Top Stories – Aug 11 – Wanted: Arrested

Kelowna RCMP along with the K9 unit and Air Services were able to track and eventually arrest a man yesterday who was wanted on a BC-wide warrant. Police got a tip he was driving a stolen pickup and after they set up containment the 38 year old tried to run, but he was taken into custody about 2-1/2 hours after the initial tip. The suspect was already wanted on 7 charges, but police anticipate more will be added to the list.

In a Facebook post, West Kelowna councillor Doug Findlater says he will not be running for re-election in October. He has been a part of politics on the west side for almost 20 years, including 10 as mayor shortly after West Kelowna was incorporated. He says it’s time to devote more time to family and personal matters as well as get their post pandemic travel plans going.

The wildfire situation in southern BC could change drastically over the next few days. Lightning could accompany predicted late afternoon and evening thundershowers along with gusty winds. To be ready, the BC Wildfire Service has 512 personnel on standby and more crews are coming in from Alberta.

BC Wildfire is hoping that cooler weather and higher humidity for the next few days will help the Keremeos Creek Wildfire as long as its not accompanied by lightning. Evacuation orders were rescinded yesterday from Twin Lakes to just north of Olalla. Highway 3A between Kaleden and Keremeos is still closed.

Good news for people that were affected by the Nohomin Creek wildfire near Lytton. Everyone that was forced to leave their homes is now allowed to return as the weather and great work by firefighters are keeping the fire in check. It grew to just over 37-hundred hectares and continues to be active in the Stein Valley Wilderness Park on steep cliffs crews cannot access.

Anyone interested in being a municipal election candidate in Kelowna is invited to an information session next week. There are actually two, both on Wednesday at 6 and 7pm in Council Chambers. Each session will also be offered on Microsoft Teams and a link to join will be posted on kelowna.ca/election , next Wednesday.

A Kelowna man was arrested and his boat was towed to shore Tuesday night after he refused to give North Okanagan RCMP a breath sample on the lake. Police were out on the water and detected possible alcohol during a safety check. There’s zero tolerance for impaired boating and the 51 year old man will have a court date.

The summer of 2022 is shaping up to be a bumper season for both pink and sockeye salmon in BC rivers. One veteran Indigenous fisherman reports the biggest catches of sockeye in decades. Mitch Dudoward has worked in the salmon industry for more than 40 years, and says fishing on the Skeena River in northwest BC has never been better.

A Coroner’s report shows 16 suspected heat deaths linked to the recent BC hot spell. The report says all but two of the deaths happened in the Interior or Fraser health regions and involved victims aged 40 to over 90, with six in their 70s. There were 6 deaths in Interior Health and 8 in the Fraser Valley.

Sports

Canada plays its second game at World Junior Hockey Championships this afternoon. Slovakia is the opponent at 3pm in Edmonton. Yesterday, North Van’s Connor Bedard scored Canada’s first goal in a 5-2 win against Latvia.

The BC Lions game against Edmonton had the highest viewership of all games last week. Almost half a Million people tuned in to watch quarterback Nathan Rourke set a number of records.

It’s week 10 in the CFL and it begins in Winnipeg later today with the Blue Bombers hosting Montreal at 530. The BC Lions are on the road on Saturday in Calgary.

There are two pre-season games in the NFL tonight. The New York Giants are taking on the Patriots at Foxborough, while Baltimore hosts Tennessee.

It’s the FedEx St. Jude Championship on the PGA Tour this week. The players tee off today at TPC Southwind in Memphis. The total purse is 15 Million dollars with the winner’s cut being 2.7 Million.