Top Stories – March 9 – Carjack Suspect Charged

A man taken into custody on Highway 97 at Grizzly Road in West Kelowna Monday has been charged with attempted murder and robbery. Kenneth Morrison was allegedly involved in a carjacking after a crash on Glenmore Road where witnesses say he pulled a gun on two Good Samaritans. He was taken down when RCMP say he was attempting another carjacking at gunpoint.

McDonald’s and Starbucks are temporarily closing their restaurants in Russia, becoming the latest Western companies to pause all operations in the country following its invasion of Ukraine. McDonald’s said it would continue to pay salaries to its 62,000 employees in the country. Meantime, the United Nations says more than 2 million people have fled the Russian invasion.

More than half of the new covid 19 cases in BC yesterday were in Interior Health. There were 131 in our region while there were 254 in all of BC. There are 90 people in hospital in I-H, 11 of them in critical care.

The RCMP is investigating a series of incidents in which 59 Kelowna Transit shelters have been vandalized. The city estimates it has had to spend at least 50-thousand dollars to replace the damaged glass. There was a report in Rutland that someone heard an air gun being fired.

Construction is starting on Kelowna’s first city-wide waterfront park in over a decade, and is anticipated to be complete in Spring 2023. Some utilities work will start this week, with the larger park construction beginning in the coming weeks. Pandosy Waterfront Park was originally identified for partial funding in 2027, however, because of available Parks Development Cost Charges, construction is able to begin sooner.

Six passengers from the infamous Sunwing flight to Mexico that saw reality TV stars and influencers vape, sing and dance on board have been slapped with financial penalties. Transport Canada says that six revellers received “penalties” of up to $5,000 because they were not fully vaccinated when they boarded the flight to Cancun. More penalties could still be issued.

Kelowna RCMP are looking for witnesses to an accident about 1:45 yesterday afternoon at Richter and KLO. Police say a woman was in a crosswalk when she was hit by a red SUV. She received serious injuries. The car’s driver remained at the scene.

The results of a Value for Money Review of the Rotary Centre for the Arts was shared with Kelowna Council. The RCA opened in 2002 and provides significant contributions to the creative sector of Kelowna. It includes a 326-seat theatre, a bistro, 12 leased artists’ studios, various rental spaces and all-ages arts and cultural activities. Twelve recommendations came out of the review.

On International Women’s Day, the BC government announced the first steps towards closing the gender pay gap. Victoria is set to begin consultations on new pay transparency legislation which would help ensure equal pay for equal work. The government said BC has one of the largest gender pay gaps in Canada with women making, on average, about 20 percent less than men.

Sports

In a stunning blockbuster announcement, the Seattle Seahawks are trading quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos will send two first-round picks, two second-round selections, a fifth-round choice, quarterback Drew Lock, and 2 other players to the Seahawks.

Wilson led the Seahawks to their first-ever championship in Super Bowl 48 and made the Pro Bowl nine times. He must waive his no-trade clause for the deal to become official.

The West Kelowna Warriors travel up the highway tonight for a BCHL contest at Kal Tire Place against the Vernon Vipers. Both teams will be looking to extend 2 game winning streaks.

The Seattle Kraken signed leading scorer Jared McCann to a five-year contract extension worth 5 million per season. The Canucks drafted McCann 24th overall in 2014 and he played one season before being traded to the Florida Panthers.

The Vancouver Canucks begin a 7 game homestand tonight. The Montreal Canadiens are at Rogers Arena for a 7:30 start. Just one other game today and that has Washington in Edmonton.

Money talks… and sometimes Shouts! Aaron Rodgers is sticking with the Green Bay Packers. The star quarterback agreed to a four-year, 200-million dollar deal that will make him the highest-paid player in NFL history.