Julie Whittet

Julie Whittet

Another look-alike logo in Kelowna

WE'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE... With Kelowna Secondary School dropping its mascot logo last week after complaints of copyright violation, it wouldn't be the first time a not so original motif found its way into the city.  While the school was caught infringing on the trademark belonging to Philadelphia's Temple University, some of Kelowna's most iconic...

Elections 2013: Mike McLoughlin on the struggle to keep doctors in Kelowna

A trip to Mike McLoughlin's campaign headquarters feels a lot like a visit to the doctor's office. That's because for the past few months local conservatives candidates have been working out of a medical clinic. McLoughlin says he opened the Rutland clinic with his wife in 2008, along with a clinic at the Real Canadian...

Kelowna innovator gets tech-savvy youth thinking with their phones

"Career preparedness” isn't the most enticing pair of words to your average 20-year-old but Kelowna tech expert Kristin Garn is on a mission to change that. Her solution is Mathtoons, a free mobile app she developed and it has gained her recognition as one of Canada's top 20 female entrepreneurs. The app provides young students from...

Election 2013: Tish Lakes on the inside of Kelowna’s struggles in housing, welfare

Up until a couple weeks ago Tish Lakes didn't have an election campaign on her agenda. But a surprising turn of events ousting Kelowna-Mission's former NDP candidate has Lakes strategizing how she will govern the next four year term. Having ran as a federal candidate for Lake Country in 2008 gives her an advantage. Many...

First of May brings sun and song to Kelowna’s lakefront

Yesterday's ice showers were a distant memory with the sun-soaked hint of summer on Kelowna's downtown waterfront this afternoon. Busker Eldon Blanchard came out from Winfield to set up his speakers and strum country tunes with fellow guitarist Roberto Rivera. "We just started last week," he says. "We'll be here pretty well every afternoon Wednesday...

Kelowna’s kicking cop believed suspect was armed and dangerous

The injuries to Buddy Tavares after being kicked by former RCMP officer Geoff Mantler are well-known, but until the Monday sentencing hearing, we knew far less about Mantler. Since the video of the incident went viral on YouTube in 2011, with backlash spreading across social media sites, Mantler has left his life in Kelowna behind....

100-year-old Kelowna house could be new home for renters

A century old building in South Central Kelowna may soon open its doors to a new generation of tenants. Kelowna city councillors are considering an application that would designate the Elliott Street Copeland House a heritage site while also re-opening the building's rental apartments. The two and a half storey wood-frame house sitting at 784...

Kicking cop not likely to get jail time

A former Kelowna RCMP officer caught on video kicking a man during an arrest will be sentenced in Provincial Court this afternoon but it appears he won't be looking at time in jail. The Crown is requesting a suspended sentence for officer Geoff Mantler, for him to complete an 18-month probation period and to undergo...

Urban car sharing gets a test-drive in Kelowna

The Okanagan Car Share Co-op will be getting three free parking stalls from the City of Kelowna. The one-year pilot project is set to launch at the end of May, giving prospective commuters the option to buy into a shared car service membership. Two of the parking spots are located in the memorial arena parkade...

Library parkade to be downtown Kelowna’s next cultural gem

BUT PROJECT IS ALREADY $2.4 MILLION OVER BUDGET AND HASN'T STARTED YET The big-budget expansion of Kelowna's library parkade will house more than vehicles. The latest design plans for the $6.4 million expansion call for architecture that melds with public art and ground level shops along the building frontage on Ellis Street. The project now...

Elections 2013: Mike Nuyens a business man, union guy and orchardist

From business owners to road workers and fruit growers, Mike Nuyens says he knows his Lake Country constituents well. While often portrayed as a 'union guy' in the media, he says that's only part of his story. His first job was working alongside his father on their orchard in Lake Country, where he was born...

Kelowna man disappears after collecting paycheck

Kelowna RCMP are looking for a local man who went missing two weeks ago after picking up his paycheck from his employer. The 39-year-old man is identified as Christopher Shawn Kuhnke and went missing Sunday, April 14. Apparently Kuhnke went to collect his paycheck from a Kelowna construction company he was working for, but has...

Pest control kicks in with first orchard blossoms

As the Okanagan's fruit trees begin to blossom, pest control officers will soon be checking their traps for codling moths. Officers will squish the moths, looking for the red dye that marks their sterile breed. Since the introduction of Kelowna's area-wide pest management program, the once devastating insect is now sequestered to smaller areas of...

From Peru to Kelowna: local fireman trains across borders

The Kelowna Fire Department has their training officer Glenn Paley back in action. Paley was out Thursday night fighting house fires in Kelowna, but just over a week ago he was making fire calls in Lima, Peru. Last Saturday Paley returned from a two-week mission to train Peru's volunteer fire service – the bomberos. He...

Ballet Kelowna tip-toes past financial setback

Despite announcements last month Ballet Kelowna would be closing its doors, things are suddenly looking up for the dance school. Under the guidance of a new board of directors the 2013-14 artistic season is going ahead. Ballerinas graced the Kelowna Community Theatre stage last night for the benefit concert Dancing with Friends. Initially the school...