Top Stories – Aug 18 – Crash ‘N Run

It was lucky no one was injured Tuesday afternoon when a man driving a green hatchback ran into the back of a schoolbus at Springfield and Durin. An RCMP officer was right there investigating another accident, and when he told the hatchback driver to pull over, he sped off. He was eventually located and boxed in but rammed his way out and witnesses eventually saw him run into the forest on Kirschner Mountain off Loseth Drive. Despite the efforts of ground and air units, and a police dog, he got away.

With the province already dealing with rotating walkouts by the BCGEU, the Professional Employees Association has served strike notice. It represents workers such as veterinarians, pharmacists and foresters. They reached a bargaining impact over wages in May and 92 percent voted to go on strike in June.

The Greater Vancouver Zoo was closed again yesterday after the wolf enclosure was damaged by someone who is suspected to have broken into the facility and allowed the animals to escape. There were nine adult grey wolves and six cubs at the zoo in Aldergrove, but it hasn’t confirmed how many got loose or remain unaccounted for.

Lake Country fire department responded to a fire at George Elliot secondary school late yesterday afternoon. The fire was limited to the roof and exterior wall of the auxiliary gymnasium outside the girl’s changeroom. The school district expects it won’t affect the return to school in September and will work with the fire department and RCMP as they investigate the cause.

A good portion of West Kelowna is now under a boil water notice. The Sunnyside/Pritchard area was added to the list yesterday which already included the Rose Valley and West Kelowna Estates systems. It’s due to the presence of total coliform bacteria. Drinking water can be had at the bulk filling station at Shannon Lake and Asquith Roads. Take your own bottles.

If you are not a renter, you may not have known that there is a Rent Bank in BC. It’s to help people who find themselves in a housing crisis increase stability and prevent homelessness. BC Rent Bank surveyed every household in the province that received financial assistance from a rent bank between April 1 and June 30, 2021. Ninety-four percent had either maintained or improved their housing situation. Info is at bcrentbank.ca .

While the Keremeos Creek wildfire remains at just under 7,000 hectares, BC Wildfire was expecting increased fire behaviour in the Northwest and Southwest corners yesterday. Remaining evacuees were allowed to go home. Thermal aerial scans continue to identify hot spots around the fire perimeter from McKay Creek to Olalla.

Strike action by the BCGEU has cannabis stores saying it could put an unintended damper on their operations. The cannabis division of the Burnaby customer care centre is behind the same picket lines currently surrounding four Liquor Distribution Branch distribution centres. Pot supplies have been caught in the dispute, and the owner of the Seed and Stone chain estimates he has just enough product to last until the end of the week.

Research suggests that a giant shark that roamed the oceans millions of years ago could devour a creature the size of a killer whale in just five bites. They calculated that it was bigger than a school bus and heavier than 10 elephants. The megalodon was also a strong swimmer that could have migrated across multiple oceans with ease.

Sports

On to the semi finals tomorrow for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Edmonton. The guys punched their ticket with a 6-3 win against Switzerland yesterday where they led 4-2 after the first period.

Golfer Patrick Reid is suing Golf Channel and analyst Brandel Chamblee for defamation and seeking $750 million in damages. He alleges Chamblee and the network have been targeting him since he was 23 to destroy his reputation, create hate and a hostile work environment for him.

There are no CFL games tonight, but there is an NFL preseason game. It’s a 5pm start at Lumen Field where the Seattle Seahawks will host the Chicago Bears. The game is on TSN or FOX.

LeBron James won’t be hitting the open market. The LA Lakers superstar agreed to a two-year, 97.1-Million dollar contract extension. The new deal includes a player option for the 2024-25 campaign.

The PGA tour is in Wilmington, Delaware this week for the BMW Championship. Patrick Cantlay will be teeing off at 8:25 as be begins his championship defense. Just 3 Canadians in the field now as the Tour playoff continues.