Photo: Toronto Pond Bullrushes by blogTO Flickr pooler scott3eh

Your morning news roundup for Friday February 22nd, 2008:

According to a much anticipated report on the city's financial woes (summary of recommendations as PDF), we don't need a provincial or federal bailout. We're sitting on enough easily monetized assets in Toronto Hydro, the Toronto Parking Authority, and an extensive portfolio of real estate ownings to balance our budget and then some, quickly.

Toronto Police are asking the public to call 911 and report any sightings of a convicted pedophile who was released from prison after serving his 2.5 year sentence. At the same time, police won't divulge any info on where he's living for fear of forcing him into hiding. His defense lawyer considers this harassment, and the mixed messages from police are confusing to say the least.

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Is sexual assault on girls in Toronto schools so prevalent that it's being seen as "normal"? About 1 in 3 girls are groped, touched, or pinched in a sexual way.

Heads up, speeders. The OPP has purchased a plane, and will be tracking speeders of 400-series highways from above starting as early as mid-March.

Two Toronto residents, one an insider and former federal government employee, face a number of charges related to the forgery of over 400 social insurance cards that were used to defraud banks.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer - even at a local level. Spacing's Robin Chubb highlighted some intriguing census data that reveals socio-economic trends in our city over a 30-year period.