The mayor of a peaceful small town in the Laurentians found himself the center of viral videos on TikTok against his will after an escalating row with a real estate developer.

“It’s crazy! All my relatives have been writing to me about these videos for three days, and strangers are also sending me messages on Facebook. I said to myself: Let’s see, what is that,” Francis Corbeil launched scornfully.

However, the mayor of Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, a commune of around 1300 inhabitants, does not want to laugh when he speaks to the journal of his new neighbor from the Galarneau crescent.

Courtesy photo

The mayor of Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Francis Corbeil.

Robert Maurice builds a house in a wooded area behind Mr. Corbeil’s house. The workers at his construction site used to drive on the mayor’s private road to get to their destination faster.

“When they arrived early in the summer, we didn’t mind that they used our private road a few times with their concrete mixers. The problem is that in the meantime we have also been working on our land. […] We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars with us,” explains Francis Corbeil.

The SQ intervenes

The mayor’s landscape gardener asked Francis Corbeil and his spouse Christian Plante last week not to drive on their private road.

“Time for the ground to level out and not put any pressure on the garage, which is a garden level,” he says.

In this context, Christian Plante politely asked the team hired by Robert Maurice last Thursday to use the other two available accesses and not to use his private road in the future.

“Their concrete mixers could have damaged our house, which we just put a lot of money into. He was pushed and insulted by a contractor. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) intervened and he was arrested,” says the mayor.

The latter also states that criminal charges have been filed against the contractor in question. Mr Corbeil adds that they have parked their vehicles on their private road to ensure this episode does not repeat itself.

A man arrested

Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesman Nicolas Scholtus confirms that the police intervened in Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides last Thursday because of a “conflict”.

“A 66-year-old man was arrested at the scene. He was then released with a promise to appear at a later date,” Agent Scholtus reports briefly.

According to SQ, the person could still be charged with “assault”.

Photo Alex Roy-Maurice/Facebook

Portrait of Alex Roy-Maurice, Head of Condo514.

Mocked up in videos

However, the couple was not at the end of their troubles. Robert Maurice’s son, a real estate developer named Alex Roy-Maurice, decided to interfere in this affair.

“The construction site is upstairs. We just want to drive through with small concrete mixers to get to the construction site. But what do we have here? The mayor’s tank and his friend’s tank blocked us on a Sunday afternoon,” protested Alex Roy-Maurice, owner of the Condo514 company.

Note that one of his videos on TikTok on the subject, posted without explaining the conflict, has been viewed more than 160,000 times as of Tuesday. The promoter claims the mayor is in “bad times”.

“I help my father build his retirement home,” he says. […] Part of this road is private, but another is shared with me,” claims Alex Roy-Maurice.

He assures that no employee insulted or attacked Christian Plante last Thursday. Robert Maurice’s son also mentions that the other two accesses to his father’s site make their job more difficult.

But what is his goal when he posts viral videos on TikTok mocking Francis Corbeil? Mr. Roy-Maurice has twice dodged this question from the Journal.

The Russian judiciary on Tuesday rejected the appeal of American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia for trafficking in cannabis and who asked for her “traumatic” sentence to be reduced amid very high tensions between Moscow and Washington.

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“President (Joe) Biden has made it very clear that Brittney must be released immediately,” replied Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, regretting that she remains “wrongly detained in unacceptable circumstances after facing yet another mistrial.” had to endure today.”

The court hearing the appeal in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, decided to “leave unchanged the verdict handed down last August,” judge Elena Vorontsova said.

Just a relaxation from the first sentence: Brittney Griner, who was arrested in February and has since been imprisoned since then, spent every day in custody before sentencing counts as a day and a half and is deducted from the total sentence.

“I very much hope that the court will adjust this verdict because it was very, very stressful and very traumatic for my mental and psychological state,” said the US basketball star, who is taking part in the hearing via video conference, shortly before an AFP journalists.

Wearing a red and black plaid shirt, Brittney Griner, 32, expressed her sadness at being separated from her family and unable to communicate with them.

She said she “didn’t understand” such a severe sentence against her “while people are inflicted far less than me for more serious crimes”.

For his part, one of his lawyers, Alexander Boïkov, had asked the court to “consider an acquittal for the dismissal”.

Under “the Eyes of the Whole World”

“The eyes of the whole world are on this case,” said Mr. Boïkov.

“The cruelty of this verdict affects not only those involved in the trial, but people around the world,” he said.

Brittney Griner was arrested in the Russian capital in possession of a vaporizer containing cannabis-based liquid.

She admitted to possessing the substance, but claimed to have accidentally brought it to Russia and legally used it as a pain reliever in the United States.

She had gone to Russia to play during the American offseason, a common practice for women basketball players in the North American Women’s Basketball League (WNBA), who often make more money abroad than in the United States.

League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the Russian court’s decision was “not unexpected and (that) Brittney Griner remains unfairly imprisoned,” adding, “It’s time this case ended and BG came home.” .”

The case of this woman, who was sentenced to nine years in prison last August for trafficking in cannabis, has now acquired geopolitical significance in the context of the crisis between Moscow and Washington over the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

Other American citizens are currently being held in Russia, and the United States is also seeking their release.

Washington has repeatedly said it made a “substantial offer” to release two Americans detained in Russia, Brittney Griner, and a former US soldier, Paul Whelan.

According to Russian diplomatic sources, a possible prisoner swap could particularly affect Brittney Griner and a Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout arrested in the United States.

Mr Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and is currently serving a 25-year sentence in the United States.

Taylor Swift has yet another reason to stay up at night, as she recently became the most-streamed artist in a single day on Spotify.

The 32-year-old superstar’s Oct. 21 blockbuster release broke the milestone shortly after its release, according to the platform.

The album sold over a million copies in the first three days alone, becoming the best-selling album of 2022.

Queen of Spotify: Taylor Swift, 32, has another reason to keep her up at night as she’s now the most-streamed artist in Spotify history, according to the streaming platform; seen in 2021

Swift’s tenth studio album debuted at midnight last week, before the Grammy-winner surprised her huge fan base by releasing a further seven songs three hours later.

According to Billboard, Swift broke her own record with Midnights, having previously posted the biggest week for sales for an album with her 2017 release of Reputation.

This spot-on music collection sold over 1.2 million albums in its first week, and the Shake It Off singer has done it again with Midnights.

The megastar was blown away by the overwhelming response tweet: ‘How could I be so lucky to have you guys out here to do something so incredible?! Like what just happened??!?!’

Overjoyed at Midnights: The superstar’s October 21 blockbuster release “Midnights” became the most streamed album in a single day and helped Taylor break the record for the most streamed artist in a single day

Diamond-studded release: The album sold over a million copies in the first three days alone and became the best-selling album of 2022; seen in the Bejeweled video

While breaking records and garnering critical acclaim, Taylor has hinted that she will embark on a world tour in 2023 to promote Midnights.

Swift has previously led five concert tours, the most recent of which was the Reputation World Tour in 2018, which grossed nearly $350 million, breaking the record for the highest-grossing tour of all time.

The Grammy winner was preparing for her sixth tour, called Lover Fest, for 2020, but it was canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Taylor hasn’t announced any specific tour details, but she has confirmed her anticipation and fueled rumors in the music industry.

“I really miss it,” she told Jimmy Fallon, 48, during an appearance on Tuesday’s Tonight Show. “You know, I miss when you write songs and you’re proud of the songs and the fans react…the strongest way you see them react is when you look at their faces.”

A tour tease: Taylor has dropped hints that she will be going on a world tour in 2023 to promote Midnights. “I really miss it,” she told Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday’s The Tonight Show. “I think I should do it”

Two thumbs up: The megastar was blown away by the overwhelming response to Midnights and tweeted: “How was I so lucky to have you guys out here to do something so awesome?! Like what just happened??!?!’

“I think I should do it,” the hitmaker said, sending Fallon’s audience into hysterics. When the Tonight Show host pressed Swift on a specific timeframe for the tour, she remained coy. “When the time comes,” she said, “we’ll do it.”

Midnights is a collection of songs born out of the singer-songwriter’s insomnia, as she claims the lyrics kept her up late into the night.

“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night,” read their official announcement for the album.

“A journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” her announcement continued. “The floors we walk on and down and demons we face. For all of us who have tossed around and decided to leave lanterns lit and go on a quest, hoping that maybe when the clock strikes twelve we’ll see each other again.”

It wasn’t long ago that the smile of the axolotl took over the internet. The exotic salamander that always seems to be smiling has become a famous pet thanks to the influence of TikTok and the appearance of the species in the game Minecraft.

But what seemed like a minor trend turned into chaos. Thousands of axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are returned or abandoned after owners can’t cope with the animals’ reproductive speed and the specifics they require in their care.

According to the Guardian newspaper, just one shelter in New Zealand has delivered around 2,000 of the species’ amphibians for care 600 of them in one week.

The reason is amazing: it is difficult to castrate the animals or even to determine their gender. As a result, many owners put breeding pairs together in one aquarium, and the result is a large number of eggs.

but not Minecraft He is very much appreciated and seems easy to care for as you can see below.

“They can produce a large number of eggs. This situation can get out of hand very quickly,” Alison Vaughan, a science expert at the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in Portuguese), said in an interview with the newspaper.

Curiously, axolotls are considered critically endangered, but they are probably the world’s most popular amphibian species and inhabit the aquariums of many owners.

But success as a pet keeps them at risk as genetic diversity decreases dramatically, leaving them vulnerable to dangerous diseases.

Despite the popularity, caring for the animal is not exactly easy. They require special aquariums, special food and an appropriate temperature. And they live a long time too: they can live up to 25 years.

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