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Kelowna
Upgrades set to begin on Coquihalla Highway
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several stretches of the Coquihalla Highway will get a $15-million facelift this year as part of the province’s 10-year transportation plan. "Rehabilitation of provincial highways and side roads is a major component of our 10-year transportation plan, B.C. on the Move,” Transportation Minister Todd Stone said in a release. “These projects to improve...
Theft of big rig puts local logger down but not out
WEST KELOWNA - The owner of a $300,000 truck and low-bed trailer stolen at the end of March says the theft hit him hard but hasn’t knocked him out. “It was a big financial impact and a huge inconvenience,” Scott Horovatin, who used the 2014 Kenworth and trailer to run his own small logging outfit,...
Kelowna serves up steady increase of new restaurants
KELOWNA - You’re not imagining it. Kelowna has seen a steady increase in the number of new restaurants opening their doors in the last few years. Probably the most obvious example would be the gleaming new Cactus Club Cafe, soon to open right on the waterfront inside the Kelowna Yacht Club. The extremely competitive restaurant...
Daddy’s Little Sweetheart Ball a gala occassion for fathers and daughters
KELOWNA - Here’s your chance to meet Cinderella. Juice FM and Kelowna Mercedes-Benz are hosting Daddy’s Little Sweetheart Ball this Sunday, April 26, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the dealership showroom, 2580 Enterprise Way. Cinderella and a special guest will be making an appearance during a gala evening especially designed for fathers and their...
Occupation of premier’s officer ends, but situation remains
WEST KELOWNA - The occupation of Christy Clark's West Kelowna constituency offices ended today but the situation that caused it — where the Westside dumps its sewage—could continue for years. The chiefs of five native bands, and some non-native protesters from the Lower Nicola valley swarmed Clark's constituency office in downtown Westbank for five days,...
Kelowna pretty satisfying place; Vancouver not so much
KELOWNA – Kelowna holds a solid 12th place when it comes to life satisfaction while Vancouver found itself at the bottom of the list, according to a survey recently released by Statistics Canada. The life satisfaction survey, published this month, looked at 33 metropolitan areas in Canada with data gathered from 2009 and 2013. Kelowna...
Turn your eyes to the night sky this week
NORTHERN LIGHTS AND METEOR SHOWER COULD LIGHT UP THE NIGHT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you missed the northern lights last week and if the moon was too bright and the clouds too thick to catch the Quadrantid meteor shower in January, you could get a chance at viewing both this week. The Space Weather Prediction Centre...
Former WFN chief Ron Derrickson pens book about changing face of aboriginal struggle for sovereignity
WEST KELOWNA - Unsettling Canada - A National Wake Up Call is the title of a new book co-written by six-term Westbank First Nation chief Ron Derrickson. With a forward by famed Canadian social activist Naomi Klein, the book purports to tell the story of how First Nations and Canada have found themselves at seemingly...
Early start to wildfire season in Southern Interior, numbers still below 10-year average
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A series of wildfires were ignited this past weekend as dry weather combined with warming temperatures to create conditions ideal for human-caused fires. B.C. Wildfire crews responded to four fires over the weekend, two in the Kamloops part of the fire centre and two in the southern tip. Information Officer Kayla Pepper says...
Westside board of trade computers hacked, warns clients not to open emails
WEST KELOWNA - The Greater Westside Board of Trade says its computers have been hacked and its email contact list compromised. The board sent out an emergency email today urging people not to open attachments or zip files from any emails people may have received from the business promotion organization. The email apologized for the...
A look at the northern lights over the Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Mother Nature has given us both clear skies and northern lights the last few nights, meaning local photographers have been keeping late hours this week. In Kamloops, the lights were so bright Thursday night they could be viewed by the naked eye even in the city. Space weather forecasters are calling for unsettled...
Don’t throw it away, bring it to the Repair Cafe
KELOWNA - Have you ever had a toaster oven or an old clock radio stop working for no apparent reason? Maybe you threw it in the landfill because everyone told you it’s cheaper to buy a new one and you've felt guilty ever since. There's a new way to avoid this guilt, and save a...
No end in sight for sewage sludge sit-in at premier’s constituency office
WEST KELOWNA - The chiefs of the five native bands occupying Christy Clark’s office in West Kelowna say only an agreement with the province will end their protest. “We’re prepared to stay as long as it takes to come to some kind of the agreement with the province,” Chief Aaron Sam of the Upper Nicola...
Ride share website now includes Kelowna
KELOWNA – Uber, the rideshare website popular across the world, has some Vancouver-based competition if it ever shows up in Kelowna. The website for Hitch Planet claims it already has 10,000 customers in 70 B.C. locations. Users post details of the trip they expect to make and are automatically connected with “hitchers” who are willing...
School bus users could bear the brunt as Central Okanagan school trustees balance budget
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school board trustees got their first look at recommendations on how to cut $1.3-million from next year’s $117-million budget last night. Chief amongst the recommendations from district staff is the doubling of the $100 annual fee for kids who use the school board’s bus system, an increase that will raise $400,000,...
No injuries as fire destroys garage in downtown Kelowna
KELOWNA - The Kelowna Fire Department responded in force this morning to a garage fire on Laurier Avenue in downtown Kelowna. When they arrived, firefighters found thick black smoke and visible flames shooting from the garage’s interior. They were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread to the house, but the garage and contents...
Kelowna to review prayer policy after Supreme Court ruling bans them at public meetings
KELOWNA - A ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada about conducting prayers at public meetings has prompted the City of Kelowna to review its own council procedures bylaw. While there are no prayers given at regular council meetings, deputy city clerk Karen Needham says a prayer is offered at the public hearings held every...
Story of former Cap News publisher battling newspaper barons hits bookshelves
KELOWNA - A lot of people have heard the story of the rise and fall of Conrad Black and David Radler but not many will know that one of the first threads in the unravelling of their media empire Hollinger Inc. was pulled here in Kelowna. That sordid tale is laid out in A Costly...
Rockets lead series 3-0
KELOWNA - The Kelowna Rockets defeated the Victoria Royals 4-2 on Tuesday night in Victoria, taking a three game lead in the second round the Western Hockey League playoffs. Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist as four different Rockets scored in the win, the first of two straight games in Victoria. Kelowna scored...
Remembering Const. Neil Bruce 50 years after his murder
WEST KELOWNA - The death of Const. Neil Bruce, 50 years ago today, was similar to what Kamloops experienced in 1962 or Mayerthorpe in 2005; the murder of local RCMP officers and the shocking realization for local residents that the men and women who serve and protect our communities can also end up as victims...
Robbery starts in bank, ends in bathroom
WEST KELOWNA - RCMP have arrested two men in connection with the robbery of the CIBC branch on Louie Drive in West Kelowna yesterday afternoon. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Joe Duncan said in a press release that a man walked into the bank at 2000 Louie Dr. on Monday, April 13, threatened a teller and demanded...
Kelowna Flightcraft rebrands with new name
KELOWNA – Kelowna Flightcraft is getting a facelift with a new name meant to encompass the wide variety of services the company offers. The new name — KF Aerospace — along with the new logo and look better encompass the breadth of services the company offers, including air cargo operations, aircraft leasing, maintenance and engineering...
Tourism continues to thrive in Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - It was a banner year for tourism in Kelowna, with both occupancy and revenue up at local hotels, a key indicator of a successful season. Tourism Kelowna president Nancy Cameron told Kelowna council Monday afternoon the number of room nights in local hotels and motels was up four per cent while revenue from...
Centre of Gravity music lineup announced
KELOWNA – The music lineup for the largest sports and music festival in the Okanagan has just been announced and features some of the biggest names in music. Hit makers like Diplo, Knife Party and Flo Rida will be joined by Erica Dee, Tre Funk, Emotionz, The Funk Hunters, Delhi 2 Dublin, Kytami, SkiiTour and...