Top Stories – Aug 22 – Wildfire Doused

The Cosens Creek fire in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park is pretty much done with. BC Wildfire estimated it at 4.6 hectares after they hit it hard from the ground and air on Friday and by the next day was listed as under control. It’s suspected to be person-caused.

Kids building a fire in the bush in Glenmore saw a quick response from the Kelowna Fire Department last night. It was about 200 feet up a hill at the end of Ballou Road and grew to about 20 feet by 20 feet in the tinder dry forest. KFD was able to extinguish the fire quickly and prevent it from spreading up the hill. Crews built a guard around the fire and thoroughly soaked the area with water.

The back-to-school shopping season has arrived as inflation continues to push up prices and squeeze consumer budgets. A poll conducted by Caddle, found 77 percent of shoppers will spend more than 50 dollars, with consumers spending the most at big box retailers followed by clothing stores. Some stores are hoping back-to-school will help clear excess inventory as skyrocketing prices slow consumer spending.

Canada’s transport minister says covid is to blame for all the delays at airports these days. Airlines and airports have been grappling with a surge in customers this summer, compounded by staffing shortages affecting both carriers and federal agencies. The minister adds the baggage fiasco can be blamed on increased flyer numbers.

Two people were killed when a car crashed into a wedding party at a private home in West Vancouver on Saturday. Police say the driver, a woman in her late 60’s, was pulling out of a shared driveway next door, accelerated forward, and drove into a crowd. Ten people were taken to hospital with 2 in critical condition. Authorities say it was just a tragic accident.

Theatregoers can now get tickets to shows directly from the source. The Kelowna Community Theatre has opened its own in-house box office, just in time for its 60th anniversary season. The launch of the new service will allow people to get tickets without going through third parties.

Delegates from the Nisga’a First Nation are in Scotland to discuss repatriating a memorial totem pole it says was stolen nearly a century ago. It was hand-carved in the 1860s and depicts the story of a warrior who was next in line to be chief before he was killed in a conflict with a neighbouring nation. It was taken in 1929 while village members were away for the annual hunting and food harvesting season, and was later sold to the museum in Scotland.

Alcohol and speed have not been ruled out as contributing factors in a fatal accident in West Kelowna on Friday. RCMP say it was a ‘pedestrian involved’ incident, but did not reveal if it was a pedestrian or the car driver that died on a curve on Horizon Drive between Aurora and Olympus. The vehicle went off the road and flipped. Various elements of the RCMP and the Coroner’s Service have been investigating.

Since 2008, Kelowna has been hitting property owners with a 25-hundred dollar Development Cost Charge if they want to add a carriage house to their property. That could soon go up by 900 percent. Kelowna Council will review a new charge mandated by the province that could see the fee increase to 25-Thousand dollars.

John Rustad says he holds no animosity toward the BC Liberal Party or its leader after being booted from its caucus last week. He was removed after he retweeted comments that questioned the role of carbon dioxide in climate change. The Nechako Lakes MLA says he refuses to support policies brought forward by environmental elitists to punish those who are already dealing with out of control inflation.

Sports

After Team Canada won Gold at the World Juniors in Edmonton, the hockey focus switches now to Denmark for the Women’s Worlds starting Thursday. Canada plays Finland with a 10am start our time.

It was a good weekend for the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. In four games, they beat New York 3 times. Toronto is off today before they head to Fenway Park tomorrow for 3 against the Red Sox.

BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke will have surgery for a sprain in his right foot. He was injured in the 28-10 win over Saskatchewan on Friday night. The team is hopeful that the surgery and subsequent rehab will open the door for a return late in the season.

The PGA Tour’s BMW Championship was won by Patrick Cantlay, the same golfer that won last week in the FedEx Cup playoffs. The Tour Championship begins later this week in Atlanta and Corey Conners was the only Canadian to make the final cut.

It wasn’t much of a contest Saturday night at the Apple Bowl. The Okanagan Sun trounced the VI Raiders 58-1. The Sun are now 4 & 0 this season and the only undefeated team in the BC Football Conference.

It’s still 2-1/2 weeks until the regular NFL season begins on September 8th, but there is a Monday Night Football game tonight. The Atlanta Falcons are at MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Jets.