Kelowna news
Firefighters investigate report of smoke at Executive House apartment complex
KELOWNA - Firefighters weren't taking any chances following a report of smoke coming from a fourth floor unit at the Executive House apartment complex this afternoon. Emergency crews were called out at roughly 3 p.m. Feb. 24. According to Kelowna Fire and Rescue Platoon Capt. Tim Light, the smoke was the result of a cigarette...
No such thing as free parking; budget for parkade expansion takes off
KELOWNA - City councillors have found out what the rest of us have known for years — that parking doesn’t come cheap in Kelowna. City staff have asked council to transfer $762,000 from the future Ellis St. parkade budget to the current Library parkade expansion, allowing the project to be complete for summer, 2016. The...
Kelowna woman charged after trying to smuggle 35 kg of cocaine into B.C.
WEST KELOWNA – A large amount of drugs found in a hidden compartment in the trunk of a car over the summer have led to charges against a Kelowna woman. Charges of were laid against Caitlin Christine Gladdish, 26, over the weekend for trying to bring more than 35 kilograms of cocaine into Trail, B.C....
What Colin Basran had during the election that rival Sharon Shepherd didn’t
KELOWNA — The 2014 mayoral race in Kelowna, which quickly came down to current councillor Colin Basran versus former mayor Sharon Shepherd, was billed as youth versus experience. It might have been better pegged as 'have' and 'have-not.' Winner, and now Mayor, Basran outspent Shepherd well over three to one, raising through contributions almost $76,000...
Make sure you know the rules before using Curtis Road
KELOWNA - Over the past five years, the use of the easement roadway through the Curtis Road subdivision west of campus has been the subject of Court proceedings. In May 2012, the Court ordered that the Curtis Road easement could only be used by UBC students and employees who have classes or employment in the...
Respect the sports fields closure
KELOWNA - The City of Kelowna would like to remind residents that the City’s sports fields are still closed, despite the warm weather and sunny skies. The grass needs to be actively growing and the fields need to dry out to ensure the best quality turf for players during the spring season. The fields are...
UPDATE: Cache of guns, Hell’s Angels paraphernalia found on traffic stop: Crown
KELOWNA – Whether or not Hell’s Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak knew he was in a vehicle full of guns when he was arrested Nov. 25, 2010 was the focus of the opening day of his Supreme Court trial Wednesday morning. Skreptak, who was arrested shortly after 10 that night along with three other men, is...
Hells Angel and friend get five years for gun charges
KELOWNA – Two men with ties to the Hells Angels were each sentenced to five years in jail Tuesday for getting caught carrying an arsenal of weapons in 2010. Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak, 52, and alleged gang associate Cory Montemurro, 44, were pulled over November 25, 2010 after leaving a legal marijuana grow operation...
Kelowna Hell’s Angel gets jail time for brutal beating
KELOWNA - A self-acknowleged Hell's Angels member from Kelowna was sentenced to two years and two months in prison today. Joseph Bruce Skreptak pleaded guilty to an unprovoked assault on the father of a young boy he suspected of stealing from him. On November 1, 2010. Skreptak and four of his Hell's Angels associates arrived...
Hells Angel sentencing could be postponed until after Christmas
KELOWNA - What was supposed to be a day of final submissions ahead of sentencing has turned into a multi-day examination into the lives of two men convicted of multiple weapons charges. Admitted Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak and alleged gang associate Cory Montemurro asked to postpone sentencing until early January so they can spend...
No pillows: Kelowna Hell’s Angel complains about prison
"HE WAS NOT ON HOLIDAY AT A FIVE-STAR RESORT:" CROWN A Hell's Angels member due to be sentenced for beating a man in 2010 is now seeking a reduced jail sentence because of tough times in prison while waiting for sentencing. On November 1, 2010 Joseph Bruce Skreptak and four of his Hell's Angels associates...
Hells Angel found guilty on weapons charges
KELOWNA – The public may never know what would have happened had four armed men not been pulled over for speeding two years ago—but what police found inside the vehicle that night was enough to convict two of them of almost a dozen charges. Full patch Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak and alleged gang associate...
Judge denies Hells Angel’s request to change judges for sentencing
KELOWNA - Full patch Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak and alleged gang associate Cory Montemurro's application to have a different judge sentence them was denied in Kelowna Supreme Court Tuesday. Two months ago, both men were found guilty of almost a dozen weapons charges after they were pulled over by police in November 2010 with a cache...
How the city is going to try to make it easier for tourists in downtown Kelowna this summer
KELOWNA - Summer in downtown in Kelowna is going to be all about construction, traffic congestion and scarce parking as the city deals with an unusual number of big, building projects. “The biggest concern is construction during the summer when the volumes are highest and parking stalls are used the most,” Purvez Irani says. He's...
Trailer Park Boys actors sell out show in Kelowna
KELOWNA – A couple of cast members from the hit Canadian TV show The Trailer Park Boys were in Kelowna for a sold-out comedy show Thursday night. Around 250 people packed the Habitat for the adults-only show featuring actors John Dunsworth, better known as the drunken manager of Sunnyvale Trailer Park Jim Lahey and his...