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Shelley Jordan
Parks with extreme wildfire potential closed
RISK OF FIRE PROMPTS CLOSURE OF MT. BOUCHERIE TO THE PUBLIC A high forest fire hazard rating in the area of Mount Boucherie has prompted the city to close the park to the public until further notice. The District of West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater says hot, dry conditions have made this one of the...
Company says new berm to block release of tailings at B.C. dam could take weeks
LIKELY, B.C. - It could take weeks before a British Columbia-based mining company can plug a tailings pond that broke apart and sent water and mine waste into nearby lakes and rivers, the provincial government said Friday. A water ban affecting about 300 people remains in place even though a second round of test results...
Firefighters battle house fire in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - Firefighters battled a house fire at 2769 Bennedick Road following a report of black smoke in the afternoon, Aug 8. There were visible flames and smoke coming from the roof of the two-storey house when Kelowna Fire and Rescue arrived. The fire was reported just after 2 p.m. Nobody was inside the...
Regional District announces closure of 11 parks because of extreme fire risk
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - The Regional District has also looked at the fire hazard rating and are announcing a sweep of closures because of extremely dry conditions. The following parks are closed immediately until further notice: Hardy Falls Regional Park Trepanier Creek Greenway Regional Park Coldham Regional Park Glen Canyon Regional Park Kalamoir Regional Park Rose...
UPDATE: Wildfire near Peachland grows to 40 hectares
PEACHLAND - Though the Drought Hill forest fire near Highway 97C near Peachland stayed behind guards and didn't grow at all over night, that's no longer the case according to a recent press release. The fire has grown to 40 hectares today. There are 85 personnel battling the flames from Wildfire Management and Peachland and...
Dilworth Mountain Park closed immediately because of extreme fire risk
KELOWNA - The steady hot dry weather forecast has created an extreme fire hazard at Dilworth Mountain prompting the city to close the park to the public. Dilworth Mountain Park has natural areas surrounding neighbourhoods along Summit Road and Dilworth Drive. The access area off of Chilcotin Crescent was closed today but city staff will...
There may be a lucky break in B.C. Mount Polley mine spill: mines minister
LIKELY, B.C. – The minister responsible for British Columbia's mines says residents living along waterways affected by a mining-waste spill could catch a lucky break because the waste may not be poisonous.
Canada’s unemployment rate drops in July, with a mere 200 new jobs
OTTAWA – Trouble in Canada's anemic jobs market continued into July as a paltry 200 jobs were added during the month, falling spectacularly short of expectations.
More hospitals welcoming family during patient resuscitation; seen as beneficial
TORONTO – When a code blue is announced in hospital and a resuscitation team rushes to a patient's side, tradition has dictated that family members get out of the way, both to protect their sensibilities and to give doctors and nurses the room and concentration needed to perform life-saving care.
US police: Remains of 9 victims of 1978 Jonestown massacre found in former funeral home
DOVER, Del. – Police say the cremated remains of nine victims of a 1978 mass cult suicide-murder in Jonestown, Guyana, have turned up in a former funeral home in Delaware.
YLW emergency crew expected plane with faulty landing gear light
KELOWNA - The Kelowna Airport made sure they had emergency personnel standing by when the pilot of a private plane told the tower the landing gear might not be working properly. At about 4:05 p.m. the pilot told the traffic control tower the landing gear indicator light was not illuminating green to indicate the wheel...
B.C. Premier says tailings pond tests ‘promising’
LIKELY, B.C. – British Columbia Premier Christy Clark says initial test results from water contaminated by a mine tailings breach are promising.
WineAlign picks winners out of 1,335 entries; Mission Hill ranks second
TORONTO – Peller Estates Niagara has been named Canadian winery of the year in an annual national competition.
‘Aura of power:’ Redford used public money inappropriately: auditor
EDMONTON – Alberta's auditor general says former premier Alison Redford and her office used public resources inappropriately.
KGH accepts first doctors-in-training for new residency program
KELOWNA - Two Royal College emergency resident physicians will be installed at Kelowna General Hospital for the launch of a new residency training program. The first two resident physicians, Drs. Daniel Ting and Jared Baylis, were accepted in July and will also complete additional postgraduate medical studies to meet the requirements of the Canadian Association...
First sentencing for smuggling cocaine through fruit grinding machine
KELOWNA – One of three men found guilty of helping to bring close to 100 kilograms of cocaine into B.C. from South America was sentenced in Kelowna Supreme Court Wednesday. Mexican national Salvador Ascencio-Chavez, 47, was sentenced to 13 years in jail Wednesday for his role in importing 97 kg of cocaine into Kelowna in...
Author cuts off Internet, hides cellphone to write book about tech addiction
TORONTO – Michael Harris hit his breaking point during an all-too-typical day at the office.
Alberta to bring in Ontario prosecutors for Redford expense investigation
EDMONTON - Alberta's justice minister says he has arranged for prosecutors from Ontario to work with the RCMP on a review of former premier Alison Redford's expenses. Jonathan Denis says the use of out-of-province lawyers is needed to ensure an independent investigation and remove any perception of a conflict. Alberta's auditor general has released a...
First water test results from breached tailings pond expected today
LIKELY, B.C. – An early assessment of the environmental impact of a mine tailings pond failure in British Columbia is expected today when the first water-testing results may be released.
B.C. government orders mine to plug further release from tailings pond
VICTORIA – British Columbia's Environment Ministry has ordered the operator of a mine in the province's central Interior to immediately stop the further release of toxic materials into nearby waterways after a tailings pond burst on Monday.
Overnight fire at Mt. Boucherie considered suspicious
WEST KELOWNA - West Kelowna Fire and Rescue and RCMP have determined a fire that started near the base of Mt. Boucherie last night was suspicious in nature. The fire was reported at about 10:30 p.m. August 5 and said to be in the forest on the south side near the bottom of Mt. Boucherie....
Kelowna officer crashes squad vehicle
KELOWNA - A Kelowna RCMP officer was injured and taken to hospital after the marked SUV he was driving crashed with a Ford F250. The accident happened while he was en route to help search for a man suspected of attempting to steal a Dodge pickup. At 3:50 p.m. August 5 Mounties were told a...
Alberta premier wants RCMP review of travel expenses; Redford quits
CALGARY – Alberta Premier Dave Hancock on Wednesday called for the RCMP to review the use of provincial aircraft after his predecessor Alison Redford resigned her legislature seat amid a festering controversy over her travel expenses.
Ebola outbreak death toll reaches 932 in 4 countries; Nigeria announces 2nd death
ABUJA, Nigeria – A Nigerian nurse who treated a man with Ebola is now dead and five others are sick with one of the world's most virulent diseases, authorities said Wednesday as the death toll rose to at least 932 people in four West African countries.