Kelowna

Kelowna man arrested for threatening the government on his Facebook page
KELOWNA – A Kelowna man was arrested this week for posting “threatening comments” to his own Facebook page. Cpl. Joe Duncan says the man believes the government owes him money and although the comments didn’t mention any specific agency, they were serious enough that someone notified the police and RCMP arrested him. “I don’t know...

Top Gear episode airs featuring Okanagan highways
OKANAGAN – Residents of the Okanagan will see some familiar scenery in a recently aired episode of the hit BBC television series "Top Gear." In a rare review of two North America’s truck companies, stars James May and Jeremy Clarkson race each other across B.C. in a Ford F150 VelociRaptor and a Chevy Silverado 2500HD....

Regional district budget down this year, but could have dropped further
KELOWNA - The Central Okanagan Regional District will spend $59.4 million of your tax dollars this year and you’re welcome to say something about it. “There is an opportunity for the public to address the board regarding the 2015-19 financial plan,” said spokesman Bruce Smith. “They don’t have to preschedule or anything. There is a...

Surging greenback, failing fire truck means Kelowna taxpayers on the hook for more money
KELOWNA - The plunging Canadian dollar and a failed mechanical assessment on one of its big rigs means the Kelowna Fire Department needs to ask city council for more money. Fire chief Jeff Carlisle, in a report to council, says the department needs an additional $130,000 to complete the purchase of a fire engine originally...

Lots of smoke but not much fire; health inspectors clear Valoroso Foods of serious violations
KELOWNA - If Joe Valoroso is bitter about his specialty food store being called out for label tampering and other minor food safey infractions, he’s now showing it. “No one is entitled to judge anybody else,” he simply says. In fact, the president of Valoroso Foods seems quite forgiving about having his name dragged through...

Commercial vehicles collide on Highway 97 near Winfield
KELOWNA – An accident between two commercial vehicles on Highway 97 near Winfield Thursday morning resulted in one of the drivers going to hospital and another issued a traffic violation. Cpl. Joe Duncan of the Kelowna RCMP says the accident happened just north of Ellison Lake when one of the drivers merged his vehicle into...

Thirty years in the Central Okanagan: See how it has changed
KELOWNA - We all know Kelowna and the Central Okanagan have grown over the last 30 years but Google Earth shows us just how much. This time lapse of satellite pictures from Google Earth shows the amazing changes in this area of the world from 1984 to 2012. According to Wikipedia and other sources, in 1984,...

Rain, snow increase avalanche risk in Interior
OKANAGAN - With less than a week left in March spring is well under way in the valleys, but that doesn’t mean winter conditions are not present on mountain highways or in the backcountry. Avalanche Canada is warning of a moderate to high risk of avalanches in many of the alpine and treeline elevations throughout...

Opinions wanted on local election spending
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fresh off the heels of the fall municipal election a special committee is now looking at whether spending limits should be put in place for candidates and third party advertisers. The provincial government committee will speak with stakeholders and the public over the coming weeks to discuss whether a limit should be put...

Local clothing stores to remain open under creditor protection
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The company behind Cleo, Bootlegger and Ricki’s has filed for creditor protection but says at this point all stores will remain open. Comark Inc. filed for protection today, March 26 and plans on using it to bring stability to restructuring of its operations. "For our customers and employees, what is most important is...

Spring snow at Okanagan resorts leaves ski bums less bummed
OKANAGAN - It may have been a rainy week in the valley, but it was dumping snow at local ski hills. Silver Star Mountain in Vernon got close to 60 cm of new snow in the last week, blanketing alpine runs with a 209 centimetre base. As of Friday morning, all chair lifts except the...

Big dump of snow cost Kelowna taxpayers big bucks
KELOWNA - The big dump of 2015 dropped a near-record amount of snow on Kelowna and cost taxpayers over a half-million dollars to clean up. During the two-day snow storm, which began Jan. 3 and ended Jan. 5, about 37 centimetres of snow fell in and around the Central Okanagan. At one point, snow was...

Negotiations to continue despite Okanagan Indian Band lawsuit aimed at CN Rail corridor purchase
KELOWNA - The acquisition team responsible for the $50-million group purchase of the abandoned CN Rail corridor will be meeting right away to discuss the latest threat to the already-beleagured CN Rail corridor purchase — an injunction to stop the sale by the Okanagan Indian Band. “This would potentially halt the transaction if an injunction...

Rockets players grab four WHL all-star team spots
KELOWNA - It’s the end of the regular season in the Western Hockey League and with the Kelowna Rockets sitting in first place in the Western Conference, several players made the all-star team while a few more were named finalists for 2015 awards. The all-star teams along with the 2015 WHL Awards finalists were named...

Interior Target stores will be closed before Easter
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - By April 2 a total of 62 Target stores will be shut down, including those in Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops. Target Canada opened doors in Western Canada in May 2013. In January 2015 it was announced the company would be shutting down all 133 stores and liquidation sales began immediately. Last week the...