Top Stories – Sept 22 – Hwy 97 Fatal

That accident on highway 97 just North of Kelowna Monday was fatal. A 30 year old woman passenger in an SUV was killed when it crossed the centre line and hit a pickup. Two other cars were involved but there were no other serious injuries. RCMP are hoping anyone with dashcam video or who witnessed the accident will contact them.

A couple of weeks into the school year and immunization teams are getting set to branch out to elementary schools once Health Canada approves the Pfizer vaccine for kids between 6 and 11. Dr. Bonnie Henry says parents will be provided with all the information they need to make a decision for their children.

That’s it… pack up the patio furniture and beach umbrellas and get out the leaf blowers. Today is the first day of Fall. It actually kicks in at 12:21 in the noon hour so you have a bit of time left. It will last until Tuesday, December 21.

The Detailed Design of West Kelowna’s first City Hall/Regional Library Building is now underway. Through Oct. 3, the community is invited to get involved and share their feedback by reviewing the virtual Open House boards, complete a questionnaire either online or submit a paper copy and stop by a pop-up engagement session. All the details are at ourwk.ca/cityhall project.

Don’t expect Google or Siri to call 9-1-1 if you are in an accident… they simply don’t do that with portable or small devices. A driver found that out the hard way early yesterday morning after her car went off Bear Creek Road and down a 75 metre embankment. Siri called her emergency contact, who called the RCMP and Search and Rescue and after 5 hours of looking, she was found with minor injuries and taken to hospital.

BC reported 525 new covid 19 cases yesterday, which is down a bit from a week ago. 147 of the cases were in Interior Health, the second-highest in the province next to Fraser. From September 13-19, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 76% of cases and from Sept. 6-19, they accounted for 84.7% of hospitalizations.

The new skate park in West Kelowna is now open and the official opening ceremony will be held this afternoon. The old one will be decommissioned to make way for the new city hall and library complex at Old Okanagan and Dobbin.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says they have heard the concerns of parents and will notify schools in a more timely manner about covid exposures. She says parents will have quick access to that information and she hopes it will be in place by the end of the week. Parents will be notified if their child has been exposed to the virus.

Heads up for some closures on Ellis Street next week for water line work. Beginning Monday until the end of October, Ellis will be closed to motorists between Cawston and the north end of Cannery Lane. Cannery Lane will also be closed to through traffic and there will be no on-street parking.

Sports

Week 8 in the CFL begins with a Wednesday night contest. The 3 & 3 Montreal Alouettes take on the 1 & 4 Redblacks in Ottawa. The BC Lions host Saskatchewan on Friday.

BC born broadcaster Jim Hughson says it’s time to retire. Known for being the voice of the Vancouver Canucks and Hockey Night in Canada, Hughson says his only goal in the industry was to work at the highest level and on the last day of the season. He adds he’s had that opportunity a number of times and will always be grateful for it.

The Toronto Blue Jays wrap up their series in Tampa today with a nooner. Yesterday, they took a 4-2 win against the Rays to even the series at a game each.

Former Edmonton and Saskatchewan head coach Chris Jones is back in the CFL. The Argos hired the Grey Cup winner as a defensive consultant. He had most recently been coaching at a high school in Tennessee.

The Kelowna Chiefs played their 3rd exhibition game last night on the road in Princeton. The locals improved to 2 wins and one loss, taking a 6-2 victory.

Tiger Woods won’t be at the Ryder Cup this week, but Phil Mickelson will, however but for the first time since 1995, he won’t hit a shot. Woods is still mending from a car accident, while Mickelson will be a non-playing assistant captain for a team tasked with winning the cup back from Europe.