Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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I wish to express my thanks to Richard Rolke for his excellent report, not so much for myself but for the fact that his article kept in focus the nearly forgotten events sixty years ago. My activities were relatively minor never coming close to the sacrifices many of my countrymen and women offered up. Many of them gave their lives or spent long sentences in prison.

As many of you know, my rebellious roots are still feeding my rebellious mind. Many people ask me how I can carry on with my water issues against so much opposition from my peers. Perhaps the above article shed some light on the reasons. I believe that the current MWP is not in the right direction and I can prove it using the reports provided by the consultants and staff.

Establishing the Research Station in Vernon was one of the toughest fights I had to do in my professional life. All my peers voted against the move: it was only my superior who believed in me and convinced the Government that the move would be beneficial. It was. I carried out literature research and made my personal observations that convinced me that the move would deliver the expected results.

In order to show that the scruffy appearance appearing above eventually improved so I am including my graduation photo that was taken in 1959, two years after the scruffy pictures.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

 

And to quote old Yogi Berra: "It’s like déjà vu all over again" here is the latest casualty:

Accident at controversial Stickle Road intersection

by  Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star
Vernon posted Oct 27, 2016 at 10:00 AM
updated Oct 27, 2016 at 4:12 PM

Stickle Road is being made famous, again.

Emergency crews responded to an accident at the controversial Vernon intersection Thursday morning.
A trailer was flipped on its side as it was trying to leave the campground, heading north onto Highway 97.
"I was right behind it," said nearby resident George Zimmerman. "A trailer from Alberta was trying to make a left turn to home and a half-ton smacked it right on its side."
All occupants, of both vehicles, managed to walk away from the accident, according to Zimmerman.
But this incident, he says, is just another reminder that some interim measures need to be taken at the dangerous intersection.
"Right now if they're not going to do anything, they should at least bring the speed limit down," said Zimmerman, who suggests lowering the speed to 70 km/hr.
Despite public outcry for a light at the intersection, the ministry is planning a ban on left-turns from Stickle Road on to the highway and a one-way extension of 20th Street into Vernon on the east side of Stickle Road.
Zimmerman has long been fighting for safety improvements to the intersection, following years of watching the accidents and near-misses.
"I never even make a left turn there, I'll go down to McDonald's and turn around there if I have to go to Armstrong or anything."
BX-Swan Lake firefighters, RCMP and Highways crews were on scene at Thursday's accident.
This is the second crash in the past month at the site – a two-vehicle MVI Sept. 30 sent one person to hospital.

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Province proclaimes Hungarian Cultural Week

Additional information available:

                                    Sopron Story

                                    Letters

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Hungarian Revolution 60 years ago

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Polish President, Andrzej Duda, give a major speech for the 60th anniversary of the fight back against Soviet occupation.

PM Orbán compared the Soviet Union with today's European Union in terms of a threat to free peoples.

This is a profound and powerful speech, worthy of a Winston Churchill or a Henry V, which the huge crowd cheered. Click here 

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Yesterday, October 23rd, Hungarians celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the 1956 revolution. In the Okanagan the celebration was held in the Hungarian Hall in West Kelowna. Many people had difficulty controlling their emotions while remembering the events that took place in Budapest and other parts of the country.

The revolution was crushed by the Soviet forces. However, it contributed to the eventual crumbling of the Soviet Empire. Both the Polish and the Hungarian people chiseled away on the Empire and its demise was hailed everywhere. 

Long Live Hungary!    

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A small victory!

At the October 18th meeting of the North Okanagan Regional District Board of Directors the following motion was passed:

"13. Transfer of Water Licenses

RECOMMENDATION 18

(Customized Stakeholder Vote – Includes Coldstream, Vernon, Electoral  Areas B and C)That as recommended by the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee, staff be directed to submit an application to the Ministry of Environment to transfer the existing Greater Vernon Water's Kalamalka Lake Water License from Coldstream Creek to the Kalamalka Lake intake."

Yours truly has been promoting this action for many years with no success. The response from consultants and staff has always been that this would not be approved by the government agencies. This argument was inconsistent with the Water Act which permitted the transfer of the “Point of Diversion” (PoD) of a water license to a different point within the water course provided it did not affect adversely the system. Moving the PoD downstream within a system is environmentally beneficial and it should be encouraged.

If this transfer request is successful then it would serve as precedent for future PoD transfer requests to Okanagan Lake.

Let’s hope that this small victory is a harbinger of greater victories in the future!

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

 

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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Vernon Gets Charged Up

Posted on 9/23/2016 1:09 PM by Pete McIntyre

Vernon is the site of a significant milestone in BC's electric vehicle charging network.

A BC Hydro pilot project to install 30 direct current fast charging stations throughout the province saw the final station, located on 31st Avenue near the Greyhound bus station in downtown Vernon, opened today.

Energy Minister Bill Bennett told a news conference, BC has the largest charging infrastructure network in Canada.

"Transportation is responsible for about 30 to 35 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that we put into the atmosphere. Transportation is an area where we can really make a difference, and getting more electric vehicles on the road is obviously a positive thing," says Bennett, the Liberal MLA from Cranbrook, who is leaving provincial politics after 16 years next May.

Fast charging stations can charge an electric vehicle battery to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

BC Hydro has been installing the stations since 2012 with support from all the levels of government.

"This type of infrastructure doesn't happen without everybody being on side," Vernon Monashee MLA Eric Foster told the gathering. "That includes the folks from the electric car associations who have lobbied throughout Canada, but certainly here in BC. We lead the country, not only in electric cars, but in all the climate action files, and we're very proud of that."

“BC Hydro is focused on removing barriers for our customers who want to own an electric vehicle,” says Keith Anderson, BC Hydro's vice president, Customer Service.  “Electric vehicles can help British Columbians save money. Our electricity rates are among the lowest in North America, which means by switching to an electric vehicle you could save 75 per cent on fuel costs.”

The 30 fast charging stations, which currently can be used free of charge,  connect drivers from the Lower Mainland to Merritt and Kamloops, up to Whistler, Vancouver Island and the Southern Interior.

"This is another clean, green initiative for our community, and communities all around BC. Environment is important," said Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund, who took a ride in an electric vehicle and couldn't believe how quiet it was.

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While this report is not new there is some additional information is worth reporting.

The charging station is excellent according to a user. It does charge up to 80% of full in half an hour. The only complaint was the lack of signage to the station. Perhaps it would be worth spending a few extra dollars to ensure that the station is well advertised so potential users can located it easier.

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Thank you!

I wish to express my heart felt appreciation to the many friends who joined my family and I for the celebration of Debbie's life. It was nice to chat and remember the "good old days", her many achievements and have a final send off for my beloved wife and best friend.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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Lavington Glass Plant changes hands!

New use for Lavington Glass Plant! 

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Agenda (click)

 

We’re very excited to let you know about a special workshop coming to the Okanagan, co-hosted by the Okanagan Basin Water Board, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, and the Irrigation Industry Association of BC (IIABC).

“FLOW & GROW – Balancing Economy, Ecology and Settlement in the Okanagan” is a day-long workshop on Nov. 29th, 2016 at the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna (1171 Harvey Ave.), from 7:45 am – 4:30 pm, featuring:

·BC’s Bob McDonald, host of the award-winning radio program “Quirks and Quarks,”

·       

 Lower Nicola Indian Band Chief Aaron Sam, lawyer and

lllong-time advocate for sustainable use of lands and waters,

·Bob Sandford, EPCOR Chair for Water & Climate Security at

the UN University Institute for Water, Environment & Health,

·         

Michael Blackstock, speaking on the Blue Ecology,

        plus MANY others!

Together, we will be looking at water sustainability – how to respect ecosystem and cultural values, ensure food security and build water-resilient communities.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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