Top Stories – July 12 – Flooring Fraud

Kelowna RCMP were able to recover about 100-thousand dollars in flooring that had been obtained using fake ID’s and credit cards. It started when one store owner became suspicious of the ID supplied by someone calling himself ‘Steve Brown’ but escalated when it was determined that other stores in BC had been scammed. Police made the seizure as a truck was scheduled to take the flooring to Quebec on Monday. The investigation to find Mr. “Brown” continues.

The cause of Monday night’s fire at the Glenmore landfill may never be known, but the Kelowna Fire Department says it’s not suspicious. Crews worked with heavy equipment operators most of the night to put it out as most of the water had to be tendered in. There were no injuries to the public or firefighters.

Premier David Eby says escalating wildfires and worsening drought conditions are signalling challenging times ahead for BC. Speaking at the premier’s conference in Winnipeg, Eby said the province is calling in more international firefighters and placing orders for additional air support equipment to help fight wildfires.

Beginning today the pickleball courts at the Mount Boucherie Sports Fields will be temporarily closed for maintenance. Work will include pressure washing, court resurfacing, installation of new black out fabric and installation of a bike rack. The courts will reopen Thursday next week after work was delayed due to materials not arriving on time.

The Okanagan Basin Water Board says a lack of precipitation, rising water temperatures, declining stream flows and above normal temperatures in the forecast have led to the drought level being raised to 3, where the top of the scale is 5. It recommends people limit their water use wherever possible and conditions could be harmful as low water levels can impede fish passage to spawning and feeding areas.

The Province is providing nearly $6 million in annual funding for Ground Search and Rescue groups and their volunteers. It’s the second year of an annual funding agreement between the Province and the BC Search and Rescue Association. It supports the groups’ rescue equipment, essential training, protective equipment and administration costs such as insurance.

Today marks 2 years since the crane collapse in downtown Kelowna that killed 5 people. A number of lawsuits have been filed against the developer and other contractors and individuals in the wake of the accident at St. Paul and Bernard. Civil lawsuits in BC generally have a 2 year window to be filed.

The Central Okanagan Regional District will receive 150-thousand dollars from the province for a Disaster Risk Reduction Integrated Planning Project. It’s part of more than $44 million being distributed through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund. The overall plan is to invest in mitigation projects to reduce the risk of disasters.

Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization says people should prepare to get another COVID booster in the fall if it’s been at least six months since their last dose or infection. It says the booster doses will be new formulations updated to target more recent, immune-evasive variants.

Sports

At the Major League Baseball all star game in Seattle, the National League had its first win since 2012 taking the American League 3-2. The Jays are back in action on Friday.

Vancouver Canucks announced their East Coast Hockey League affiliate for the upcoming season will be the Kalamazoo Wings. It’s the 4th time, over 11 seasons dating back to 1984 that Kalamazoo and Vancouver have paired up.