Top Stories – Nov 23 – More Access Coming

The eastbound lanes on Highway 1 between Highway 11 and Cole Road in Abbotsford have been opened for emergency access to agricultural operations in the area. The section of Highway 1 between Cole Road and Yale Road, remains flooded with no estimated time of reopening. Meantime CP Rail still hopes to have service in washed out (above) areas between Kamloops and Vancouver reopened this evening, barring further complications.

A new washout and highway cracking closed Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton in both directions for a while yesterday 10 kilometres east of Manning Park Lodge. The road had only re-opened for essential travel on Friday. There was a wildlife advisory for the area as of last night and the highway is only for essential travel.

A team of eight city of Kelowna staff are in Merritt to help local workers get the town’s water systems running again. The experienced water and wastewater operators will lend a hand and share their expertise to get overwhelmed municipal services online. Some of the 7,000+ residents who were evacuated will be allowed home today starting with those living north of the RCMP station and they need to take food and water to last 72 hours.

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says temporary repairs on the Coquihalla Highway are getting underway, with no timelines for permanent repairs other than “many, many months.” It’s the same situation on Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon with the only indication on Drive BC being that the next update will come on Friday.

Kelowna RCMP has turned the investigation of a body of a man found in a park by Sutherland and Birch yesterday morning, over to the Coroner. Police said last night he was from Kelowna, 52 years old, and his death is not considered suspicious.

The ‘mail may not be going through’ as usual right now. Canada Post says the mudslides that closed highways have backed up deliveries throughout BC and western Canada. The Post Office says it is putting contingency plans in place to move mail and parcels into and out of BC through various channels.

Three local teachers have been awarded a Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence, and Excellence in Early Childhood Education. Megan Fredrick of Okanagan Mission Secondary, James Strachan of Kelowna Secondary and Chantelle Colthorp of Awasisak Achakos Head Start are among 10 teachers from BC that were selected. Each recipient receives a letter of congratulations and a certificate signed by the Prime Minister.

There were 330 new covid 19 cases in BC yesterday while there were 71 in the Interior Health area. In I-H there are 69 people in hospital with 28 of them in intensive care with the virus. Since the pandemic began almost 33-thousand people in the interior have had covid symptoms while 286 have died

Big White usually likes to open on U-S Thanksgiving which is Thursday, but right now that is not happening. The mountain says it has pushed back the opening by one day at this point, to Friday, in hopes of getting more snow before then. Yesterday it was reporting a 44 centimetre base in the village and they need about 70.

Sports

Just 3 games in the NHL tonight. The Flyers are in Tampa, Edmonton travels to Dallas and the Flames host the Blackhawks.

The Edmonton Elks cleaned house yesterday, firing head coach Jaime Elizondo, general manager and vice president of football operations Brock Sunderland, and president and CEO Chris Presson. Edmonton finished the season outside the playoffs and tied with a league-worst record of 3 & 11.

The West Kelowna Warriors take to the ice at Royal LePage Place tonight. The Penticton Vees make the trip up for a 7pm BC Hockey League puck drop.

Former superstars Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz headline a group of 13 newcomers on the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 ballot. The full list of first-time candidates includes several former MVPs and Cy Young winners who finished their careers in 2016.

Monday Night Football was in Tampa Bay where Tom Brady and the Buccaneers beat the New York Giants 30-10. There are 3 NFL games on Thursday which is U-S Thanksgiving.

When Kyle Lowry decides to call it a career, he wants to do so as a member of the Toronto Raptors and will sign a one day contract to do it. Lowry spent nine seasons with the Raptors, and will return to Toronto on Feb. 3 for the first time since joining the Miami Heat in the offseason.