots are waiting for the weather to clear before they can take off again.

Plow opperators are travelling slowly though they area, as they are unable to see the crash or the stranded chopper due to low visibility.

Highways 402 and 21 are closed until the weather breaks and the roads can be cleared.

792-LDN remains on HWY 402 after responding to a multi vehicle collision. Our pilots are waiting for weather to clear pic.twitter.com/8F2UblKhJ4
— Ornge (@Ornge) February 12, 2015

UPDATE: Ornge reports that the pilots have found a break in the weather and the helicopter was able to take off safely around 5:15pm. The 402 will remain closed until the snow and collisions are cleared.

World's most distracted driver caught on cam

Distracted driving is a big problem on the roads today. Probably even worse than drunk driving. It's like trying to ride tight course on a unicycle, blindfolded. Yet people keep doing it, and of course some have to take it to the max like this Scottish bloke.

A cyclist spotted the Aberdeen driver looking down at his lap, and figured something was fishy. A brief glimpse caught him staring at his phone while trying to navigate a busy street.

The video taker eventually catches up with him at a red light, where he spots the driver not only on his phone, but using a laptop and wearing headphones. 

"This bloke is driving a 3 tonne Land Rover in town, looking at a mobile phone, laptop and wearing headphones on both ears. Not only he's not paying any attention to the road, I suspect he's not even on this planet," the cyclist posted on his YouTube channel. 

Despite public safety campaigns, distracted driving remains one of the leading causes of collisions. Drivers in Ontario can now face fines up to $1,000 if they are caught using a mobile device behind the wheel.

Fatal crash closes the 401 in Mississauga

A fatal collision has shut down part of the 401 through Mississauga Tuesday morning.

The crash happened at about 9:00am in the eastbound lanes just before Winston Churchill. OPP reported that at least five vehicles were involved.

Photos from the scene show a car that appeared to have rear-ended a flat bed truck, trapping the occupants. One person was pronounced dead while another was rushed to hospital by Ornge air ambulance.

Police expect the highway to remain closed for several hours while they conduct their investigation. Traffic is being forced off Trafalgar. Ramps to the 407 to the 401 eastbound are also shut down.

Drivers looking for alternate routes can expect significant delays on both Steeles Avenue and Derry Road.

More to come.

One dead, @Ornge has transported another after serious collision on the 401 EB East of the 407 Split in #Mississauga pic.twitter.com/TizQm6txGT
— Andrew Collins (@ACollinsPhoto) February 10, 2015

Idiot driver spins out trying to pass a truck

Milton, Ontario has become a magnet for bad drivers in the last couple of years. According to some studies, it's even surpassed Brampton as one of the worst GTA communities for collisions.

This one particular driver sought out the prove that statistic by attempting to overtake a truck in the merge lane on Steeles Avenue, just east of Thompson. It ends predictably with the car smashing into a snow bank and spinning out. Fortunately no other drivers were involved in the crash, which was caught on dash cam video.

Laughably, he drives off with his bumper trailing behind him.

US wants Canada to pay for Customs Plaza

The Department of Homeland Security is asking Canada to foot the bill for a new customs plaza, because it can't find the money.

The $250 million plaza would be part of a new border crossing connecting Windsor with Detroit. The funding is needed to keep the project on track, but the Department says the US Federal Government has not earmarked the cash in its budget.

Speaking to CBC, Transport Canada says it may have to pony up the dough if an agreement isn't reached with the Obama administration. The costs would be covered by tolls.

However, they say they are still in negotiations with their American counterparts.

Image by Mikerussel, via Wikipedia

Cold weather freezes up GO Train service

Icy weather is doing a number on GO Train service Tuesday morning.

The transit agency reports that numerous trips have been delayed, especially along the Lakeshore, Milton, and Kitchener lines, due to frozen switches and signal malfunctions. Passengers can expect to wait upwards of 20 minutes for some trips.

Adding to problems are issues with the service's website, which notifies riders about delays. It has been offline since Monday. Updates can be found on Twitter by following @GOTransit.

GO Transit is apologizing to riders and says they can apply for a full refund under their Service Guarantee.

Man struts nude down Michigan highway

Sometimes you've just got to bare all, but a snowy highway is probably not an ideal place for it.

Police responded to reports Sunday morning that a man was walking naked in a live lane along the I-75 near Auburn Hills, Michigan. 

Witnesses reported that a truck had left the road and gone into the ditch. The driver emerged from the vehicle, stripped down to his birthday suit, and went for a chilly stroll along the highway.

The whole incident was caught on tape by one perplexed driver, who reported the man was trying to open doors of passing cars.

"We really don't know ... why he did what he did," Auburn Hills Police Lt. Casimir Miarka told the Detroit News. "He never told us why he did this. We obviously wanted to get him medical treatment."

The man has been identified as a 53-year-old from Bloomfield Hills. He was taken to hospital as a precaution. 

Winter weather, crashes shut down westbound 401 in Whitby

The 401 westbound was closed through the Durham Region Monday afternoon after a winter storm caused numerous collisions.

All lanes were shut down between Brock Street and Lakeridge. Traffic is being diverted off the highway at Brock Street.

This was just the latest of several winter related accidents this morning, after the GTA was dumped with nearly 30cm of snow. OPP report that they had responded to over 200 crashes on provincially controlled highways.

Collision #Hwy401 WB between Brock St and Lakeridge remains closed due to collision. Stay tuned for updates pic.twitter.com/nOjqS0hOwb
— Ontario Prov Police (@OPP_GTATraffic) February 2, 2015