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Kelowna

Snowfall warning for Coquihalla

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you were planning on hitting the highways tonight you may want to think again, up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected by Friday afternoon. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, noting 20 to 25 cm of snow is expected before the Pacific...

Kelowna Fire Department to buy four new trucks for $1.6M

KELOWNA - The Kelowna Fire Department is going to get a bunch of new trucks in 2016. The city will spend $1.6 million next year replacing four of the department’s service vehicles, including $1.33 million for two new fire engines. That will buy the department two engines; an $810,000 replacement for engine four, a 1996...

Curriculum change the first challenge for new Central Okanagan superintendent

KELOWNA - The incoming superintendent of the Central Okanagan School District praised his predecessor Hugh Gloster even as he acknowledged some of the challenges the district is facing. Top among them is the province-wide introduction of the new curriculum, something Supt. Kevin Kaardal acknowledged today, Dec. 16, at a media event with school board chairperson...

Emergency response team used to arrest prohibited driver in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA - RCMP had to use the emergency response team to arrest a prohibited driver in West Kelowna this afternoon. The 37-year-old man was arrested after he fled from police in his vehicle, Kelowna RCMP say in a press release. Officers tried to stop the man a number of times. West Kelowna RCMP then...

Kelowna councillors face hard choice in hiring more police officers

KELOWNA - Kelowna city councillors are facing a hard choice in the 2016 budget — hire all six police officers recommended by formula, or hire just three for now even though street crime has increased over the past year. Councillors are already facing a 4.11 per cent increase on the 2016 budget, of which 1.97 per...

UPDATE: Kelowna man located

UPDATE: 9:38 A.M., DEC. 16, 2015 RCMP say Randy Burns has been located and is safe and sound. Personal details and photo have been removed from this story. 2:58 P.M., DEC. 15, 2015 KELOWNA - Randy Burns, 46, was last seen Nov. 28 by a family member, Kelowna RCMP say in a press release. Anyone...

Kelowna councillors to pore over budget during all-day review

KELOWNA - Preliminary projections place the 2016 budget increase for the City of Kelowna at 4.11 per cent, more than a $6 million increase on taxation.  That number is based on a 2.14 per cent increase for city operations and capital projects, City manager Ron Mattiussi said in a report to council Monday, plus a...

Kelowna RCMP looking for missing local man

KELOWNA -The public’s help is needed in locating a local man last seen more than a week ago. Peter Schouten was last seen on Dec. 4 and his family and RCMP are concerned about him as he lives a high-risk lifestyle. Schouten is described as a 50-year-old Caucasian man, 5’8’’ tall and 170 lbs. He...

Quadriplegic man says city doesn’t care about his parking plight

KELOWNA - The family of a quadriplegic man seeking to turn their front yard into parking for his lift-equipped van will not be satisfied with anything less. Because of that, Ann and Roy Penrose have refused an offer from the city to waive the $700 fee and have them appear before council to argue their...

Christmas wish list: Auroras, full moons and meteor showers

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The next two weeks could be everything you wished for if sky watching is at the top of your Christmas list. The northern lights seem to have been making a lot more appearances this year, and another storm is expected to hit Earth this week, as early as this evening. Unfortunately Environment Canada...

Heritage council a step closer to reality in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Heritage management in Kelowna by an independent committee is a step closer to reality. City council agreed to have staff move on to the final stage of resurrecting the heritage advisory committee, an arms-length group to consist of nine representatives from local heritage groups, Westbank First Nation and Tourism Kelowna that also includes...

Temperatures cooling off in the Okanagan this week

OKANAGAN - The temperatures will drop back below 0 Celsius this week after a long run of weather warmer than seasonal normals in the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for the mercury to stay around 2 C to 4 C throughout the region today, Dec. 14, but then the overnight temperature will drop to as...

Thieves strike Kelowna’s Candy Cane Lane

KELOWNA - Christmas spirit has taken a hit after thieves stole several laser light show displays from homes in Kelowna's Springvalley neighbourhood decorated to spreak holiday cheer and collect food for local charities. Every year, home owners create Candy Cane Lane by decorating their homes and yards with blinding Christmas decorations. Last year they collected about...

Hefty Kelowna property tax increase resting on contract obligations, mayor says

KELOWNA - Mayor Colin Basran would love to pare down the 4.11 per cent tax property tax increase council is considering but says they don’t have much room to move. Basran says the combined costs of recent union contracts with city workers and firefighters, plus initial borrowing cots for the new police station, all contractual...

Kelowna rollover backs up Christmas shopping traffic

KELOWNA – RCMP are investigating after a car crash on a busy road near Kelowna’s biggest shopping mall this morning. Emergency crews were called at about 10:54 a.m., Dec. 12, to a rollover on Springfield Road at Durnin Road. A car hit a light standard and flipped, according to a Global Okanagan report. The driver...

Why workers at some City Halls must take holidays in December

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Civic governments in Kamloops, Vernon and Penticton keep their main offices open over the holidays but they do it a little differently in the Central Okanagan. City Halls in both West Kelowna and Kelowna will be closed for the week between Christmas and New Years along with the offices of the Central Okanagan...

OWNERS FOUND: Old family photo from Kamloops thrift store is finally going home

KAMLOOPS - The search for the owners of a family portrait from the 1960s has a happy ending after the daughter in the photo identified herself and got in touch with the Lillooet woman who found it in a Kamloops thrift store. Dallas Kempfle purchased a picture frame at Value Village two years ago and...

Warm weather sticking around just a bit longer in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - It seems our stretch of well-above seasonal normal temperatures is coming to an end, but we still have a few slightly warmer days ahead of us. Environment Canada is calling for a high of 3 Celsius today, Dec. 11, in the Vernon and Kelowna areas, with a high of 4 C expected in...

Zentangle a soothing remedy for your jangled mind

KELOWNA - So who knew when you were doodling your way through high school, filling the margins with aimless drawings, you were already experiencing the stress-reducing mindfulness of Zentangle. “Research shows doodling students retain a lot more information than those that don’t. Doodling is similar in ways but Zentangle is more structured. You start with...

Alberta’s oil patch woes hit home at Central Okanagan food banks

KELOWNA - Plunging oil prices and substantial layoffs in Alberta’s oil patch are making their mark here in the Central Okanagan through a surge in food bank use. Public relations director Ami Catriona says the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank, which has branches in Kelowna and West Kelowna, noticed an unusual uptick in requests around...

Sensitive Santa brings Christmas closer to children with autism

KELOWNA - A visit to see Santa in the mall, along with the obligatory photo, is a rite of passage in Canada for most kids. But if your child isn’t fascinated by the flashing lights, ringing bells and ornate costumes or together it creates a kind of sensory overload that leads to anxiety and even...

Warm weather leaving puddles on Stuart Park rink

KELOWNA - The unseasonably warm weather of the last few days has resulted in pools of water developing on the outdoor rink at Stuart Park, threatening the popular facility with daytime closure. “That’s been the pattern that we’ve seen over the last few years, especially in the early or late season,” arenas supervisor Steve Fagan...