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Kelowna news
West Kelowna irrigation systems the target of a special brand of vandalism
WEST KELOWNA - Faced with an unusual type of vandalism aimed at its irrigation systems, the District of West Kelowna is asking for help trying to put an end to it. “This isn’t your typical loser kicking over a sprinkler head,” parks supervisor Stacey Harding says. “Whoever is doing this has a knowledge of irrigation...
Theft of big rig puts local logger down but not out
WEST KELOWNA - The owner of a $300,000 truck and low-bed trailer stolen at the end of March says the theft hit him hard but hasn’t knocked him out. “It was a big financial impact and a huge inconvenience,” Scott Horovatin, who used the 2014 Kenworth and trailer to run his own small logging outfit,...
Kelowna serves up steady increase of new restaurants
KELOWNA - You’re not imagining it. Kelowna has seen a steady increase in the number of new restaurants opening their doors in the last few years. Probably the most obvious example would be the gleaming new Cactus Club Cafe, soon to open right on the waterfront inside the Kelowna Yacht Club. The extremely competitive restaurant...
Local companies step up to help out pass holders of suddenly-closed kids attraction
KELOWNA – A week after a West Kelowna activity centre for kids suddenly closed its doors, two local companies have agreed to step up and help out. Frustrated parents spoke out last week after O-Go Play shut down without any notice, leaving pass holders out of money and out of luck. The founder of a...
Watch out for rattlesnakes; they’re out early in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Sunny weather has gotten many of us out from beneath our rocks looking for some rays, and we’re not the only ones in the animal world. Warm temperatures have brought rattlesnakes out earlier than normal in the Thompson-Okanagan, according to WildSafe B.C. spokesperson Frank Ritcey. “With the warm weather, the snakes will be...
Here’s your chance to see a water bomber up close
KELOWNA – Members of the public and aviation enthusiasts of all ages are invited to meet some of the men and women who fight fires from above this week. The Kelowna and District Flying Club is hosting the event, which includes a catered dinner and flight crew meet and greet Wednesday, April 22 at Kelowna...
Occupation of premier’s officer ends, but situation remains
WEST KELOWNA - The occupation of Christy Clark's West Kelowna constituency offices ended today but the situation that caused it — where the Westside dumps its sewage—could continue for years. The chiefs of five native bands, and some non-native protesters from the Lower Nicola valley swarmed Clark's constituency office in downtown Westbank for five days,...
UPDATE: Missing boy located
UPDATE: 2:37 P.M., APRIL 21, 2015 RCMP say the youth has been located. KELOWNA - Police say this boy didn't come home last night and that's not like him. That's 15-year-old Kyle Davidson and he was last seen Monday morning, April 20, and his family says his disappearance is out of character. In a release...
Kelowna pretty satisfying place; Vancouver not so much
KELOWNA – Kelowna holds a solid 12th place when it comes to life satisfaction while Vancouver found itself at the bottom of the list, according to a survey recently released by Statistics Canada. The life satisfaction survey, published this month, looked at 33 metropolitan areas in Canada with data gathered from 2009 and 2013. Kelowna...
Turn your eyes to the night sky this week
NORTHERN LIGHTS AND METEOR SHOWER COULD LIGHT UP THE NIGHT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you missed the northern lights last week and if the moon was too bright and the clouds too thick to catch the Quadrantid meteor shower in January, you could get a chance at viewing both this week. The Space Weather Prediction Centre...
Ceiling fan likely sparked Kelowna house fire
KELOWNA – A Kelowna family is looking for somewhere else to sleep tonight after a fire broke out in the ceiling above a bathroom in their home this afternoon. Firefighters were called to the small blaze at 2235 Arrowhead Crt. in East Kelowna at about 2:37 p.m., April 20. Platoon Capt. Eric Simpson says everyone...
Former WFN chief Ron Derrickson pens book about changing face of aboriginal struggle for sovereignity
WEST KELOWNA - Unsettling Canada - A National Wake Up Call is the title of a new book co-written by six-term Westbank First Nation chief Ron Derrickson. With a forward by famed Canadian social activist Naomi Klein, the book purports to tell the story of how First Nations and Canada have found themselves at seemingly...
Early start to wildfire season in Southern Interior, numbers still below 10-year average
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A series of wildfires were ignited this past weekend as dry weather combined with warming temperatures to create conditions ideal for human-caused fires. B.C. Wildfire crews responded to four fires over the weekend, two in the Kamloops part of the fire centre and two in the southern tip. Information Officer Kayla Pepper says...
RCMP looking for this man following attack on young woman
KELOWNA – RCMP have released a sketch of the suspect wanted in connection with the attack of a young woman in Kelowna in February. The 21-year-old woman was assaulted on Harvey Avenue near Burtch Road around 5:12 a.m., Feb. 7., Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a media release. Duncan says she was walking eastbound on...
West Kelowna pharmacy robbed
WEST KELOWNA – Police are looking for a man suspected of robbing a Remedy RX pharmacy in West Kelowna on Friday. According to a media release from RCMP, a lone male entered the pharmacy at 2:55 p.m., April 17, and demanded pharmaceutical drugs. “The suspect fled the scene on foot initially and then hopped on...
WHL PLAYOFFS: Kelowna Rockets advance to West Final
KELOWNA - The Kelowna Rockets defeated the Victoria Royals 7-3 on Friday night winning their best-of-seven series in five games and advancing to the WHL Western Conference final beginning next weekend in Kelowna. Josh Morrissey returned to the line-up and led the offensive attack with a five point night, scoring twice and adding three assists...
New money to fight invasive plants in Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The province is spending more than $1.7 million to help local governments and other organizations with the battle against unwanted plants damaging local ecosystems. Minster of Lands and Kelowna MLA Steve Thomson announced the grants to fight invasive plant species in a media release this week. “It’s important we get a handle on...
Flaming Orchard Park mall package “of some sophistication”
KELOWNA – Cpl. Joe Duncan of Kelowna RCMP says detectives investigating the suspicious package found burning in Orchard Park mall this week was more than just a bag on fire. “It was of some sophistication,” he says. “The (detectives) say they have not had anything like this before in our area.” Duncan says a Sears...
Westside board of trade computers hacked, warns clients not to open emails
WEST KELOWNA - The Greater Westside Board of Trade says its computers have been hacked and its email contact list compromised. The board sent out an emergency email today urging people not to open attachments or zip files from any emails people may have received from the business promotion organization. The email apologized for the...
No refunds for closed O-Go Play pass holders
WEST KELOWNA – Some local families are scrambling for another child-friendly activity after a West Kelowna attraction closed its’ doors without warning two weeks ago. Laura Huntington spent more than $100 on an annual pass at O-Go Play in October. She’s been taking her two-year-old son Reece there almost every day but last week when...
InfoNews houseboat prize winner all smiles
KAMLOOPS - The winner of the InfoNews grand prize is all smiles after claiming her trip last week. “This is an awesome prize,” Debbie Sampson, who is a social development worker with the Adams Lake Indian Band, says about winning the InfoNews houseboat vacation grand prize. Though Sampson is excited her kids might be even...
Don’t throw it away, bring it to the Repair Cafe
KELOWNA - Have you ever had a toaster oven or an old clock radio stop working for no apparent reason? Maybe you threw it in the landfill because everyone told you it’s cheaper to buy a new one and you've felt guilty ever since. There's a new way to avoid this guilt, and save a...
BROKEN JAW, MISSING TEETH: What you need to know before getting your pet’s teeth cleaned
"IT WAS VERY BRUTAL" KELOWNA – Cheryl Lyse and her husband Warren thought they were doing the right thing for their eight-year-old Shih Tzu, Lexy, by taking her to get her teeth cleaned. But now they have only regrets for using 'unlicensed veterinary care' — one of many pop up or pop in pet teeth...
No end in sight for sewage sludge sit-in at premier’s constituency office
WEST KELOWNA - The chiefs of the five native bands occupying Christy Clark’s office in West Kelowna say only an agreement with the province will end their protest. “We’re prepared to stay as long as it takes to come to some kind of the agreement with the province,” Chief Aaron Sam of the Upper Nicola...