Top Stories – Nov 18 – State Of Emergency

The provincial government declared a State of Emergency yesterday to support the provincewide response and recovery from the damage caused by flooding and landslides. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says getting our rail and roadways back in operation is a top priority. Almost 18-thousand people have been evacuated from their homes.

Interior residents are discovering how much we rely on the trucking industry to deliver our groceries. Store shelves are pretty much empty of things like meat, produce, dairy and even vinegar… of course some of the shortage stems from people taking more than they need. There has been some talk of Highway 3 possibly reopening on the weekend, but it will take a lot of trucks to restock shelves.

Highway 3 still appears the most promising to open to traffic by the end of this weekend for emergency access. It reopened yesterday between Princeton and Keremeos, but is still closed through to Hope. Highway 12 between Lillooet and Lytton, as well as Highway 99, have been approved by engineers for cleanup to begin. The province says it is working on clearing truck routes to ensure goods and supplies can move again.

Finally a bit of good news for people dealing with flooding in the Fraser Valley. The Fraser river started to drop so there is less pressure on the dyke system and pumphouses. At one point residents in Abbotsford used boats and personal watercraft to help some 50 cattle that were stranded on a flooded farm, but still, the province says thousands of animals have perished.

The Port of Vancouver is starting to get backed up as freighters can unload their goods, but there is nowhere for them to go. Road and rail links out of the lower mainland are cut off and air traffic is limited. On the retail front, a vast majority of items Canadians use every day, from clothing to sporting goods to electronics enter the country from Southeast Asia through Vancouver.

Kelowna Council considered a zoning bylaw amendment to allow for taller buildings on the Okanagan College campus. They would go to six storeys from the current three. The height increase would allow the College to construct a new student residence east of the existing one. It will go to a public hearing on the 30th.

BC reported 324 new cases of Covid-19 yesterday which included 50 for Interior Health. From November 2nd to 15th, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 71.9% of hospitalizations. There are just under 4,000 active cases in BC, along with 622 in the Interior.

Jacob Chansley, the spear-carrying January 6 rioter whose horned fur hat, bare chest and face paint made him one of the more recognizable figures in the assault on the US Capitol, was sentenced to 41 months in prison. He is among 650 people charged in the riot that forced lawmakers into hiding as they were meeting to certify President Biden’s Electoral College victory.

If you are heading south this winter for more than 3 days, be prepared to still get a PCR test before you come home. There’s a report Ottawa is changing the rules making it easier for cross border shoppers to do trips up to 72 hours without needing the expensive test to return. The change will take effect at the end of the month.

Sports 1

In Vancouver last night the Colorado Avalanche beat the Canucks 4-2. Tucker Poolman figured in both Vancouver goals as they posted their 5th straight loss. The Canucks host Winnipeg tomorrow.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash doesn’t believe people should consider his club as one of the NBA’s elite teams. He attributed Brooklyn’s scoring woes to unvaccinated All-Star guard Kyrie Irving’s absence as well as new faces on the roster.

Thursday Night Football in the NFL is an AFC/NFC match-up in Atlanta as the Falcons host the New England Patriots. Atlanta has a 4&5 record this season while the Pats are at 6&4.

The CFL has announced six team award winners from each club who will advance to the next stage of voting in the lead up to the 2021 CFL Awards. For the BC Lions they are Lucky Whitehead, Bo Lokombo…twice, Kent Perkins, Stefan Flintoff and Jordan Williams.

Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Robbie Ray has won the 2021 American League Cy Young Award. He’s the fourth Blue Jays pitcher to win it and the first since Roy Halladay in 2003. Ray received 29 of 30 first-place votes.

Eight Canadians will be among those teeing off today at the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic at Sea Island, Georgia. The defending champion is Robert Streb who has won the tournament twice.