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Kelowna news
Free speech examined at Philosopher’s Cafe
KELOWNA - A local professor will discuss the challenges and importance of free speech in Canada at a Wednesday evening event in Kelowna. Andrew Irvine, a UBC professor and past president of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, will be speaking at the Philosopher’s Cafe at the Okanagan Jewish Community Centre. His talk, Where to Draw...
B.C. Fruit Growers Association to choose a president this weekend
PENTICTON - Kelowna's Fred Steele, president of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association, will find out if he'll remain at the helm for a second term when he goes head-to-head with Vernon's Jeet Dukhia at the annual convention in Penticton this weekend. Dukhia was the association president in 2013, prior to Steele's term, so each candidate...
Where is the fog going to show up next?
EVEN THE METEOROLOGISTS AREN'T TOO SURE KELOWNA - It may not seem like a real valley inversion — the kind locals dread which leaves a thick layer of cloud hovering just overhead, lasting sometimes for weeks — but the inversion and the rolling fog clouds it is causing are very real, enough to cause flight...
Dog that survived horrific attack now has just days left to live
KELOWNA – She has defied the odds before, but this one she won't come back from—one of the two dogs that survived a horrific attack five months ago has developed terminal cancer and will be euthanized this week. Sheena is a 10-year-old Rottweiler and one of three dogs subjected to a brutal late night attack...
New Kelowna history app will have you chasing pigs around downtown
KELOWNA – A new smartphone app will take you on a walking tour of downtown as you chase virtual pigs through the streets of Kelowna. Pigs On Bernard is in partnership with the Kelowna Museums Society and gaming company QuestUpon. By answering trivia about the area and taking photos of the pigs that appear in...
Developer-financed road to the Mission a first for city hall
KELOWNA - The city's director of corporate ventures has never heard of developers both financing and constructing a road, but that's the proposal for the new South Perimeter Way. “We have never delivered a road in this manner,” said John Vos. “In fact, this is unique in my experience.” A group of developers active in...
Utilty rate increases gets water users coming and going
KELOWNA - They get you if you pour or flush. Kelowna city council has approved a two per cent increase in rates for both city water and waste water utilities. Beginning in May, rates for customers drawing city water — about half the businesses and houses in Kelowna — will climb about $.59 a month...
Rockets and Blazers to host Super Series games
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The 2015 Super Series is again bringing high-level hockey to the region, with the Rockets and Kamloops set to host the two opening games. The Canadian Hockey League announced today, Tuesday, Feb. 17, that Kelowna and Kamloops are among the six host cities for the 2015 Subway Super Series, set to be played...
Lahey and Randy from Trailer Park Boys in Kelowna this week
KELOWNA – Two beloved actors from the Canadian cult TV show The Trailer Park Boys are coming to Kelowna Thursday. The actors who play the drunken trailer park manager Jim Lahey and his burger-loving, beer-bellied sidekick Randy will be making an appearance at Kelowna’s Habitat Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. The 'adults only' show will...
Popular Kelowna Closet Cleanout now for kids
KELOWNA – A new version of the popular Kelowna Closet Cleanout is making it a little more affordable to be a parent to fast-growing kids. The first Kids Closet Cleanout will take place Saturday Feb. 28 at the Laurel Packinghouse in Kelowna from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's an easy way to get rid...
Weather records fall in Kelowna and Penticton
KAMLOOPS, VERNON FALL SHORT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It was definitely a spring-like weekend and there are several new high temperature records to show for it. In Kelowna the mercury blasted past the previous record, 11.1 Celsius set in 1974, to a balmy 12.8 C on Saturday while temperatures Sunday reached the previous record of 10 C...
VIDEO: Power of love shines in spoken word Valentine
KELOWNA – A Kelowna poet, filmmaker, cinematographer and beatboxer got together to make a Valentine for the city… and the world. Called “You Are Love” the short film finished production Friday, Feb. 13 and was posted to YouTube, director Chelsea McEvoy says in an email. “It is a film and spoken word combo about the...
Couple of clowns bringing back comedy of the absurd
KELOWNA - A new stage show presented by UBC Okanagan and Theatre26 explores the madness and isolation, joy and elation experienced by professional Cirque du Soleil clowns on the road. Marooned debuts Thursday, Feb. 19, bringing a slice of surreal life from UBCO artists-in-residence Aron De Casmaker and Jesse Buck, who spent five years on...
Aging waterworks the target of proposed rate increase
KELOWNA - About half of Kelowna can expect a minor water rate increase sometime soon if Kelowna city council agrees to a recommendation by staff. John Vos, the city’s director of corporate business ventures, is recommending a two percent increase for those homes and businesses serviced by the city water utility. The rest of Kelowna...
Danger in the backcountry; avalanche warning issued
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The unseasonably warm weather this week has the experts at Avalanche Canada warning backcountry enthusiasts about the risk of snow slides. There have been a number of recent reports of large avalanches in the mountains across the Southern Interior, including the South Columbia, Kootenay-Boundary, Purcells, South Rockies, Lizard Range and Flathead regions, avalanche...
Local support group for mamas growing fast
KELOWNA – Shannon Christensen’s house isn’t cluttered with old baby things. She’s given them all away. She’s the founder of a relatively new non-profit organization that started in Kelowna last April. Mamas for Mamas is a network of caring mothers who look out for each other and give support whenever it’s needed. Since starting in...
Fintry Queen investment opportunity has potential, but what about the risk?
KELOWNA — Listening to Andy Schwab talk about his plans for the Fintry Queen, it’s hard not to get caught up in his enthusiasm. “I'm feeling very confident,” says Schwab, president of the Okanagan Lake Boat Company, which owns the vessel and is proposing to resurrect the former car ferry and dinner cruise ship in...
Apartment fire puts occupants in the care of Emergency Social Services
KELOWNA - The occupants of an apartment on Glenview Avenue are in the care of Emergency Social Services today after fire early yesterday evening left their unit uninhabitable. Steve Wallick, a platoon captain with the Kelowna Fire Department, said firefighters responded in force to what turned out to be a grease fire in the kitchen...
Why the City of Kelowna wants your dog on a leash
KELOWNA - The warm weather means more residents and their dogs are out enjoying the outdoors, and in some cases, that's leading to conflicts with wildlife. The City of Kelowna issued a press release Thursday afternoon asking dog walkers to help ensure wildlife can enjoy the nice weather too. Park Services was recently notified of...
Coastal ski resort closures bad news for local hills
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With warm weather shutting down ski hills in the Lower Mainland and Washington state, hills in the Thompson-Okanagan are busier than they’ve been in ten years. But it’s not all good news. Spokespeople for all three major ski destinations in Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops said that although business is up in the short...
West Kelowna council highlights: February 10, 2015
Strategic Priorities 2014 Final Update Council was provided a final update on its 2014 Strategic Priorities and activities undertaken in the fourth quarter (October to December). Highlights of this quarter include: · Westlake Road grand re-opening · 2014 Local Government Election administration · New Council orientation and inaugural meeting · Westlake/Hudson RapidBus transit stations constructed...
Big improvements coming for Rutland Centennial Park
KELOWNA - Rutland Centennial Park was officially aquired by the City of Kelowna recently as part of the memorandum of agreement with Rutland Park Society. The purchase price of the park, and right-of-way through the existing parking lot beside Centennial Hall, rang in at $800,000, according to a City of Kelowna media release. The City...
Kelowna woman’s story of abuse goes viral
KELOWNA – A brave Kelowna woman is using social media to share her personal story of domestic abuse. Selina Morrison says her ex-boyfriend abused her both physically and emotionally and she is making her story public on her Facebook page. Two videos she has released since Feb. 8 have almost 40,000 views. “As I was...
Kelowna is the fastest growing city in B.C.
KELOWNA – For the third year in a row Kelowna has grown faster than any other city in the province, according to Statistics Canada. Based on population estimates from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, Kelowna, with a growth rate of 1.8 per cent, was one of only six cities that outpaced the national...