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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
Health authority hard hit by influenza last season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Southern Interior was hard hit by influenza last season with a jump in confirmed cases and deaths. But at the same time, the flu season here in the Interior Health Authority was typical of what the rest of Canada experienced. Dr. Gillian Frosst, an epidemiolgist with the heatlh authority, told the board...
Kelowna water utility may soon be forced to restrict use
KELOWNA - As drought-like conditions persist throughout the province people are being asked to cut back on water use, which means water restrictions could be around the corner for Kelowna water utility customers, who have not yet faced restrictions this summer. The province has declared a level three drought in the Okanagan and is sending...
Search for missing Okanagan Mountain Park campers called off
OKANAGAN - A search for whoever left behind a tent and a cooler in Okanagan Mountain Park has been called off. RCMP were called about the abandoned camping equipment found near the shoreline between Goode’s Creek and Van Hyce Beach on Friday, July 17. A note left behind said the mystery campers had left July 7...
Kelowna Fire Department rescues exhausted cops from Okanagan Lake
KELOWNA - A lake rescue took a dangerous turn last night when the drunken victim turned on a couple of Kelowna RCMP officers trying to save her. Exhausted by the struggle, the two cops had to hang onto a bouy in Okanagan Lake until rescued by the Fire Department’s marine unit. Police were called out...
Petition calls for new Kelowna dog beach but city says its not easy to find right location
KELOWNA - An online petition is calling for a second dog beach in a North End Kelowna park but the city says its not as simple as just putting up a fence and few signs. The petition on Change.org has over 600 signatures of people who think at least a portion of Sutherland Park on Ellis...
Yoga fundraiser planned for Kelowna woman killed in car crash
KELOWNA - A deep friendship cut short has pushed a Kelowna woman to help out her friend's family. Anna Mandl says she knew Chantal Bazin since elementary school. Bazin is the young woman who was killed last weekend along with Kayla Cartwright in a car crash on Highway 97 in Vernon. “I’ve known Chantal since...
Clerk assaulted during robbery of religious supply store
KELOWNA - Apparently this guy doesn’t believe in divine retribution. RCMP are looking for a man who assaulted a store clerk during the robbery of Loaves and Fishes Book and Church Supply yesterday afternoon, July 16. The man came into the store around 1:30 p.m. and began helping himself to silver and gold crosses, pendants...
Kelowna cyclist dies after collision with car door
KELOWNA - A local cyclist has succumbed to injuries she suffered when someone opened a car door in front of her bike. Patricia Keenan, 38, was cycling behind a friend on Bernard Avenue Tuesday evening, July 14, just past Ethel Street when the incident happened. Police say Keenan was wearing a helmet but the force...
ELECTION 2015: Liberals and Greens join forces in Kelowna to take down Conservative Cannan
KELOWNA - Local Green Party members have chosen to back Liberal candidate Stephen Fuhr in the upcoming federal election. Greens in the Kelowna-Lake Country riding made the decision last night after Fuhr agreed to incorporate key planks from the Green platform into his campaign. Although the national Green Party office has yet to give its...
CrocTalk reptiles on the move to new homes
KELOWNA - Over half of CrocTalk’s animals are on the move and heading for a new home. Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo is reporting in a Facebook post 10 of the 18 crocodilians boarded a Westjet flight in Vancouver this morning bound for Ottawa. “Stay tuned for photos of them being uncrated in Ottawa and us...
What happens when your music becomes noise in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Nothing spurs political action like personal experience. When Kelowna city bylaw officers shut down a garden concert last weekend by local legends The Cruzeros, city councillor Charlie Hodge was in the front row. “It was not over the top. The didn’t even have the full band. There were no drums,” Hodge says. When...
Aboriginal forestry business gets boost from federal funding
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Aboriginal-owned forest sector companies in B.C. and Alberta will soon enjoy technical support and business advice from Western Economic Diversification Canada. Western diversification minister Michelle Rempel announced during a press conference at the Westbank First Nation corporate offices in West Kelowna that private company FP Innovations would receive $1.8 million to deliver educational...
Thieves steal van to commit another crime
KELOWNA - Thieves doubled down early this morning, July 15, first stealing a van and then using it to commit another crime. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Steve Holmes said in press release someone broke into a locked compound in the 700 block of Evans Court some over night and stole a white 2007 Ford Econoline...
Beach service remembers young women killed in Vernon crash
OKANAGAN - Friends and family flooded a local beach in memory of the two young Kelowna women killed Saturday night in Vernon. Kayla Cartwright, 26 and Chantal Bazin, 22, died July 11 when the car they were driving crossed the centre line on Highway 97 in Vernon and hit an oncoming vehicle. But Jeff Cartwright,...
Mountain Equipment Co-op coming to Kelowna
KELOWNA - Outdoor enthusiasts will soon have another option when shopping for outdoor gear, Mountain Equipment Co-op has announced it is coming to Kelowna next spring. The legendary Vancouver outdoor outfitter will open a 20,000-square-foot location in the former Future Shop location in Orchard Plaza Shopping Centre in Kelowna. In addition to its outdoor products,...
Sweet ending to mystery of the missing ice cream cone
KELOWNA - The owners of a giant ice cream cone have been reunited with their over-sized sweet treat, stolen from outside their ice cream and candy store on Bernard Avenue. “We’re just happy that someone called and we got it back,” Meaghan Ross, an employee of Sweet Cravings and daughter of Ken Ross who owns...
West Kelowna considering lifeguards in Gellatly Bay
WEST KELOWNA - Lifeguards could soon be watching over swimmers at the CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay. West Kelowna staff have outlined in an information report possible options and the cost of hiring lifeguards to watch over the popular swimming spot during the busy summer months. The wharf was reconstructed in 2014, adding in jumping...
RCMP divers search waters around CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay
WEST KELOWNA - RCMP divers are searching the waters around the CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay but the won’t say what they are looking for or what investigation the search is tied to. “All I can say is that it is related to an investigation,” Const. Steve McBride, the senior officer on the scene, says....
Man in jail after starting a fire in a Kelowna law office
KELOWNA - Police don’t have a motive for why a man tried to start a fire inside a downtown law firm earlier today. RCMP media spokesman Const. Steve Holmes says the man entered the Pihl Law Corporation building at 1465 Ellis St. and started a fire in some clothing on the third floor at about...
Boat sinks itself doing stunts on Okanagan Lake
KELOWNA - A boat that sunk Sunday night in Okanagan Lake may have sunk itself by doing doughnuts. “That’s what it looks like. On a calm surface, you won’t have much issue but if you do doughnuts, you’re now churning up the water and creating an unstable situation for the boat,” RCMP spokesman Const. Steve...
Hey Kelowna, is this your giant ice cream cone?
KELOWNA - RCMP are looking to find the rightful owner of a giant ice cream cone and admit they are ‘licked' without further information. A Bertram Street resident woke early yesterday morning, July 12, to find a large ice cream cone sitting on his front lawn, according to police spokesman Const. Steve Holmes. “The homeowner...
Water board wants more control over what people do in watersheds
OKANAGAN - In an effort to put a stop to mud-bogging and pit toilets near reservoirs, the local water board is supporting a call for greater control over source watersheds. “The board wants our members to have more control and the province to give more support to water utilities to protect the quality of their...
Changing demographics could force school closure in Rutland
KELOWNA - It’s been years since it last happened and there’s no guarantee yet that it will, but in the face of static enrolment and ever-tighter budgets the Central Okanagan School District is once again looking at possible school closures. “I would suggest the next possible school closure would be in the Rutland area,” school...
Unemployment ticks upward in Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - Unemployment in the Central Okanagan has jumped in the last six months however the number of job hunters remains well below the national average. In its latest labour force survey, Statistics Canada is reporting an unemployment rate of 4.5 per cent in the Kelowna census area, up six basis points from last month...