Kelowna

Just call it Autummer as high temperatures approach records
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Shuswap enjoyed a record breaking day Sunday and for much of the Thompson-Okanagan region it was a warm day, just not quite hot enough to break records. In Salmon Arm, a temperature of 20.8 Celsius was enough to break a 40-year-old record and was well past the seasonal normal of...

Vernon couple starts #redbagchallenge to help raise blood donations
VERNON – Following on the worldwide success of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a local couple from Vernon have come up with an imaginative way to encourage blood donations. Glenn and Lisa Gallie came up with the idea to donate blood on camera and then nominate three people who would then have to make a...

Body found near Okanagan College in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Mounties are investigating a report of a body found in a parking lot in Kelowna this morning. The body was discovered inside a maroon coloured mini van parked in the staff parking lot behind the Mission View medical building Oct. 17. Police are releasing few details, but say the death does not appear to...

New Yacht Club officially open
KELOWNA – After two years of construction and many more spent planning, the new Kelowna Yacht Club is finally open. The new 24,000 sq. ft. clubhouse adjacent to the Water Street boat launch includes offices, a classroom, a boardroom and a privately-operated public restaurant and patio. The second floor has a covered deck and houses...

Local history comes to life in bigger, better book
OKANAGAN-SIMILKAMEEN – One of the regions longest running traditions is back, bigger and better than ever before. The Okanagan Historical Society Annual Report is a collection of essays that explores the varied and rich history of the valley. David Gregory is the editor of the publication and he says the 78th issue is one of...

1.5 kg cocaine, ammunition among items seized in Kelowna bust
KELOWNA - A four-week drug trafficking investigation led Mounties to two Kelowna homes and resulted in two arrests Friday. RCMP entered a residence on the 200 block of Mills Road with a warrant in hand Oct. 10. A second search warrant was executed at a residence on the 1400 block of Crawford Road. In a...

Given to run for council, not mayor
KELOWNA – First term councillor Gail Given, who has hinted in the past she was considering running for mayor next month, will instead seek to keep her seat on council. Given, who has lived in Kelowna more than 30 years, says with the majority of the councillors leaving she wanted to ensure there will be...

Diverse-abilities on display at City Hall
KELOWNA – A line of people stood together outside City Hall Wednesday raising awareness for issues still faced by those in our city who have disabilities. The rally, called the Pathways Inclusion Chain, was organized by Pathways Abilities Society, a 61-year-old group started by a handful of parents in 1953. It has since grown to...

Open burn ban to be fully lifted
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Kamloops Fire Centre received calls of open burns in areas still under prohibition this long weekend, but staff are happy none led to wildfires. Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says a 13.7 hectare fire just north of Lytton this weekend is believed to be human-caused, but not a result of open burning....

Political cyber sabotage in Kelowna mayoral election campaign
KELOWNA – The RCMP are investigating after someone hacked former Kelowna mayor Sharon Shepherd’s old Twitter account. It appears someone used the Twitter account to attack the mayoral candidate’s reputation in an effort to discredit her. “Those who know me soon realized my previous accounts had been take over without my knowledge or permission, for...
UPDATE: Missing woman found safe
KELOWNA – A 32-year-old Kelowna woman, missing for two-and-half weeks, has been found. RCMP say Taya Morgan Giroday is safe. Giroday went missing on Sept. 23, 2014 prompting a media alert from police who said it was out of character for her to be out of contact for such a long period of time. RCMP...

The Okanagan as seen from the eyes of someone falling from the sky
OKANAGAN - They look like sky ninjas or superheroes soaring above the clouds, and you might recognize their birds eye view of the ground below. Skydiving enthusiast Chris Ellom captured some incredible footage of his favourite sky dives this past August and September taken as much as 11,000 feet above the Okanagan Valley, high enough...

ELECTION 2014: Plenty of choice in Kelowna civic election
KELOWNA – With 29 candidates declared for Kelowna city councillor, the only thing for certain is... there will be a lot of election signs. Candidate nominations closed at 4 p.m. on Friday. Six candidates vie for mayor, 29 for city councillor and nine for school trustee. Former mayor Sharon Shepherd and councillor Colin Basran are...

Westlake Road to open for Thanksgiving traffic
KELOWNA - It’s been under construction since April, but the Westlake Road will partially open in time for Thanksgiving traffic at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The $5.1 million project still has a section between Caledonia Way and Rosewood Drive under construction. It will be open to motorists on Friday, with single-lane alternating traffic resuming on...

Prosper Kelowna: Second declared slate in municipal election
KELOWNA – A second slate geared towards younger voters has turned up in Kelowna. The two-candidate team of Prosper Kelowna hopes to revitalize the City’s job market if elected to City Council. Mike McLoughlin and Sean Upshaw, two former election candidates for the B.C. Conservatives, have geared their seven point slate so the Kelowna public...