Top Stories – July 26 – Heating Up

If you think it has been hot so far, hold on to that ice pack. The weather office issued a heat warning for the Okanagan which generally means daytime high temperatures 35 to 40 degrees and early morning low temperatures between 18 & 20. The peak daytime high temperatures are expected from tomorrow to Friday, then, a slow cooling trend is likely on the weekend to early August. There is detailed information on how to be prepared at bccdc.ca/extremeheat .

With temperatures expected to climb up to 40 this week, senior’s advocates are encouraging people to protect themselves and loved ones. It includes keeping homes cool, staying hydrated and avoiding long periods outside. It’s also a good idea to check in on elderly family members and neighbours. Those in need of assistance getting groceries, meals or medication during hot days can call the Better at Home agency at 2-1-1.

Pope Francis continues his trip to Canada today with the biggest event he will have, which is a mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Yesterday he was at the site of a former residential school to deliver a long-awaited apology and ask for forgiveness for the Catholic Church’s role in forcibly assimilating First Nations peoples into Christian society that led to generations of trauma, abuse and death. Tomorrow the Pope heads to Quebec City for 2 days.

Eleven guys not wearing life jackets got lucky when their top-heavy rented pontoon boat overturned, which according to safety records, is almost unheard of. It happened just north of the bridge in the middle of the lake on Saturday afternoon. Luckily a nearby boater was able to rescue them all and the only injury was a scraped shin. The boat was towed to shore for repairs.

A suspect was shot dead in Langley by police after a series of shootings yesterday morning which triggered a cell phone alert on the lower mainland. RCMP say there were several victims and two of them were found deceased while another died in hospital. One more victim was in serious condition. All the victims were homeless and police believe the attack was targeted.

Kelowna council agreed with a city staff recommendation and voted against a rezoning proposal for an ambitious project downtown. It would have seen three towers between 20 and 37 floors built in an area on Coronation Avenue between St. Paul and an alley off Richter. The proposal had almost double the density allowed in the area and went well above the 12-15 storey max.

A sage and grass fire just north of Penticton was very visible from the city and Highway 97 yesterday. BC Wildfire and the Penticton Fire Department were on it with ground crews, bucketing helicopters and air tankers as it grew to about 2 hectares.

Robert Riley Saunders of Kelowna who was convicted of stealing more than 400-thousand dollars while working for the Ministry of Children and Family Development, is going to prison. He was sentenced to 5 years for fraud, and two years for breach of trust and one month for a forged degree, to be served concurrently. The social worker stole money in the names of youth he worked with… most of them Indigenous.

Hockey Canada released a plan to combat the ‘toxic’ culture in its sport just before the start of a second round of parliamentary hearings into the organization’s handling of sexual assault complaints. The plan includes the implementation of a centralized tracking and reporting system for abuse complaints. Hockey Canada adds it will implement enhanced screening for high-performance players, and not participating in an investigation could result in a lifetime ban.

Sports

Kelowna Rockets forward Andrew Cristall and defenceman Caden Price will represent Canada as part of the Summer Under-18 Team at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Red Deer. Also there are Kelowna Rockets head coach Kris Mallette, who will serve as an assistant coach, and former Rockets netminder Kelly Guard, who is the team’s goaltender coach.

The Toronto Blue Jays begin a 6-game home stand today as the Saint Louis Cardinals visit Rogers Centre. The Cards are without a couple of star players for the 4pm start because they are unvaccinated.

In case you missed it yesterday, a familiar voice will be behind the microphone when the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets make their debut on The Lizard this fall. Regan Bartel is now part of the Pattison Media team and will return for his 23rd season of calling Rockets games on the radio.

The Calgary Flames appear to have found a couple of players who are willing to stay in the city. Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar say they’re open to signing long-term deals. Both were acquired as part the deal for Matthew Tkachuk.

Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown is committed to extending Joe Burrow once the star quarterback becomes eligible for a new deal. The former No. 1 overall pick is entering the third year of his rookie contract and will be eligible to receive an extension following the upcoming season.

A mint condition 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card could break records when it goes up for auction next month. The auction house estimates it could exceed 10 million dollars. The card’s current owner bought it for 50-thousand in 1991 at a New York City card show.