Top Stories – Mar 16 – Drug Bust

Kelowna RCMP made a substantial drug seizure as a result of a traffic stop on Cooper Tuesday afternoon. After the car had been pulled over the driver got out and ran, throwing a bag into a bush. Police grabbed the bag, caught the suspect and in the bag they found trafficking amounts of fentanyl and crack cocaine. A search of the car turned up cell phones, weapons and cash.

For the third time in 9 months Sweetnam’s Nik Naks on Enterprise has been vandalized. The latest came yesterday morning about 3 when the front glass door was smashed. The owner says police were on the scene quickly, and not much was taken, but they are getting tired of what’s going on.

Do you plan on watching the coronation of King Charles III in May? A survey of Canadians has found only 13% feel a personal attachment to the monarchy, while two-thirds didn’t really care. In fact, just over half said it’s the right time for Canada to reconsider its ties with the Crown.

Residents in West Kelowna should be ready to pay quite a bit more for their water. Council is set to approve a plan that will see quarterly bills for those on the Rose Valley Water Service go up almost $18, while those served by Powers Creek will rise just over $15. In addition, sewer rates will be going up $5.73 per quarter.

More odours than normal may be noticeable in the area around the Westside Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Starting tomorrow until about the 28th, new filter material will be installed in the Biofilter at the facility off Gellatly Road in West Kelowna. Once the Biofilter is replaced, there may be periods of more odour as it takes a few days to get the new material up to 100% performance.

A Calgary criminologist says Alberta’s plan to make all police services in the province use body cameras could come with prohibitive costs and take a long time to put in place. Doug King, a justice studies professor at Mount Royal University, says there are a number of questions that need to be answered, including who would pay the high cost of storing the footage.

Kelowna will receive 2 Million dollars as part of 6.9 Million that Ottawa is providing the BC Interior to tackle gun and gang violence. Announcing the funding here, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Public Safety said it would help address the underlying conditions that give rise to crime. Mayor Tom Dyas welcomed the money saying the city has a youth gang prevention and reduction strategy under development.

Kelowna Council has approved funding for the $90-million terminal building expansion project, the largest infrastructure project to date at YLW. The project will be funded through fees paid by airport users and the city says it will have no cost impact to taxpayers. Phase 1 of the terminal building construction will begin this summer and is planned to be complete in 2026.

Call him ‘Sir Brian’. Queen lead guitarist Brian May has been knighted at Buckingham Palace. At age 75, he joked about his knees giving out during the ceremony. He suffered a heart attack in 2020 but says he has been in good health since.

Sports

The Kelowna Rockets lost 6-3 to the Prince George Cougars in the Spruce City last night. Next up… two games against Kamloops… tomorrow night in the Blazers’ barn and back in Kelowna on Saturday.

The Vancouver Canucks begin a three-game road trip tonight in Arizona. Face off against the Coyotes is at 7 as Vancouver goes for its 6th win in a row.

Baker Mayfield is headed to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal worth $8.5 million. The quarterback spent time last season with the Panthers and Rams.

Aaron Rodgers said on a podcast that he does not want to play in Green Bay anymore. He says he wants to play for the New York Jets and the teams are working on a trade.