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Kelowna
Changing trends force Okanagan libraries to seek two per cent increase in budget
KELOWNA – The board of directors for the Okanagan Regional Library have approved a draft of next year’s budget that calls for a 1.98 per cent increase. Half of the extra money would go towards wage increases for staff while the remainder would be used to offset higher rents and utilities, higher book and eResource...
ELECTION 2015: Kelowna votes together unless you’re in that area that looks a little like a…
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - They almost got it right when they re-drew the federal electoral boundaries — nearly all of Kelowna votes together in the Kelowna-Lake Country riding except for one little lump of electoral boundary confusion that pushes downtown Kelowna into a different riding. You've heard of Gracie's finger? We call this the Kelowna nipple....
Kelowna to host Canadian University Curling Championships
KELOWNA - The Canadian University Curling Championships will be held in Kelowna next spring and the winning rinks will go on to represent Canada at the 2017 Worlds in Kazakhstan. Curling Canada and Canadian Interuniversity Sport have awarded the 2016 Curling Canada University Curling Championships to the city. The event will be held March 20...
Arrest made in Vernon pet store arson
VERNON - Police have charged a local man with arson in connection to a small fire outside AJ’s Pets & Things earlier this month. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says surveillance footage released by the store showed a man appearing to start the Sept. 6 fire. Police appealed to the public for help locating and identifying...
Bear complaints overwhelming Okanagan conservation officers
KAMLOOPS NUMBERS SLOW DOWN AFTER EARLY SPIKE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Conservation officers in the North and South Okanagan regions are being swamped with bear complaints as the large animals begin to prepare for hibernation. While fall always sees an uptick in bear activity, conservation officer Jim Beck says this year is worse than normal. “It’s crazy...
Fishing reopens on drought-affected Okanagan rivers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fishermen can again drop a line in streams and rivers that were closed to angling this summer because of drought in Southern B.C. The natural resource ministry announced in a press release the reopening of fishing on the Kettle, West Kettle and Similkameen Rivers and their tributaries, the Middle Shuswap River and the main...
Trial coming to an end for former RCMP officer accused of downloading child porn
KELOWNA - A former RCMP officer accused of possessing child pornography will soon find out his fate. Closing arguments were made Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the Supreme Court trial of former RCMP officer Ryan David Hampton, who is accused by his wife of downloading child porn during a messy separation. Hampton pleaded not guilty to...
Last day to book super cheap WestJet flights to London
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - WestJet has announced a super-low airfare to London, England with the cheeky slogan 'If that’s not cheap enough, you can always try mailing yourself.' Pricing for a non-stop flight from Vancouver to London’s Gatwick Airport starts at $299, one-way, with similar deals at select airports across Canada, including Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and...
Witnesses sought in crash that left Kelowna cyclist in coma
KELOWNA - RCMP are looking for witnesses in crash that left a Kelowna cyclist in a coma. Trevor Bohac, 42, was riding his bike eastbound on Robson Road West with his dog on Sept. 1 shortly after 4 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle turning into a driveway. His leg was broken and...
Kelowna nightclubs granted extra long opening hours for special occasions
KELOWNA - Night owls can soon look forward to a few extra extended bar nights in downtown Kelowna. Councili has endorsed a staff recommendation that allows certain nightclubs and bars three extra extended hours openings per year, on top of the three already allowed. The nightclubs will be responsible for extra policing costs on those...
ELECTION 2015: Cannan hopes marketing background will result in another election victory
KELOWNA - Ron Cannan has shown a flair for winning campaigns when he needs to, something he ties to his extensive background in marketing and sales. The three-term member of Parliament, who’s hoping to add a fourth term after the Oct. 19 election, first put his skills to the test in 1995 with a run...
ELECTION 2015: What happens when you mix green and red
IT'S NOT PRETTY
Locals winners named for Aboriginal Business Awards
THOMPSON-OKANGAN - Some local aboriginal entrepreneurs are coming away from the B.C. Aboriginal Business Awards with wins this week. Troy Fraser Chiropractic of Kamloops has won Business of the Year in the one to two person enterprise category. Skyride Bike and Board Inc. of Vernon has won an outstanding achievement award for companies with three...
ELECTION 2015: NDP candidate vows to do more than toe the party line
WEST KELOWNA - The NDP candidate for the Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola riding believes her experience in urban and rural communities make her the best candidate. Angelique Wood, 45, grew up in Vancouver but moved to the small town of Hedley in 2006. In Vancouver she worked as an art dealer for First Nation and Inuit art...
Two arrested for series of Kelowna vehicle thefts
KELOWNA – Two men have been charged with multiple offences relating to what police call a series of vehicle thefts in Kelowna this month. On Sep. 6 the Kelowna RCMP Street Enforcement Team with the assistance of a police dog arrested two men for possession of break-in instruments and theft of motor vehicles. Kody James...
Snow on the Okanagan Connector
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Drivers heading out on the highway should be prepared for a bit of snow at the higher elevations this morning. Drive B.C. is showing snow at several of the higher Okanagan elevations and temperatures are currently sitting around 0 Celsius. At the Coquihalla Summit it is currently raining and temperatures are sitting around...
Water drilling rush in B.C. Interior to get jump on new water regulations
IMPACT UNKNOWN THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Companies drilling water wells in the B.C. Southern Interior appear to be busier than usual and the reason may be the introduction next spring of the provincial Water Sustainability Act and its new well licensing requirements. While hard numbers of how many wells are being drilled are hard to come by...
Westbank First Nation ponies up for public beach extension
WEST KELOWNA - Local residents can now enjoy an extended beach in Gellatly Bay courtesy of the Westbank First Nation. The band dedicated a portion of band land along the lakeshore of Indian Reserve #9 adjacent to the public beach at Gellatly Bay today, Sept. 14. Chief Robert Louie says the band recognizes the importance...
ELECTION 2015: Are you in the new Kelowna riding?
ELECTION 2015 – Those who don't know the exact latitude of where they live may be confused by the Elections Canada description of the new electoral district of the Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola. Even the name is complicated. Made up of areas from the former ridings of Okanagan-Coquihalla, Kelowna-Lake Country and the British Columbia Southern Interior, the...
Return to seasonal normals in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - The mercury soared heading into the weekend, but has dropped considerably coming out of it. Temperatures were in the high-20s Friday and Saturday, well above seasonal normal highs of 20 Celsius. Sunday things cooled off to highs of 23 C in the North and Central Okanagan, but at 27 C remained quite a...
RCMP looking for missing Kelowna woman
KELOWNA - A woman missing since Friday evening is believed to be in the Big White or Nakusp areas. Megan Doyle, 31, was last seen in the Kelowna area around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11. Volunteers from Central Okanagan Search and Rescue are involved in the search, which focused on the Big White area...
Why vaccinating 71 per cent of 7-year-olds in southern Interior should have you worried
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - To prevent a measles outbreak, 95 per cent of the population is required to be vaccinated, but the province’s southern Interior isn’t meeting that requirement with only 71 per cent of seven-year-olds vaccinated between 2012 and 2014. With the latest school year comes the annual round of vaccinations and kids will bring reminders...
Kelowna airport still flying high
KELOWNA - The city-owned Kelowna International Airport continues to do well, with most indicators on the rise. Airport manager Sam Samadar, in a report to city councillors, will show traffic continues to grow and will so for some time. Some 1.6 million passengers got on or off a plane in Kelowna in 2014, right in...
Kelowna nightclub owners want to keep booze flowing longer
KELOWNA - City staff are recommending against a request for a half hour extention of hours at downtown bars and nightclubs in Kelowna but would support doubling the number of special event nights with closing times as late as 4 a.m. According to a report by community planning manager Ryan Smith, a downtown industry group...