Kelowna news
Okanagan rail corridor proponents pledge $5 million for community trail
VERNON - A citizens group has committed to raising $5 million to build a rail trail from Vernon to Kelowna if local municipalities secure the land. Brad Clements of the Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative says several community members have already expressed interest in making donations toward the creation of the trail. “People say, 'Let us...
ReStore opens Kelowna location
KELOWNA – After a very successful year in West Kelowna, Habitat for Humanity has opened another ReStore in the Central Okanagan, this time in Kelowna. Executive Director Deb Guthrie says the Kelowna ReStore, which takes in items donated from the public, resells them and uses the profits to build homes for families in need, is even bigger...
Neighbours fight crime with Block Watch program
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - In a world where social media provides almost instantaneous connections, an anti-crime program that relies on email and the telephone for neighbours to stay connected seems almost anachronistic. But that’s the model the Block Watch program still uses in British Columbia and local crime prevention coordinator Duane MacTavish says it is doing...
Three Rockets make NHL Central Scouting rankings
KELOWNA - The National Hockey League Central Scouting rankings are out for the 2015 draft and three Rockets have made the list this year. Nick Merkley sits at 23rd among North American skaters. The Calgary native has 90 points in 72 games this season and has already tallied six points in four playoff games. With...
Evicted Jubilee mobile home park tenants found a way to move their home
KELOWNA – It cost them their entire life savings, but evicted Westbank tenants Ross Arnot and Ed Schneider found a way to keep their home. They just have to figure out where to put it. Last January, Arnot, 65, and Schneider, 67, were evicted from their pad rental at 144 in Jubilee Mobile Home Park and given...
Long Island Medium coming to Kelowna
KELOWNA – A popular TV psychic will be making an appearance in Kelowna next month. Theresa Caputo, star of the hit TLC show Long Island Medium, will perform live at Prospera Place Tuesday, June 9. According to a media release, Caputo will give interactive readings to audience members throughout the show as well as share...
Province pledges $7.2M for CN Rail corridor purchase
KELOWNA - There are some strings attached, but the provincial government is pledging $7.2 million to help make the purchase of the CN Rail corridor a reality. The money is conditional on a successful referendum in Lake Country later this month, according to a press release from the province Tuesday, April 7. “We believe in the...
Provincial support for Okanagan rail trail may sway voters, but not Okanagan Indian Band
VERNON - While a recent funding announcement from the provincial government may entice some Lake Country voters towards a yes vote in an upcoming borrowing referendum, the Okanagan Indian Band is warning governments not to celebrate just yet. Premier Christy Clark announced a $7.2 million pledge for the acquisition of the Okanagan Rail corridor the...
Dog that mauled its owner ordered euthanized
KELOWNA – A dangerous dog that sent one of his owners to hospital for two days with severe bites late last year will be euthanized by court order. “The wounds are deep, bloody and gruesome,” writes Judge Jane Cartwright in her decision today, April 8. “It is clear that Loki’s attack on his owner was...
Death no longer considered suspicious: RCMP
KELOWNA - RCMP say they still believe Jacqueline Abaku died suddenly in her Glenmore home last week but are no longer calling it suspicious. RCMP Cpl. Joe Duncan says the B.C. Coroners Service conducted an autopsy last week but could not confirm the reason for the change. "They're classifying it now as a sudden death,"...
UPDATE: Police say man sought in ‘inappropriate’ pictures did nothing wrong
LAKE COUNTRY - Photos found on a second-hand camera purchased in Lake Country had RCMP looking for the man found among ‘inappropriate’ photos, but after finding him yesterday, say he was not related. A Lake Country woman called police when she ‘discovered some inappropriate photos’ on a child's camera she purchased it second-hand on March...
Lake Country referendum could prove pivotal in closing CN Rail corridor deal
KELOWNA - The provincial government recently pledged more than $7 million for the CN Rail corridor purchase but it does nothing to solve Lake Country’s shortfall of $2.6 million. It may also have created a new problem — voter apathy in Lake Country where a yes vote for the purchase is still critical to the deal...
Rail corridor in doubt as Okanagan Indian Band takes land claim to court
VERNON - The Okanagan Indian Band is filing a notice of claim in B.C. Supreme Court, asserting aboriginal title to a portion of the discontinued CN rail corridor between Lake Country and Vernon. It’s part of the same rail corridor local municipalities are working towards purchasing for conversion into a trail, but Okanagan Indian Band...
Fourth Kelowna fighter signs with UFC
KELOWNA – Another member of Kelowna’s Team Toshido has been signed to the UFC. Shane “Shaolin” Campbell, 28, who came to Kelowna from Edmonton five months ago, is a 6’ lightweight with a professional record of 11-2. With a background in Muay Thai, Campbell has fought around 90 times in the ten years since he...
WHL PLAYOFFS: Rockets blank Royals in second round opener
KELOWNA - The Kelowna Rockets defeated the Victoria Royals 5-0 on Friday night as Kelowna opened their second round WHL playoff series with a victory at Prospera Place. After a scoreless first period, the Rockets scored twice in the second and three more times in the third, outshooting Victoria 44-20 to take a 1-0 series...