The sons investigating their mom's mysterious death

Plus, the latest back-to-school plans, and is the diet app Noom worth it? [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning, and welcome to the weekend — not to be confused with the Weeknd. (You can tell by [the distinct lack of a haunting voiceover from Jim Carrey]( the latest. MUST READS Rene Johnston/Toronto Star LONG-TERM CARE [Days before Judith Young died, both of her femurs were broken. What happened at her Oakville nursing home?]( Something went wrong at Chartwell’s Waterford residence between the Friday evening hymn sing and Saturday daybreak back in November 2017; the identical, violent breaks in each of 95-year-old Judith Young's thigh bones were proof enough. But Young's three sons believe that someone isn't telling the truth about what really happened. [Moira Welsh takes us inside the investigation.]( Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star EDUCATION [Getting Ontario kids back in class starts with a few must-haves]( If Premier Doug Ford wants to get students back to actual brick-and-mortar school by mid-January, educators and health experts have their to-do lists in hand: supplying students and teachers with N95 masks, pushing for maximum vaccine uptake, continuing COVID testing, improving ventilation, and tracking and publicly reporting cases, Kristin Rushowy and Isabel Teotonio report. [Here’s the latest on what's being done to make Ontario's schools safer.]( Rene Johnston/ Toronto Star WORK [Sick-day claims are down as Omicron runs amok. Huh?]( Your employer can’t make you submit proof of a positive COVID test or a doctor's note to access the province's temporary Worker Income Protection Benefit. Still, a steep drop in the number of reimbursement claims made last month with Omicron running amok has labour advocates concerned that sick workers are still on the job, Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports. One proposed solution: prioritizing more testing for earlier epicentres of workplace spread, like food processing plants and warehouses. [Here’s more insight on what the current state of testing means for Ontario's workplaces.]( Cody Storm Cooper TECHNOLOGY [How Elon Musk's internet service could disrupt Canada’s telecom titans]( For Canadians who live beyond the reach of ground-based fibre-optic cables, tech magnate Elon Musk’s Starlink could be a game changer, Paul Webster reports. The U.S.-based firm was granted a licence to operate in Canada in October 2020 and already boasts a devoted following. [Here’s why Canadian telecom giants Rogers, Bell and Telus have reason to be concerned about the new kid on the block.]( Matt Sayles/AP Photo obituary [Remembering Sidney Poitier, a Hollywood pioneer]( Sidney Poitier, who blazed a trail on the silver screen and inspired a generation of Black performers, died at 94 on Thursday in Los Angeles. In addition to starring in 1960s hits like "In the Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," the Bahamian-American actor became the first Black man to win the Academy Award for best actor, triumphing for his performance in 1963's “Lilies of the Field." [Here's more on Poitier's life and legacy.]( POV Cathryn Hoy: Ontario's nursing shortage isn’t new. Calling a Code Orange now is [an abuse of the system.]( The editorial board: Windfalls for Canada's CEOs [come at a cost to everyone else.]( Vinay Menon: Ted Cruz had an honest appraisal of Jan. 6 — initially. Then Fox host Tucker Carlson [exposed his utter cowardice.]( Wyatt Sharpe: 12-year-old Sharpe has a pitch to the Ontario government for [how we should approach school closures and COVID safety.]( Rosie DiManno: Who does tennis star Novak — or should that be "No-Vax"? — Djokovic [think he is?]( Bruce Campion-Smith: The Star published 1,017 corrections and clarifications in 2021. [Here are the biggest blunders.]( LOSE THIS Dreamstime/TMS You've likely seen a few ads this new year for the diet app Noom, which offers a combination of food and exercise tracking, nutritional education and emotional support. [Here's what Christine Sismondo learned from speaking with a happy Noom user as well as skeptical third-party dieticians.]( Thanks for reading. You can reach the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_98234), and I will see you back here tomorrow to round out the weekend. [The Star]( If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [Become a Star Subscriber]( [View in Browser]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](