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Kelowna
Dancing cowboy to get permanent memorial at local nightclub
KELOWNA – A local nightclub is honouring one of their beloved regulars who passed away from cancer last year. Arnie Davis was 80 years old when he lost his fight against lung cancer in July 2013. He was a popular fixture at many nightclubs for more than 20 years, with his positive attitude and love...
This one simple thing might have prevented one-third of stolen vehicles in the Central Okanagan
SHAPING UP TO BE A RECORD YEAR FOR VEHICLE THEFTS KELOWNA – RCMP are warning vehicle owners not to leave keys in their ignition after incidents of vehicle theft has spiked in the last year. Cpl. Joe Duncan of the Kelowna RCMP says in a release 23 vehicle were reported stolen between Aug. 1 and...
Missing woman with health concerns found
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A missing Kelowna woman with health concerns has been located, according to RCMP. Brittany Nelson, 30, has been located and is safe and sound," Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a release sent one day after friends reported her absence. To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or...
Smoky skies continue, no end in sight to fire season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With smoke-filled skies and reports of new fires almost every day, it begs the question that’s on everyone’s mind: When will this end? “It’s a good question. There is no hard and fast measure that tells us when things are done. Every season is its own animal,” Kevin Skrepnek says. And B.C. Wildfire’s...
Carriage houses may be coming soon to West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - Residents in the Westbank centre and other select parts of West Kelowna could soon see carriage houses popping up in a nearby laneway. Council is due to give third reading to the draft regulations governing the new category of residential developments, the latest step in a lengthy process that began in 2012....
Smoke wreaks havoc on already-weakened hearts and lungs
SOUTHERN INTERIOR - Looks like the smokey skies will be with us until at least tomorrow and that means more discomfort for those with chronic heart and respiratory problems. “When we talk about smokey skies, we’re talking about the tiny solid particles that remain suspended in the air. The major concern is particles smaller than...
Mom raises $14K for Cuddle Cots across Thompson-Okanagan
WEST KELOWNA – What started as an idea to bring to Kelowna General Hospital a device which gives parents of stillborn children a few extra days with their child will now help families across the entire Thompson-Okanagan. In less than three months West Kelowna resident Kristin Esmail has raised enough money to buy four Cuddle...
Pair of small fires burning in Joe Rich
KELOWNA - A pair of small wildfires have ignited south of Joe Rich, not far from a much bigger fire in early July. Fire information officer Kayla Pepper says eight B.C. Wildfire personnel are working the two fires which are burning approximately half a kilometre apart south of Mission Creek near McCulloch Road. Pepper says...
Decision on Kelowna Mountie accused of assault expected in September
LANGUAGE ADVISORY KELOWNA – The judge in the trial of a Kelowna RCMP constable accused of assaulting an elderly bar patron will have to decide if the officer believed John McCormick was obstructing justice when he refused to leave Rose’s pub in downtown Kelowna last summer. Judge Gregory Koturbash heard final submissions in Kelowna Provincial...
Grassland-eating grasshoppers causing grief for Interior cattle ranchers
KAMLOOPS - A district board member hopes to speak with the provincial Minister of Agriculture about "a great number of complaints" about the growing grasshopper population eating away the grasslands near Kamloops and causing concerns for ranchers. Ken Gillis, the director for the Grasslands area of the Thompson Nicola Regional District, says he plans to...
Pool and gym at Parkinson Rec to shut down for cleaning
KELOWNA - Annual maintenance is leaving pool and gymnasium users out of luck at Parkinson Recreation Centre. The aquatic facilities will be closed from August 31 reopening September 20 should everything work out according to plan. The gymnasium will also be shut down during the same time period. Parkinson pass holders can use the aquatic...
Increased density doesn’t help farmland, says Agricultural Land Commission
KELOWNA - While converting an office to a home may not seem like much, Kelowna city staff are refusing to support a carriage house application because the lush homesite on Mission Creek is still viable for agriculture. Applicants Don and Diane Hickey are asking for support from the city for their application to the Agricultural...
Westbank First Nation chief and council paid well above peers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Pay levels for chief and council of the Westbank First Nation can’t be…
How the Thompson-Okanagan fared in the Ashley Madison cheating website data leak
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Locals in the B.C. Southern Interior aren’t immune to exposure from the dump…
Management team replaces president at Apple Triathlon
KELOWNA - A new management team will be replacing the outgoing head of the Kelowna Apple Triathlon. Long-term Apple Triathlon president Richard Montgomery is stepping down after this year’s event. Replacing him will be a management team of three, Malandi Elmore, Graham Hood and James Young, the same group which runs the Kelowna Cherry Blossom...
KF Aerospace announces more layoffs in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Rebranding the company hasn’t helped KF Aerospace avoid the turbulence of the marketplace which has forced the company to cut jobs in both Kelowna and Hamilton. President Tracy Medve was not available for interviews Friday as the Kelowna-headquartered company announced layoffs equivalent to eight per cent of its workforce. However, Medve said in...
Grandfather wants to know what happened in ATV crash
LAKE COUNTRY - A grandfather is looking for answers after a serious ATV accident in orchard country left his grandson in coma. Kaiden Ross, 18, and an unidentified female passenger, also 18, were thrown from all-terrain vehicle they were driving the evening of August 12. The girl suffered minor relatively injuries but Ross ended up...
33rd Apple Triathlon set to take over downtown Kelowna this weekend
KELOWNA – Athletes from around the world will be in Kelowna this weekend for the Okanagan’s largest annual triathlon. The 33rd Kelowna Apple Triathlon is B.C.’s only world triathlon championship qualifier with top finishers in each category eligible to enter the 2016 championships in Mexico. The race includes ia 10 kilometre run, 40 km bike...
Tossing note to young girls nets charges for violent offender
LAKE COUNTRY - A local man is facing multiple charges after throwing notes from his car to young girls in Lake Country and Kelowna. James Jonathan Bryshun, 31, is accused of throwing notes with a phone number to young girls he passed in Lake Country, according to a media release from Kelowna RCMP. Bryshun is...
Kelowna man who died while rafting lived and loved ‘all in’
"DON'T FORGET HOW LUCKY YOU ARE TO LOVE YOUR LOVED ONES SO MUCH IT HURTS" KELOWNA – They were high school sweethearts planning their dream Kelowna wedding when Rene Bourgault’s life was cut short in a tragic rafting accident last weekend. Friends, family and everyone who has been touched by his life are mourning his...
Local man documents entire CN rail corridor for posterity
KELOWNA – An Okanagan man with a passion for local history has begun work on a video he hopes will preserve the significance of the CN Rail corridor for generations to come. Alan Gatzke spent dozens of hours and thousands of dollars from his own pocket to modify his pickup so it could be used...
UFC extends contract with Kelowna fighter
KELOWNA – Local UFC welterweight Matt Dwyer has had his UFC contract extended by four fights. Dwyer, 25, a Kelowna resident since he was two years old, fights out of Toshido MMA in Kelowna. He was signed to a remarkably rare four-fight contract with the UFC in 2014. Although his first appearance resulted in a...
Kelowna wants input on how residents and amenities can live together
KELOWNA - Would you be comfortable with condos and commercial spaces cheek by jowl with the Okanagan Heritage Museum and the Kelowna Community Theatre? That’s one of the ideas that has come out of the ongoing consultation over the so-called civic block, which includes those buildings and others in the area. “We’ve had great input...
ELECTION 2015: Kelowna Chamber will host federal candidates forum
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Three candidates battling it out for the Kelowna-Lake Country federal riding will square off in a candidates forum next month. The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce says it has invited Conservative incumbent Ron Cannan, New Democrat Norah Bowman and Liberal Stephen Fuhr to a federal candidates forum. The forum will allow the three...