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Kelowna

B.C. has highest rate of illegal cigarettes in Western Canada, study finds

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the province with the most contraband cigarettes in Western Canada, the amount of illegal tobacco in B.C. remains steadily high. The statistics come from the latest study commissioned by the Western Convenience Stores Association. In September researchers collected discarded cigarettes at various locations throughout the province to determine which were illegally purchased....

Whitewater Cooks author to stir the pot in Kelowna

KELOWNA - The author of a bestselling line of cookbooks will be in Kelowna next week signing autographs and speaking about her famous line of sauces. The author of four bestselling cookbooks, Shelley Adams of the Whitewater Cooks series was the former head chef at Fresh Tracks Café at Whitewater Ski Resort in Nelson. Her...

New concert tour bringing Hedley back to Kelowna

KELOWNA - Hedley is set to make another stop in Kelowna, this time as part of the Hello World Tour 2016. The B.C. natives announced the tour stop, which will include Carly Rae Jepsen, another B.C. favourite, and Francesco Yates, this week. The cross-country tour begins in Newfoundland in April and ends in Vancouver on...

Poppy campaign kicks off this week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This year’s poppy campaign is expected to be underway this Friday, Oct. 30. Poppies will be available at all Legion offices and members will have them available at locations throughout the city. Funds from the poppies contribute to veterans, their families and others in need of assistance in the community. The long-standing tradition...

UBCO students to vote on fate of low-cost transit program

KELOWNA - The fate of the U-Pass transit program at a local university is in the hands of the students, who will vote over a fare increase next week. Students at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia are holding a referendum over a fare increase for the program next week, which if...

City of Kelowna changes plan of attack for ‘extraordinary snow events’

KELOWNA - With last January’s near-record snow storm on their minds, the city is going to institute something that’s been the norm on the Prairies for decades — snow routes. “One of the biggest challenges staff face during snow cleaning efforts is vehicles on local residential streets,” public works manager Darryl Astofooroff says in a...

Local prejudice against Muslims tackled at UBCO

'IF WE DON'T SPEAK ABOUT THESE ISSUES... WE START DEVELOPING ALL THESE MISCONCEPTIONS.' KELOWNA - A UBC Okanagan graduate is organizing a forum on campus to address some of the misconceptions about his religion that are clearly still a problem in Kelowna. Adnan Akiel Ahmad Bhat holds a masters in electrical engineering from the Okanagan...

Local ski hills are growing white

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While some of us are still holding on to the last strings of warmer weather, those looking forward to skiing and snowboarding will be happy to know the snow is falling at area ski hills. All three of the big ski hills in the area — Sun Peaks, Silver Star Mountain and Big...

Cannan packs up old life, ponders future after election defeat

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Sitting amid the boxes and bags in his half-packed up office, former member of Parliament Ron Cannan can’t resist a joke. “The always said you could run a dog in this riding as a Conservative and it would get elected. Well, I proved them wrong.” Cannan has until Nov. 18 to vacate...

Everything you wish you didn’t need to know about rats in the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Just a few years ago, Thompson-Okanagan residents didn’t have to worry about rats invading attic spaces or chewing up electrical wires, simply because the rodent was a rarity in these parts. That's all changed.  Steve Ball owns BugMaster Pest Control, which services the North, Central and South Okanagan, and he says rat complaints...

How to keep your jack o’ lantern from rotting

KELOWNA – An unusually warm summer may have been nothing but a help to most farmers in the Okanagan but it’s forced pumpkin farmers to take steps to ensure customers get products that aren’t mushy and spoiled. Jas Sanghera is the owner of Don-O-Ray Vegetables on Benvoulin Road. He says the unusual weather this year...

Knox Mountain Park under popularity pressure

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Knox Mountain, the crown jewel of Kelowna’s park system, is under increasing pressure as its popularity grows. Use of the landmark park has jumped in all areas including vehicle use which has climbed from a daily average of 448 in 2012 to 582 in 2014. Event use has gone up as well...

Heritage buildings to get some love in Kelowna

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - It’s a pretty big to-do list but city planners have come up with priorities for some of Kelowna’s main heritage buildings. Topping the list is remedial work for the former Glen Avenue school, the Water Street firehall and Cameron House, planning specialist Pat McCormick says in a report to city council. The...

Wet fall week ahead for the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - A mixed bag of weather — cloud, rain and sun — is expected in the Okanagan for the last week of October. Environment Canada is calling for temperature highs at or just above seasonal normals of 9 Celsius throughout the region all week, with the warmest temperatures expected today, Oct. 26. Overnight lows...

Kelowna man charged in death of Calgary toddler

KELOWNA – A Kelowna man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a Calgary toddler in 2005. Police caught up with Ryan John Podhorodecki, 32, in Victoria where he was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 21, and transferred to Calgary to face the manslaughter charge.  Calgary police Staff Sgt. Colin...

Kelowna tourists caught in path of worst hurricane in history

KELOWNA - A small group of tourists from Kelowna who are vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta are fleeing to higher ground to escape the strongest hurricane ever recorded. Rod Robinson, owner of Bogie and Bacall Hair Salon in Orchard Park Mall, is travelling with his wife Donna and friends Denny and Patty Pirot, who are also...

Some Kelowna infrastructure grants could be in limbo after Liberal election win

KELOWNA - Despite election promises about investment in infrastructure, the advent of a new Liberal government will likely delay some Kelowna projects already in the works. “We do have various applications out there, but with the election, it’s been very quiet,” infrastructure director Alan Newcombe says. While he expects the Liberal government will honour applications...

Sun and frost this weekend in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Temperatures should be close to seasonal normals, on both the high and low end, this weekend and with those cooler overnight temperatures comes frost. Environment Canada is calling for a high in the double digits today, Oct. 21, and Saturday, with a high of 9 Celsius being forecast for Sunday. The seasonal normal...

OK Corral needs to wrangle up new customers

KELOWNA – After 31 years of being Kelowna’s only country bar, the OK Corral is struggling to survive. The nightclub, one of the few in Kelowna not located downtown, has seen a dramatic drop in attendance over the last two years, says marketing director Angie Clowry. “The last few years have not been successful,” she...

Kokanee salmon population explodes in Okanagan Lake with biggest spawn in quarter century

OKANAGAN - It’s a record year for Kokanee salmon spawning on Okanagan Lake. Jason Webster, a Vernon-based fisheries biologist, says more than 300,000 shore spawners were counted during this year’s annual survey — the most in more than 25 years. “It’s turning into a cyclical thing where every four years there’s a great big run,...

Embarrassed by your own bad behaviour during election campaign? It’s time to make amends

OR NOT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You likely had one or two of them among their Facebook friends — someone highly partisan, emotionally charged and willing to to go to the wall defending their particular political brand. Taking on all commenters, some of these people have left scorched earth in their wakes, fighting out the election in...

ELECTION 2015: We could do way more to help youth vote, says UBCO professor

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A local professor who conducted his own youth voting campaign thinks we could do a lot more to get young people into a voting booth. “I had students on the last day asking about how they can vote back home. A lot of students don’t live here, their home address is somewhere...

Meteor shower peaks over the Southern Interior this week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If clouds part enough tonight you may be able to get a glimpse of the Orionid meteor shower as it peaks early Thursday morning. The Orionid meteor shower, which is formed from the debris of Halley’s comet, is known for producing bright and quick meteors. This meteor shower runs throughout October and into...