Top Stories – Sept 20

Five RCMP officers from the Musical Ride led Queen Elizabeth’s funeral procession yesterday in London. The ceremony at Westminster Cathedral went off without a hitch considering all the world leaders that attended. After the funeral, the Queen’s coffin was taken to Windsor Castle for a service in St George’s Chapel. The casket of her late husband, Prince Philip, was moved from the royal vault in the Chapel to be interred with the Queen, as the couple requested.

Victoria is handing out a combined $30 million from the BC Knowledge Development Fund to support research that will help create jobs, protect biodiversity and the environment. UBCO will get 2.7 Million of it which will go toward several projects such as MRI equipment and next-generation video surveillance for environmental monitoring.

It’s been a while since Lake Country has had a new mayor, but the new guy didn’t even have to run in an election. Blair Ireland, who was a councillor for two terms was acclaimed for the job after Barry Rhodes withdrew from the race. James Baker has been mayor since 2005.

The Cops For Kids charity bike ride through southern BC this month was a huge success. 26 riders pedalled 1,000 kilometres, ending the ride in Kelowna after 10 days and raising about 375-thousand dollars. The money is used to support kids who have sustained severe trauma, illness, or disability. Two cyclists had to leave during the ride after being recalled to work.

With the kids back in school and the summer heat behind us, it’s time to start shutting down some outdoor playthings. Yesterday was the last day of the season for the spray park in West Kelowna. However the maintenance is done at the Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Centre and the pool and gym areas have reopened.

And as we head into Fall and Winter, the cost of natural gas to heat homes won’t be changing. Fortis BC says it has received approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission to maintain the cost of gas rates for the majority of its customers until December 31. For more details on how rates work, check out fortisbc.com/rates .

The RCMP serious crime unit is investigating 2 possible murders north of Penticton. Two bodies were found inside a burned out car near the Penticton shooting range late last week. On the weekend, investigators were trying to make identifications and no further details will be released until the next of kin are notified.

The pool and gym areas at the Parkinson Recreation centre in Kelowna have reopened. They had been closed for 2 to 3 weeks for annual maintenance. Registration is now open for Fall programs.

Rallies were held in cities across Canada on the weekend calling on Ottawa to extend permanent status to undocumented migrants. The government launched a regularization program during the pandemic for asylum seekers who worked in the health sector. Groups say the program should include all undocumented people and should be a focus as parliament prepares to return.

Sports

It’s a few days of practice for the Kelowna Rockets before they begin playing for real on Saturday. Portland visits Prospera Place for a game you’ll hear Regan Bartel call on 104.7 The Lizard.

After their game on Saturday night which saw the BC Lions beat the Stampeders, 2 players decided to get ready for this weekend’s rematch by having a fight in the parking lot at McMahon stadium. Police got involved after reports that Calgary’s Cam Judge had sucker-punched Lucky Whitehead.

The Toronto Blue Jays are on the road this week. They have the first of 2 games in Philadelphia today and tomorrow before moving on to Tampa.

With the Young Star’s Classic now done in Penticton the Vancouver Canucks can look forward to training camp. It begins on Friday in Whistler with the first split-squad preseason games in Vancouver and Calgary on Sunday.

Two Monday Night Football games in the NFL. In Buffalo the Bills trounced the Tennessee Titans 41-7, and in Philadelphia the Eagles had no trouble with the Vikings, taking a 24-7 win.

The Edmonton Oilers have inked former Canuck forward Jake Virtanen and defenseman Jason Demers to professional tryout contracts. In late July, Virtanen was found not guilty of sexual assault after he was charged in January.