CBC Newfoundland Morning

Millions of people in Florida were without power this morning, as Hurricane Milton made landfall late last evening and caused devastating damage. Tony Anderson was seeing that first hand today. He's a utility worker from Port Aux Basques and he's been in the U.S. for more than two weeks, responding first to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. We reached him in Orlando.

The new rec centre in Corner Brook is slower off the mark than expected. The multi-million dollar complex was first announced in 2020. It was slated to open in summer, 2023 - then, September, 2024. The CBC's Colleen Connors stopped by the centre and spoke with Corner Brook Mayor Jim Parsons, as well as Derek Koranteng, Vice President External with Grenfell Campus Student Union.

Some future nurses could be one step closer this evening to pursuing their new careers. The Faculty of Nursing at Memorial University is hosting an open house in Grand Falls-Windsor to give potential students a chance to look around and learn more. The same will happen next Wednesday in Gander. Andrea Watkins is associate dean for undergraduate programs at Memorial University's Faculty of Nursing.

Last year, the provincial government announced a pilot project that would see ten physician assistants working in hospitals. The idea is to cut down on the workload facing doctors, but a full year later, the project has still not started. Kathleen Abreo is a physician assistant who wants to work in Newfoundland, and he spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

You've probably heard about how tough it can be to find child care. Maybe you've faced that challenge yourself. The Town of Deer Lake is getting involved to try to get more people into the business of child care, and it's bringing together experts to explain how to go about it. Gloria Field is economic development officer with the Town of Deer Lake, and Lisa Vercillo is an insurance broker who specializes in child care.

Just two weeks after Hurricane Helene, people in Florida are once again bracing for what some are calling a historic storm. Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall this evening, and more than one million residents have been ordered to evacuate. We're already seeing images of major freeways blocked with vehicles and we're hearing reports of gas stations running out of fuel. Madeline Stimans is a teacher in the Sarasota area of Florida, who has ties to this province (and we want to let you know that she is also Martin Jones' cousin.) Stimans and her family were staying in their home Wednesday morning, To ride out the storm.

Orange-and-white-striped water bombers are a common sight in the skies over Gander. That's one of the reasons the community will host the brand new Atlantic Wildfire Centre. The centre will offer training, new technology, and specialists in wildfire management. On Monday, Premier Andrew Furey and Gander MHA John Haggie made the announcement, while thanking firefighters who were on hand.

You've probably seen photos of them, or seen one yourself: the white - or piebald - moose. They seem to be most common in the Port au Port area. In that moose management area, hunters are NOT allowed to shoot them. But a Port au Port Peninsula man says just putting a ban in place doesn't go far enough. Sam Jesso of Ship Cove wants more done to protect the white moose.

This is the time of year when many of you are getting your moose. Hunters who are generous souls don't mind sharing some of their wild game meat with others. For the past number of years, an initiative called "Sharing the Harvest" has made it easier to do that. Hunters can donate some of their caribou or moose to a food bank or to a local senior. Barry Fordham is with Sharing the Harvest NL.

Do you check your smoke detectors regularly to make sure they're working properly? This is a great time to do it, since it's Fire Prevention Week in Newfoundland and Labrador. This year's theme is 'Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You!' Fred Hollett is the fire chief in Portugal Cove-St. Philips.He told us a heartbreaking story of how two people lost their lives because of a smoke detector that had not been maintained.