
Crackdown on prolific offenders in Kelowna nets drugs and stolen bikes
KELOWNA – Two people were arrested for allegedly running a bicycle chop shop in Kelowna last month as part of a police crackdown on prolific offenders in the downtown core. RCMP found more than 40 bicycles ranging in value from $500 to $5,000. The bikes, says Supt. Nick Romanchuk, were being used as currency in...

Center of Gravity set to take over downtown Kelowna this weekend
KELOWNA – Canada’s hottest beach party, an annual music and sports festival that continues to grow every year, is back in City Park again this weekend. Monster Energy’s Center of Gravity is a 100 per cent local event started by Kelowna native Scott Emslie eight years ago. Since that time it has grown to attract...

Behind the line at the Shelter Cove wildfire
KELOWNA – The Shelter Cove wildfire along Westside Road continues to grow, however Wildfire B.C. says homes and other structures are not threatened and they are confident they will have it under control soon. The fire, which was first reported Monday afternoon, is not yet contained and continues to burn roughly 430 hectares of dry,...
VIDEO: Is your refrigerator running? This one certainly is
KELOWNA – You know that old prank call? The one where you call up someone and ask them if their refrigerator is running? Well one man may have taken the joke a bit too seriously. A video released on YouTube over the weekend shows a Kelowna man with a refrigerator that is most definitely running....

No fishing in several South Okanagan rivers and streams this summer
PENTICTON – Fans of fishing across the province will be disappointed to learn that as of July 15 they will no longer be permitted to fish many rivers and streams in the South Okanagan this summer due to low flows and warming water temperatures. For the rest of the summer all streams and rivers in...
First wife testifies in trial of former Vernon cop charged with child porn
KELOWNA – The first wife of a former Vernon RCMP officer charged with child porn described him as a confrontational man who often raised his voice. Jennifer Fisher and Ryan Hampton’s marriage officially ended in 2011, the same year he married his accuser, Valerie Little. Little, herself a member of the RCMP, told police she...

Kelowna Rockets raise thousands to help kids with autism play hockey
KELOWNA – Players, coaches, scouts and fans of the Kelowna Rockets helped raise more than $15,000 to help children with autism enter hockey programs Friday morning. The sold out Rockets Alumni Foundation 15th Annual Golf Tournament teed off July 17 as they attempt to raise $100,000 over the next three years for the Canucks Autism...

Okanagan Across the Lake Swim will be bigger than ever this year
KELOWNA – For the 67th year in a row, swimmers from across the province will plunge into Okanagan Lake for the Across the Lake Swim this weekend. And this year will be bigger than ever. Last year, 900 participants showed up but this year event organizers have increased capacity significantly. A record 1,200 swimmers of all ages...

Get some colour at the third annual Okanagan Tattoo Show this weekend
KELOWNA – Fans of counterculture from around the world are gathering at Parkinson Recreation Centre this weekend for the third annual Okanagan Tattoo Show. The event, which runs Friday to Saturday, features 70 tattoo artists from across Canada and the world as well as merchandise booths, food, live music and events. There will also be...

‘Ungovernable’ lawyer with history of misconduct disbarred
KELOWNA – A Kelowna lawyer with a long history of professional misconduct has lost his licence to practice law for representing a company running a Ponzi scheme. Douglas Warren Welder was disbarred from the Law Society of B.C. after a panel found he received and redistributed more than US$1.65 million while representing International Fiduciary Corporation,...

Bertram Creek Park reopens after cougar sightings
KELOWNA – Officials have reopened the Bertram Creek Regional Park after sightings of a cougar in the area shut it down Wednesday. Regional District spokesperson Bruce Smith says signs about the recent sightings will remain up to warn residents of the ongoing risk. “Those using this and other Regional Parks in a more natural-setting should be...

Judge orders former Mountie charged with child porn be allowed to shave, change clothes
KELOWNA – Ryan Hampton, a former Vernon RCMP officer facing child porn charges in Kelowna Supreme Court, has not changed his clothes in eight days. Hampton, who has been in custody since his arrest in June 2013, was supposed to be shipped back to Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre on the weekends, but was kept in...

Hampton disputes testimony he left images of child porn for his wife to find
KELOWNA – The former Vernon Mountie facing child porn charges in Kelowna says he didn’t tell an investigator he left images and videos of child porn on a flash drive for his wife to find, directly contradicting testimony given by the Sargent who first interviewed him in May of 2013. Ryan Hampton is on trial...

Ontario zoo trying to save CrocTalk reptiles from euthanasia
KELOWNA – A reptile rescue organization in Ottawa is currently raising funds to save more than a dozen animals currently housed at CrocTalk in Kelowna from euthanasia. The animals, which include four alligators, one crocodile and 13 caimans, are welcome at Little Rays Reptiles in Hamilton, Ontario any time, but according to their GoFundMe page,...

Cougar sighting shuts down Kelowna park
KELOWNA – A popular Kelowna park has been shut down after a cougar was sighted earlier today, July 15. Bertram Creek Regional will be closed until further notice, says a release from the Central Okanagan Regional District. The release does not say who spotted the big cat but Kelowna RCMP and parks staff helped clear...







