Top Stories – Mar 22 – Video Needed

Kelowna RCMP are still asking for any dash cam footage from around Highway 97 and McCurdy between 10:15 and 10:45pm last Friday. An international student was assaulted by a gang and suffered injuries to his chest, mouth, arms and legs. Police have identified a suspect group, however no arrests have been made and the BC Hate Crimes Team has been consulted to ensure that any hate elements are identified and investigated.

Students and the food industry will benefit from the new Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism when it opens on the Okanagan College Kelowna campus. The Province is providing O-C with $44.8 million for the new program which will include modern teaching spaces, food labs, beverage research and development facilities. Construction is expected to begin this year, with the centre opening in 2026.

A 15-year-old student has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after two staff members at a Halifax-area high school were stabbed Monday. Police say the victims, who both work at the school were in serious but stable condition. The prosecutor said the Crown had given notice it will seek an adult penalty.

The Safeway in downtown Kelowna has been hit with a $575 fine for selling tobacco to someone under 19. Interior Health uses secret shoppers in the program to see if retailers are selling cigarettes or vapes to youths. The agency will usually issue a warning before a fine is handed out, but didn’t say how many times the store had been caught.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue has issued an open burning permit to a contractor for the Goats Peak area where construction is underway. Smoke will be visible from the area off Gellatly Road near the Glenrosa interchange, when burning begins, as local conditions allow. It will be supervised at all times.

The annual inflation rate slowed to 5.2 percent in February from 5.9 in January. The Bank of Canada is trying to bring inflation back down to its two percent target and isn’t planning to raise interest rates again if inflation keeps falling in line with projections. Meat, veggie and bakery prices were also down from the previous month, but still up double digits from a year ago.

A Precautionary Water Quality Advisory is in effect for Zone 1 of the Rose Valley/Lakeview System as part of West Kelowna’s annual Watermain Flushing Program. This is required before connecting residents to the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant later this year. You can find out what zone you’re in and what you need to know before, during and after flushing is complete at westkelownacity.ca/flushing .

The federal minimum wage is rising to $16.65 per hour on April 1, up from $15.55. The government says the increase is based on the consumer price index, which rose 6.8% last year. It applies to the federally regulated private sectors such as banks, postal, interprovincial air, rail, road, and marine transportation services.

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has posted that he is recovering from an attack earlier this month outside a Florida hotel. He says he was attacked while taking a smoke break. Police arrested a 19-year-old man, but said they don’t have a motive for the attack. Allen says he’s thankful for all the support he has received from his fans.

Sports

The Kelowna Rockets will host their annual “Fan Appreciation Night” Saturday when the Giants visit Prospera for the final regular season game. Tickets for kids 12 and under are $10 at selectyourtickets.com , and there’ll be live music and the Fan First Menu among other things.

The Vancouver Canucks dropped a 4-3 decision to the Vegas Golden Knights last night even with JT Miller scoring on a penalty shot. San José travels up to Rogers Arena tomorrow.

Martina Navratilova returned to TV work at Tennis Channel yesterday, less than three months after saying she had throat and breast cancer. The 66 year old says as far as the doctors know she is now cancer-free.

After a day off yesterday, the Blue Jays play Baltimore this morning at 10 in Dunedin. Both teams have similar Grapefruit League records.