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A look at everyday life in Taiwan under the shadow of potential war is among the summer stories that are still worth your time.Marcus Yam/The Globe and Mail
If hot-weather fun or the at-times overwhelming news cycle kept you from reading the news this summer, you’re not alone. The warmer months are a natural time to take a break from screens and recharge in the sun.
So as the change in seasons brings us back into our routines, here are five Globe stories you may have missed that intrigue, delight and are worth returning to.
How could you help if your country was invaded? That question used to be a hypothetical for Taiwanese citizens, but as tensions with China have risen, ordinary people are now training like it’s a real possibility.
International visual correspondent Marcus Yam spent more than two weeks following and photographing members of Taiwan’s growing civil defence movement as they taught each other combat, emergency first aid and off-grid communications.
In photos and words, his story is a glimpse at everyday life under the looming shadow of potential war that reveals the unexpected reasons some civilians are taking survival into their own hands.
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Linday Jones unpacked the decades of broken promises and recent controversy that have turned this empty resort in Summerside, PEI, into more than an eyesore.Vanessa Tignanelli/The Globe and Mail
A ghost resort in a coastal town, an indecisive owner and a cabinet minister under criminal investigation: the Dynasty Spa saga has all the makings of a spooky Netflix thriller, but the intrigue is real.
A political storm is brewing around the owner of the dilapidated Summerside property, and could dash long-delayed plans to turn it into a luxury golf oasis. PEI environment minister Gilles Arsenault agreed to alter a permit to allow Shizhong Liu’s vision to go ahead, but when developer Graham Cooke donated $100,000 to an organization linked to Arsenault shortly after, questions began to surface.
As the RCMP and the provincial ethics watchdog investigate, Atlantic reporter Lindsey Jones went inside the hotel and the decades of broken promises residents say have turned it into more than an eyesore.
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Kim Driscoll and her first love Brian Winslow at their Grade 13 formal at Thousand Islands Secondary School in 1985. The pair broke up in university, but decades later, Driscoll wrote to thank him for setting her standards for kindness and respect so high.Kim Driscoll/Courtesy of family
Who was your first love? You probably remember them like it was yesterday, even if you’ve been broken up for decades, because that person can shape our young hearts and minds for a lifetime.
So, in the spirit of summer flings, lasting loves and everything in between, we asked Globe readers to reminisce about the lessons their first romances taught them. Their stories, happiness reporter Erin Anderssen writes, reinforce what research suggests: young love is a powerful force that helps mould all the loves that follow.
From a high-school boyfriend whose family shared what it means to be Canadian to an interracial couple who fought through ski lift lines and cultural barriers to be together, their tender anecdotes are full of lessons we can all take to heart.
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Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada, poses for a portrait at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa on Feb. 26.Nicolai Gregory/The Globe and Mail
As the Supreme Court weighs what could be its most consequential ruling in decades, a divisive figure is at the centre. Despite swearing off politics in his youth, Chief Justice Richard Wagner is now tasked with making a decision that could transform Canada as we know it.
You’ve probably heard a lot about Quebec’s Bill 21, which bans public servants from wearing religious symbols on the job, and the province using the notwithstanding clause to bypass parts of the Charter and push it through. But the challenge to the law is more than a clash over secularism, religious freedoms and minority rights – it’s a political tinderbox that asks fundamental questions about how much power provinces actually have in confederation.
From Wagner’s early days watching his father’s political dreams collapse to his leadership on a changing bench and penchant for attention, justice reporter David Ebner’s intimate profile introduces you to the man who holds a country-defining decision in his hands.
If you or your kids are dreading a school year of plain sandwiches for lunch, this one’s for you. The versatile and economical meal doesn’t have to be boring – and our list of the best sandwiches in Canada is proof.
We asked readers for their favourite sammies, and as advice and service editor Idella Sturino and Jacob Dubé write, you more than delivered. From “the sickest brisket” to a lobster roll “to die for,” these 32 Canadian sandwiches are the best things served since sliced bread, readers told us.
Did your favourite combo make the cut? Peruse the full list and read this city-by-city guide to find the standouts near you. And when peanut butter and jelly just won’t do, here’s an expert’s advice to make the perfect sandwich, and a list of readers’ favourite homemade sandwich combos for inspiration.