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In the news today, Sept. 25

Sep 25, 2018 | 2:30 AM

Five stories in the news for Tuesday, Sept. 25

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LIBERALS, TORIES TO VIE FOR POWER IN NEW BRUNSWICK

New Brunswick’s Tories won the most seats last night, but it’s not yet clear who will form the next government. The Tories won 22 seats to the Liberals’ 21. But Liberal Premier Brian Gallant says he will meet with the lieutenant-governor this morning in an effort to stay in power, even as Tory Leader Blaine Higgs says his party has a mandate to govern. Two smaller parties each won three seats and potentially hold the balance of power.

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CANADA LOOKS SKYWARD

Canada’s space agency has an eye on future lunar exploration, and is calling for pitches on everything from moon-rover power systems to innovative mineral prospecting techniques. The Canadian Space Agency issued the tender this week for projects that will put Canada in position to contribute to future space missions involving human and robotic exploration of the moon. Canada is already quietly working with space agencies in Europe, Japan and the United States on the next phases of exploring the final frontier.

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LOCAL NEWS INDUSTRY IN TROUBLE

The local news industry is struggling, according to two studies released today. They found that the number of articles generated by community newspapers in Canada has declined by almost half over the last decade, and more outlets are switching to a not-for-profit model. The report from the Public Policy Forum called “Mind The Gaps — Quantifying The Decline of News Coverage in Canada” studied articles appearing in community papers across five regions of the country. What was most striking about the findings was that the decline was consistent across almost all 20 communities studied, regardless of size or whether local papers were downsized or closed altogether.

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GET REGISTERED AND VOTE, FORMER AMBASSADOR SAYS

A former U.S. ambassador to Canada has a message to Americans living in Canada: get registered and vote in the midterms. The elections are gearing up to be a referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency, and Heyman and his wife are part of a new voting initiative headed by former first lady Michelle Obama that aims to get people registered to vote ahead of November’s congressional elections.

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OSUNA CASE BACK IN COURT

Former Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna’s assault case returns to court today in Toronto. The 23-year-old was charged in May with assault in an alleged domestic incident, and his lawyer says he plans to plead not guilty if the case goes to trial. But he’s also said he’s hoping for a peace bond that could lead to withdrawal of the assault charge. Major League Baseball suspended Osuna without pay for 75 games for violating its domestic violence policy and he was later dealt to the Houston Astros.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS:

— Public Safety Minister to tour site of destructive tornadoes in the Ottawa region.

— Federal court hearing on Blood Tribe land dispute in Calgary.

— Alberta Premier Rachel Notley will talk about the Trans Mountain pipeline at the International Pipeline Conference in Calgary.

— The House committee on health will hold a press conference to discuss its report on organ donation in Canada.

— The 16-year-old charged with attempted murder in shooting of German tourist is scheduled to appear in court in Cochrane, Alta.

The Canadian Press