Top Stories – Nov 3 – Racism on Bus

Kelowna RCMP is investigating a hate incident that occurred on the Route 8 city bus Halloween night near Ziprick and Highway 33 at 6:20pm. Police say a guy made racist remarks to a group of female passengers and there was an assault between him and another male passenger, before those involved got off the bus. Officers would like to speak to anyone involved and any other passengers who may have witnessed the incident.

West Kelowna will be holding a Remembrance Day service this year. It will be at Royal LePage Place but due to covid restrictions still in place in the Interior, will be limited to just 750 people. Attendees will have to show they are fully vaccinated at the service next Thursday, Nov. 11 from 10:45 to noon.

There were 406 news cases of covid-19 reported in BC yesterday which included 95 for Interior Health where there were 613 active cases. There were another 5 deaths from the virus, including one in our region. From October 18-31, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 72.4% of hospitalizations.

A few more details this morning on the resumption of International flights from Kelowna International airport. Currently YLW is anticipating the return of flights to Seattle on Alaska Airlines on December 16, Sunwing to Varadero in January and WestJet to Phoenix, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun, also in January. The requirement for returning passengers to have a negative PCR test, even if fully vaccinated, is still in place.

The long-standing tradition of no-charge on-street parking in Kelowna for each Saturday in December will continue. Christmas Day is a stat so there would be no charges in effect anyway. Posted time limits remain in effect to ensure convenient parking spaces are turned over for new customers. All other parking restrictions stay in effect.

The premier’s office says John Horgan is making good progress following last week’s biopsy surgery for a growth in his throat. He is participating virtually in meetings and briefings this week. Horgan said Thursday he had noticed a lump on his neck and the biopsy was scheduled for the following day after further checks confirmed a growth in his throat.

RCMP still don’t know who spray painted racist graffiti on, and around, a Korean restaurant in Glenmore. However police say it could be a man who was refused entry earlier for not adhering to covid-19 rules. Authorities have not yet made video of the suspect, who ironically was wearing a mask, public.

A house fire in the 900 block of Fuller in Kelowna yesterday morning had smoke visible over a wide area. It appears to have started in the back and was knocked down from the outside and then extinguished with an interior attack before briefly flaring up in the afternoon. Cause of the fire is under investigation but is not deemed to be suspicious.

A minivan parked overnight in an area reserved for commercial vehicles near Revelstoke was checked by police. Inside they found a man and woman from Calgary, about $11,000 in Canadian currency, small quantities of suspected cocaine and fentanyl, and an estimated $100,000 of expensive, high-quality hard liquor purchased in Alberta. Investigators believe they wanted to avoid BC’s liquor tax and re-sell the booze to illegal casinos or private purchasers on the Lower Mainland.

Sports

Maybe their luck will change on home ice. The Kelowna Rockets lost 2 games to the Vancouver Giants on the south coast last month, but the Giants make a trip here tonight for a 7pm faceoff.

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame will formally enshrine its 2020 and 2021 Classes of inductees at the Hall of Fame in Hamilton in the spring. Plans to hold the ceremony as part of the festivities leading into the 108th Grey Cup were altered due to the ongoing health and safety concerns caused by the pandemic.

In the NHL last night the Canucks picked up their first home win of the season with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win against the Rangers. JT Miller had the winning goal and Thatcher Demko was outstanding in net. The Nashville Predators are in Vancouver on Friday.

Carey Price may be ready to return to the Montreal Canadiens shortly after his time in the NHL’s player assistance program concludes. The goaltender voluntarily entered the program on October 7 and they must spend a minimum of 30 days.

The World Series trophy is heading to Atlanta after the Braves beat the Astros 7-0 last night to win the series 4 games to 2. Atlanta last won in 1995.

The West Kelowna Warriors are on the road tonight taking on the Spruce Kings in Prince George before coming home for a Friday game against Cranbrook.

And Aaron Rodgers has made a change into how he gets paid his 27 Million dollars. He’s going to take some of it in Bitcoin.