Top Stories – Sept 5 – School Zones
Back to school today so don’t forget that the school zones are once again in effect and the school buses are running. School zones in the Central Okanagan are from 730 a.m. to 5 p.m. When a school bus comes to a stop and the lights start flashing, traffic in both directions must stop. Police will be out and failing to stop for a school bus signal can bring a $368 fine.
The McDougall Creek wildfire continues to actively burn above the Powers Creek drainage near Glenrosa. Helicopters are still bucketing in the area, filling water tanks and bladders along the ridge where personnel are working. Low intensity planned ignition operations will be used to bring the fire down to control lines that are in place. As more people were allowed to go home on the weekend, the West and Southwest flanks of the McDougall Creek Fire continued to be the most active. It was burning along the ridgeline on the east side of the Powers Creek drainage area. There are still about 400 properties on evacuation order and roughly 20,000 on alert. The EOC expects to finish contacting property owners who experienced a loss of their homes or whose homes are uninhabitable by Thursday.
Highway 97 is still closed to traffic between Peachland and Summerland following a rockslide late last month. Crews have made one lane available for emergency vehicles as geologists continue to assess the rock face stability and whether more blasting has to be done. Alternate routes on both sides of the lake, on gravel roads are available for non-Commercial vehicles and it adds about 90 minutes to the trip.
Boil water notices continue for 3 systems in West Kelowna. They are: West Kelowna Estates, Rose Valley/Lakeview and Sunnyside/Pritchard. The notices are put in place due to high turbidity and chlorine-only treatment being insufficient to guarantee the disinfection of microorganisms.
Workplace experts say many Canadian companies aren’t approaching post-pandemic hybrid work in a way that makes sense for their staff or for their businesses. Some employees are balking as their firms implement back-to-work policies, feeling the transition back to the office is forced and unwanted. They say companies need to properly consult their workers and collect data before making sweeping decisions about their hybrid work policies.
The Glenmore Landfill has returned to normal operations which means curbside collection of yard waste is resuming this week. Disposal of burned trees, logs and branches are being reviewed as part of the Regional Debris Management Plan and will not be accepted at the landfill for now. Smoldering waste in bins ignited fires at the landfill last week.
Construction for the largest infrastructure project in Kelowna International Airport’s history is set to take off this month. The Terminal Building Expansion Project is in response to the growing demand for air travel in the region and will increase the airport’s capacity. This month there will be changes to parking in long-term lot A, and restricted access into the terminal from the south end of the building.
After 50 years of laying some Sweet Emotion on fans, Aerosmith began it’s farewell tour on the weekend. Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer, got Back in the Saddle, and played a 2-hour set in Philadelphia. The tour will let fans Dream On until it ends January 26th in Montreal.
SPORTS
Two CFL Labour Day classics yesterday. In Hamilton the Argos beat the Tiger Cats 41-28. In Calgary, a 4th quarter Stampeder rally led to a 35-31 win against the Elks. And after a much-needed 34-25 win in Montreal on Saturday, the BC Lions are off this week.
The Toronto Blue Jays are in Oakland for 3 games. Yesterday, the Jays needed 10 innings to beat the worst team in Major League Baseball, 6-5. They will play again today at 6:30.
Canada is returning to the Olympics in men’s basketball in Paris next year for the first time since Sydney 2000. The team finished as one the Americas top two teams at the FIBA World Cup.