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Kelowna news

Students pass exam speaking traditional Nsyilxcn language

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Two Westbank First Nation students have completed an oral exam aimed at preserving their traditional language. Jordan Coble and Flynn Wetton completed their first exam that is part of a four-year Nsyilxcn language program that began in September 2015. The exam was given in front of fellow students, teachers and visitors on Nov....

Kelowna to give some love to 14,000 street lights

KELOWNA - Most people don’t think much about street lights unless they happen to crash their car into one of them. Kelowna has 14,000 street lights with a replacement value of $23 million, Kelowna council heard during budget deliberations today, Dec. 17. Many of the lights, however, are past their service life and require maintenance...

Kelowna’s gift to you is a weekend of fun events

KELOWNA - With only a week left before Christmas, it's time to start shopping and get pictures taken with Santa. Luckily there are plenty of events happening around Kelowna this weekend to help get those items crossed off your to-do list. The second annual Mission Hall Christmas Market is a great place to get last...

Good chance of a white Christmas in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Mother Nature looks prepared to give us a white Christmas this year, with a snow overnight and at least a chance of snow expected every day this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for snowfall to end this morning, Dec. 18, and will be followed by a chance of rain or flurries later today....

Public safety top of mind as Kelowna council approves tax increase

KELOWNA - Taxpayers will likely face a property tax increase of 4.12 per cent after city council passed the 2016 provisional city budget. The increase is heavy on public safety as more than half the increase of about $6 million is dedicated to hiring more police and bylaw officers while moving ahead with construction of...

City of Kelowna playing catch-up on roads after pothole complaints go up

KELOWNA - Ignore potholes in your roads and they will come back to haunt you. That’s the lesson Kelowna city council took away after approving $3.4 million for road resurfacing in the 2016 budget. Councillors heard the annual roads resurfacing program has been underfunded for several years as the city focused on other priorities. Complaints...

$1M Lotto ticket sold in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN – Someone in the Okanagan is one million dollars richer after getting an exact match in the Lotto 6/49 Guaranteed Prize Draw Breakdown yesterday, Dec. 16. According to the 6/49 website, the prize has yet to be claimed but was sold somewhere in the Okanagan. Guaranteed Prize draw prizes are not shared with other...

Rutland couple doing their part to help Salvation Army reach goal

KELOWNA – A couple who just moved to Kelowna is using their talent for Christmas decorating to help a local charity that is well short of its goal for the season. Ken and Julia Berry live at 875 Theodora Rd. in Rutland. Although new to the Okanagan they are already planning to make a big...

Kelowna Fire Department to buy four new trucks for $1.6M

KELOWNA - The Kelowna Fire Department is going to get a bunch of new trucks in 2016. The city will spend $1.6 million next year replacing four of the department’s service vehicles, including $1.33 million for two new fire engines. That will buy the department two engines; an $810,000 replacement for engine four, a 1996...

Accused Kelowna trailer park killer released on bail

KELOWNA – The Kelowna man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in April 2014 has been released on bail. Ryan James Quigley, 36, has been in custody since he was arrested at a residence on Coronation Avenue on April 4, three days after the body of Amy Jane Parkes was found inside a mobile home on...

Curriculum change the first challenge for new Central Okanagan superintendent

KELOWNA - The incoming superintendent of the Central Okanagan School District praised his predecessor Hugh Gloster even as he acknowledged some of the challenges the district is facing. Top among them is the province-wide introduction of the new curriculum, something Supt. Kevin Kaardal acknowledged today, Dec. 16, at a media event with school board chairperson...

Tragedies compound for West Kelowna, Vernon families

CHILD STILL RECOVERING FROM CAR ACCIDENT, GRANDMA IN COMA FOLLOWING SEPARATE ACCIDENT KELOWNA - The Vernon woman who was hit by a car at a crosswalk over the weekend is the grandmother of the eight-year-old West Kelowna boy who was dragged by a van in front of his parents this past summer. Jonah Pevach, an...

Kelowna councillors face hard choice in hiring more police officers

KELOWNA - Kelowna city councillors are facing a hard choice in the 2016 budget — hire all six police officers recommended by formula, or hire just three for now even though street crime has increased over the past year. Councillors are already facing a 4.11 per cent increase on the 2016 budget, of which 1.97 per...

She taught hundreds how to defraud the government but says she is the victim

"SHE WAS THE FACE, THE VOICE AND THE BRAIN BEHIND (THE SCHEME)." KELOWNA – The woman who helped hundreds of people defraud the government of millions of dollars in taxes between 2007 and 2012 claims she is the victim and begged the judge not to send her to jail. This summer, a Supreme Court jury found...

UPDATE: Kelowna man located

UPDATE: 9:38 A.M., DEC. 16, 2015 RCMP say Randy Burns has been located and is safe and sound. Personal details and photo have been removed from this story. 2:58 P.M., DEC. 15, 2015 KELOWNA - Randy Burns, 46, was last seen Nov. 28 by a family member, Kelowna RCMP say in a press release. Anyone...

Central Okanagan director censured, sanctioned and stripped of most duties

KELOWNA - Regional politicians took a rare step today in censuring and sanctioning one of their own, demanding she write an apology and stripping her of the ability to represent her area on several committees. All but three Central Okanagan Regional District directors voted to rebuke Central Okanagan East director Patty Hanson and have her...

Kelowna councillors to pore over budget during all-day review

KELOWNA - Preliminary projections place the 2016 budget increase for the City of Kelowna at 4.11 per cent, more than a $6 million increase on taxation.  That number is based on a 2.14 per cent increase for city operations and capital projects, City manager Ron Mattiussi said in a report to council Monday, plus a...

Kelowna RCMP looking for missing local man

KELOWNA -The public’s help is needed in locating a local man last seen more than a week ago. Peter Schouten was last seen on Dec. 4 and his family and RCMP are concerned about him as he lives a high-risk lifestyle. Schouten is described as a 50-year-old Caucasian man, 5’8’’ tall and 170 lbs. He...

Quadriplegic man says city doesn’t care about his parking plight

KELOWNA - The family of a quadriplegic man seeking to turn their front yard into parking for his lift-equipped van will not be satisfied with anything less. Because of that, Ann and Roy Penrose have refused an offer from the city to waive the $700 fee and have them appear before council to argue their...

He would have got away if it wasn’t for that meddling police helicopter

KELOWNA – An unlucky thief was caught red-handed hiding in a doorway in Kelowna this afternoon when a police helicopter that just happened to be passing by helped thwart his escape from Orchard Park Shopping Centre. Sometime after 3 p.m., Dec. 14, the loss prevention officers at Orchard Park Mall chased a man they believed...

Theft from vehicles up 35 per cent last month

KELOWNA – RCMP are once again reminding residents to lock their vehicles after reports of theft jumped 35 per cent last month. Cpl. Joe Duncan says compared with the same month last year, theft from vehicles went from 143 in November 2014 to 193 last month. “Obviously it’s been a huge issue,” he says. According...