Toronto trivia titan Mattea Roach&nbsp;made it to the finals, but couldn't clinch the 

Roach, a writer and podcaster&nbsp;who also has ties to Nova Scotia, finished second on Wednesday's episode, with a combined two-game point total of 41,685, earning a prize of $250,000 US.&nbsp;

Roach was in second place after&nbsp;the first game, and took&nbsp;the lead in&nbsp;the second game heading into 

All three contestants gave the incorrect answer, but — because the score from the first game was taken into account —&nbsp;James Holzhauer ended up defeating Roach&nbsp;by $2,110 US.

Holzhauer won the first-ever Trebek Trophy — named for the late longtime&nbsp;host Alex Trebek — and $500,000 US.&nbsp;

Mattea Roach on their Jeopardy! winning streak

Canadian Mattea Roach talks to Ian Hanomansing about their Jeopardy! winning streak and exceeding their expectations.

Mattea Roach on her Jeopardy! winning streak

Roach is the&nbsp;most successful Canadian competitor in Jeopardy! history. They won more than $750,000 Cdn&nbsp;and&nbsp;23 consecutive games in 2022, the fifth-longest streak ever on 

Roach went on to compete in the Tournament of Champions, finishing third in a semifinal&nbsp;in November 2022.

Jeopardy! winner Mattea Roach's father dies at 57

Philip Henry Roach passed due to a brain aneurysm on May 2, his obituary says.

Mattea Roach's father on their Jeopardy! success

A smiling father and daughter stand together.

Philip and Mattea Roach pictured in 2022.

Philip and Mattea Roach

Mattea Roach's father Phil tells CBC Nova Scotia host Amy Smith what it's been like to see his child on the show's tournament of champions.

Mattea Roach's latest historic win? Canada Reads 2023

Canada Reads wrapped up yesterday, and Kate Beaton’s graphic memoir Ducks, championed by Mattea Roach, won it all. It's a story about the climate crisis, but it’s also a moving portrait of the people she meets working in the Alberta oil sands. Both Kate Beaton and Mattea Roach join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud just a few hours after their win.

Jeopardy! champion Mattea Roach wins Canada Reads 2023. They championed the graphic memoir Ducks by Kate Beaton.

Mattea Roach - Canada Reads 2023 - Day Four

The tournament came at a difficult time for Roach, who noted in Tuesday's semifinal episode that their father died in the course of filming.

Roach said their dad was a big part of why they were able to compete on "Jeopardy!" at all, instilling in them a love of learning.

Roach thanked everyone on set who ensured they could go home to grieve instead of continuing to film on what they said was the hardest day of their life so far.

Mattea Roach's father on her Jeopardy! success

All-party committee refuses to discuss a cost of living increase for MLA budgets

Speaker Keith Bain tried repeatedly to kickstart a debate on whether Nova Scotia MLAs should get a cost of living increase to their budgets and allowances. But the chair of the House of Assembly management commission was met by silence when it went up for discussion.

A man with white hair wearing black robes sits behind a wooden desk at the Nova Scotia legislature.

Keith Bain says he does not want to step aside as Speaker of the House, despite efforts by the premier to get him to go. Bain signed a document Wednesday pledging to leave in the spring.

Keith Bain

Nova Scotia Speaker Keith Bain is pictured in March 2023. On Wednesday, a legislative committee refused to debate possible increases to MLA budgets and allowances, despite Bain's attempts to get a discussion started.

Changes in COVID-19 protocols for long-term care get mixed reviews

Some say the removal of mask mandates in nursing homes is a "welcome reprieve" from the past three years, but others worry about the impact on elderly residents.

A woman in a mask stands outside the door of a long-term care building as a person wearing protective gear and a mask takes her temperature through the open door.

A woman has her temperature taken as she arrives at the Roberta Place Long Term Care home in Barrie, Ont. on Monday, January 18, 2021. The home has seen an outbreak of COVID-19 among staff and residents. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

COVID ONT 20210118

A woman has her temperature taken as she arrives at a long-term care home in Ontario in January 2021.

A Nova Scotia senior lost his cottage in a tax sale — but had never missed a payment

In an unfortunate series of events involving taxes and a decades-old unregistered deed, the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's sold the land without Nelson Miller's knowledge.

A white man with glasses and a bushy white beard sits at a wooden kitchen table. He is wearing a red and white plaid shirt, and an old range stove with silver teapot is in the background.

Nelson Miller at his home in Alton, N.S. The 83-year-old had a bizarre experience when his family cottage was sold in a tax sale without his knowledge.

nelson miller cottage

A close-up look at a photo print of a wooden cabin with snow on the roof, surrounded by trees

A winter photo of the Miller family cottage on East Loon Lake in Guysborough County, N.S. 

miller cottage winter

CBRM gives staff more power over changes to subdivision development

Cape Breton Regional Municipality's planning department can now approve new phases in the Cossitt Heights residential subdivision without having to go to council for a vote.

A stop sign at a street intersection in the foreground with an empty lot behind it and some cohnstruction equipment sitting idle.

Construction stopped in the Cossitt Heights subdivision in Sydney, N.S., several weeks ago after the developer skipped a phase to respond to the market need for more apartments.

Cossitt Heights housing Sydney

Rain expected in Nova Scotia on Thursday

Meteorologist Ryan Snoddon says unsettled weather will linger into Friday, but it could clear up by the weekend.

Mattea Roach competed in the final round of Jeopardy Masters on Wednesday.

Mattea Roach places 2nd in Jeopardy! Masters tournament

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