Top Stories – Sept 6 – School’s Back

Kids and school buses are heading back out today so don’t forget school zones go back into effect. First day is usually a short one so kids could be out at any time. Unlike many other areas in the province, the zones are in effect between 730 and 5. And don’t forget, when the school bus stops and the red lights flash, drivers must stop.

The province says an estimated 573-thousand students will be in public schools this year, up 17-hundred from last year. There are just under 16-hundred public schools and 371 independent schools in BC. Data from last year showed an average class size of 22.5 students in public schools with grades 4-7 being the largest at 24.

Inflation appears to have peaked but it’s still running hot and another rate increase from the Bank of Canada is widely expected. Some economists think tomorrow’s hike could be the last for a while. Some of Canada’s major banks are forecasting the central bank will increase the key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, bringing it to 3.25 percent.

Evening paving continues in the Glenmore area through Thursday night. Tonight the focus is Kane Road, which will be fully closed between Glenmore and Valley between 7pm and 6am. Then tomorrow and Thursday, Glenmore between Begbie and just north of John Hindle Drive will be single lane alternating traffic only. The intersection of John Hindle and Glenmore will also be fully closed tomorrow night.

There were no injuries in what is being termed a suspicious garage fire in Kelowna on Sunday morning. It happened in the 300 block of Academy Way near Arab Road and crews were able to limit damage to just the garage before it could extend to the home.

A 20-year-old Lake Country man has been charged with second degree murder after allegedly stabbing a man outside a bar in Banff. Minutes after midnight on Saturday, John Proule allegedly stabbed a 27-year-old man from Foothills County after a fight. Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit is handling the investigation.

It took until September for smoke to make its way into the Valley following a blue sky summer. The smoke we were getting, was, for the most part, coming from a wildfire that started south of the border and crossed into the mountains in Manning Park. The fire is very visible from Highway 3, which so far has not been affected but there are some evacuation orders for the south side of the highway.

RCMP say Damien Sanderson, one of two suspects in a stabbing rampage in Saskatchewan, was found dead yesterday in a grassy area on the James Smith Cree Nation. Police say he had visible injuries that were not self-inflicted. His brother, Myles Sanderson, the second suspect wanted in the stabbings, could be in Regina. Mounties say 10 people were killed and 18 others were injured in the stabbings at various locations on the First Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon on Sunday.

We’ll get an indication later today on the province’s plan for dealing with COVID this fall. It’s expected Health Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry will give an update on when Moderna’s new vaccine that tackles the Omicron variant will be available. There will also be news about a Fall booster as the cold and flu season approaches.

Sports

Main training camp continues today for the Kelowna Rockets in preparation for their first exhibition games later this week. It’ll be a back-to-back, home and home series with the Blazers starting Friday in Kamloops.

In case you missed it, Canada won gold at the Women’s World Hockey Championships. They beat the United States 2-1 with both goals coming from Brianne Jenner. It’s the second straight win for Canada.

The Toronto Blue Jays play their 3rd of 4 games in Baltimore later this afternoon. Yesterday, 3 home runs from Bo Bichette helped the Jays to an 8-4 win over the Orioles in the second game of a rare doubleheader. Toronto won the first 7-3.

Texan Noah Goodman won the Golf BC Championship at Gallaghers on the weekend shooting 23 under. One shot back was Scott Stevens from Alabama. The event is part of the PGA Tour Canada season.

Two CFL Labour Day classic games yesterday. In Hamilton, the Argonauts dumped the Tiger Cats 28-8. And in Calgary the hometown Stampeders beat the Elks 26-18.

Returner Terry Williams has been sent to the BC Lions in a trade with the Ottawa Redblacks. The 26-year-old has posted almost 15-hundred combined punt and kick return yards. Ottawa receives a third-round pick in the 2023 Draft, and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024.