Top Stories – Sept 7 – Watch For Kids

Kids hit the books today, and motorists are reminded to slow down in school and playground zones. The 30K speed limits are back in effect from 730am to 5pm. Fines start at $196. Don’t forget to stop for buses, watch for students riding and walking to school as well. The kids will be excited, so pay attention.

Today through Friday, there will be a full road closure on McCulloch Road by the Harvest Golf Club from K.L.O. to Rose. There will be a detour directing traffic and access to all surrounding businesses will be maintained during the paving period. Residents living on McCulloch will be permitted to enter the work zone with instruction from traffic control personnel.

Interior Health and Okanagan College are providing on-campus COVID immunization clinics for returning students, faculty and staff. Everyone can walk-up, register and receive their first or second dose. In Kelowna it’s at the Centre for Learning (E building), from 10am to 2pm today at the KLO campus.

In West Kelowna, upgrades are coming soon to the Shannon Lake corridor to enhance safety and improve traffic flow. It will be constructed in two phases. Beginning next week, crews will start underground and overhead utility relocation work at the Shannon Lake-Bartley-Stevens intersection for construction of a new roundabout. Work will continue through December.

High bear activity is occurring in the Central Okanagan as Yogi and his buddies bulk up before winter with little food in the hills due to drought and wildfires. Advice is to harvest gardens, fruit trees and grapevines ASAP and clear ground fall. Keep the BBQ clean, remove bird feeders and secure trash and only put it out on pickup day.

Evacuation Orders have been lifted for 18 properties on Bouleau Lake Road, which will remain on Alert until further notice. Properties from Estamont, Ewings Landing, Killiney Beach and Westshore Estates were under Evacuation Alert on the long weekend due to the White Rock Lake wildfire. Emergency operations support for the fire is moving into the recovery phase for the regional district and information can be found at regionaldistrict.com/recovery .

Both the Parkinson Rec Centre Pool and Gym in Kelowna and the Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Centre on the west side are closed for a couple of weeks. It’s the annual maintenance at both facilities, with them scheduled to reopen on the 20th. If you need a pool fix, there’s H2O or the YMCA in Kelowna.

Business owners and law enforcement are asking for more support as BC gears up to implement a COVID vaccine card system next week. The Ministry of Health said the public can expect further details today at 2. The president of the Canadian Police Association, said placing the burden of enforcement on police will stretch resources and potentially affect responses to other calls.

In the second-last week of the election campaign, it’s neck and neck as far as party leader preference goes. According to a Nanos poll on the weekend, support for Justin Trudeau is at 29.9 percent, while Erin O’Toole is at 29.8 percent. Jagmeet Singh was at 19.5 percent.

Sports

Two Labour Day games in the CFL. In Hamilton, the Tiger Cats had a big second half on the way to a 32-19 win over the Argonauts. They will play again Friday.
In Calgary, the battle of Alberta went to Edmonton as the Elks beat the Stampeders 32-20. They will play in Edmonton on Saturday.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said a high number of players, coaches and staff members tested positive for COVID after they were fully vaccinated. The NFL’s chief medical officer slapped that down saying “Belichick is not a doctor and what IS true is that there are higher rates of infection among unvaccinated individuals”.

The NHL plans to punish unvaccinated players more harshly, as in not paying them, if they test positive for the coronavirus as part of new protocols for the upcoming season. The league says between 90 and 95% of players are fully vaccinated or will be before training camps begin later this month.

Tom Brady won’t commit to playing beyond his 40s, but former rival Peyton Manning wouldn’t be shocked if he did saying “Does he play nine more years, go to 2030? It wouldn’t surprise me.” Brady is 44.

The BC Lions signed 25 year old wide receiver Marcus Davis, who was a fourth-round draft pick of the Tiger-Cats in 2018. The Victoria native played four years at UBC, where he helped the T-Birds win a Vanier Cup in 2015.

A 5-run, 9th inning, allowed the Blue Jays secure an 8-0 win over the Yankees in New York yesterday. Marcus Semien hit a solo drive in the first and his fifth career grand slam in the ninth. While Toronto has no chance of making the playoffs in the AL East, there’s an outside possibility they could take a wildcard spot. They play again today.