Weekly News Recap: November 13, 2026

Weekly News Recap: November 13, 2026

Saskatoon's new Central Library at 321 2nd Avenue North is expected to open in 2027. (650 CKOM/Mia Hollowaychuk)

The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts. — Marcus Aurelius

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • No more Cybertrucks; Musk moves on from the angular metallic flop (Ars Technica) For those of you who liked/loved the Cybertruck, I am sorry. For others, it is likely a fitting end. "Elon’s Edsel is no more [...] Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed on social media that his car company is ending its failed attempt to wrest control of the American pickup truck market. The Cybertruck will cease production in the middle of 2027, liberating that space in Tesla’s cavernous factory for other uses—more Cybercabs, most likely."

  • VIDEO: Rescuers save a young roe deer trapped in ice in Russia’s Far East (AP News) Nice work my Russian friends. "A young roe deer was rescued after becoming trapped on ice, around five metres from the shore, in Russia’s Khabarovsk region. A rescuer in a dry suit reached the exhausted animal with the help of a rope and pulled it to safety. The deer was later taken to a zoo centre and given a warm place to recover."

  • An 80-Cent Plastic Pouch Is Saving Thousands of Women From Dying in Childbirth (New York Times) Amazing what a few pennies can do to save thousands. "A few hours after she nearly bled to death, Husaina Balarabe was serenely unaware that her life had been in peril [...] Ms. Balarabe, a 26-year-old optometrist, had experienced a postpartum hemorrhage, a side effect of childbirth that is the leading cause of maternal death around the world. She did not die because her midwife used a low-cost, low-tech intervention that was pioneered here and in other maternity wards in some of Africa’s poorest places, and that is now saving lives across the continent. The plastic drape funnels blood into a pouch with graduated markings that show when a woman giving birth is approaching dangerous levels of postpartum hemorrhaging."

  • VIDEO: A purr-fect ending: Cat who hid in couch rescued from Saskatoon landfill (CBC) SASKATOON STORY #CloseCall " 'When I initially heard this, my stomach dropped, and I was pretty devastated. But also that adrenaline of like, if it’s here, we've got to find this cat,' he said. The crew found Nitschke's furniture in the bin and began cutting into the couches. Cuthbertson said they didn’t see any sign of Moze at first, but kept going. 'We're fiddling around, kind of looking for every nook and cranny,' he said. 'All of a sudden, yeah, Johnny's like, 'I see it.' Moze was curled up inside the couch's armrest."

  • VIDEO: Sewing is having a moment. Here’s why (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #FastFashionMeetsDIY Yay! "Depending on the corner of the internet you inhabit, you may have noticed that the feeds are full of sewing enthusiasts. Look up 'thrift flips' on Instagram or TikTok and you'll find creators remaking second-hand garments into new ones, or old quilts into hoodies and track suits. On Pinterest, searches for 'sewing ideas' are up 118 per cent year over year by its Canadian users, while those for 'beginner sewing projects' rose 67 per cent, according to data provided to CBC News by the platform."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. The Booker Prize Gets Its First ‘Bona Fide’ Science Fiction Winner (New York Times) As a lifelong SF fan, this warms my heart. "When M. John Harrison began his writing career, in the 1960s, he sometimes spoke with other science fiction writers about the genre’s poor reputation. 'Why shouldn’t a well written S.F. be considered to be literary fiction?' he recalled asking, during a recent BBC interview. Some 60 years later, the idea that sci-fi writing cannot hit heights of literature has long disappeared [...] Harrison’s 'The End of Everything,' a novel that imagines aliens overrunning Britain, won the Booker Prize, the prestigious literary award."

  2. VIDEO: Grizzly attacks again in same area of B.C. This time 2 are dead (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY "Four grizzly bears have been killed in connection to the attack that killed Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) says forensic testing confirmed a sow and three cubs were actively involved in the predatory behaviour, which BCCOS Insp. Jeff Tyre said is 'very rare.' The four bears, captured over the weekend, were not involved in the 2025 attack on a group of students and teachers in Bella Coola, he added. The bear responsible for that attack has not been found. Two severe grizzly attacks in the same small B.C. valley just one year apart have left two dead and a community on edge. Lien Yeung breaks down what we know so far."

  3. VIDEO: How autonomous vehicles are changing oilsands mining (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Oilsands mining companies in the Fort McMurray region are investing in autonomous vehicles and technology, changing the way operations run. All ore at Suncor’s Base Plant is now moved by autonomous haul trucks, according to a news release from the company. Imperial Oil converted 81 haul trucks to autonomous operations in 2023. And the technology is only being developed further. Companies, colleges and researchers are looking at ways to use this technology to improve safety and productivity."

  4. VIDEO: Increasing cost of youth sports forcing kids to choose between one or the other at early age (CBC) CANADIAN STORY We need to do better. "Last October, Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Foundation published an in-depth study about the cost of youth sports in Canada, and unveiled a sobering series of statistics. When researchers ranked the top three reasons that kids don’t play sports, 'too expensive' topped the list, with 48 per cent of respondents identifying costs as the factor keeping them on the sideline. Among respondents with kids in organized sport, 32 per cent said they borrowed money to cover costs, and 23 per cent said they worked overtime or picked up a second job to finance their children’s sports careers. The study also found a strong correlation between the cost of a sport and the number of participants. Soccer had more registered athletes than any other sport, but the median annual cost to register — $460 — landed at the lower end of the cost spectrum."

  5. This hawk gobbled up neighbourhood chickens until she got too fat to fly (CBC) Time to cut back on the chickens. "When someone brought an immobilized red-shouldered hawk to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center last month, staff suspected she was either blinded, injured or poisoned. After all, the agile huntress should have been soaring through the sky and hunting unwitting prey. But instead, she was found belly-up in a driveway near Roanoke, Va. After a series of X-rays and bloodwork, veterinary staff ruled out any injuries or health issues behind the creature's mobility issues. Instead, they found she was 910 grams — almost twice the average weight for her species. '[The] hawk's diagnosis was just that she's fat,' Katherine McGrath, the wildlife rescue's director of operations, told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal. 'She's our big lady.' "

  6. What is the cost to leave an abusive relationship in Alberta? A new report works to find out (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "A new report finds family violence shelters in Alberta are seeing fewer people reaching out for help and fewer people coming into shelter because the financial burden of fleeing abuse is too much for some survivors to bear. The report [...] is from the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters' Cost of Leaving report."

  7. Calgary engineers turn their Kensington office into a mini golf course for The Alex (Calgary Citizen) CALGARY STORY Nice move SMP. "SMP Engineering [turned] its Kensington office into a mini golf course [...] to raise money for a new Mental Health Hub at The Alex Community Health Centre. SMP staff build the course themselves: 20 custom holes for the firm's 15th Mini Putt. The goal [was] $45,000, and SMP says more than $20,000 came in during the first 24 hours after invitations went out [...] About 1,000 guests from Calgary's architecture, engineering, construction and development industries [were] invited, and sponsorships sold out within hours."

  8. VIDEO: ‘My biggest fear was being shot down’: how an injured Ukrainian soldier was evacuated by drone (The Guardian) This footage and the linked footage is incredible. I can imagine all kinds of use cases for this technology. "A rescue using this kind of purpose-built evacuation vehicle had not been tried before. One of the pilots involved on the unmanned mission, Andrii, described it as complex and risky. The StarGate drone they would use was big and conspicuous – a tempting target for Russia’s elite Rubicon drone force, which could either bring it down using smaller UAVs, or simply jam it so it tumbled to the ground. Andrii said he and his colleagues from the 475th Separate Assault regiment (also known as Code 9.2) plotted the route for a week."

  9. Climate and Health Funders Coalition Awards $225 Million in First Year To Accelerate Solutions That Will Improve Health and Save Lives (The Rockefeller Foundation) This is terrific. "The Climate and Health Funders Coalition has awarded more than $225 million in its first year, putting three-quarters of the initial $300 million pledged towards accelerating solutions on extreme heat, air pollution, climate-sensitive infectious diseases and data systems that protect people’s lives and livelihoods in a changing climate."

  10. He quit firefighting for his mental health. Then he came to the rescue after a horrific bus crash (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY #Hero "A lonely highway, a traumatized son, and up to 20 people in need of urgent care after a horrific bus crash: that's the situation Rich Rogers found himself in [...] along Highway 39, just south of Mackenzie, B.C. A former firefighter, he gave immediate life-saving treatment to the injured passengers until more help could arrive, reopening the mental trauma he tried to leave behind in his old career. 'Before I could blink Rich was running out of our car, down the steep bank and onto that bus,' his wife Corynn wrote online. 'He didn't know what he would see in there, and I don't truly want to know all the details. I do know he literally saved several lives.' "

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. The Weekly Review That Keeps My Entire Week Organized (Minu Writes) Four questions. 15 minutes.

  2. How Adopting a Capsule Food Pantry Changed My Life (Rooted Publication) We have been trying to do this for years. With our recent renovation, we are going to give it a go again.

  3. 10 Best Business Presentation Prompts for ChatGPT and Claude in 2026 (Sylvia Chen) Smart prompts for those who need them.

  4. Prospect Qualification: Turning a List of Names Into a Credible Donor Pipeline (Capital Campaign Pro) One of the most underrated but important aspects of fundraising. Thanks to CampaignPro for this excellent article.

  5. 10 Things Thrift Stores Wish You Would Donate More Often, According To Experts (Southern Living) In case you are wondering what to give away...

  6. Why Your Meeting Notes Keep Failing You #5 (Ai Yat Goh) Better meetings? Better notes.

  7. The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, Explained Like a Friend Would (Kamrun Nahar) Beautifully animated walked through in a way we can all appreciate.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: $1.5M Donation Supports New Library Auditorium (YouTube) SASKATOON STORY Congrats to our friends at the Saskatoon Public Library. Well done. "Saskatoon’s new central library, taking shape downtown, has received a $1.5 million donation from the Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Foundation. The donation will support the newly named Henry and Cheryl Kloppenburg Auditorium on the library’s fourth floor."

  2. VIDEO: The Ottawa Hospital receives $50M donation toward new Civic campus (CBC) OTTAWA STORY "The Peter Gilgan Foundation announced it's putting $50 million toward The Ottawa Hospital's new Civic [campus.]"

  3. $3-million gift boosts Victoria hospital surgical campaign (Saanich News) VICTORIA STORY "Avery Brohman, Dr. Nadra Ginting, Devi and Bob Jawl, and Dr. Michael Metcalfe gather to celebrate a $3-million gift from the Jawl Foundation to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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