Six stories in the news today, April 1

Six stories in the news today, April 1, from The Canadian Press:

JONI MITCHELL IN LOS ANGELES HOSPITAL

Legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell was in intensive care in a Los Angeles-area hospital, according to the Twitter account and website of the folk singer. A statement on the website said Mitchell, 71, was undergoing tests and was awake and in good spirits. It wasn’t immediately clear what illness she had.

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DUFFY TRIAL PROMISES CRASH COURSE IN SENATE EXPENSE RULES

Lawyers arriving at the Ottawa courthouse today for the long-awaited start of the Mike Duffy trial will be armed with the equivalent of advanced degrees in the rules governing Senate expenses. Duffy faces 31 charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery, all associated with living, travel, and contracting expenses filed by the former Conservative appointee.

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TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKERS LEAVING CANADA

Thousands of temporary foreign workers could be heading to airports to leave Canada today as permits expire for those who have been in the country for more than four years. The Conservative government set today as the deadline for temporary foreign workers in low-skilled jobs to either become permanent residents or leave the country after changing the rules in 2011.

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CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY MARKS 100 DAYS TO PAN AM GAMES

Canada will welcome 100 new citizens in a ceremony that coincides with the 100-day countdown to the Pan Am Games. The citizenship ceremony is to be held at the newly-completed athletes’ village near Toronto’s waterfront. The new Canadians hail from 58 countries, including 12 from the Americas.

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HOW HARPER’S CASE FOR WAR WAS FORGED

Twice in six months, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has put a motion before the House of Commons to commit Canada to war with the ISIL militants. Both were born last summer on a craggy mountaintop in Iraq. The resolve behind the latest one was hardened last October by the echo of gunfire on Parliament Hill.

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WILLIAM SHATNER SET TO BEAM INTO VANCOUVER

There are a few constants in William Shatner’s career: he will always be working, he will always be mocked — not least by himself — and he will always be James T. Kirk, captain of the Starship Enterprise. Those are the reasons why Shatner is appearing this weekend at Vancouver Fan Expo, a three-day gathering for fans of comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, gaming and the people who make that pop culture.