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Kelowna
UPDATE: Snowfall warning ended for Okanagan and South Thompson
ROADS AND HIGHWAYS IN WINTER DRIVING CONDITION THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A dump of snow overnight and this morning is making the busiest travel day of the year a challenge for drivers. The snowfall warning issued by Environment Canada for the Thompson-Okanagan earlier this morning was ended at about 10:15 a.m., Dec. 27. Forecasters say significant snowfall...
Kelowna hopes to end year without ‘significant snow event’
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - About half of Kelowna’s civic workers will be off the job over the holidays but snow removal crews won’t be amongst them. “Yes, it’s all hands on deck if needed,” public works manager Darryl Astofooroff says. “It’s looking good though, nothing much in the forecast." The city has gotten off lightly so...
Garbage and recycling pick-up changes over the holidays
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Along with the holidays comes celebrations and gifts, which means more garbage and recycling. But the pick-up people get some days off too which means some slight adjustments to the schedule. Curbside pick-up ervice is largely unaffected by the holidays with Christmas and New Years the only days with service changes throughout...
Some quirks of the calendar will bring you a lot more fun next year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Before you book your vacation next year, you might find some surprises you haven’t seen on the calendar — like an extra four long weekends next year. Thanks to a few quirks of the calendar, all four date-based holidays fall on or near weekends this year. Canada Day, Remembrance Day and New Years...
A cool, white Christmas for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - You’re in luck if you dreamed of a white Christmas, but expect slightly cooler temperatures to go along with it. Enough snow has fallen this month to give much of the Okanagan a white Christmas, something that has only a 50 per cent chance of happening in Kelowna and only a 20 per...
Locally-made spirits to get you through the holiday
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There’s no faster way to get into the spirit of Christmas than with Christmas spirits, and the Thompson-Okanagan has two award-winning local craft distilleries to help with last minute gifts or to keep guests from noticing that overcooked turkey. Urban Distilleries in Kelowna’s north end focuses on vodka, gin and whiskey, and they...
A look at what the City of Kelowna accomplished in 2015
KELOWNA - The city claims its goal is building the best mid-sized city in North America and progress toward that goal is outlined in the 2015 Year in Review, released by the city this week. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment the city made this year actually involved other communities. This past year the abandoned CN Rail...
Spirit of Kelowna volunteers drives the the holiday season
KELOWNA - The giving nature of the holiday season has inspired many people to volunteer their time and money to help those less fortunate, but many organizations rely on volunteers year round and hope those they can recruit at Christmas will keep helping out the rest of the year. The Kelowna Gospel Mission describes volunteers...
Snow removal frustrations? YouTube shaming your neighbours probably isn’t the best approach
DO YOU KNOW YOUR OBLIGATIONS FOR SNOW REMOVAL? KELOWNA - Dealing with snow can be kind of frustrating but this probably isn't the best way to deal with it. We discovered this YouTube video from user 'imabushwacker' publicly shaming his neighbour on his Kelowna street. He heads down the street, camera rolling, to confront her...
Sample local authors for last minute gifts
KELOWNA - Books make a great last minute gift and the latest from a local author is the perfect touch. Here’s the latest from some local talent. All True Not A Lie In It This novel by Okanagan College professor Alix Hawley made the Giller long list and won amazon.ca First Novel Award in 2015. All-day...
Red Deer man missing more than a month may be in Kelowna
KELOWNA - A Red Deer man missing for more than a month may be in the Kelowna area and RCMP need your help finding him. James Currie, 22, of Red Deer last had contact with his family Nov. 4. They reported him missing Nov. 25 after concern arose for his well-being. Currie is described as...
Kelowna leisure takes a breather with holiday schedule
KELOWNA - The winter break is a great time to swim, workout or visit the library as a family, but before you head out the door make sure you know what the holiday hours are. Parkinson Recrecation Centre runs altered hours from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 21 to 23, closing early at 4...
Fortis jacking up power rates on New Year’s Day
OKANAGAN - The price of electricity will be going up almost three per cent in the Fortis service area. Rates will be going up 2.96 per cent New Year's Day, the publicly-owned utility announced last week after receiving regulatory approval. The company says that amounts to a monthly increase of $3.81 for the average Fortis...
How the City of Kelowna plans on spending your money in 2016
KELOWNA - The city will require about $120 million from property owners to cover costs in Kelowna next year. While big ticket items like police officers and recreation centres often get the headlines, the city spends millions on dozens of other initiatives in many different areas as well. Here, in no particular order, are some...
Kelowna resident wins $1M in Lotto 6/49
KELOWNA - Christmas came early for one Kelowna resident. Tuong Van Mai won the guaranteed $1 million prize in the Dec. 16 Lotto 6/49 draw. “When I checked my ticket before work I couldn’t believe I won $1 million because I never thought I would win that big. I was shocked and overwhelmed but I...
Handmade in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you’re hoping to go a less commercial route this holiday season, look no further than the Thompson-Okanagan, a region that boasts numerous handcrafted gifts. From ceramics to sweet treats, there’s surely a gift to be found for every boy and girl — one that keeps you out of box-store lineups to boot....
Meteor shower and full moon highlight Christmas week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Christmas week will be one to remember this year, at least for sky watchers who enjoy the auroras, meteor showers and full moons. The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, will take place Monday, Dec. 21. The Shatford Centre in Penticton will host a viewing of the dramatic sunset beginning at...
Five-car pileup slows traffic on Harvey in Kelowna
KELOWNA - The already heavy holiday traffic on Harvey Avenue through Kelowna was made worse by a five-car crash at Burtch Road this afternoon. Emergency crews were called to the scene of a series of rear end collisions at about 1:30 p.m. today, Dec. 21. Two people were taken to Kelowna General Hospital, according to...
Okanagan to enjoy warm and white Christmas
OKANAGAN - It will be a pretty typical week when it comes to weather in the Okanagan, with temperatures expected to stay near seasonal normals for much of the Christmas week. Environment Canada is calling for highs ranging from 0 Celsius to -3 Celsius most days this week, though Kelowna is expected to hit a...
Kelowna to give some love to 14,000 street lights
KELOWNA - Most people don’t think much about street lights unless they happen to crash their car into one of them. Kelowna has 14,000 street lights with a replacement value of $23 million, Kelowna council heard during budget deliberations today, Dec. 17. Many of the lights, however, are past their service life and require maintenance...
Good chance of a white Christmas in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Mother Nature looks prepared to give us a white Christmas this year, with a snow overnight and at least a chance of snow expected every day this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for snowfall to end this morning, Dec. 18, and will be followed by a chance of rain or flurries later today....
Local gifts and food to get you through the holidays
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With fresh foods and resources available on our doorstep, giving local is easy in our region. Many natural resources help create the gifts we put under our Christmas trees — from wood products and minerals, to cider and wine. And of course if you have a natural tree or a wood fire you...
Public safety top of mind as Kelowna council approves tax increase
KELOWNA - Taxpayers will likely face a property tax increase of 4.12 per cent after city council passed the 2016 provisional city budget. The increase is heavy on public safety as more than half the increase of about $6 million is dedicated to hiring more police and bylaw officers while moving ahead with construction of...
City of Kelowna playing catch-up on roads after pothole complaints go up
KELOWNA - Ignore potholes in your roads and they will come back to haunt you. That’s the lesson Kelowna city council took away after approving $3.4 million for road resurfacing in the 2016 budget. Councillors heard the annual roads resurfacing program has been underfunded for several years as the city focused on other priorities. Complaints...