Latest news with #Fortier
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Advertiser
'Once in a lifetime': pinks, purples, reds light up Hunter skies
As Mick Fortier set up his camera on Redhead beach on Sunday evening, pinks, purples and reds danced across the night sky. "It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience to be able to see it from Redhead, it was pretty unique," he said. "It was really interesting, the dominant colour was a pinky, purply, reddish colour with bits of yellow, and it would spike in one area, and then in another." With other keen aurora australis spotters, Mr Fortier arrived at the Lake Macquarie beach at about 7pm on June 1. "It was the first time I've photographed the aurora," he said. "I went up to the Redhead bluff, it started to move out over the ocean." Aaron Sands was initially heading out to capture the Milky Way when he changed course to snap a picture of the aurora australis off Boat Harbour. He said while the colours were muted to the naked eye, he could still see beams of light moving across the sky. "It was the ultimate thrill," he said. Aurora australis, or the southern lights, are triggered by geomagnetic storms that are caused by interactions of charged particles from the sun with the atmosphere of the Earth, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Ahead of Sunday's natural light show, the BOM Space Weather Forecasting Centre said a coronal mass ejection from the sun was forecast to impact the Earth that evening. Coronial mass ejections are plasma clouds that travel at 3000 kilometres per second, resulting in a geomagnetic storm upon reaching Earth. The aurora watch notice said anticipated geomagnetic activity was expected to produce a show on both June 1 and 2, with the chance of further activity on June 3. "Aurora Alerts will be issued if significant geomagnetic activity occurs - these alerts provide more detailed information as to the latitudinal ranges where aurora may be visible," the bureau said in a statement, The light show is generally visible to the naked eye near the north and south poles but will appear less bright at lower latitudes. The BOM said nights with little cloud cover were ideal for viewing auroras and the display usually lasted one to three hours. Aurora alerts were issued at As Mick Fortier set up his camera on Redhead beach on Sunday evening, pinks, purples and reds danced across the night sky. "It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience to be able to see it from Redhead, it was pretty unique," he said. "It was really interesting, the dominant colour was a pinky, purply, reddish colour with bits of yellow, and it would spike in one area, and then in another." With other keen aurora australis spotters, Mr Fortier arrived at the Lake Macquarie beach at about 7pm on June 1. "It was the first time I've photographed the aurora," he said. "I went up to the Redhead bluff, it started to move out over the ocean." Aaron Sands was initially heading out to capture the Milky Way when he changed course to snap a picture of the aurora australis off Boat Harbour. He said while the colours were muted to the naked eye, he could still see beams of light moving across the sky. "It was the ultimate thrill," he said. Aurora australis, or the southern lights, are triggered by geomagnetic storms that are caused by interactions of charged particles from the sun with the atmosphere of the Earth, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Ahead of Sunday's natural light show, the BOM Space Weather Forecasting Centre said a coronal mass ejection from the sun was forecast to impact the Earth that evening. Coronial mass ejections are plasma clouds that travel at 3000 kilometres per second, resulting in a geomagnetic storm upon reaching Earth. The aurora watch notice said anticipated geomagnetic activity was expected to produce a show on both June 1 and 2, with the chance of further activity on June 3. "Aurora Alerts will be issued if significant geomagnetic activity occurs - these alerts provide more detailed information as to the latitudinal ranges where aurora may be visible," the bureau said in a statement, The light show is generally visible to the naked eye near the north and south poles but will appear less bright at lower latitudes. The BOM said nights with little cloud cover were ideal for viewing auroras and the display usually lasted one to three hours. Aurora alerts were issued at As Mick Fortier set up his camera on Redhead beach on Sunday evening, pinks, purples and reds danced across the night sky. "It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience to be able to see it from Redhead, it was pretty unique," he said. "It was really interesting, the dominant colour was a pinky, purply, reddish colour with bits of yellow, and it would spike in one area, and then in another." With other keen aurora australis spotters, Mr Fortier arrived at the Lake Macquarie beach at about 7pm on June 1. "It was the first time I've photographed the aurora," he said. "I went up to the Redhead bluff, it started to move out over the ocean." Aaron Sands was initially heading out to capture the Milky Way when he changed course to snap a picture of the aurora australis off Boat Harbour. He said while the colours were muted to the naked eye, he could still see beams of light moving across the sky. "It was the ultimate thrill," he said. Aurora australis, or the southern lights, are triggered by geomagnetic storms that are caused by interactions of charged particles from the sun with the atmosphere of the Earth, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Ahead of Sunday's natural light show, the BOM Space Weather Forecasting Centre said a coronal mass ejection from the sun was forecast to impact the Earth that evening. Coronial mass ejections are plasma clouds that travel at 3000 kilometres per second, resulting in a geomagnetic storm upon reaching Earth. The aurora watch notice said anticipated geomagnetic activity was expected to produce a show on both June 1 and 2, with the chance of further activity on June 3. "Aurora Alerts will be issued if significant geomagnetic activity occurs - these alerts provide more detailed information as to the latitudinal ranges where aurora may be visible," the bureau said in a statement, The light show is generally visible to the naked eye near the north and south poles but will appear less bright at lower latitudes. The BOM said nights with little cloud cover were ideal for viewing auroras and the display usually lasted one to three hours. Aurora alerts were issued at As Mick Fortier set up his camera on Redhead beach on Sunday evening, pinks, purples and reds danced across the night sky. "It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience to be able to see it from Redhead, it was pretty unique," he said. "It was really interesting, the dominant colour was a pinky, purply, reddish colour with bits of yellow, and it would spike in one area, and then in another." With other keen aurora australis spotters, Mr Fortier arrived at the Lake Macquarie beach at about 7pm on June 1. "It was the first time I've photographed the aurora," he said. "I went up to the Redhead bluff, it started to move out over the ocean." Aaron Sands was initially heading out to capture the Milky Way when he changed course to snap a picture of the aurora australis off Boat Harbour. He said while the colours were muted to the naked eye, he could still see beams of light moving across the sky. "It was the ultimate thrill," he said. Aurora australis, or the southern lights, are triggered by geomagnetic storms that are caused by interactions of charged particles from the sun with the atmosphere of the Earth, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Ahead of Sunday's natural light show, the BOM Space Weather Forecasting Centre said a coronal mass ejection from the sun was forecast to impact the Earth that evening. Coronial mass ejections are plasma clouds that travel at 3000 kilometres per second, resulting in a geomagnetic storm upon reaching Earth. The aurora watch notice said anticipated geomagnetic activity was expected to produce a show on both June 1 and 2, with the chance of further activity on June 3. "Aurora Alerts will be issued if significant geomagnetic activity occurs - these alerts provide more detailed information as to the latitudinal ranges where aurora may be visible," the bureau said in a statement, The light show is generally visible to the naked eye near the north and south poles but will appear less bright at lower latitudes. The BOM said nights with little cloud cover were ideal for viewing auroras and the display usually lasted one to three hours. Aurora alerts were issued at
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Tears at Reason Dog Started Carrying Her Puppies To Neighbor's House—'Safe'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When a dog in Tennessee began dropping off her puppies outside a neighbor's door, there was initially some confusion. It was only later that the heartbreaking reason for her actions was discovered. Animal shelters across America have witnessed an increase in the number of puppies entering the system. Earlier this year, Shelter Animals Count, one of the main sources for national data on animal sheltering organizations, revealed 841,000 puppies under 5 months old entered shelters and rescues in 2024. That amounts to 29 percent of all dogs taken in last year and represents an increase of 29,000 puppies compared to 2023. Merrill Fortier and the other staff at Shultz's Guest House dog rescue shelter located in Dedham, Massachusetts, have witnessed this trend firsthand. A few weeks ago, they welcomed a litter of seven adorable white puppies into the facility. One by one, they young pups had been abandoned by their mom on the doorstep of a homeowner in Tennessee for reasons that would later become apparent. "A kindhearted person had been feeding the mother dog, as her owner was not providing her with care and likely hadn't been for quite some time," Fortier told Newsweek. "The mother began bringing her puppies to this person's house as well, knowing they would also find food." Evidently desperate to ensure her puppies' safety, the mom dog must have hoped her human friend would help. In taking such drastic steps, she ultimately saved her litter's lives. Initially, it looked like the puppies would end up in the shelter system. "The first three of the puppies she brought were taken to a local county shelter in Tennessee," Fortier said. However, their luck changed for the better when a couple called Dawn and Brett agreed to foster the three puppies, kick-starting a fortuitous chain of events. "Dawn and Brett realized they actually knew the person who had been feeding the mother dog, as they were former neighbors," Fortier said. At the same time, the mother dog was continuing to bring more puppies to the neighbor's home. The decision to keep returning to the same spot with different puppies was one born out of pure survival instincts. "The mother dog had been finding food at that house and instinctively knew it was a safe place for her puppies to be fed and cared for," Fortier said. There was something different about when the puppies were left at this location now also: they had somewhere to go. "When the mother continued showing up with more puppies, those pups were brought directly to Dawn and Brett's home, where their siblings were already being lovingly cared for." The mom dog's actions coupled with the kindness of Dawn and Brett helped pave the way for the puppies to enjoy the happiest of endings: all seven have now been adopted to forever homes of their own. Sadly, though, their mom remains back in Tennessee with her original owner, and her situation is showing no signs of improvement. "Both the mother and the father of the litter are still in the same situation," Fortier said. "Their owner provides no care, so the dogs continue to rely on the kindness of the neighbor who's been feeding them." Any rescue or adoption looks unlikely. In fact, the mom may end up facing the same scenario all over again. "At this point, they are quite feral and may never be suited to life as typical family pets," Fortier said. "It's very possible that the mother may become pregnant again in the future." Those seven puppies may never know how close they came to a very different life.
CBC
01-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Would-be Nova Scotia Power customer unable to get electricity hooked up
A would-be Nova Scotia Power customer who is moving into a new home says she is unable to get her electricity connected while the company responds only to emergencies and outages amid a cybersecurity incident that was discovered April 25. Amara Fortier is in the process of moving from her residence at Acadia University to live off-campus in Wolfville, N.S., with three roommates. More than a week before the company disclosed the cybersecurity breach on April 28, she said she tried to create an online account but was unsuccessful. She called Nova Scotia Power and was told they couldn't do anything about it, she said. "Especially after a big move, we can't afford to be going and getting takeout, maybe getting a hotel room until power comes back on. We're just sitting there in the dark then," Fortier told CBC News on Wednesday, the day before she was set to move. "It's not very reassuring when you call the customer service and they tell you they can't do anything." Fortier attempted to get an answer from the company on Facebook too, but was told by the Nova Scotia Power account that it was "currently open to support our customers for emergencies and outages only." 'I wasn't getting any answers' Fortier said she turned to social media because she was stressed out about the situation. "I was upset because I wasn't getting any answers," Fortier said. Even customers with existing accounts who are trying to move into new homes are having a difficult time reaching Nova Scotia Power about new connections. James Walker is in the process of moving to Morden, N.S., from Dartmouth — about an hour and a half away. While the electricity in his new home in Kings County was still connected on Wednesday morning, Walker said he had no way of confirming how much longer that would last. "Fortunately, I'm in an apartment so I can take the next month to go and move. But if I wasn't, I would definitely be in a hard spot," Walker told CBC News. He said when he tried to log into his Nova Scotia Power account on April 25, the website wasn't accessible, but he didn't think much of it at the time. "But then I saw on Monday they actually posted they've been having a cybersecurity incident since then. I was a little surprised they took that long to go and post about it," Walker said. Questions remain about incident He said an email he subsequently sent to the company hadn't been answered. Walker wants to know if any customer information was compromised in the cybersecurity incident. In a response to that question on Facebook, the company said "the investigation is ongoing, but we will communicate with customers if it's determined that they have been impacted by this incident." Walker also wondered when service will be fully operational again. "I think they should be communicating a lot more, like even if they don't necessarily have progress, even just telling people, that is something as opposed to just leaving people guessing," he said. CBC News contacted Nova Scotia Power on Wednesday night to ask about the plight of new customers moving into new homes without electricity, whether customer information was compromised in the breach and when service would be fully restored. The company's response will be added once received. MORE TOP STORIES
Ottawa Citizen
29-04-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Mona Fortier declares victory in Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester
Article content Fortier was first elected in a 2017 byelection after the death of longtime MP Mauril Bélanger. During the nomination race to run for the Liberals in that byelection, she beat 11 other candidates. When she won her seat, Fortier became the first woman to represent the riding. Article content Before she was elected, she was the chief director of communications and market development for Collège la Cité. Fortier also managed her own communications consulting firm. Article content She was re-elected in 2019 and chosen by then prime minister Justin Trudeau to serve as minister of middle-class prosperity. She was also re-elected in 2021 and became Treasury Board president shortly after. Article content Fortier was then shuffled out of that portfolio a few months after a public sector strike that saw more than 100,000 federal employees walk off the job. In 2024, she became chief government whip, a position she lost when Mark Carney became prime minister in March. Article content Article content Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester's riding boundaries have significantly changed since the last election in 2021 due to population shifts over the past decade. The 2025 election was the first under the new name and the first to include the east-end community of Blackburn Hamlet. Article content The neighbourhood was previously part of the riding of Orléans. Wythe said the community, where the Conservatives have 'historically had a lot of support,' made little difference in eroding the Liberals' dominance of the riding. Article content Article content The riding change will bring Fortier a new group of constituents with new priorities. Article content 'They fit in a great diverse riding, and I know that we'll be working together very closely,' she said of Blackburn Hamlet in an interview on April 16. Article content Article content Oliff, the NDP candidate for the riding, campaigned largely on community care and supports, including the need for a universal basic income and other housing supports. Article content Wythe brought a resume as a former public servant in defence, intelligence and foreign affairs roles. He campaigned on the importance of housing, cost-of-living issues and safe streets. Article content Article content Christian Proulx, the Green Party candidate, most recently ran to be MPP for Ottawa-Vanier in the recent Ontario election and was also the Green candidate in the riding for the 2021 federal election. He campaigned on the importance of climate action and green investments to make life more affordable. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Mona Fortier ahead in Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester
Article content Liberal Mona Fortier has a commanding lead in early results from the riding of Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester. Article content Article content With 8 per cent of polls reporting, she led with 69 per cent of the vote. Her closest opponent, Conservative Dean Wythe had 21 per cent. Article content The NDP's Tristan Oliff had 6 per cent of the vote and Green candidate Christian Proulx had 2 per cent. Article content When polls closed, volunteers began arriving at Fortier's election-night party at the Lowertown Brewery in the ByWard Market. As results started to trickle in, volunteers sipped pints of beer and watched on big screens. Some were confident in the Liberal Party's chances, but others waited nervously. Article content Article content Article content The seat has been considered a safe Liberal seat, even after the riding boundaries were redrawn to include some suburban neighbourhoods. The riding's predecessor, Ottawa—Vanier, never elected a Conservative to Parliament since its inception in 1935 when it was called Ottawa East. Article content Fortier was first elected in a 2017 byelection after the death of longtime MP Mauril Bélanger. During the nomination race to run for the Liberals in that byelection, she beat 11 other candidates. When she won her seat, Fortier became the first woman to represent the riding. Article content Before she was elected, she was the chief director of communications and market development for Collège la Cité. Fortier also managed her own communications consulting firm. Article content Article content She was re-elected in 2019 and chosen by then prime minister Justin Trudeau to serve as minister of middle-class prosperity. She was also re-elected in 2021 and became Treasury Board president shortly after. Article content Fortier was then shuffled out of that portfolio a few months after a public sector strike that saw more than 100,000 federal employees walk off the job. In 2024, she became chief government whip, a position she lost when Mark Carney became prime minister in March. Article content Article content Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester's riding boundaries have significantly changed since the last election in 2021 due to population shifts over the past decade. The 2025 election was the first under the new name and the first to include the east-end community of Blackburn Hamlet.
