Kelowna
Lake Country Food Bank wins grand prize
LAKE COUNTRY – The Lake Country Food Bank is one step closer to getting the new facility it so desperately needs. In September of last year, the food bank entered into a national non-profit charity contest that gives out $1 million in prizes for deserving organizations in need. The Aviva Community Fund announced Tuesday that...
Dog licensing rates soar in the Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - Just one year after introducing tougher dog control measures and a stiff fine for unlicensed dogs, the regional district is reporting big success in persuading people to legalize their pets. Bruce Smith, communications officer for the Central Okanagan Regional District, said the number of licensed dogs is now just shy of 20,000, up...
More avalanche control along Highway 1
RISK REDUCED WITH LOWER TEMPERATURES THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Temperatures will be just above normal the rest of this week but with the cooling temperatures comes the perfect opportunity for crews to perform avalanche control in Glacier National Park. Highway 1 through Glacier National Park will again be closed for a brief time this afternoon, Jan. 28,...
Temperatures fall short of records
CALGARY GOT OUR HEAT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It looked like we might set new records this week with temperatures expected to hit double digits, but that hope appears to have skipped right over the Interior and into Alberta, where Calgarians enjoyed temperatures nearly 20 degrees above normal over the weekend. Environment Canada was originally calling for...
Dead inmate connected to Penticton charges
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An inmate found dead at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre last week was waiting to face several charges in Penticton. Daryl Belseck, 52, was accused of assault, mischief under $5,000 and uttering threats on Dec 23. He was due to elect his mode of trial on Jan. 21, two days after he died....
Medical marijuana testing laboratories could soon set up shop in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Medical marijuana analytical testing will soon be a possible business after Kelowna city council agreed with staff that the current medical marijuana production bylaw needed clarification. “We have been approached by several operators seeking clarification,” urban planning manager Ryan Smith told council. “The principal purpose here is to create a definition of analytical...
UPDATE: Near zero visibility for some foggy Okanagan areas
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada has issued a fog advisory for much of the Southern Interior. According to Environment Canada, a strong temperature inversion over southern B.C. will cause widespread, dense fog to develop over many Southern and Central Interior valleys this evening. The fog will persist until midday Tuesday. Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced...
City to react quickly should court decision allow resumption of home grown medicinal marijuana production
KELOWNA - The City of Kelowna will likely react quickly if Health Canada loses a Supreme Court challenge in late February and home-growing medical marijuana producers are allowed to resume production. “We have to wait and see but if it means we have to jump in with extra regulations and inspections, we would do that,”...
Highway 1 closed for avalanche control Monday afternoon
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Avalanche risk is considerable to high throughout the region and crews will again be doing avalanche control in Glacier National Park to minimize the risk. The warmer temperatures and sunshine will create springlike conditions in Glacier National Park and Avalanche Canada believes this could lead to more large natural activity, leading to a...
American travel writer predicts Kelowna the Next Big Thing
KELOWNA – A story written for a weekly newspaper in Colorado is getting some love on social media in the Okanagan. Travel writer Amiee White Beazley has an article in the Aspen Times predicting Kelowna will be the Next Big Thing calling it the Boulder, Colorado of 40 years ago, but with the added bonus...
Marijuana testing to be allowed under new city zoning bylaw
KELOWNA - Sounds like a dream job for some — working at a marijuana testing facility — but the reality is the analytical testing of dried pot is a mundane affair, done wearing lab coats not tie-dyed T-shirts. It’s also going to be an allowable use if Kelowna city council accepts staff’s recommendation that allows...
Increased avalanche risk and near-record temperatures on tap
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As temperatures rise to near-record highs this weekend avalanche forecasters are warning of an increased avalanche risk. With a warm storm likely to drop rain on a weakened snowpack, Avalanche Canada is forecasting a high risk at treeline and alpine elevations on Saturday for both the North and South Columbia ranges and at...
Oscar nod for Kelowna film maker
KELOWNA – For one local filmmaker working out of a basement suite, an Academy Award nomination came as quite a surprise. “Our goal is always just to make something that is thought-provoking and that the audience will like,” says Kelowna native and now Academy Award nominated film maker Adam Scorgie. “But when you find out...
School board gets an earful from parents over Lake Country catchment boundry changes
FRENCH IMMERSION EXPANSION INTO GLENROSA MIDDLE SCHOOL ALSO A CONCERN KELOWNA - School board chair Moyra Baxter said an emotional meeting yesterday where a large contingent of anxious parents blasted the board over proposed catchment changes in Lake Country have revealed deep divisions in the community. “There’s a real animosity between areas out there. It’s...
Say what? NFL players talking nonsense
The latest bad lip reading is out and the target this go-around is the NFL. Watch some pro-athletes say some ridiculous things after a YouTube genius has dubbed over sports footage with some wacky voice creations of their own. Speaking of lips, watch Blake Shelton fail to read Jimmy Fallon's when the two play The...