Top Stories – Jan 9 – Back To Work

Kelowna Council gets back to work today following an extended holiday break. One of the things they’ll be looking at is a proposed 83 unit, six-storey rental apartment building at the corner of Dougall and McIntosh in Rutland. It calls for a mix of studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units.

The province is reopening 20 hospital emergency operations centres originally set up for COVID to deal with an expected surge in flu, respiratory illness and COVID cases. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the centres will be in place for at least six weeks and leadership teams will review hospital bed availability and identify solutions to ease emergency department congestion. Kelowna General is one of the facilities.

A prison union spokesman says a pigeon carrying a miniature backpack filled with drugs was captured last week at a facility. It was at Pacific Institution in Abbotsford, and had a fabric backpack that contained crystal meth. In recent years, officers had been on the lookout for drones carrying drugs and other contraband but it was the first time he had heard of a live bird being used.

Single family home sales were down 43% from a year ago in December in the central Okanagan, but the benchmark price remained just above a Million dollars. Condo sales took a 57% plunge but the price gained 1.5% to $503,000. There were 165% more homes and 96% more condos on the market.

It has been almost a year since their last contract expired, but BC Paramedics finally have a new deal. Members of Ambulance Paramedics of BC and Health Employers Association reached a deal with the assistance of super-mediator Vince Ready. Both sides will now go through the ratification process so additional details weren’t released.

Pharmacists say back-to-back medication shortages across Canada should be a wake-up call about how the country manages its drug supply. Many people looking for adult cold and flu medications are facing empty store shelves. A previous shortage of children’s pain and fever medications also continues to affect some stores. The office of the federal Health Minister says they’re closely monitoring the problem.

Okanagan residents who were vacationing in Mazatlan finally made it home on Saturday. A Sunwing flight from the Mexican city landed after the airport was shut down for a couple of days. Rebels said to be members of a drug cartel started shooting at aircraft last week, hitting at least one Mexican plane, after one of their leaders was arrested.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue was called out Saturday night after 3 snow-bikers got stuck in a ravine in Greystokes. The problem was that the subjects kept moving further into the ravine after making the SOS call. They were located several hours later and eventually helped out of the ravine. The message if you get lost… stay put.

US health officials approved a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug that modestly slows the disease, albeit with potential safety risks. Leqembi is the first that’s been shown to slow the decline in memory and thinking by targeting the disease’s underlying biology in those with mild or early-stage disease. Downsides include twice-a-month infusions and possible side effects like brain swelling.

Sports

The Rockets snapped their 6 game losing streak on Friday with a 3-2 win over Kamloops. On Saturday, the Blazers took a 5-1 win. Prince George visits Prospera Place tomorrow.

The Vancouver Canucks kicked off a 5 game road trip in Winnipeg yesterday with a 7-4 loss. They move to Pittsburgh tomorrow.

The first big golf event of the year, the Tournament of Champions in Kapalua was won by Spain’s Jon Rahm who shot 10 under yesterday to finish 27 under par.