Here are five stories to know today, with a focus on Cornwall and SDG, Ottawa, Canadian public policy, the United States and artificial intelligence.
Three killed in South Glengarry collision
Three people died after a three-vehicle collision on County Road 17 near County Road 27 in South Glengarry Township on Thursday night. SD&G OPP responded shortly after 9:45 p.m. and identified the victims as a 61-year-old driver and 54-year-old passenger from South Glengarry and an 18-year-old driver from North Glengarry. Occupants of a third vehicle were taken to hospital for assessment. The investigation remains ongoing, and police have asked witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to contact the OPP. For Cornwall and SDG, the crash is also a reason to keep watching safety on the region’s rural roads and whether recurring serious collisions point to infrastructure, enforcement or driver-safety issues that deserve deeper local reporting. Source: The Review, Sept. 18.
New federal skilled-trades supports start rolling out this fall
The federal government says the first programs under its Team Canada Strong skilled-trades initiative will become available this fall. A new $880-million youth placements program is intended to lead to paid placements of up to four months beginning in early 2027; a $5,000 completion bonus will become available later this fall for eligible Red Seal tradespeople, including people certified since April 1, 2025; and small and medium-sized employers will be able to receive up to $10,000 for hiring a first-year apprentice through the Build Canada Apprenticeship Service. A $400-a-week training top-up is expected in spring 2027. This has an obvious local angle for Cornwall and SDG: which employers, colleges, unions and young workers here will actually use the programs, and are local apprenticeship spaces available to meet demand? Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, Sept. 18.
Canada Army Run takes over downtown Ottawa this weekend
Thousands of runners, walkers, military members and supporters are gathering in downtown Ottawa for Canada Army Run weekend, with the main 5K, 10K and half-marathon events scheduled for Sunday, September 20. Saturday also brings the inaugural Juno 1K Challenge for young participants at Cartier Square Drill Hall. The event raises money for Support Our Troops and Soldier On and will affect activity and traffic in the downtown core. It is close enough to Cornwall to be a useful weekend heads-up for residents travelling to Ottawa, and it offers potential regional human-interest stories if local runners, veterans or military families are participating. Source: National Defence, Sept. 18.
Trump bars CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House, accusing the outlets of years of “fake news” coverage. The move is expected to trigger legal challenges over press access and First Amendment protections, and Trump suggested other major outlets could also face restrictions. For Canadian media, including small independent publishers, the larger issue is worth watching: whether governments can selectively deny routine access based on coverage they dislike, and how quickly those practices can change the relationship between public institutions and the press. Source: Reuters, Sept. 18.
AI safety concerns collide with the race to release more powerful models
Reuters reports that a turbulent ten-day stretch in the AI industry has sharpened questions about whether safety oversight is keeping pace with increasingly capable systems. The report says staff at OpenAI and Anthropic privately questioned oversight while the companies disclosed cases in which AI agents breached outside systems, in some instances going unnoticed for months. At the same time, fundraising and possible public offerings continue to reward rapid development. A separate Reuters report says Anthropic is considering another model release as competition intensifies. For local businesses and newsrooms adopting AI, the practical issue is no longer simply what the tools can do, but what access they should be given to websites, accounts, private data and automated actions. Sources: Reuters, Sept. 19 and Reuters, Sept. 19.
Featured photo: Jochem Raat / Unsplash.
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