Top Stories – Dec 28 – Tree Chipping Spots

There are a number of places you can drop off your live Christmas tree for chipping when you are done with it. They include: Ben Lee Park, Capital News Centre – on Lequime Ring Rd., the Glenmore Landfill, the Westside Transfer Station and Jack Seaton Park in Lake Country. There’s no charge, just make sure lights, decorations and tinsel are removed. There is no place to recycle artificial trees.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue is sending out a huge thank you to the community for supporting its 25th annual food drive for the Central Okanagan Food Bank. They collected 15,475 pounds of food and $4,400 in cash donations. Fire fighters are still taking food donations in the collection bins at firehalls until next Tuesday.

So how was your year? A poll found that 31 per cent of Canadians felt this year was worse for them than last year and only 21 per cent said it was better. 46 per cent said it was about the same. Leger found high inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early this year remain top of mind for Canadians as they think about what could come in 2023.

Flight arrivals and departures at Kelowna International Airport continue to improve. Yesterday there were still some delays of more than an hour, so it’s still a good idea to check with your airline before heading out. The local ramp, ticketing and security employees have been doing their best to try and make up for delays usually originating somewhere else.

The investigation continues into the Christmas Eve bus crash on the Connector that killed 4 people and injured more than 50. An Ebus rolled over near the Loon Lake exit during what police say were extremely icy conditions. There were still 7 people in hospital Monday afternoon, but all with non life-threatening injuries.

Ukraine’s foreign minister says his nation wants a summit to end the war but he doesn’t anticipate Russia taking part. He told The Associated Press that his government wants a “peace” summit within two months at the United Nations with the Secretary-General. He added Russia must face a war-crimes tribunal before his country directly talks with Moscow.

A few more days of Christmas break for the kids and now that it has warmed up compared to last week, outdoor skating can be fun. The rink at Stuart Park in Kelowna is open from 6am to 11pm daily and skate rentals are available from 11-8. Don’t forget to leave the hockey sticks at home as it’s just for casual skating.

We don’t get to see the CP Holiday Train in the Okanagan, but it continues to be a big hit across the country. At stops this year, it collected 121 thousand pounds of food and 1.3 Million dollars at nearly 170 communities. The funds and food collected go to local food banks.

Having to spend an extra vacation day in Mexico because your flight home is cancelled is one thing, but when it turns into 3 or more and you’re shuffled from hotel to hotel, sometimes sleeping on the floor, that’s another. That was the case for hundreds of Sunwing passengers when bad weather at home cancelled flights. The airline didn’t say how many people were affected, but yesterday they were still working to get people back to Canada.

Sports

It’s the second of back to back games for the Rockets and Blazers tonight. The pregame show from Kamloops on 1047 The Lizard and Rocketfan.ca starts at 6:35. Last night at Prospera Place the Blazers took a 6-4 win.

At the World Junior Hockey Championships, Canada plays its second game today looking for the first win. Faceoff in Halifax against Germany is at 3:30.

At Rogers Arena, the Canucks took a 6-2 win over the Sharks for their third straight victory. A 4 point night for Bo Horvat. Vancouver’s in Winnipeg tomorrow