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Kelowna news
WHL PLAYOFFS: Rockets blank Royals in second round opener
KELOWNA - The Kelowna Rockets defeated the Victoria Royals 5-0 on Friday night as Kelowna opened their second round WHL playoff series with a victory at Prospera Place. After a scoreless first period, the Rockets scored twice in the second and three more times in the third, outshooting Victoria 44-20 to take a 1-0 series...
Plan your route around local road closures this weekend
KELOWNA - Locals drivers should take note of some short-term road closings that could affect travel plans. Sexsmith Road will closed at 5 p.m. today to make way for crews installing sewer upgrades for a new commercial development. The closing affects the segment of Sexsmith between Cambro and Campion Roads. A detour is available via...
Support from church members no help to Kelowna child pornographer
"I'VE DESTROYED FAMILIES. I REALIZE WHAT I'VE DONE." KELOWNA – A man who admitted to having more than 500 images of child pornography on various computers and hard drives was sentenced to two years in jail in Kelowna Provincial Court Friday, April 10. David Gerald Smart, 43, pleaded guilty to making and possessing child pornography...
Low snowpack could mean a dry Okanagan summer
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Current snowpack levels suggest the Okanagan could be in for a dry year, while the South Thompson should fair better. According to Tobi Gardner with the River Forecast Centre, snowpack is at 76 per cent of normal in the Okanagan — the lowest in five years. “What that translates to is a lower...
Gas rupture forces people out of their homes in Glenmore
KELOWNA – Road blocks were up in Glenmore and homes evacuated as crews dealt with a natural gas leak this afternoon. RCMP say an excavator hit a natural gas line in a backyard on Valley Road just south of Kane Road. Police cordoned off the area, evacuating the people from four homes and closing Valley...
And the survey says… life is good in Kelowna
KELOWNA - If you consider yourself pretty much an average Kelownian, then you’re also pretty much satisfied with your life in the city. That’s the conclusion of the most recent citizens survey, released Friday, April 10. “We are generally encourage by the survey results,” city communications supervisor Jodie Foster Sexsmith says. She believes the key...
UPDATE: Suspicious car fires at Boyd’s under investigation
KELOWNA - A blaze at an autobody shop was one of two arson fires in Kelowna early this morning. RCMP say around 2:50 a.m., today, April 10, firefighters put out four burning cars at Boyd’s Autobody and Glass in the 1900 block of Dayton Street. A second fire on Bedford Avenue damaged a camper. “Police...
Faulty landing gear light causes anxious moments at Kelowna Airport
KELOWNA - A faulty landing gear indicator light on a light plane landing at Kelowna Airport this morning had emergency crews on standby. “We had a Piper Cherokee, which is a small aircraft, coming in. It only had one person onboard,” Kelowna International Airport spokesperson Jenelle Hynes. “They had contacted the tower because there was...
Wildfire fuel reduction critical as risk on the rise in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - If you see smoke coming from up Bear Creek in the next few weeks, it’s likely not a raging wildfire. What you’re seeing is actually a fuel mitigation program designed to stop a raging wildfire from starting in the first place. “What you see behind me is what keeps firefighters awake at...
Lake Country referendum could prove pivotal in closing CN Rail corridor deal
KELOWNA - The provincial government recently pledged more than $7 million for the CN Rail corridor purchase but it does nothing to solve Lake Country’s shortfall of $2.6 million. It may also have created a new problem — voter apathy in Lake Country where a yes vote for the purchase is still critical to the deal...
Three Rockets make NHL Central Scouting rankings
KELOWNA - The National Hockey League Central Scouting rankings are out for the 2015 draft and three Rockets have made the list this year. Nick Merkley sits at 23rd among North American skaters. The Calgary native has 90 points in 72 games this season and has already tallied six points in four playoff games. With...
UPDATE: Police say man sought in ‘inappropriate’ pictures did nothing wrong
LAKE COUNTRY - Photos found on a second-hand camera purchased in Lake Country had RCMP looking for the man found among ‘inappropriate’ photos, but after finding him yesterday, say he was not related. A Lake Country woman called police when she ‘discovered some inappropriate photos’ on a child's camera she purchased it second-hand on March...
Kelowna kitchen fire damages home
KELOWNA - Firefighters were able to keep a fire contained to the kitchen of a Bouvette Street home Wednesday night but the resulting smoke caused damage throughout the home. The Kelowna Fire Department responded to a call of a fire in a kitchen in a single family residence Wednesday, April 8. In total three engines,...
Local electronics retailer expands as big box stores close shop
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If Andre Blanleil gets any satisfaction from the demise of his retail competitor, electronics giant Future Shop, he doesn’t show it. “They were good competitors. They did a good job for the market they were going after,” the president of Andres Group of companies says. The regional chain operates 21 locations under the...
Death no longer considered suspicious: RCMP
KELOWNA - RCMP say they still believe Jacqueline Abaku died suddenly in her Glenmore home last week but are no longer calling it suspicious. RCMP Cpl. Joe Duncan says the B.C. Coroners Service conducted an autopsy last week but could not confirm the reason for the change. "They're classifying it now as a sudden death,"...
Dog that mauled its owner ordered euthanized
KELOWNA – A dangerous dog that sent one of his owners to hospital for two days with severe bites late last year will be euthanized by court order. “The wounds are deep, bloody and gruesome,” writes Judge Jane Cartwright in her decision today, April 8. “It is clear that Loki’s attack on his owner was...
Neighbours fight crime with Block Watch program
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - In a world where social media provides almost instantaneous connections, an anti-crime program that relies on email and the telephone for neighbours to stay connected seems almost anachronistic. But that’s the model the Block Watch program still uses in British Columbia and local crime prevention coordinator Duane MacTavish says it is doing...
ReStore opens Kelowna location
KELOWNA – After a very successful year in West Kelowna, Habitat for Humanity has opened another ReStore in the Central Okanagan, this time in Kelowna. Executive Director Deb Guthrie says the Kelowna ReStore, which takes in items donated from the public, resells them and uses the profits to build homes for families in need, is even bigger...
Provincial support for Okanagan rail trail may sway voters, but not Okanagan Indian Band
VERNON - While a recent funding announcement from the provincial government may entice some Lake Country voters towards a yes vote in an upcoming borrowing referendum, the Okanagan Indian Band is warning governments not to celebrate just yet. Premier Christy Clark announced a $7.2 million pledge for the acquisition of the Okanagan Rail corridor the...
Full time cashier convicted of stealing $24K in social assistance
GOING TO THE MINISTRY OFFICE MADE HER FEEL "WORTHLESS" KELOWNA – A Kelowna cashier is awaiting sentencing for fraud after collecting and spending close to $24,000 in social assistance while working full time because she was “finally living like everyone else.” According to a March 30 judgment by Judge Ellen Burdett, Theresa Derworiz, who has...
Kelowna man arrested for attempted robbery and purse snatching
KELOWNA – A Kelowna man was arrested Saturday afternoon for attempting to rob a grocery store, snatching a purse at Costco and then running from police. At around 1:30 p.m. April 4, police were called to Safeway on Highway 97. According to Cpl. Joe Duncan of the Kelowna RCMP, the man entered the store and...
Cash deposit stolen from Superstore Gas Bar
WEST KELOWNA – Police are asking for help from the public in identifying a man believed to have stolen cash from a gas station Monday afternoon. According to a release from Cpl. Joe Duncan, a suspicious man was seen 'hanging around' the Westbank Superstore Gas Bar around 12:45 p.m., April 6. “When the store attendant...
Kelowna woman found dead identified
KELOWNA – A woman found dead in her Glenmore home last week has been identified. Police found the body of Jacqueline Elizabeth Abaku, 31, in her home in Glenview Gardens around 3:45 p.m. March 31. Police spent most of the day questioning neighbours, but have not released her cause of death. According to a high...
Province pledges $7.2M for CN Rail corridor purchase
KELOWNA - There are some strings attached, but the provincial government is pledging $7.2 million to help make the purchase of the CN Rail corridor a reality. The money is conditional on a successful referendum in Lake Country later this month, according to a press release from the province Tuesday, April 7. “We believe in the...