Top Stories – Aug 18 – Law Evacuees Go Home

Thanks to the amazing work of firefighters, BC Wildfire crews, and some incredible pilots, most residents that were evacuated from the Mt. Law wildfire on Sunday, were allowed to go home yesterday afternoon. Some are now on evacuation alert and the specific details can be found at cordemergency.ca .  477 properties remain on evacuation alert, down from 19-hundred, and just 17 remain on evac order. Residents are reminded that power may have been out for a while so some food may have spoiled.  Active fire suppression work continues in the area and residents are asked to be respectful and stay out of the way of emergency vehicles and crews, and not to block access to streets or properties.

A guy who tried to start a fire in Glenmore on Monday night was arrested. Police say the 32 year old Kelowna man was spotted on Kane near Glenmore in front of a commercial area, but because of the rain, couldn’t set some bushes on fire. He faces a number of potential charges.

A poll from co-working space provider IWG shows formal office wear may be thrown out the board room door. Six-in-10 British Columbians say when they go back to the post-covid office, they’d prefer to be casual. The report in Business In Vancouver, also found that 40% have been very casual below the sight of the zoom camera during meetings.

Kelowna RCMP and the fire department have determined that the fire near the cemetery by Spall on Sunday night was human caused.  What they have not been able to determine is whether it was deliberate or accidental.  There is nothing to connect it with the attempted fire in Glenmore on Monday night

An estimated 70 properties have been significantly damaged by the White Rock Lake fire around Ewings Landing and Killiney area. Owners of affected properties are being notified. Registration at ess.gov.bc.ca is required in order to confirm properties and their owners for contact. And the evacuation order issued Aug. 12 for properties in Fintry, La Casa and Shalal Road within the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area has been reduced to an alert. The revised alert totals 608 properties. Full details at cordemerrgency.ca

There’s a new mural to check out in Kelowna on the side of the CTQ building on St. Paul Street. It was created by students from UBC Okanagan’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program. This year’s mural is of a heron set in its natural landscape.

There were 501 new cases of covid 19 in BC yesterday, of which 205 were in the Interior Health region, which is a better ratio than it has been lately. 82.7% of eligible people 12 and older in BC have received their first dose of vaccine and 73.5% received their second.

One of the big election promises came from the Conservatives yesterday and it was a plan for a GST holiday for the month of December. For example, if you spent $100, you’d save 5 bucks. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says while any tax cut is welcome, a one month holiday “is a bit gimmicky”.

Sports

The BC Lions first home game of the season is tomorrow and the team says masks are ‘recommended’ and no vaccination proof will need to be shown. The team is allowed to sell 12,250 tickets, or half usual football capacity at BC Place.

The top 125 players on the PGA Tour make it into the FedEx Cup playoffs that begin this week. There will be four Canadians in the field for the first tournament including Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin who was 96th and Merritt’s Roger Sloan at 92nd.

The NHL will feature advertisements on jerseys starting in the 2022-23 season. Last season, the league allowed teams to place ads on the side of players’ helmets which allowed clubs to recoup a chunk of money that was lost due to the pandemic.

Tim Tebow’s comeback attempt has come to an end as the Jacksonville Jaguars released the 34-year-old. The former quarterback, attempted to revive his NFL career as a tight end.

Toronto’s Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment will require all fans, employees, and event staff to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to gain access to its arenas, stadiums, and restaurants. MLSE is the parent company that owns the Leafs, Raptors, Argonauts, and the MLS Toronto FC, along with Scotiabank Arena and it manages BMO Field.

Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams signed a four-year 70 Million dollar extension tying him to the club through 2025.