Top Stories – September 14

Fire danger will remain ‘high to extreme’ in many parts of the province through the fall as dry conditions persist. Neal McLoughlin with the Provincial Wildfire Coordination Centre in Kelowna says for Prince George, fire danger is expected to remain beyond the fall. BC continues to have strong resources in place with almost 600 personnel from across Canada as well as Mexico, South America, Australia and the States.

As fall approaches, visitors to RDCO regional and community parks should expect more signs that bears are out and active. With ripening fruit and spawning Kokanee returning to streams, reports and sightings of bears typically increase. Park staff recommend that visitors travel in a group of four or more, make noise when on trails and keep dogs on the leash.

A Quebec City junior college’s decision to host a week-long event promoting English is not being well received by provincial politicians. It’s at a French-language school and is aimed at encouraging students and teachers to practice English. The province’s Higher Education Minister says the school should be focused on French.

Police say a Sikh high school student in Kelowna was pepper sprayed after an “altercation” on a bus on Monday, in the second instance of violence against a Sikh youth riding public transit in the city this year. RCMP say they were called to an intersection in Rutland and found that a 17-year-old had been sprayed by another teen. They have identified a suspect but are still investigating and trying to figure out a motive for the attack.

A number of local drivers didn’t get the message that it was time to slow down again in school zones last week. RCMP say 88 warnings were given out during the week, all of them for speeding. School zones in the Central Okanagan District are in effect from 7:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

The Weather Network’s Fall forecast isn’t the best for ski hills in BC because the El Niño jet steam will continue from fall into winter, and that doesn’t give the best pattern for getting a lot of snow in the mountains. The forecast also doesn’t help the wildfire season at the beginning of Fall because the atmosphere is expected to be drier than normal and significant rain isn’t expected until the middle of the season.

The cost of building a second exit from West Kelowna’s Casa Loma neighbourhood is getting a lot more expensive. The foot and bicycle path to Lakeview Road could be used by vehicles in an emergency. West Kelowna Council approved the project despite the cost jumping from $995,000 to $1.36 Million.

Agricultural Canada’s Drought report says the Thompson-Okanagan region saw temperatures rise over 4 degrees above normal this past month. With that came the driest soil moisture levels on record. The area received between 2 and 5 percent of its normal precipitation and saw the introduction of Exceptional Drought conditions from Kelowna to Vernon.

The case of a former truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash is in Federal Court, where arguments are being heard over his possible deportation. Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was sentenced in 2019 to eight years after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm. The Saskatchewan crash killed 16 people and injured 13 others in 2018.

SPORTS

There is Thursday Night Football tonight, but it is south of the border. Week two in the NFL kicks off with the Vikings in Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.

Game four of the long series between the Blue Jays and the Rangers goes this afternoon just after 4. Last night in Toronto, the Jays fell farther away from a wild card spot with another loss to the Rangers.

Texas right-hander Max Scherzer will miss the remainder of the regular season with a strain of a small muscle that runs along the border of the shoulder blade. He was forced to leave Tuesday’s game against the Jays in the 6th inning.

NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell wants the league to switch to grass fields. He says the players overwhelmingly prefer it, and the data is clear that grass is simply safer than artificial turf. The topic surfaced after Aaron Rodgers was injured while playing on artificial turf Monday night.