Top Stories – July 4 – Under Control

A human-caused fire on Knox Mountain grew to 6.3 hectares on Saturday before BC Wildfire called it as being held. It was under control 24 hours after it started. Kelowna firefighters worked alongside their provincial counterparts as the fire was fanned by strong winds. A number of streets in Magic Estates were ordered evacuated and a number of other areas were put on evacuation alert at the time. All have since been lifted. Knox Mountain Park remains closed.

Don’t forget that today is the last day to pay property taxes before a penalty is levied on the outstanding balance. In most cases they have to be processed by the end of the business day, so don’t put a payment in snail mail.

The new owners of Bed Bath and Beyond say the store’s website will be relaunched in Canada. The brick and mortar stores will not be returning. BB&B began winding down its operations in Canada back in February after posting a $99.5 million loss.

A Canada Day stabbing in Kelowna sent a man to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. It happened about 8am near Richter Street and Coopland Crescent. It’s believed to be a targeted attack that happened at a nearby home and suspects were arrested.

GST rebates this week could be a bit bigger than usual. They will include a one-time grocery rebate for low and moderate income families to help offset inflation. Payments range from $234 for a single with no kids to $628 for a family with 4 kids. Ottawa says about 11 million people are eligible.

Aspartame is expected to be labeled a possible carcinogen by the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization. It’s one of the world’s most popular artificial sweeteners that is used in all kinds of food and drink. The ruling will reportedly not factor how much aspartame a person can safely consume.

The long weekend is over so that means a trial period begins for allowing alcohol in three Kelowna parks. Waterfront, Kinsmen and Boyce-Gyro will allow drinking from noon until 9pm until October 6. Restrictions include no glass containers or bottles, it’s not permitted near playgrounds and other areas with high concentrations of kids, within 15 metres of a private home, or near skateparks.

No word yet from Festivals Kelowna whether the Canada Day fireworks will be rescheduled. They were canceled at the last minute due to high winds, choppy waters on Okanagan Lake, and the lack of firefighters on standby as they were dealing with the fire on Knox Mountain.

The union representing 74-hundred striking BC port workers is warning there will never be labour peace on the waterfront if Ottawa introduces back to work legislation. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union is asking the federal government not to interfere in the face of calls from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and other business groups. Contract talks are continuing with the help of federal mediators.

Sports

Week 4 in the CFL ended yesterday in Toronto where BC threw 6 interceptions which helped the Argos to a 45-24 win to remain the only undefeated team this season. BC hosts Montreal on Sunday.

The Kelowna Falcons began 3 home games against the Corvallis Knights yesterday with a 2-0 loss. Game 2 goes at 6:35 at Elks Stadium.

The Blue Jays have 3 games against the White Sox in Chicago starting tonight. Toronto lost a trio of games to Boston on the weekend.