5 Things posted Apr 23, 2019 @ 08:00am by Josh Duncan

5 things you need to know this morning: April 23, 2019

Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.

Five things you need to know

1. Small Saskatchewan town declares state of emergency

It may not be summer yet, but a large grass fire has caused a Saskatchewan town to declare a state of emergency. Clean air shelter has been set up for residents of Biggar as the smoke from the nearby wildfire fills the town. Windy conditions are causing the fire to spread quickly.

A State of Emergency has been declared for the RM of Biggar, @TownofBiggar and surrounding areas.

The fire is still burning.

Take precautions. pic.twitter.com/R6cB3vVbi3
— Brittney Matejka (@BrittneyMatejka) April 23, 2019

2. Islamic State group claims responsibility for bombings in Sri Lanka

The death toll from a series of explosions in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday has reached 321. Today, an Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying that they targeted citizens of United States-led coalition countries. Forty suspects have been arrested in connection to the bombings.

Well, here we go.

ISIS has just claimed the attacks in #SriLanka. pic.twitter.com/sPrVUSrb5X
— Amarnath Amarasingam (@AmarAmarasingam) April 23, 2019

3. There will be 3 games 7s in the first round of the NHL playoffs

It’s do-or-die for six NHL teams over the next 48 hours, starting with a pair of game sevens tonight. Boston and Toronto will face off in game seven for the second straight year, while San Jose and Las Vegas play a deciding game in the Bay Area. On Wednesday, the defending champion Capitals will host the Hurricanes in the final game of the first round.

The @NHLBruins, @MapleLeafs, @SanJoseSharks and @GoldenKnights conclude their respective First Round matchups tonight in #Game7 showdowns.

Full Schedule: https://t.co/gXAfxAd3kw
More #NHLStats: https://t.co/Eo5AZINI9u pic.twitter.com/0pZcmwycxD
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 23, 2019

4. Tesla announces plans to release robotaxis next year

Maybe British Columbia will get robotaxis before Uber? Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Monday that the company is designing its own software and hardware to create self-driving cars. These cars will be able to be deployed as an autonomous taxi fleet and Musk says they’ll be ready to go by next year.

"All Tesla cars being produced right now have everything necessary for full self-driving. All you need to do is improve the software," Elon Musk said at Tesla's investor day pic.twitter.com/fIEg3EuO0X
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) April 22, 2019

5. A man’s brilliant hat is going viral

A commuter in New York is getting all the love for his one-of-a-kind hat. He was spotted snoozing on the subway on Monday with a hat that features an electronic message. His said: “Wake me up before I go go…..past 34th street….” Not only is it a funny ode to a classic song by Wham!, but it’s also an incredible way to ensure you get off at your stop!