Top Stories – May 17 – This Weekend

Patios will begin to extend out into the street as part of an early start to the Meet me on Bernard program this long weekend. Starting Friday, Bernard between Abbott and Water will become an open pedestrian corridor until September 4. The 200 block of Bernard will be closed to motorists starting at 6am tomorrow to allow for set up. Full details at meetmeonbernard.com .

A section of Boucherie Road in West Kelowna will be closed for a few hours this evening. From 530 to 11 the road, bike lanes and sidewalks between Hayman and Stuart will be shut down for spring maintenance. Crews will be cleaning catch basins, hanging flower baskets, repairing potholes and sweeping streets and sidewalks.

Expect to encounter some road work on the connector if you are traveling that route this summer. The Province says it will be resurfacing two sections of the highway. One includes the 16 kilometres between Aspen Grove and the brake check and the other is Silver Creek to the Pennask Brake check. No time frame was released.

The Knox Mountain Hill Climb takes place on Saturday and Sunday. The base of Knox Mountain, Crown Lookout and Knox Mountain Drive will be closed to the public other than ticket holders starting tomorrow until Monday. The Apex Trail will remain accessible to hikers and bikers at the north trailhead entrance. 

The Regional District is reminding us that only the RCMP and SPCA Special Constables have the authority to break into cars to rescue dogs in heat distress. The best thing to do in this hot weather is leave your pet at home, or know what stores allow them in. When it’s 32 outside it only takes 10 minutes, even with the window cracked open to reach 43 inside the car. After half an hour, it’s 51.

Everyone who enters a casino in BC will soon be required to present government-issued identification. The BC Lottery Corporation says it’s an initiative to support people who have registered for self-exclusion. Players are already required to carry identification, which may be requested to confirm age or identity for things like claiming jackpot prizes.

The Independent Investigations Office is looking into an incident in Kelowna that resulted in one man sustaining serious, but non-life-threatening injuries when he was bitten by a police dog when running from cops. It happened about 4 yesterday morning when officers in unmarked vehicles were following an allegedly stolen vehicle when it pulled over and four occupants got out and ran. The other 3 were arrested without incident.

Here’s a heads up for hikers in West Kelowna. Starting today, Mountain Goat Trail in Goats Peak Regional Park will be closed on weekdays from 6am to 4pm for trail improvements until Friday, June 2. Improvements include general trail maintenance, restoration along the summit trail and new wooden crib steps.

BC’s Attorney General Niki Sharma welcomes Ottawa’s bill that aims to improve Canada’s bail system. Among the changes, it creates a new reverse onus for serious repeat violent offences involving weapons where the accused was previously convicted of an offence of the same criteria within the past five years. Both would be punishable by 10 years imprisonment or more.

Sports

The Blue Jays are now tied with the Yankees for third place in the AL East after New York took their second straight win last night in Toronto, this time by a score of 6-3. They will play again today just after 4.

The Toronto Raptors will select 13th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft after yesterday’s draft lottery. The draft is June 22 in New York.

Nick Nurse is gone from the NBA’s Raptors and now Doc Rivers has been fired from the Philadelphia 76ers. For Rivers it comes after the team’s third straight second round playoff exit