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Morning Start: Today is Juneteenth

Your morning start for Friday, June 19, 2020
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(Natalia Cuevas-Huaico - Ïã½¶ÊÓÆµÖ±²¥)

With another sunny day and highs around 28 C, things are starting to look like summer in the Okanagan and Shuswap.

Fun Fact of the day:

Today is Juneteenth, a holiday in celebration of the day in 1865 when all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from slavery. In 2020, the holiday has taken on a whole new level of importance, invigorated by the calls against police brutality and systemic racism heard around the world in the wake of George FloydÏã½¶ÊÓÆµÖ±²¥™s death on May 25.

The 1965 date is largely symbolic, as the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln had legally freed slaves in Texas about two and a half years earlier.

Celebrations typically typically include readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as Ïã½¶ÊÓÆµÖ±²¥œLift Every Voice and Sing, and reading works by acclaimed African-American writers such as James Baldwin and Maya Angelou.

Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in 49 of the 50 states in the U.S. This is a relatively recent development, as Texas was the first to do so in 1980.

Weather forecast according to Environment Canada:

In Kelowna:

In Vernon:

In Penticton:

In Salmon Arm:

In case you missed it:

A volunteer fire department in Haida Gwaii fell prey to fraudsters last month, to the tune of nearly $100,000. The department is unsure if the funds can be recovered. According to the department, a deposit was successfully made to a bank account associated with Rocky Mountain Phoenix, the company supplying a used fire truck.

Video of the day:

And now, a moment of kindness courtesy of Twitter user Tom Hall.

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Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started at the Morning Star as a newspaper carrier at the age of 8. I went on to pursue a Master of Journalism at Carleton University and have been a journalist in Vernon since 2019.
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