In the mid-70s, David Bowie was a mess. He was drinking a lot. His cocaine intake was off the charts. And he was convinced that he was some kind of alien who was being pursued by witches looking to steal his vital essence, which is why he took to storing his urine in the fridge. Oh, and for a while, he fell to less than 100 pounds because all he would eat for meals was milk and red peppers.

This being the 70s, the police were often curious about what sort of illegal things rock stars like Bowie were up to. On December 1, 1974, after the final show of the Diamond Dogs tour, there was a party. It was decadent.

Suddenly, a bunch of plainclothes cops armed with handguns broke down the door. Bowie retreated to a bedroom where he was able to flush his stash. Whatever was left was claimed by Bowie’s bodyguard, Tony Mascia.

He took the rap for his boss, keeping Bowie from being arrested on serious drug charges.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Before there was X Factor and all the Idol and Got Talent TV shows, there was The Gong Show. It was conceived as an insane half-hour of absurdity by TV executive Chuck Barris. It debuted in 1975 and ran for 500 episodes.

There was often nothing serious about the amateur contestants who performed for the panel of judges. If they couldn’t stand you, one of them struck a big gong and your time was done.

John Lee was a radio DJ who also played in a band called The Hard Luck Band. In about 1979, John appeared singing a cover of The Eagles Desperado. Much to his surprise, the judges loved his performance, and he won that particular episode, escaping with his dignity and a little cash.

Why do I mention this? Because John Lee is the father of Amy Lee of Evanescence.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

One of the great things about vinyl is that you have a 12×12 palette on which to create artwork that says something about the release.

For example, everyone knows the cover for Nirvana’s Nevermind with the naked baby underwater in a pool chasing a dollar bill on a fishing hook. What’s the message? The designer Robert Fisher wanted to make a punk rock statement about the evils of late 20^th-century capitalism mated with the cynicism felt by the Gen Xers of the day.

Nirvana loved the concept because it captured their anti-corporate feelings. It has become one of the most famous album covers of all time.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A concept album is a record that has a narrative, theme, or story that links all the songs together in a unified way. Green Day’s American Idiot qualifies as such a record.

Dig into rock history, and you’ll find plenty more: The Wall by Pink Floyd, both Tommy and Quadrophenia by The Who, The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper, Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, and My Chemical Romance and The Black Parade are all examples. But who was the first to release a concept album?

If we’re going to be honest, it was Frank Sinatra in 1955. That’s when he released In the Wee Small Hours, which features songs about that particular time of day. But hang on. We can also make a case for folksinger Woody Guthrie.

He released a collection of songs entitled Dust Bowl Ballads, which featured accounts of Depression-era America. The year was 1940.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

REGINA – Saskatchewan is looking to buy some high-tech weaponry for its marshals police service, including sniper rifles, sound cannons and a thermal camera.

In a bid request posted online, the province says the marshals need the equipment for a special response unit.

It says the unit also requires night vision goggles, hydraulic breaching tools and a multi-shot launcher.

The Opposition NDP says it wants to know the cost of the equipment and how it fits into the marshals’ broader mandate.

Hugh Gordon, the NDP’s community safety critic, says the new equipment appears to exceed what the Saskatchewan Party government had promised the marshals would do.

The marshals began operating last year with the mandate to help other policing agencies fight rural crime, gangs and drugs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

More wildfire evacuees returned home to Summerland, B.C., on Monday morning, more than a week after the Bald Range fire forced them to flee.

Three evacuation orders have been downgraded to evacuation alerts near Okanagan Lake.

The Bald Range fire is currently mapped at more than 21,000 hectares.

The BC Wildfire Service says crews are still busy clearing up hot spots in Summerland, but they have had success in knocking down the fire perimeter closest to the communities.

Firefighting efforts will now shift west and northwest to the more forested areas.

Incident commander Hugh Murdoch said in a video update that will mean a more “traditional firefight” for crews, given the conditions.

More than 500 personnel are assigned to the Bald Range fire, along with 16 helicopters and almost 60 pieces of heavy equipment.

“The biggest challenges we’re facing would be the smoke, that’s making it really tough for the aircraft to fly and that becomes part and parcel with the drought we are facing here.”

Fire behaviour analyst Eric Kopetski said the fuels in the area are very, very dry.

“We’ve gone about 40 days without precipitation on this fire,” he said. “This has allowed our fuels to reach near-record levels of dryness.”

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors signed free agent guard Malachi Smith on Monday.

Smith averaged 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 23.9 minutes in 15 games (four starts) with the Brooklyn Nets last season.

He shot .485 from the field, including .435 from three-point range, and scored in double figures six times with one double-double.

Smith recorded a season-high 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds on April 10 at Milwaukee.

He also appeared in 39 games (18 starts) with Long Island in the NBA G League, averaging 14.4 points, 5.7 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 28.7 minutes.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, as per team policy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is launching a Charter challenge against the Ford government’s new bail regulations.

The new regulations require sureties to pay security deposits up front within two business days.

The government also gave itself new powers to collect those payments in different ways, including property liens and the seizure and sale of property.

Previously, most bail cases proceeded with a “promise to pay” from sureties, rather than an immediate payment. The new measures took effect Monday.

In a statement, the CCLA said it will launch this Charter challenge next week, saying “a cash bail system creates two tiers of justice: one for the rich, and the other for the rest of us.”

The organization says the new bail regulations violate the Constitution, saying “criminal procedure is a federal power under the Constitution. The federal Criminal Code sets out that a justice has discretion on whether to order a security deposit. The province cannot rewrite federal law. Neither can the province violate the Charter right not to be denied reasonable bail.”

The CCLA also voiced concern about issues such as overcrowding in Ontario jails due to fewer sureties meeting the province’s more stringent payment timeline to bail out accused persons.

This becomes the latest law created by the Ford government to be challenged against the Charter. Other notable challenges include one launched by EcoJustice against the government’s plans for special economic zones, and a successful challenge to the removal of bike lanes in downtown Toronto that was overturned by the Ontario Court of Appeal last week.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Manitoba’s largest hospital is still working to recover from a cyberattack a week after first discovering it.

Shared Health says in an update that the ransomware has hit maintenance systems at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre and Cancer Care Manitoba, but that patient care is not affected.

The health authority says its investigation has found the attack has affected central monitoring of its heating, ventilation and cooling systems, but that they are still operating and being monitored locally.

It says the health centre’s security office is also closed and the hospital is unable to issue or update ID access cards.

Shared Health says it is still investigating whether any personal health or financial data was accessed, but that an initial review suggested none was.

It says it added additional security at the site as a precautionary measure after discovering the problem on Aug. 10.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A public funeral service for Montreal jazz icon Oliver Jones will be held Thursday at a historic church in the city’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood.

Jones, who died July 22 at age 91, will be remembered at Union United Church, where he began playing piano at just five years old.

The church holds a special place in the history of Little Burgundy, a longtime centre of Montreal’s Black community that produced some of Canada’s most influential jazz pianists, including Oscar Peterson, his sister Daisy Peterson Sweeney and Ilene Bourne.

The service is scheduled for 1 p.m. and is expected to draw a large gathering of family, friends, musicians and community members.

Before the funeral, the City of Montreal will hold a public viewing for Jones on Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hall of Honour at Montreal City Hall.

Jones built an acclaimed international career that spanned more than seven decades, earning a reputation as one of Canada’s foremost jazz pianists.

Despite his global success, he stayed connected to his roots, playing the Montreal International Jazz Festival annually from 1981 to 1999.

He racked up a slew of jazz awards and honorary doctorates in his lifetime, netting the Order of Canada, SOCAN lifetime award and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement.

Jumbo screens will be installed to accommodate those who cannot fit inside the church for Thursday’s funeral, while limited outdoor seating will be available to the public starting at noon.

© 2026 The Canadian Press