Kelowna news
UPDATE: Naramata Centre to close after 70 years
NARAMATA - Naramata Centre, a pillar of the community since the late 1940s, is closing its doors after nine months of labour struggles, declining revenues and a failed plan to push forward. A release late Wednesday, Jan. 21, says the board of directors decided to pull the plug effective immediately, sending some 34 workers represented...
Service planned for Fire Chief’s daughter killed in car wreck
KELOWNA – A memorial service for Alexandra Nyuli, the woman who died last week after her vehicle left the road in Joe Rich and tumbled 100 m down a bank will be held this weekend in Kelowna. Nyuli, who was 21, was one of three daughters of Joe Rich Fire Chief Curtis Nyuli. On Jan....
Kelowna RCMP ‘routinely’ breach privacy during strip searches: Judge
KELOWNA – Kelowna RCMP "routinely" violate the right to privacy of female prisoners during strip searches at the detachment and show "ignorance of the law" on the subject, according to a ruling from a provincial court judge. Judge Ellen Burdett said local Mounties' practice of recording and broadcasting female strip searches to a guard room...
Lake Country to jump on rail corridor purchase if no vote fails
KELOWNA — Lake Country will move ahead quickly with the purchase of its portion of the CN Rail corridor should the alternative approval process succeed, a prospect that seems increasingly likely. “If we’re good and we don’t reach the 931 by noon on Feb. 23 then hopefully we would have a special council meeting on...
Family Day fun events in Kelowna
KELOWNA – It’s family day next Monday and with many people getting a three-day weekend Kelowna has a pile of fun events to make it special. Start the weekend off with a special parent and child floorball game at OKM Secondary Feb. 6. With rules that limit stick contact and physical play, the action is...
Man allegedly wields a hatchet during three Kelowna robberies
KELOWNA - Kelowna RCMP are looking for a single suspect after three local businesses reported last week they'd been robbed by a man wielding a hatchet-like weapon. The first incident happened Jan. 25 at 6:22 p.m. at Okanagan Video located at 431 Highway 33 west. Officers were told a man came in with a hammer...
City keeps cultural incubator cooking, gives out cash grants
KELOWNA - If there was an elephant in the room, Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran addressed it directly. “A lot of times people think ‘there goes the city spending money on culture’ without having the complete picture of what creative culture does for our community,” said the Mayor, as council received a report outlining $180,000 in...
No bad roads, only bad drivers say police after Hwy 33 hairpin accidents
KELOWNA - A spate of accidents near the eight-mile hairpin turn on Highway 33 are more of a sign of bad driving than a dangerous road, say Kelowna RCMP. The latest accident, where a Chevy Cruz fish-tailed into a logging truck, is the type of incident that could be avoided if drivers would follow the...
Accused Winfield 7/Eleven robber now charged with assaulting cop
LAKE COUNTRY - The man accused of robbing the Lake Country 7-Eleven at gunpoint is in bigger trouble after allegedly assaulting a police officer and breaching the conditions of his release. The armed robbery happened January 21 just before 3 a.m. at the 7-Eleven at 9724 Highway 97, according to an RCMP media release. The...
Fall in love with all the Valentine’s Day events in Kelowna
KELOWNA – Whether you’ve got a date or arrange or are looking to meet someone new Kelowna has Valentines Day events for everyone. For those looking to make a new friend for Valentines Day, Lake City Casino is hosting Planet Luv Valentines mixer two days before the most romantic day of the year. The mixer...
City doing swimmingly despite economic uncertainty
KELOWNA - The rest of the world may be in financial turmoil, but Kelowna continues to do fine, at least as measured by our performance as a community last quarter. “There is lots of volatility in the global economic climate,” the city’s community planning director Doug Gilchrist told council, while presenting them with positive numbers...
Black ice causes roll over on Casorso Road
KELOWNA - Black ice is to blame for a single vehicle roll over near Swamp Road Sunday night, according to RCMP on the scene. The accident happened between the roundabouts on Casorso Road when the driver lost control of her late model Jeep while travelling west. It came to rest at the bottom of a...
Economic Development Commission hires new boss from within
KELOWNA – The search to replace the Economic Development Commission manager has come to an end and the headhunters didn’t have to look far. Business Development Coordinator Corie Griffiths has been promoted to the to commission’s top job. The current manager, Robert Fine, is leaving the Central Okanagan Regional District in March to take a...
Big bucks on big plans for bikes and pedestrians in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - West Kelowa is pushing ahead to improve and upgrade its pedestrian and bike path network with an ambitious plan both to make cycling and walking easier and to find ways to help pay for it. West Kelowna council saw the first draft of the 20-year pedestrian and bicyle path plan this week,...
City councillor Hodge could be out of hospital this weekend
KELOWNA – City councillor Charlie Hodge is on the mend and could be released from hospital soon, says his wife Teresa Hodge, although it’s not clear when he will return to work. "Charlie is slowly feeling better and we hope he can come home very soon,” she says. "Doctor will decide when he is ready...