Top Stories – Dec 13 – Missing 15 Year Old

West Kelowna RCMP were asking for the public’s help last night in locating a 15 year old girl who hadn’t been seen since Saturday night. Police have followed up on tips about Marissa Bourgonje and believe she is still in the area. More details on our Facebook page. (scroll down on FB)

Parts of BC’s tourism industry are facing another uphill battle with an uncertain recovery horizon after the storms. Some attractions and landmarks were seriously damaged by flooding, while highways mangled by mudslides mean some operators will go without the typical holiday bump to their bottom line. Big White has seen 25-30% of bookings canceled.

Still no reported cases of the Omicron covid variant in Interior Health while there have been 10 in BC. As for the other variants, there were 93 new cases in our area on Friday as part of 437 in the province. Of those 12 and older, 88.4 percent have received their 2nd vaccine.

While Kelowna homeowners will deal with a 3.64% increase in property taxes next year, it will cost more to live on the westside. West Kelowna is looking at a proposed 4% increase which includes a 2.4% increase for police services, and a one percent Infrastructure Levy. If approved, the municipal tax increase would be an average of $82 per home.

Check your Friday Lotto Max ticket. There was no winning ticket for the $60 million jackpot, but of the six Maxmillion prizes of $1 million each, three of them were won by ticket holders in BC, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. The jackpot for the next Lotto Max draw tomorrow will grow to $65 million, and there will be eight Maxmillion prizes.

The federal Liberals are under increasing pressure to fix an issue in the pandemic safety net that has rolled back or cut off benefits to low-income seniors. About 83-thousand seniors lost income support because they received emergency aid last year, which bumped their earnings above the threshold to qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Ottawa says it’s trying to find the best solution to help those affected.

With winter weather in the mountains, Environment Canada is urging travellers to keep others informed of their schedule and destination and to carry an emergency kit and phone, as weather can suddenly change. The agency issued snowfall warnings for parts of BC as residents in some areas remain without power thanks to strong weekend winds. As usual, it’s a good idea to check DriveBC before heading out.

The BC Seniors Advocate Office reviewed five years of data on Seniors Abuse and Neglect. In its findings, it highlights flaws in how information is gathered in the province. The Office says callers are given so many phone numbers that often it leads to missed referrals or the caller opting not to call again.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder after a teacher was stabbed in a Montreal high school classroom last week. He also faces charges of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes and carrying a concealed weapon. The teacher in his 40s, was taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Sports

The Grey Cup in Hamilton went to overtime for only the 4th time in history and Winnipeg won it 33-25 over the Tiger Cats with a touchdown and interception. Hamilton had tied the rematch of the last 2 teams to play for the championship with just 4 seconds left in regulation.

The Kelowna Rockets lost their fourth consecutive game on Saturday night, falling 5-4 to the Seattle Thunderbirds at Prospera Place. Pavel Novak earned third-star honours though after posting a goal and two assists on the night.

The Kelowna Secondary Owls boys volleyball team took the gold medal and the provincial title at the BC School Sports championships. They had a record of 48 wins and 1 loss during the season.

Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson scored for Vancouver as they took a 2-1 win over Carolina and gave head coach Bruce Boudreau his 4th straight win. Columbus visits Vancouver tomorrow.

Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the last lap to win the Formula 1 championship for the first time. The race in Abu Dhabi wasn’t without controversy though, as a late safety car period left just one lap of racing to the end.

The West Kelowna Warriors picked up wins against Merritt and Vernon, but lost to Wenatchee in their 3rd game in 3 days yesterday. The Warriors take on Penticton at Royal LePage Place on Saturday.

Two wins for the KIJHL’s Kelowna Chiefs on the weekend. The first was 2-1 Friday against North Okanagan, and they followed that with a 4-2 win in Sicamous on Saturday. The Chiefs have home games Friday and Saturday before the Christmas break.