Top Stories – July 6 – Drugs Seized

Told you earlier this week about a stabbing near Richter and Coopland that sent a man to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Further investigation by police at a nearby home turned up approximately 1.5 kilos of suspected cocaine, 2 kilos of suspected meth, about $33,000 in cash and other items related to drug trafficking. Several people were arrested both inside and outside the house and RCMP are doing the paperwork to submit to prosecutors.

BC Wildfire’s lead forecaster expects the hot and dry weather to continue through at least mid August – in other words, a typical summer. But it comes in a year that has already seen the biggest blaze in provincial history that continues to burn out of control in the northeast. Matt MacDonald says already passing the one Million hectares burned mark, makes this the third largest in any fire season in BC.

Business groups are sounding the alarm that consumers and smaller companies will feel the impact of the BC port workers strike. The Freight Management Association of Canada, says consumers could eventually see higher prices in sectors ranging from clothing to cars. The ports handle 16 percent of the country’s total traded goods.

So much for that brand new Ferrari. Kelowna RCMP say the sports car was going along Recreation Avenue about 5pm last Friday when it apparently hit three parked vehicles. The driver was arrested and later released pending charges for Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle and Failure or Refusal to Comply with a Breath Screening Demand.

Phase two of the diversion upgrades as part of the Mill Creek Flood Protection Project begins Monday and will continue through next Spring. It will improve riparian conditions and reduce flooding potential from the Airport to Okanagan Lake. It includes raising the dikes at both the north and south sides of the upgraded diversion structure located next to the Rail Trail.

The federal government will stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The decision comes after Meta promised to block Canadian news content on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to Canada’s recently passed Online News Act. Google has also promised to start blocking when the bill comes into force in six months, but the government is in talks with the tech giant.

RCMP didn’t say what prompted it, but the Kelowna Courthouse was evacuated for a while yesterday morning. Police cordoned off the area, and closed down Water Street to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic from the Queensway Bus Loop to Cawston. The area was declared clear about noon and the incident is still being investigated.

RCMP are investigating a suspicious death in the North Okanagan. On Sunday, RCMP received information about a body, later identified as 30 year old Miguel Suzor, on a forest service road used to access Proctor Lake, northwest of Vernon. Officers are trying to determine the circumstances that led to his death.

Canada is following the lead of the U-S, Britain and Australia in condemning Hong Kong for issuing bounties for the arrest of eight activists living abroad. They include Edmonton-born Dennis Kwok, who renounced his Canadian citizenship when he became a Hong Kong legislator in 2012. Global Affairs Canada says it is gravely concerned that Hong Kong is looking to apply its national-security law outside the territory.

Sports

Week 5 in the CFL begins in Regina as the Roughriders have the Elks in town. Edmonton will be going for its first win of the season when the game begins at 6.

The Kelowna Rockets selected 18 year old Jakub Stancl from Czechia in the CHL import draft. He was drafted by the St Louis Blues a couple of weeks ago in the 4th round.

The Kelowna Falcons are off today before they head to Edmonton for the weekend to play ball against the Riverhawks.

36 year old Patric Hornqvist is calling it a career, after 22 games with the Panthers last season. He was a two-way force in his prime, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Yankees pitcher Jimmy Cordero was suspended for the remainder of the season for violating Major League Baseball’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy.