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Kelowna news
Kelowna author’s first book nominated for Giller Prize
KELOWNA - Okanagan College professor and novelist Alix Hawley has been nominated for Canada’s most prestigious literary award. Hawley’s first novel All True Not A Lie In It has made it on the long-list for the Giller Prize. Her work of fiction has already won the national Amazon.ca First Novel Award. Hawley's book recounts the...
Near-record heat this weekend in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - After a week of near-normal high temperatures the mercury is expected to again hit the 30 Celsius mark throughout the region this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for highs of 29 C and 30 C today, Sept. 11, and Saturday throughout the Okanagan, well above the seasonal normal high of 21 C. The...
More than 30,000 Kelowna students find their seats this week
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Thousands of students found their way to new classrooms this week as school resumed at all levels. UBC Okanagan says some 8,400 students began classes this week, while several thousand more started at Okanagan College and another 22,000 started grade school in the Central Okanagan School District. In a press release, UBCO says...
Etsy craft market coming to Kelowna
KELOWNA - For the second year in a row, Kelowna crafters can get their Etsy fix in real life, instead of through a computer. On Sept. 26, Etsy: Made in Canada will be at Sandhill Winery for a free crafters market featuring handmade items from more than 30 Canadian artisans. Last year roughly 3,000 people...
SNELSON TRIAL: Killer’s sentence depends on finding of sexual assault argument
KAMLOOPS —It’s been almost 22 years since the night Neil Snelson killed college student Jennifer Cusworth after a party in Kelowna in 1993 and now Cusworth's family has one week left to find out how long he'll spend in prison. The 19-year-old Cusworth was found dead in a ditch on Swamp Road in Kelowna in...
ELECTION 2015: Green Party candidate puts fishing on hold while he attempts to reel in voters
WEST KELOWNA - Green party candidate Robert Mellalieu decided to run for MP when his 19-year-old son started getting into politics. “We homeschool and that’s how this all came to be. He asked who I was going to vote for so we took a list of candidates and started highlighting the things we agreed with....
UPDATE: Kelowna man missing for three weeks has been found
KELOWNA - A 57-year-old man last seen Aug. 20 has now been found. — This story was updated at 7:14 p.m. to report that he was found. Previous information about him and his vehicle has been removed. To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an...
New murder charge laid in connection with Vernon death
VERNON - Police have arrested a third person for murder in connection with the death of 42-year-old Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park Aug. 26. Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, from Greater Vernon, was arrested in Kamloops Sept. 9 and charged with one count of second degree murder. He was scheduled to...
Nine years later RCMP still investigating West Kelowna murder
WEST KELOWNA - A man was found murdered in his Stuart Street home nine years ago today and RCMP are still looking for witnesses to help with their investigation. On Sept. 10, 2006, the body of 33-year-old Adam Fettes, also known as Mikel Jones, was found in his West Kelowna home. Police continue to investigate...
Province suspends fishing in Salmon Arm Bay
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The province is suspending fishing in Salmon Arm Bay where the Salmon River and Shuswap Lake meet. This action is because of conservation concerns and low stream flows. Effective this weekend, Sept. 11, until the end of the year, all fishing in Salmon Arm Bay west of Engineer's Point and Sunnybrae Point is...
SNELSON TRIAL: Kelowna Killer to be sentenced (again) for 1993 manslaughter of college student
KAMLOOPS - A Kelowna man who killed a female party guest in 1993 is due back in court today, Sept. 10, to be sentenced for manslaughter. In June, a Kamloops jury convicted Neil George Snelson of manslaughter in the death of Jennifer Cusworth. The 19-year-old's body was found in a ditch on Kelowna's Swamp...
RCMP issue warning over persistent phone scammers in the Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Residents are being reminded to watch for red flags if they get a call from someone claiming to be from Revenue Canada. Clues the call may be a scam include getting pressured by the person to pay taxes immediately over the phone, or being threatened that police will come and arrest them if...
Here’s your first look at the Hopkins movie shot around the Okanagan
VERNON - Enderby debuts on the cinematic world stage this week at the Venice Film Festival, but for those of us without a plane ticket, at least there’s a sneak peak video to be seen. A teaser from Go With Me, produced by Enderby Entertainment and filmed locally, is now available. It offers up a...
Witnesses say Kelowna driver who critically injured cyclist was drinking, distracted and lied to police
"CAN YOU COME HELP ME STAND UP BECAUSE I'VE JUST BEEN HIT BY A TRUCK" KELOWNA – A cyclist who was hit by a truck and critically injured in Rutland last week told his girlfriend police have the wrong man pegged as the driver. Jill Hamer, 40, had just left dinner with her common-law husband...
Big Brother Canada stars spend the weekend in Peachland
KELOWNA - Stars of the Canadian version of the TV game show Big Brother were in Peachland over the weekend, meeting fans and signing autographs. Davis Cove Lakeshore Resort manager Shelley Peach originally arranged for 13 houseguests to come to her resort after missing an opportunity to meet them in Vancouver in the spring. She...
Kelowna RCMP call gunshot victim’s story ‘inconsistent’
KELOWNA – A spokesperson for the RCMP says the story a Kelowna man is telling local media about how he came to be shot in Rutland over the weekend doesn’t add up. Cpl. Joe Duncan says Kelowna RCMP were called to reports of gunfire in the 1400 block of Terai Road on Sunday, Sep. 6....
ELECTION 2015: Harper to visit Kamloops next week
KAMLOOPS - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is tentatively scheduled to come to Kamloops next week. The Conservative Party of Canada is releasing limited information, but a spokesperson confirmed the Conservative leader will be in the region on Monday, Sept. 14. Details on if and when an event is to take place will be confirmed 24...
Kamloops and Kelowna among top places in Canada for job seekers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops and Kelowna have managed to crack the top-20 in a survey noting 50 of the hottest local job markets in Canada. Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency with operations in Canada, the U.S. and South Africa, released its second annual Top 50 Hot Job Markets survey this week. The survey looks at the number...
ELECTION 2015: Liberal Fuhr says air force experience will help in political dogfight
KELOWNA - It was logic honed by 20 years in the air force that brought Stephen Fuhr to where he is today; federal Liberal candidate in Kelowna-Lake Country. “It was the F-35 program that got me involved in big P politics,” Fuhr says, noting he voted Conservative before then. “When I heard two cabinet ministers...
Stolen Lake Country boat and truck recovered in Kamloops
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An observant off duty cop helped police recover a boat and truck stolen out of Lake Country Sunday night. The astute officer noticed a boat and trailer being unloaded on the side of the highway in the Dallas area early Monday morning, Sept. 7 and turned around to keep an eye on the...
Judge clarifies order for dangerous dog that mauled Okanagan Lhasa apso cross
KELOWNA - A provincial court judge has issued a clarification of an order for one of two dogs that fatally mauled a 12-year-old Lhasa apso cross in Peachland on New Years Day 2015. The small dog named Charlie was walking with owner Jeff Clark on Jan. 1 when they were approached by two off-leash dogs...
Health authority moves on residential care bed promise
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Construction of 100 new residential care beds will begin this fall in Kelowna and another 85 are soon expected in Vernon as well. The Interior Health Authority announced in a press release it has awarded the contract to Baltic Properties, an existing contractor who is already providing residential care services in Kamloops, Lake...
Temperatures to heat up again in Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Back to school is kicking off with a little rain this morning but by the end of the week we can expect highs well above seasonal normals throughout the Southern Interior. Temperatures will remain below seasonal normal lows of 21 Celsius today, Sept. 8, but it's expected to reach 23 C Wednesday before...
Bogus American money circulating in Okanagan
OKANAGAN – RCMP are warning people to be on the lookout for counterfeit American currency in the Okanagan. Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says in a media release there have been numerous reports of bogus $20 and $50 bills. She is urging businesses to carefully check the authenticity of any currency before they accept it as payment....