Top Stories – June 27 – Bernard Gears Up

With Friday being July 1, that means Meet Me On Bernard begins for another summer. Bernard between Abbott and St. Paul becomes an outdoor mall featuring live music, patios, innovative public art, local retail, street games, free programs and more. It’s closed to vehicles but open for pedestrians and cyclists until the Labour Day weekend. Info is at meetmeonbernard.com .

The Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team are scheduled to perform in Kelowna July 9 and 10, but right now they are grounded. Technicians are working to resolve an issue that relates to a device that sets the timing for the deployment of the parachute during the ejection sequence. The Air Force is working with experts and a third-party contractor to get the team back in the air as soon as it is safe to do so.

A mummified baby woolly mammoth has been found in the Klondike gold fields. The Yukon government says miners working on Eureka Creek uncovered the animal while excavating permafrost. Geologists suggest it died and was frozen during the ice age, more than 30,000 years ago

Canada Day events in downtown Kelowna are expected to attract up to 55,000 people this year. Most activities are taking place in Waterfront Park and Stuart Park, as well as on the 400 block of Bernard Avenue as part of Meet me on Bernard. For complete event details, visit festivalskelowna.com. A number of road closures will be in effect, and yes, there will be fireworks at 10pm at Tugboat Bay.

Of the 619 people that died during last summer’s heat dome in BC, only 1 percent had air conditioners that were on when they died. However, experts caution that we need to think beyond air conditioning to deal with heat waves that are becoming hotter and more frequent. They say city planners and the construction industry should adopt lighter coloured materials for buildings and even paved roadways, in addition to adding shading to building exteriors.

Ottawa has created a task force to help tackle the major delays with immigration applications and passport processing. The committee will be expected to make recommendations outlining short and longer-term solutions that would reduce wait times, clear out backlogs, and improve the overall quality of service.

A man was injured Saturday night while riding an ATV back to his campsite and it flipped, throwing him off. He was found shortly after by two dirt bikers who immediately administered first aid and called 911. The rider suffered serious head injuries and was taken to hospital by paramedics. It happened along the High Rim Trail between Lake Country and Oyama.

RCMP confirmed that it was the body of Chelsea Cardno that was found Friday afternoon in a field near the mouth of Mission Creek. The 31 year old disappeared on June 14 when she went for a walk along the Greenway next to the fast-flowing waterway. Central Okanagan Search and Rescue, RCMP and friends had been looking for her ever since. Her dog was never found.

G7 leaders opened their summit in Germany yesterday with a discussion about shaping the global economy at a time when conflict and unrest are driving up prices and access to key goods around the world. The fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to dominate both the G7 discussions and the NATO Summit in Madrid on Wednesday.

Sports

The Stanley Cup is heading to Denver. Two second period goals were enough to give the Colorado Avalanche a 2 to 1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning and a 4 games 1 to Stanley cup win. Nate MacKinnon scored one goal for the Avs and assisted on the other. It’s Colorado’s first cup win since 2001.

Kelowna Rockets forward Pavel Novak will be undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. In a statement he said he was recently diagnosed and will be unable to prepare for next season. He believes everything will turn out well and he will “soon fly again on the ice”.

The Blue Jays are back home to begin an important 3 games against the BoSox later today. On the weekend in Milwaukee the Jays lost 2 of 3 games with the Brewers. Toronto is now in 3rd place in the AL East… 1-1/2 games behind Boston.

The BC Lions have a 2 & 0 record thanks to a full team effort that led to a final score of 44-3 against Toronto on Saturday. Quarterback Nathan Rourke set a league record for yards passed in a single game by a Canadian with more than 436. BC has outscored its first 2 opponents this season 103-18.