Daily News

Posted on July 8: Early morning power outage

Power was lost in about 20 buildings on campus early this morning, after a transformer compartment in the Ivor Wynne Centre substation exploded. At 3 a.m. Tuesday, two subsequent explosions to one of two transformers in the substation caused a power outage to the entire east and north side of campus. All power was transferred to the other transformer and power was restored to all buildings. Buildings affected by the power outage included east campus residences, the Life Sciences Building, Mills Memorial Library and McMaster University Student Centre. The damaged transformer was removed from the building and the cause of the two explosions is being investigated.

Posted on July 7: A diamond in the rough

After more than 40 years, you might say they've seen it all, except for an independent umpire that is. And it's likely not for the reasons you may think. Sure, there have been battles over the years, and the Phoenix Cup has taken a beating, but players in the McMaster three-pitch co-ed softball league seem to have managed just fine to last this long. This summer, official umpires will take the place of players behind the plate to allow more playing time each night for 21 teams in two divisions. "It made the game go smoothly and eliminated rules and it means I can schedule an extra game a night and also start the games a little later," says league commissioner Andy Duncan. "It's a good-natured group and we don't take it too seriously. The umpires who have done our tournaments have told us they enjoy it. It's a very laid-back league."