Top Stories – Sept 18 – 450 Hectares

BC Wildfire says a blaze that flared up on Saturday west of Peachland was human-caused, but they weren’t specific. Last night, the Glen Lake fire had grown to 450 hectares and smoke was visible from the surrounding areas. A number of recreational properties on Crown Land were ordered evacuated. An initial attack crew, heavy equipment and aerial support were on site but the wind wasn’t helping.

The center of post-tropical cyclone Lee made landfall in Nova Scotia about 215 kilometers west of Halifax on Saturday with sustained winds of 110 kph. It flooded coastal roads and took ferries out of service as it fanned anxiety in a region still reeling from wildfires and flooding this summer.

Canada has joined its allies in sending air defence missiles to Ukraine. Defence Minister Bill Blair announced the 33-million-dollar contribution while on a visit to Canadian soldiers training Ukrainian recruits in Britain. The money comes from the 500-million-dollar fund for military assistance that was announced in June.

No change on the weekend in the number of evacuation orders and alerts associated with the McDougall Creek Wildfire which has been burning for just over a month. As of this morning the numbers stand at 77 and 4,882. BC Wildfire has extended the Area Restriction Order until October 3, or until it is rescinded. Bear Creek Provincial Park remains closed to the public.

The Okanagan Forest Task Force has had a busy summer reporting illegal dumping in the back country. They saw an increase in the number of abandoned RVs with everything from large motorhomes to old bikes being left in the woods. Trail cameras have been installed in numerous locations to catch dumpers in the act.

If the United Auto Workers strike isn’t settled soon, consumers will see higher prices for new cars… and not just the ones from Detroit. Right now, most automakers have big inventories, so many analysts say there shouldn’t be an immediate shortage of cars. But if the strike drags on and dealers lose manufacturer incentives to cut prices, car buyers will be in for a round of sticker shock.

It wasn’t scorching hot, but it was hot enough on Saturday to set a number of temperature records in the Okanagan. New highs were set in Penticton Summerland and Vernon. Kelowna tied the record high going back to 2001 at 30.1 degrees

About 35-hundred residents of a Northwest Territories town were given the green light to return home more than a month after being displaced by wildfires. Hay River’s mayor welcomed those returning in a Facebook post, saying it make take a while for everyday life to get back to normal. The town has been downgraded to an evacuation alert.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet President Joe Biden at the White House when he visits the U-S this week. He starts off the week speaking to delegates at the United Nations in New York. Zelensky is planning to use an in-person appearance at the annual meeting to appeal for more support for Ukraine as it continues to wage a counteroffensive against Russia.

Sports

The Kelowna Rockets wrapped up their preseason with two home games. They lost 7-4 to Vancouver and 4-2 to Victoria. The Rockets open the regular season Saturday at home against Portland.

The Okanagan Sun were in Kamloops Saturday and rode the Broncos to an easy 66-7 win.

The Toronto Blue Jays are off today before they begin their final road trip of the season tomorrow making stops at Yankee Stadium and in Tampa Bay.

There are two Monday Night Football games. The first has New Orleans in Carolina at 4:15, then Pittsburgh hosts Cleveland at 5:15.

Mike Babcock has resigned as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets after just two months on the job following revelations that he asked players to show him photos on their phones.