Top Stories – Oct 23 – Hwy 97 Closure

The section of Highway 97 north of Summerland where the rock slide was this summer will be closed for 2 hours tomorrow. There will be more rock blasting to reduce hazards to the road below. The highway will be closed between 11am and 1pm. The Highways Department says it will remain one lane in each direction through the winter and there will be more short closures before December.

Economists expect the Bank of Canada will hold off on raising its key interest rate this week, keeping it steady at 5%. RBC says economic data releases since last month have been mixed. The Central Bank said it was keeping the door open to more rate hikes over concerns about the persistence of underlying price pressures.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning Hezbollah to stay out of the Israel-Hamas war. He visited troops stationed near the border with Lebanon, where the Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have traded fire since the latest Israel-Hamas war started. This comes as the World Food Program said 17 more trucks of aid went into Gaza City.

RCMP have been investigating two related incidents that happened in Rutland Saturday afternoon. Very few details have been released but as a result of the second incident, which involved a vehicle, a person was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The intersection of Houghton and Franklyn Roads was closed for a few hours as investigators conducted searches and collected evidence.

Canada’s defence minister says a military analysis finds the deadly strike on a hospital in Gaza City last week was probably not carried out by Israel. Bill Blair says Tuesday’s explosion that killed hundreds of people was more likely caused by an “errant rocket” fired from the Gaza Strip.

While the electric vehicle market continues to grow in Canada, many Canadians are finding the price tags out of reach. As manufacturers lean heavily on electrified S-U-Vs, trucks and large cars, the Canadian Black Book says the average price for an E-V is now close to 73-thousand dollars. Experts say cheaper options will be crucial if Canada is to transition away from combustion engines.

A reminder that there will be no swimming for a few months at Parkinson Recreation centre. The pool and aquatic area at PRC are temporarily closed starting today due to a boiler failure. Repairs are expected to take eight to twelve weeks, with expected reopening in January. Options for swimming include the Kelowna Family Y and H2O.

CALGARY WATER 630/8
Calgary officials are monitoring the city’s water supply following a sewer pipe leak in a municipality upstream on the Bow River, but the city says its tap water remains safe to drink. Alberta issued a biological hazard advisory late Saturday, after a main sewer line break in Cochrane caused an overland sewage discharge into the river. The alert has since been cancelled but Calgary asked people to stay out of the Bow River yesterday.

MOVIES 630/8
After a record-breaking opening weekend of 92.8-million dollars, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” took in an estimated 31-million over the weekend. Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” got off to a strong start in Apple Studios’ first major theatrical release, with a 23-million dollar debut. That makes it the third best opening for the 80-year-old Scorsese.

SPORTS

The Kelowna Rockets started off the weekend with a 4-3 shootout win in Tri-Cities. Then, on Saturday at home, a 4 point game from Tij Iginla helped the locals to a 6-5 win against the Giants.

The Okanagan Sun will be looking to repeat as BCFC champions on Saturday when they play the Westshore Rebels in Victoria. The Sun won their semi-final against the Valley Huskers at the Apple Bowl.

Monday Night Football is in Minnesota where the 2 and 4 Vikings host the 5 and 1 San Francisco 49ers at 5:15.

Edmonton Oilers star forward Connor McDavid is expected to be out of the lineup for one to two weeks due to an upper-body injury. He has eight points in five games this season, and was injured during a 3-2 loss to the Jets on Saturday.