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John McDonald
John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.
It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.
But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.
If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca
Kelowna taking a hard look at RV parks on farmland
KELOWNA – Bylaw officers in Kelowna are looking closely at RV parks operating on agricultural…
Winter perfect time to control rodent infestations
KELOWNA - Winter is the perfect time to trap and kill rats and mice, the City of Kelowna says. Cold weather limits food sources forcing the rodents to search further afield for food, including inside houses, urban forestry supervisor Blair Stewart says in a media release. Baited traps are more effective during food scarcity, Stewart...
Okanagan water board wants federal Liberals to pony up for invasive mussel fight
OKANAGAN – The new Llberal government in Ottawa has promised to spend billions in new…
Idling cars and air quality the subject of Okanagan College study
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - What the public thinks about idling vehicles and their effect on local air quality is the subject of a new study by an Okanagan College business student. Fourth-year student Alex Fullerton has developed the idling and air quality survey and an accompanying Facebook page, which directs participants to the anonymous questionnaire he...
Hockey dad needs help putting on tournament for sick kids
OKANAGAN - A Kelowna hockey dad is looking for a little corporate muscle to put on the Winter Classic, an outdoor hockey tournament at Apex Mountain resort. Yannick Lescarbeau, who manages the Kelowna Minor Hockey Atom Development B team, started the tournament last year as a fundraiser for the SickKids Foundation. The tournament will pit...
Gloomy dark clouds over the Okanagan won’t part any time soon
OKANAGAN - That stifling grey pall of gloom hanging over the Okanagan is here courtesy of El Nino and Environment Canada says we can expect more of the same for at least the next ten days. Meteorologist Matthew MacDonald says we are at the mercy of major weather systems conspiring to blot out the sun. That...
Coroner identifies Summerland woman who crashed into Okanagan Lake
OKANAGAN - The B.C. Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a Summerland woman who died last week after her vehicle slid into Okanagan Lake. Elena Sagario Holly, 42, was driving alone on Highway 97 southbound near Summerland around noon Jan. 4 when her car slid off the road and into Okanagan Lake during bad...
Elderly woman sent to hospital after hit by car on Highway 33
POLICE SAY PEDESTRIANS AND DRIVERS NEED TO BE AWARE DURING SHORTER WINTER DAYS KELOWNA - An elderly woman knocked down by a car in a crosswalk on Highway 33 was an entirely preventable collision, police say. RCMP spokesperson Const. Jesse O’Donaghey said in a press release police have noticed an increase in pedestrian involved collisions...
Why you might have to shovel your sidewalk in Kelowna but your neighbour doesn’t
KELOWNA - The city deals with complaints about snow clearing every winter, but a resident upset over being forced to shovel a sidewalk they have no real access to has the city looking at a possible change. Coun. Brad Sieben says the resident contacted him after last week’s snowfall of about 15 centimetres. The current...
Kelowna councillors split over approval of agri-tourism RV park
KELOWNA – Kelowna councillor Luke Stack warned the City of Kelowna could expect a flood…
Agricultural Land Commission gets under the skin of some Kelowna councillors
KELOWNA - A workshop on agriculture Monday morning, Jan. 11, turned into an opportunity for some Kelowna city councillors to vent their frustration with the Agricultural Land Commission. “If you ask me, it’s ass-backward,” Coun. Maxine DeHart said. DeHart and Coun. Tracy Gray both panned the process where applications by property owners to have land...
Anti-sexual exploitation grant program facing changes in Kelowna
KELOWNA – Kelowna is looking at rolling in its grants for organizations working to end…
Agri-biz in Kelowna under pressure from near and far
KELOWNA - Agri-business is under pressure in Kelowna, facing changes and challenges locally and globally, requiring a new and improved agricultural plan. Forty per cent of the city is within the Agricultural Land Reserve, restricting its use to agriculture and related activities, Kelowna city councillors will hear from staff. “Agricultural land is woven throughout the...
Young fraudster puts up a fight in Kelowna mall
KELOWNA - A young man who is alleged to have used to stolen debit cards to try and tap up a tab at Orchard Park mall, didn’t go down easy when confronted by a police officer. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donaghey says in a media release the 16-year-old boy was arrested Thursday evening, Jan....
Homeless count in Kelowna to provide fresh numbers
KELOWNA – Kelowna will conduct its first homeless count in several years and Randy Benson,…
So what happens when your autistic child grows up?
KELOWNA - It’s called "the cliff" and its something the mother of an autistic child says can keep her awake at night. From birth to age six, a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder is eligible for $22,000 a year to help parents with treatment and intensive intervention. After that, provincial government support drops to...
UPDATE: Bag of drugs, assault rifle lead to charges after man runs from cops
KELOWNA - A Midway man is facing trafficking and weapons charges after fleeing a traffic stop with a bagful of guns, drugs and money. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donaghey reported in a media release on Thursday that 29-year-old Anthony Graham bolted from his black Mercedes SUV after police stopped him Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 6,...
Taxpayers heap abuse on snow removal staff
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Few things, it seems, can bring out the ugly in a person more than a snow covered street. A story posted yesterday with a photo from the perspective of a West Kelowna snowplow driver showed cars parked willy-nilly on a local road, making it virtually impossible to plow. The story touched a nerve and...
New homelessness coordinator will face big challenge in Kelowna
KELOWNA - When Kelowna’s new homeless coordinator is hired sometime this spring, they will find themselves working with a system that local service providers say is bursting at the seams. NOW Canada’s executive director Liz Talbot says the non-profit society’s 20-bed womens shelter has been running well over capacity for months now, even before the...
If your street looks like this, your complaint isn’t with snow plowing
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As snow removal complaints begin to pile up and residents begin pointing fingers, one municipality is pointing the finger right back. The City of West Kelowna sent this picture to local media and posted it to its Facebook page to show residents what snow plow drivers face on a daily basis while trying...
Kelowna truck fire sparks suspicion
KELOWNA - A pair of vehicle fires in the Rutland area, one of them suspicious, has sparked the interest of Kelowna RCMP. Police are considering a fire in a white Chevorlet pickup found in the 500 block of Hollydell Road around 10:30 p.m. yesterday, Jan. 4, suspicious, RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donaghey says. A passing...
Kelowna sees nearly 10 per cent jump in property values
KELOWNA - Homeowners in the Central Okanagan can expect some of the biggest increases in property assessments in the Okanagan region when official notices hit mailboxes this week. B.C. Assessment says the average single-family home in Kelowna went up 9.63 per cent to $567,600, with Lake Country close behind at 9.16 per cent and an...
Police check possible link between Kelowna restaurant robberies
KELOWNA - Police are investigating the possible connection between the robbery of a pizza restaurant on Sunday to a similar incident at a frozen yogurt store last week. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donghey says in a media release investigators are looking at the similarities of the two incidents and will be reviewing security footage...
City of Kelowna clearing main routes during latest snowfall
KELOWNA - City crews are asking for patience and cooperation as they deal with the latest snow fall in Kelowna. City and contract snow removal crews are working non-stop concentrating on priority one and two roads — high traffic main roads and secondary collector roads, according to a media release issued this afternoon, Jan. 4....