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Kelowna news
This one simple thing might have prevented one-third of stolen vehicles in the Central Okanagan
SHAPING UP TO BE A RECORD YEAR FOR VEHICLE THEFTS KELOWNA – RCMP are warning vehicle owners not to leave keys in their ignition after incidents of vehicle theft has spiked in the last year. Cpl. Joe Duncan of the Kelowna RCMP says in a release 23 vehicle were reported stolen between Aug. 1 and...
Missing woman with health concerns found
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A missing Kelowna woman with health concerns has been located, according to RCMP. Brittany Nelson, 30, has been located and is safe and sound," Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a release sent one day after friends reported her absence. To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or...
Smoky skies continue, no end in sight to fire season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With smoke-filled skies and reports of new fires almost every day, it begs the question that’s on everyone’s mind: When will this end? “It’s a good question. There is no hard and fast measure that tells us when things are done. Every season is its own animal,” Kevin Skrepnek says. And B.C. Wildfire’s...
Carriage houses may be coming soon to West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - Residents in the Westbank centre and other select parts of West Kelowna could soon see carriage houses popping up in a nearby laneway. Council is due to give third reading to the draft regulations governing the new category of residential developments, the latest step in a lengthy process that began in 2012....
Smoke wreaks havoc on already-weakened hearts and lungs
SOUTHERN INTERIOR - Looks like the smokey skies will be with us until at least tomorrow and that means more discomfort for those with chronic heart and respiratory problems. “When we talk about smokey skies, we’re talking about the tiny solid particles that remain suspended in the air. The major concern is particles smaller than...
Mom raises $14K for Cuddle Cots across Thompson-Okanagan
WEST KELOWNA – What started as an idea to bring to Kelowna General Hospital a device which gives parents of stillborn children a few extra days with their child will now help families across the entire Thompson-Okanagan. In less than three months West Kelowna resident Kristin Esmail has raised enough money to buy four Cuddle...
Westbank First nation youth centre to open next year
WEST KELOWNA - Aborignal youth will soon be moving into a veritable palace of a youth centre, at least compared to what they now have. “It’s 2,100 square feet, far too small to accommodate our needs, it’s second hand purchased in 1998,” Chief Robert Louie says, of the current facility located in a modular building...
B.C. crews begin work on Washington wildfire
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - B.C. Wildfire firefighters have begun work on a Washington-based wildfire inching its way toward the Canadian border. With five kilometres left before reaching Canada, B.C. crews have been deployed to suppress the Stickpin Fire which is now estimated to be 19,240 hectares in size. Plans so far are for crews to assess the...
Passing drivers keep Joe Rich grass fire from spreading
KELOWNA – Firefighters quickly put out a fire in Joe Rich this afternoon thanks to the help from some passing motorists who held the flames at bay. The human-caused fire was reported at 2:07 p.m., Aug. 24, next to Highway 33 and Falcon Road. Joe Rich fire chief Ben Wasyliuk says some drivers with fire...
Pair of small fires burning in Joe Rich
KELOWNA - A pair of small wildfires have ignited south of Joe Rich, not far from a much bigger fire in early July. Fire information officer Kayla Pepper says eight B.C. Wildfire personnel are working the two fires which are burning approximately half a kilometre apart south of Mission Creek near McCulloch Road. Pepper says...
Decision on Kelowna Mountie accused of assault expected in September
LANGUAGE ADVISORY KELOWNA – The judge in the trial of a Kelowna RCMP constable accused of assaulting an elderly bar patron will have to decide if the officer believed John McCormick was obstructing justice when he refused to leave Rose’s pub in downtown Kelowna last summer. Judge Gregory Koturbash heard final submissions in Kelowna Provincial...
Kelowna homeless sheltering from wildfire smoke at Gospel Mission
KELOWNA – The Kelowna Gospel Mission has decided to keep its doors open 24 hours a day until the smoky conditions clear up. Forest fire smoke from a pair of huge blazes in Washington State has created extremely smoky air in the Okanagan and prompted a special air quality statement from Environment Canada and Interior...
Heavy smoke blankets Okanagan; the rest of southern B.C. gets smoke haze
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Smoke from the huge forest fires burning in Washington State pumped into the southern Interior yesterday evening has been trapped in the valleys by a temperature inversion. The Okanagan is getting the worst of the smoke with visibility down to less to a kilometre in some areas this morning, Aug. 23. Environment Canada,...
Pool and gym at Parkinson Rec to shut down for cleaning
KELOWNA - Annual maintenance is leaving pool and gymnasium users out of luck at Parkinson Recreation Centre. The aquatic facilities will be closed from August 31 reopening September 20 should everything work out according to plan. The gymnasium will also be shut down during the same time period. Parkinson pass holders can use the aquatic...
Increased density doesn’t help farmland, says Agricultural Land Commission
KELOWNA - While converting an office to a home may not seem like much, Kelowna city staff are refusing to support a carriage house application because the lush homesite on Mission Creek is still viable for agriculture. Applicants Don and Diane Hickey are asking for support from the city for their application to the Agricultural...
Dream wedding for a dying father
"HE'S DONE SO MUCH FOR US NOW IT'S OUR TURN TO LOOK AFTER HIM" KELOWNA – Christina Richard was just 11 years old when Eric Lavoie entered her life in 2003 and changed it forever. Her mom, Sophy Zaglis, 49, was raising five kids on her own, working as a registered nurse and volunteer with...
Westbank First Nation chief and council paid well above peers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Pay levels for chief and council of the Westbank First Nation can’t be…
How the Thompson-Okanagan fared in the Ashley Madison cheating website data leak
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Locals in the B.C. Southern Interior aren’t immune to exposure from the dump…
Management team replaces president at Apple Triathlon
KELOWNA - A new management team will be replacing the outgoing head of the Kelowna Apple Triathlon. Long-term Apple Triathlon president Richard Montgomery is stepping down after this year’s event. Replacing him will be a management team of three, Malandi Elmore, Graham Hood and James Young, the same group which runs the Kelowna Cherry Blossom...
KF Aerospace announces more layoffs in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Rebranding the company hasn’t helped KF Aerospace avoid the turbulence of the marketplace which has forced the company to cut jobs in both Kelowna and Hamilton. President Tracy Medve was not available for interviews Friday as the Kelowna-headquartered company announced layoffs equivalent to eight per cent of its workforce. However, Medve said in...
Grandfather wants to know what happened in ATV crash
LAKE COUNTRY - A grandfather is looking for answers after a serious ATV accident in orchard country left his grandson in coma. Kaiden Ross, 18, and an unidentified female passenger, also 18, were thrown from all-terrain vehicle they were driving the evening of August 12. The girl suffered minor relatively injuries but Ross ended up...
33rd Apple Triathlon set to take over downtown Kelowna this weekend
KELOWNA – Athletes from around the world will be in Kelowna this weekend for the Okanagan’s largest annual triathlon. The 33rd Kelowna Apple Triathlon is B.C.’s only world triathlon championship qualifier with top finishers in each category eligible to enter the 2016 championships in Mexico. The race includes ia 10 kilometre run, 40 km bike...
Tossing note to young girls nets charges for violent offender
LAKE COUNTRY - A local man is facing multiple charges after throwing notes from his car to young girls in Lake Country and Kelowna. James Jonathan Bryshun, 31, is accused of throwing notes with a phone number to young girls he passed in Lake Country, according to a media release from Kelowna RCMP. Bryshun is...
Kelowna man who died while rafting lived and loved ‘all in’
"DON'T FORGET HOW LUCKY YOU ARE TO LOVE YOUR LOVED ONES SO MUCH IT HURTS" KELOWNA – They were high school sweethearts planning their dream Kelowna wedding when Rene Bourgault’s life was cut short in a tragic rafting accident last weekend. Friends, family and everyone who has been touched by his life are mourning his...