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The Scoop: News that made headlines this week

Josh Piercey recaps the top news items from around the Okanagan-Shuswap region

Happy Friday!

Before heading out for your last-minute holiday shopping this weekend, Black Press Media’s Josh Piercey has got a rundown of the top headlines from across the Okanagan this week.

B.C.’s Coquihalla Highway to reopen Dec. 20 for essential traffic

B.C.’s Highway 5 Coquihalla route is being opened for essential commercial travel by the end of the day Monday, Dec. 20, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said Wednesday.

Commercial trucks and inter-city buses will be allowed through temporary access lanes while major reconstruction work is engineered and completed to reinforce the damaged areas, Fleming said Dec. 15.

There will be several speed reductions and one lane each way in damaged sections, and no power along the highway for snowsheds and chain-up areas.

Vernon actor shines in Hallmark Christmas movie shot in Kelowna, airing tonight

Vernon actor and electrician Harrison Coe can be seen in a Hallmark Christmas movie that airs tonight.

Coe was was cast in Fixing Up Christmas, a holiday love story that was filmed in Kelowna by Reelone Entertainment earlier this year. The film airs on CityTV at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10.

In the film, Coe plays the owner of an architecture firm who comes up with the idea to throw a Christmas party to help the firm land a big deal. He hires an event planner who bumps into his son, the male lead, in a coffee shop, “and sparks fly.”

Company has B.C. operating licence suspended after truck caught driving dangerously on Hwy 5A

The company behind the commercial truck caught on camera driving dangerously on Highway 5A last week has had its licence suspended by the B.C. government.

In a press conference on Monday, Dec. 13, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming noted that the government had opened up an investigation following the dashcam footage going viral and coverage by the media.

Vaccine effectiveness confirmed in latest B.C. COVID-19 data

Unvaccinated people in B.C. are seven times more likely to contract COVID-19, 30 times more likely to end up in hospital and 50 times more likely to be lined up for a ventilator in intensive care, the latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control show.

Analysis by the BCCDC continues to show the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines, especially in protecting against severe illness, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in her monthly research update Tuesday. That trend is also showing up with the more than 500,000 people who have received booster third doses as the program shifts to people aged 60 and up.

VIDEO: Revelstoke’s Christmas light tour

Happy Holidays!

Grab this week’s paper to get a physical copy of Revelstoke’s 2021 Christmas Lights Tour map!

READ MORE: The Scoop: Top stories for the week of Dec. 5-11

READ MORE: The Scoop: Top stories for the week of Nov. 28 – Dec. 4


@josh_piercey
josh.piercey@revelstokereview.com

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