Top Stories – May 4 – Reunion With Gretzky

A Wayne Gretzky rookie card from 1979 that was stolen in a West Kelowna break-in, 7 years ago has been returned to its owner. In 2019 it was among a bunch of stolen property recovered from a pickup in Kelowna. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and the officer who investigated the B&E came across it in the stolen property collection… remembered it… and contacted the owner who identified it and picked it up from the Kelowna detachment.

Toxic drugs have claimed the lives of more than 150 British Columbians for the 18th consecutive month, according to the BC Coroners Service. There have been 93 deaths in Interior Health and 17 in Kelowna so far this year.

Peachland residents are invited to a special ‘pop up’ recycling event this Saturday from 10am to 2pm at the Peachland Rec Centre on 6th St. Drop off depot only recyclables like glass, styrofoam and other flexible plastics that are not allowed in curbside carts. Regional District staff will be there to answer any recycling questions.

If you have any electronics turned on, get ready for a loud noise at 1:55 this afternoon. That is when the province will be conducting a test of its emergency alert system. It has been upgraded to not only include warnings about tsunami’s and Amber alerts, but also flooding and wildfires.

Activists behind road blockades and hunger strikes calling for an end to old-growth logging in BC say their non-violent actions are aimed at sparking public discussion and urging politicians to pay attention to climate science. Some protesters have superglued their hands to roads, while others have attached themselves to barrels filled with cement. ‘Save Old Growth’ wants Victoria to pass legislation to end logging in old-growth forests.

Russian forces began storming the steel mill containing the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol, just as scores of Ukrainian civilians evacuated from the bombed-out plant reached relative safety. How many Ukrainian fighters were holed up inside was unclear, but the Russians put the number at about 2,000 in recent weeks, and 500 were reported to be wounded. A few hundred civilians also remained.

West Kelowna Fire Rescue responded to a small interface fire in the Petterson Road area, just off Bear Creek Road in West Kelowna yesterday afternoon. It was wind driven and burning uphill into crown land. Crews got a 2,500 gallon Pumper along an adjacent dirt road and provided large volumes of water to quickly extinguish the fire. Crews then dug a hand-guard around the 50 foot by 30 foot fire perimeter.

BC Wildfire says there are areas in the southern part of the province that will be susceptible to fires if they don’t get more precipitation. There wasn’t enough snow this winter to deal with all the fuels that created so many problems last year. The agency says it’s a very similar pattern to what we saw last year and what is really needed is rain in June, not May.

Prince George RCMP say a drug bust accounts for a large portion of the city’s illicit drug supply. The amount of fentanyl seized was enough for 8,700 single doses, with an approximate street value of 391-thousand dollars. Police arrested two men who are well known for their ties to the illicit drug trade in Prince George.

Sports

The Vancouver Canucks aren’t currently willing to commit to head coach Bruce Boudreau beyond next season according to president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford. He added there’s a possibility the organization would be ready to talk about an extension for Boudreau partway through next season.

The surprising Toronto Maple Leafs have game 2 of their NHL playoff series today against defending champion Tampa Bay. Toronto shut-out the Lightning 5-0 on Monday

The Montreal Alouettes selected Syracuse linebacker Tyrell Richards with the first overall pick in the 2022 CFL Draft. Edmonton was supposed to be first, but Montreal gave the No. 4 pick and the rights to offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell, who is under contract with the Indianapolis Colts, to Edmonton. The BC Lions were 3rd and chose D-L Nathan Cherry from U of Sask Huskies.

We have straightened out the days and the West Kelowna Warriors will play Penticton TONIGHT at Royal LePage Place. The Vees lead the BCHL Interior Final 3-0.

At Rogers Centre the Blue Jays were thumped 9-1 by the A-L East-leading Yankees, thanks to a 6-run, 7th inning. They will play their 3rd game today before Toronto moves on to Cleveland tomorrow for a few against the Guardians.

Flyers interim head coach Mike Yeo won’t return to the position next season according to general manager Chuck Fletcher. He was promoted in December after Alain Vigneault was fired, but was unable to get the Flyers on track, posting a 17-36-7 record after taking over behind the bench.