Top Stories – July 18 – Wildfire Slows

A break for fire crews battling the 1,700 hectare wildfire northwest of Lytton. Overnight weather has seen temperatures as low as 13 degrees and humidity up to 70%. There were more than 100 firefighters and 10 helicopters working the fire in difficult terrain yesterday. At last word, at least half a dozen homes had been burned and the blaze is still classified as out of control.

When you are planning your next off road adventure, don’t forget that area closures set under the Wildlife Act last October are still in place. These were set across 15 severely wildfire-damaged areas of the Thompson-Okanagan region. The closures affect backcountry roads covering approximately 536-thousand hectares and are well marked.

Edmonton-based Flair Airlines, which flies to 6 destinations from Kelowna International has been named on of the Top 10 low-cost carriers in the world. Airline ratings-dot-com says each airline has a good safety record and has made a big difference in their respective markets. Others to make the list include Southwest, Easyjet and Air Asia.

Hikers in Glenrosa have one less option for a while. Starting today, trail and infrastructure upgrades will be done in Glen Canyon Regional Park in West Kelowna. The park will be closed for approximately two weeks between the Aberdeen Road entrance and Highway 97.

Like the housing market, apartment rental prices in Kelowna are going down. According the Zumper monthly report, a 1 bedroom was averaging $1,650… 100 bucks less than the previous month. Two bedrooms were at 21-70, down 140 dollars from May. Kelowna now ranks 7th in the country, compared to 4th a few months ago.

In preparation for future seasonal flu seasons, the federal government has signed a new deal with GlaxoSmithKline for influenza vaccines. The company has been providing them since 2001 and has 900 people working at a plant in Quebec City. The first deliveries are scheduled for September and October.

A man drowned in Wood Lake on Saturday evening. RCMP say the man drowned trying to assist another person in the water. According to witnesses, several other boaters located the two men in distress. One man was rescued with a life jacket but the second man, who was brought back to the Oyama boat launch to first responders, died. The Coroner is in charge of the investigation.

Another task on the weekend for Central Okanagan Search and Rescue. It teamed up with Kelowna Fire Department to rescue an injured cyclist in Myra Canyon. The subject was treated for a head injury and transported to a waiting ambulance using KFD’s Gator. It was COSAR’s 51st rescue of 2022, and their sixth on the KVR.

The New Democrat Party in BC says it will elect a new leader later this year. This comes after Premier John Horgan announced last month that he will not be seeking another term in the 2024 provincial election. The party says voting will begin in November and the results will be announced on December 3.

Sports

It’s a pretty quiet day in the sporting world as Major League Baseball is off in preparation for the All Star game in Los Angeles tomorrow,. There is no football, or hockey of course either.

But in hockey signings, Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Brad Hunt to a two-year contract. Hunt spent last season with the Vancouver Canucks, where he racked up 17 points in 50 games while averaging 15 minutes per night.

At the Open Championship at St. Andrews in Scotland, Australian Cameron Smith was 8 under par for the final round to finish the tournament at 20 under at win the Claret Jug. Another Cameron, Cameron Young from the States, finished 1 shot back. Corey Conners finished at 8 under.

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal and closer Jordan Romano are in Los Angeles after being added to the American League roster for the MLB All-Star Game tomorrow. Both are replacing players that were initially picked for the A-L team.

The Toronto Blue Jays wrapped up their 4 game homestand against Kansas City yesterday with a 4-2 win to take 3 of the games at Rogers Centre. They have a few days off now for the All Star break before heading to Boston for a weekend series.

Aaron Judge’s incredible first half is now officially etched in Yankees lore. Judge continued his torrid pace Saturday with his 33rd home run of the season, tying Roger Maris for the most by a Pinstripe before the All-Star break.