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Kelowna news
Median barriers will be installed on dangerous stretch of Highway 97
KELOWNA – A stretch of Hwy 97, notorious for crashes caused when a driver crosses the centre line, will receive nine kilometers of concrete median barriers this summer. The announcement was made Friday, May 8 with plans for phase one to begin this month. The $2.5-million project will start with work between University Way and...
UPDATE: Crews deal quickly with Kelowna hedge fire
KELOWNA – Firefighters put out a hedge fire between two homes in Kelowna this morning. Kelowna Fire Rescue was called to the blaze in the cedar hedge along a chain link fence at 541 Harrop Ave. in Rutland at about 11:15 a.m., May 8. The flames spread to a deck at one of the homes....
New wildfire recruits put through paces
MERRITT - More than 200 seasonal firefighter applicants have made the cut and this month they are being put through a ‘rigorous’ bootcamp near Merritt. About 1,000 people, many of which are post-secondary students, apply for the positions every year. Provincial Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek says the job is "very in demand" and the...
Top 2 regular-season teams fight for WHL crown as Rockets and Wheat Kings face off
VANCOUVER – Josh Morrissey has excelled on the international stage for Canada during his four-year Western Hockey League career, but until now he has never had the chance to play for a league title.
Shopping cart race back for fourth year
KELOWNA – The annual fundraising event where teams race around Kelowna in decorated shopping carts is back for the fourth year in a row. The Arthur Cottie Memorial Push to End Homelessness is a fun way for locals to raise money for Inn From the Cold as well as help spread awareness of the challenges...
Summer watering restrictions likely as province records average lowest snowpack levels in 31 years
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The lastest snowpack measurements from the provincial government’s river forecast centre are showing record low levels in some areas including the Okanagan and Similkameen regions. Without substantial rain in the next couple of months, reservoirs across the region will also be lower than normal, likely leading to water use restrictions in many communities...
Young hockey player’s sad story may have a happy ending
KELOWNA - It appears the story of the nine-year-old boy who quit his hockey team in tears after being repeatedly benched, may have a happy ending after all. Our story about Sam Lescarbeau has gone truly viral with people from all over Canada writing to encourage him, share similar stories from all manner of sports teams...
VIDEO: Local RC pilots strut their stuff
KELOWNA - While most people would have a hard time simply flying and landing a radio controlled airplane, some locals have put together a video showing what's possible when a skilled set of hands are behind the stick. Triple Threat RC uploaded the 13-minute video to YouTube last week. It contains footage of gas-powered planes...
Plant a Row, Grow a Row for the Kelowna Food Bank
KELOWNA – For the fifth year, the Kelowna Food Bank is taking part in a national program which encourages kids and seniors to get back to their roots, and at the same time, help feed the less fortunate in the community. The Plant a Row, Grow a Row program started in 1986. Volunteers at the...
Treat your mom this weekend at one (or more) of these Mother’s Day events
KELOWNA – No one will ever love you as much as your mom, so here is a list of events in Kelowna to say thanks and show her how special she is. This Sunday and Monday mothers will be celebrated at the Kelowna FabFive wineries with something special at each of the five local wineries....
Move over wine, there’s a new Okanagan drink and it’s more popular than ever
OKANAGAN - There’s more for the thirsty soul in the Okanagan Valley than just wine, and locally-made cider is here to prove it. A number of cideries have blossomed in the Okanagan over the last few years, including the family-run BX Press in Vernon. Owners Dave and Melissa Dobernigg opened their craft cider house last...
Belgo Elementary locked down after “false report”
KELOWNA – Belgo Elementary School in Rutland was locked down Thursday afternoon for what RCMP are calling a “false report.” Cpl. Joe Duncan would not confirm the nature of the threat made earlier this afternoon, but said it wasted valuable police resources and inconvenienced both staff and students. Students and staff are now free to...
New pet registry promotes microchip implants
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The SPCA is promoting a new province-wide pet identification registry where animals with microchip implants can have their information stored in a centralized database. "We’ve created a first for British Columbia — a centralized database for pets who receive permanent identification at any B.C. SPCA shelter, veterinarian or microchip clinic across the province,”...
Valley mayors push for early start to water conservation
OKANAGAN - Mindful of the dry winter the Okanagan has just experienced, valley mayors and councillors joined the Okanagan Basin Water Board for an early launch of the Make Water Work conservation campaign today. Mayor Doug Findlater, who chairs the water board, used his own community of West Kelowna as an example of why the...
Rockets grab son of former NHLer in bantam draft
KELOWNA – The Kelowna Rockets have picked the son of former NHLer Adam Foote with its first selection at the Western Hockey League Bantam Draft in Calgary. Nolan Foote, a 6’1” and 150-lbs forward, was selected in the second round of the draft and 43rd overall. “Nolan is the player we wanted all along,” Rockets...
Paving work will impact traffic on Highway 97
VERNON - There will be delays on Highway 97 over the next month as repaving work gets underway. The project is for roughly 30 km of highway resurfacing between Old Vernon Road and Bailey Road. A five kilometer section on Highway 33 from Beaverdell Dump Road to Beaverdell will also be included The $3.8 million...
Kelowna MP Ron Cannan takes stand at Duffy senate spending trial
OTTAWA – There's a two-step dance that parliamentarians learn so they can piggyback political events onto taxpayer-paid trips — were Sen. Mike Duffy's waltzes across the country at the behest of his colleagues any different?
West Kelowna stabbing victim dies in hospital
WEST KELOWNA – The 45-year-old West Kelowna man who was stabbed in a fight last…
Fintry Queen still waiting for forever home
KELOWNA - She looks a little lonely out there, anchored in Sutherland Bay, waiting for something to happen but the man tasked with selling the iconic Fintry Queen says interest has been steady since it was put up for sale two months ago. “We’re still marketing it, still waiting for the right buyer but we’ve...
Union takes fight for hospital laundry services to the street
KELOWNA - Hospital Employees Union members took to the streets outside Kelowna General Hospital today to push for the Interior Health Authority to reconsider a plan to privatize laundry services. “These are workers that perform a very important health care service, they ensure that operating rooms are stocked with clean linens. Here at KGH 17,000...
Cracked chimney causes house fire
KELOWNA – A cracked chimney is to blame for a small house fire on Mathews Road Tuesday morning. According to a release the Kelowna Fire Department, firefighters arrived at 11 a.m. today, May 6, to one of the occupants outside the home. “Firefighters extinguished the flames which were on the side of the house between...
Hell’s Angel gives up on appeal
KELOWNA - Daniel McRae, one of the three Hells Angels associates convicted of beating to death a Kelowna father in front of his sons in 2011, is not going to appeal his sentence. According to the Vancouver Sun, the victim's son, Kody Phillips, told Justice Mark McEwan that the attack on his father lasted only seconds,...
New film to focus on Kelowna motocross rider Bruce Cook
KELOWNA - Bruce Cook, the freestyle motocross rider who was paralyzed last year attempting a difficult stunt, will be the focus of a new film by local filmmaker Carey Missler. Missler, who recently received an award of excellence from the Canada International Film Festival for his work as director of The Paddler, confirms he is...
Kelowna Rockets collect league awards
The Kelowna Rockets are proud to announce the team has won one team award and one individual award at the 2015 WHL Awards Ceremony, held in Calgary on Wednesday. Rockets forward Rourke Chartier was named the WHL Most Sportsmanlike player while the Rockets organization won the Business/Marketing award. In his third WHL campaign, Chartier put...