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Marshall Jones
News is best when it's local, relevant, timely and interesting. That's our focus every day.
We are on the ground in Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops to bring you the stories that matter most.
Marshall may call West Kelowna home, but after 16 years in local news and 14 in the Okanagan, he knows better than to tell readers in other communities what is "news' to them. He relies on resident reporters to reflect their own community priorities and needs. As the newsroom leader, his job is making those reporters better, ensuring accuracy, fairness and meeting the highest standards of journalism.
Surprise guilty plea in horrific murder case
A man once convicted by a jury of the first-degree murder of an 85-year-old woman in Penticton, only to be awarded a new trial, has now pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder. Corey Wolf Swite, 26, ended his re-trial Monday after almost three months of evidence when B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ian Josephson...
Police target ‘johns’ in sex trade
Kelowna Mounties have turned their focus to the downtown sex trade in recent weeks and arrested buyers, not sellers. Kelowna RCMP General Investigation Section and Downtown Enforcement Unit teamed up earlier this month as "part of a continued initiative by the Kelowna RCMP to reduce crime in Kelowna." They arrested eleven men for Communicating for...
Manslaughter verdict in Ashlee Hyatt murder trial
An 18-year-old West Kelowna girl has been found guilty of manslaughter in the stabbing death of 16-year-old Ashlee Hyatt. The jury returned around 2:20 p.m. today, having deliberated since Friday and found her guilty of manslaughter. Jurors rejected the more serious charge of second-degree murder. A hush came over the 50 or so spectators as...
Vernon bank robber has to do the time
A Vernon bank robber with poor make-up skills got no reprieve from B.C.'s top court. Trafton Michael Zakis, 41, was handed a six-year sentence in January, 2012 for robbing the Vernon Royal Bank in July, 2011. According to a judgement by the B.C. Court of Appeal earlier this month, Zakis glued black fibres to his...
Big White’s ambulance loss is valley’s gain
Reduced ambulance service at Big White this winter will mean increased service to the Central Okanagan, according to the Superintendent for North Okanagan District of B.C. Ambulance Service. Norm Matheson says the service in this area was inspected closely because of concerns raised elsewhere, like West Kelowna. They opted to yank a remote on-call service...
“I didn’t do anything:” accused in Ashlee Hyatt trial
The young woman accused of stabbing 16-year-old Ashlee Hyatt to death told a B.C. Supreme Court jury that she did not kill her and pinned the blame on another girl. Before a packed but hushed courtroom Tuesday and under brisk cross-examination from Crown Counsel Murray Kaay, the defendant denied her alleged role in Hyatt's death....
“I didn’t do anything:” accused in Ashlee Hyatt trial
Update: 1:29 p.m. Before a packed courtroom Tuesday morning, the girl accused in the Ashlee Hyatt murder trial tearfully told a B.C. Supreme Court jury that she did not stab 16-year-old Hyatt to death. The girl, whose name along with the identities of many others at the June 2, 2010 drinking party cannot be named...
Research facility is the first centre of excellence in Okanagan for health-care study
A new centre for research into the causes, consequences and treatments of heart, lung and blood vessel diseases has opened at UBC’s Okanagan campus. The Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, which initially includes two research labs, was officially opened and dedicated today. Cardiovascular, respiratory and cerebrovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause...
Rockets keep rolling with win over Oil Kings
The Kelowna Rockets defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-2 at Prospera Place on Wednesday night, extending its winning streak to four games and winning its fifth straight game at Prospera Place. Sixteen-year-old rookie Rourke Chartier scored the winning goal, ripping a quick wrist shot into the top corner three minutes into the third period, his...
School theft results in big loss for child
A hard-of-hearing student at Pearson Elementary school in Kelowna will suffer the brunt of a recent break-in and theft. Teachers discovered items missing the morning of Oct. 22 after police had been dispatched to the school Friday night when the alarm sounded. While it appears the thieves were interrupted, they still managed to leave with...