Top Stories – Aug 30 – Working Hard

*Highway 97 still closed just north of Summerland. Next update on DriveBC at 8am

The Emergency Operations Centre expanded the evacuation alert area for the McDougall Creek Fire to include a good portion of downtown Westbank, West Kelowna and all of Glenrosa yesterday. Due to increased winds, the area now includes properties north of Highway 97 from Highway 97C to Old Okanagan and properties North of Dobbin Road. You can see the area in orange at cordemergency.ca/map . 33 additional firetrucks from Peachland to Armstrong are helping patrol.

A large section of the Rail Trail along Kalamalka Lake will be closed for rockfall mitigation work next month. It will be closed weekdays between Kick Willie Loop Road and Kekuli Bay from September 5th to 15th. However, the trail will be open on the weekends.

A TransUnion report shows a consistent rise in borrowing among Canadians in the second quarter as they contend with the higher cost of living. While the number of consumers adding to their credit balances rose across the board, the report says the riskiest segment, or subprime borrowers, saw their balances rise by almost 9% year-over-year. Total Canadian household debt reached $2.3 TRILLION in the second quarter.

They’ve had helicopters in their backyard for more than a week taking water out of the lake but The Shannon Lake Neighborhood Association will hold an appreciation event for Westside Firefighters and Support Workers at the end of next month. It’ll be at Kinsmen Sports Park and will be open to all community members, firefighters, support workers and their families.

In a couple of years it will cost more to fly out of Kelowna than it will Vancouver. City council has approved increasing the Airport Improvement Fee to $28 in 2025, and further increases will put it up to $35 by 2035. The fee in Vancouver is $25 for anyone flying outside of BC or Yukon. Council says the increase is to help cover the cost of expansion.

25 charges have been laid against a man found passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in Cochrane, northwest of Calgary last week. RCMP found drug paraphernalia in plain view near the driver and discovered both the vehicle and licence plate were stolen. A search discovered a large amount of stolen tools, identity documents, weapons and drugs.

The McDougall Creek fire is still classified as out of control, by BC Wildfire. It continues to expand, sometimes with the help of planned burns and was last estimated at just over 12,600 hectares. Residents on a number of roads in West Kelowna Estates got to return home yesterday, while other areas in Glenrosa, Westbank and West Kelowna were put on alert. All the info is at cordemergency.ca where there are also details on how to dispose of ruined refrigerators or freezers.

BC Hydro has increased the number of workers on the ground at the McDougall Creek fire over the past couple of days as work to rebuild the damaged infrastructure continues with about 70% restored. Just over 40 power poles have been replaced and about 150 holes have been dug in preparation for placing additional poles. About a dozen spans of wire have already been restrung as 27 kilometres of power lines and 359 poles need replacing.

Kelowna’s Neighbourwoods tree sale program is back for another year. Starting today, residents can order one of six varieties of trees for their yard for $60. Pre-orders will last until September 18th or until they’re sold out. You can look at the trees and place an order at kelowna.ca/neighbourwoods . Pick up is September 28th.

SPORTS

The Professional Women’s Hockey League and it’s six inaugural teams were announced yesterday. They will be in Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto. Team names and where they will play were not announced.

At Rogers Centre last night Toronto dropped a 5 to 4 decision to Washington. They will play their third game today at noon and then the Jays get a day off before they hit the road for a bunch.

A loss for Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets could result in a lot of free drinks at one bar in Wisconsin. Jack’s American Pub in Milwaukee, is promising to cover customers’ bar tabs every time the former Packers quarterback starts and the Jets lose this season