Top Stories – June 26 – Second Crossing

The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce is pressing the province on the need for a second crossing of Okanagan Lake, or a bypass route around the city. It’s concerned the region is expected to add 60,000 people by 2040, yet no major infrastructure projects are in the plans. The Chamber says major upgrades are needed for safety and economic reasons.

Today through Friday, sections of Springfield Road and Parkridge Drive will be getting repaved. Full closures of the streets between 7am and 4pm will be rolling out intermittently during the week. Crews will be paving Springfield between Highway 33 and Belgo Road and Parkridge Drive between Crawford and Sunridge. They’ll be closed on various days through the week.

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is investigating the loss of the Titan submersible and is speaking with those who traveled on Titan’s mothership, the Polar Prince, after it returned to port in Newfoundland. Meanwhile, the RCMP is taking preliminary investigative steps to determine whether a criminal investigation is warranted.

Starting this fall, all students from kindergarten to Grade 9 in BC public schools will be assessed with a proficiency scale instead of letter grades. The ministry says those report cards use terms such as emerging, developing, proficient and extending, to describe student learning and assessments that are supplemented with teacher comments.

Users of the North Westside Transfer station can drop off bulky items starting Wednesday to July 12 during regular operating hours for $20 a truck load… cash or cheque only. Fridges & freezers must be empty, large appliances and furniture are also welcome. No construction, renovation material, hazardous wastes or electronics will be accepted.

Netflix Canada says it’s phasing out the $9.99 “basic” option from its price plans, taking away the cheapest subscription without ads. The next level up is $16.49 per month to watch without ads, with simultaneous viewing on two devices. Subscribers currently on the basic service will be grandfathered into the plan unless they switch to another option or cancel their account.

As expected, in weekend by-elections, the NDP retained the two seats that had previously been held by John Horgan and Melanie Mark. Joan Phillip who ran for the NDP federally in the Central Okanagan, easily won in Vancouver-Mt. Pleasant, while Ravi Parmar was proclaimed the winner in Langford-Juan de Fuca.

The Province is urging people across BC to conserve water as current forecasts suggest much of the province will experience drought conditions through the summer months. BC ranks drought levels from 0 to 5, with 5 the most severe with adverse impacts to socio-economic or ecosystem values. The Okanagan is currently at Drought Level 2 where no adverse affects are imminent.

Russian government troops withdrew from the streets of Moscow and people returned to parks and cafés yesterday. It follows a short-lived revolt by mercenary forces that weakened President Vladimir Putin and raised questions about his ability to wage war in Ukraine. The march on the capital by Wagner (VAHG’-nur) troops, which was later halted, severely dented Putin’s reputation as a leader willing to punish anyone who challenges his authority.

Sports

After 3 wins in Port Angeles, the Kelowna Falcons are back home and the Victoria Harbourcats have made a trip to the Okanagan for three games. They begin tonight with the first pitch at 6:35 at Elks Stadium.

The Toronto Blue Jays are off today before they host the San Francisco Giants for three games. On the weekend against Oakland, they took 2 of 3 games including a 12-1 win yesterday.

It was an East/West matchup in the CFL in Edmonton yesterday where the Argos beat the Elks 43-31. The BC Lions, who are first in the CFL west, are off until next Monday when they’re in Toronto.

Keegan Bradley fired a 2-under 68 to win the Travelers Championship by three strokes at 23 under par for his sixth victory on the PGA TOUR and second this season.