Top Stories – March 18 – Bad Biker Busted

A motorcyclist is in jail after failing to stop for a BC Highway Patrol officer on Highway 33, and clipping him as he sped past. He was eventually spotted at Highway 97 and McCurdy but took off again. An RCMP helicopter spotted the biker in the Black Mountain area along KLO creek where 36 year old Cory Allen Anderson of Kelowna was tracked down by a police dog after an hour’s search and arrested on several outstanding warrants.

The number of people hospitalized with Covid in BC has dropped below 300, however 8 new deaths were reported. There were 240 new cases yesterday, including 66 for Interior Health.

The federal government has started accepting applications from Ukrainians and their families fleeing Russian aggression who want to come to Canada while they decide their next steps. Ottawa expects applications will take about two weeks to process for standard, non-complex cases. The UN refugee agency, says three million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, with the vast majority women, children and older adults.

Rescue workers searched for survivors yesterday in the ruins of a theatre blown apart by a Russian airstrike in the besieged city of Mariupol. A Ukraine government official said that the shelter itself had held up, but people were buried and trapped. That happened as scores of Ukrainians across the country were killed in urban attacks on a school, a hostel and other sites.

Starting today, the number of visitors to long-term care facilities will no longer be restricted as long as visitors are fully vaccinated and screened. Some facilities may have implemented these changes earlier, so visitors should check with their local care home. And as this is the last day of school before Spring Break, it’s the last day students will be required to wear masks.

A 13-year-old was driving the pickup truck that hit a van in West Texas in a fiery crash that killed nine people. Teens must be 14 in Texas to start taking classroom courses for a learner’s license and 15 to receive a provisional license. The pickup and van collided head-on, killing the boy, a man traveling with him, six New Mexico college students and a golf coach. Two Canadian students are in critical condition.

Ottawa has confirmed that vaccinated travellers will no longer need to show a negative COVID-19 test to enter Canada beginning April 1. While the positivity rate at airports was about 10 percent in January, it has since fallen to about one percent. All inbound travellers must still upload their details to the ArriveCan app.

Dr. Harsh Hundal, who’s the Interior Health executive medical director for quality and patient safety, was recognized with the Doug Cochrane Leadership in Quality Award from the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council. The award celebrates someone who made an inspirational, significant and sustained contribution to improving the quality of health care in the province.

A number of Canadian business organizations are calling on Ottawa to prevent a potential work stoppage at CP Rail. They say any disruption would hamper Canada’s freight capacity and have a huge effect on the economy as it recovers from the pandemic. CP issued a 72-hour notice on Wednesday to Teamsters and plans to lock out almost 3,000 employees on Sunday, if the union and the company can’t come to a negotiated settlement or agree to binding arbitration.

Sports

The Vancouver Canucks had 43 shots and no goals as they lost 1-0 to Detroit last night. Vancouver wraps up its 7 game homestand with 7pm games tomorrow against Calgary and Sunday against Buffalo.

The Green Bay Packers are trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2022 first and second-round pick. Adams will receive a new contract worth $141.25 million over five years.

Another back and forth set of WHL games between the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers this weekend. Tonight, they play at Prospera Place at 7 and then they go back to Kamloops tomorrow.

There is a 4 way tie for the lead, including Moose Jaw’s Adam Hadwin at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship in Florida. All are at 7 under par heading into the second round today.

Last night at Royal LePage Place, a three point game from Charles-Alexis Legault helped the West Kelowna Warriors to their 6th straight win – a 5-3 victory over Salmon Arm. There is another game tonight in Merritt and then a 2:30pm home start against Vernon on Sunday.

The 2022 Formula 1 season kicks off this weekend in the Middle East. The Bahrain Grand Prix is on Sunday and defending series champ Max Verstappen will be hoping to get the year off to a good start.