Toronto’s nightlife is on life support

Plus, remembering Tom Wilkinson, happy trails for a Raptors favourite and goodbye to 2023’s silliest stories [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning, dear readers. Before we delve into the final edition of First Up for 2023, a programming note: We’re starting 2024 in style… by taking tomorrow off. We’ll be back in your inboxes bright and early on Tuesday. One more time before the calendar flips over, here’s the latest. MUST READS Steve Russell/Toronto Star Culture [The fight to save Toronto’s nightlife]( Trouble was brewing even before COVID-19 lockdowns sent the industry into a tailspin. Rising costs have displaced commercial tenants out of their homes and pushed an army of bartenders, cooks and bouncers — key players in the late-night scene — out of the city. The Star dispatched five reporters to assess the current state of Toronto’s bars and eateries on a recent weekend. Here’s what they witnessed — [the good, the bad and the barfy](. R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star SportS [Raptors overhaul their roster by flipping a fan favourite for a national standout]( Happy trails, OG Anunoby; the Toronto Raptors traded the longtime two-way stalwart, along with forward Precious Achiuwa and guard Malachi Flynn, to the New York Knicks on Saturday. Returning to Toronto are Canadian wing RJ Barrett, guard Immanuel Quickley and the Detroit Pistons’ 2024 second-round pick. (Yes, [those]( Pistons.) Doug Smith breaks down [why Canada’s lone NBA team made the move and what it means for their future](. Ethan Cairns/For the Toronto Star POLITICS [What Justin Trudeau’s year-end interviews reveal about the prime minister’s future]( Publicly, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly said he’s staying right where he is as Liberal leader, whether the next federal election unfurls in 2024 or 2025. But we’ve been down this road with previous PMs, Susan Delacourt writes. According to Trudeau’s end-of-year media appearances, [the 52-year-old is loath to walk away from the heavyweight clash on the horizon](. Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images Media [Hamas’ attack, Israel’s counter-bombardment spur on deadly year for journalists across the globe]( More journalists have been killed in the 10 weeks of the Israel-Hamas War than in any country in a given year since the Committee to Protect Journalists started tracking deaths in 1992. Those 69 deaths, combined with 18 elsewhere in the world, make 87 slain journalists and media workers in 2023. Many of these individuals died while attempting to carry out their duties as journalists, Manuela Vega and Richie Assaly report. [These are their faces; these are their stories](. Durham Regional Police 2023 IN REVIEW [In a year packed with tomfoolery, skullduggery and outright mayhem, these stories were the dimmest of the dim]( The past 364 days were filled with moments that brightened our spirits and brought us closer to understanding the eternal mysteries of the universe — but who cares a fig? To close 2023 with a bang, Rosie DiManno looks back at some of the most head-scratching headlines of the year, from celebs behaving badly to everyday people behaving badly, to... [well, just a lot of people behaving badly, really](. UP CLOSE Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP file photo Multi-time Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson, who charmed audiences in the male striptease comedy “The Full Monty” and chilled them in the political thriller “Michael Clayton,” has died at 75. [Here are some of the acting great’s best-remembered roles](. Heed THIS Richard Lautens/Toronto Star Here’s hoping you never find yourself in a situation so fantastical that your only recourse is to turn to a newspaper advice columnist for assistance. Even so, you can still live vicariously through [Ellie and Lisi Tesher’s 10 most-read columns from 2023](. From our tiny team here at First Up, thanks for reading, today and every other day. As always, you can reach the First Up team with any questions or comments at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_206380). Enjoy your New Year’s Eve festivities, both the boisterous and the restful, and we will see you back here on Tuesday to start 2024 off right. BOXING WEEK SALE Only $1/week for 52 weeks [Get This Offer]( 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]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](