October 23, 2023

October 23rd is the 296th day of the year. There are 69 days remaining until the end of the year.

Depending where you are, there’s a chance of frost on the windshield this morning, but it will warm up.

Sunshine and a high of 13 today, before jumping to 20 tomorrow. Rain expected the rest of the week.

If you’re wondering how the weather will look for Halloween, the early forecast from The Weather Network is calling for daytime highs of 7, with temperatures dropping to 1 with rain when the kids want to head out.

Chatham-Kent Public Library is bringing back Food for Fines.

The initiative has been on the (book) shelf for the last four years.

Between October 30 and November 4, patrons can bring in non-perishable food donations to any CKPL branch and in return the library will waive overdue fines. $5 will be waived per donated item to a maximum of $50 and can only be applied for items that were returned late.

All donations will be given to local organizations to help communities across Chatham-Kent.

Canadian Women Soccer Captain Christine Sinclair has announced her retirement.

The 40 year old from Burnaby, B.C., lead the Canadian Women to Canada’s first ever Olympic Gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. And just last month helped Canada qualify for the Paris Olympics for 2024

Sinclair will retire from international football at the end of the year.

The Salvation Army of Chatham-Kent’s Operation Cover Up is still in the collection stage.

Until October 31st, you can drop off new and gently-used winter coats – specifically children and plus sized are needed. Coats can be dropped at Salvation Army locations in Chatham, Wallaceburg and Ridgetown. Jiffy Lube on Keil Drive and Woodbridge Foam in Blenheim are also drop off locations.

Coats will be distributed to those that need them November 6-10.

The first person to ever bungee jump just passed away.

His name was David Kirke. Despite being a lifelong risktaker, he died peacefully in his bed at age 78.

Back in the 1970s, he and his friends started a group at Oxford called the Dangerous Sports Club. The first bungee jump happened 44 years ago on April Fools’ Day in 1979 and he was hung over when he did it.

They tied together some elastic ropes used to stop planes on aircraft carriers, and jumped from a 250-foot bridge in England. Four of them jumped, but David was the first. He did it in a tuxedo and top hat while holding a bottle of champagne.

They were all supposed to jump at the same time. But he found out later that the others waited to see if he made it, because they hadn’t even tested the ropes.

The cops heard they were planning to do it at 8:00 A.M. and showed up to stop them. But David and his friends were running late after drinking too much the night before, so the cops were gone. They ended up getting arrested, but just had to pay a fine.

He went on to do other jumps from bridges, and even hot air balloons. But he never got rich off the idea. Another guy in New Zealand ran with it and made a fortune. David said he was always in it for the adventure though, not the money.

He did other crazy stuff too, like crossing the English Channel attached to helium balloons. But the first bungee jump ended up being his biggest legacy.

Categorised in: 5 Things You Need To Know

This post was written by Chris McLeod