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Adam Proskiw
Adam has lived in B.C. most of his life. He was born in the Caribou, grew up in the Okanagan, went to university on Vancouver Island and worked as a news photographer in Vancouver. His favourite stories incorporate meaningful photography and feature interesting, passionate locals. He studied writing at UVic and photojournalism in California. He loves talking tractors, dogs and cameras and is always looking for a good story.
Adam Proskiw's Stories
Refugee family from Syria adapting to life in Kelowna
KELOWNA – Like most Canadians, Mohammed and his wife love their coffee. “We drink (coffee) every day,” he says. “When I wake, I wash my face and I take coffee.” Unlike most Canadians however, Mohammed Al-Shahoud, 53, doesn’t get his morning fix from Tim Hortons. His coffee, called kahvesi, is thick and unfiltered. The beans...
Conflicts between humans and bears expected to increase in the Okanagan
WEST KELOWNA – A busy weekend for bear sightings in West Kelowna could signal the start of a fall rife with bear-human conflicts. Frank Ritcey, the creator of the interactive Wildlife Alert Reporting Program on WildsafeBC.com, says four sightings of black bears were reported in the Shannon Lake neighbourhood in West Kelowna since Friday. “This...
Thieves target performance auto shop in Kelowna
KELOWNA – A Kelowna auto shop was the victim of an early morning break and enter Sunday which cost the owners thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise. An unknown number of thieves broke into Cutting Edge Auto and Performance on Highway 97 North, Sept. 20. A media release from Kelowna RCMP does not say how...
Second fossil from the future discovered in downtown Kelowna
KELOWNA - Another fossil from the future can be seen in downtown Kelowna thanks to an Okanagan artist taking part in a controversial public art pilot program. The metallic capsule filled with futuristic debris is suspended above a walkway in Kelowna’s cultural district. It was created by artist Johann Wessels for the Kelowna Art Gallery...
Searchers find body of missing Kelowna woman near Big White
KELOWNA - RCMP confirm the body of the missing Kelowna woman has been found in the Big White area but her death is not considered suspicious. Megan Doyle was last seen Friday, Sept. 11, in Kelowna at around 6:30 p.m. Her sister, Paige Doyle, as well as members of RCMP, friends and family, were in...
Changing trends force Okanagan libraries to seek two per cent increase in budget
KELOWNA – The board of directors for the Okanagan Regional Library have approved a draft of next year’s budget that calls for a 1.98 per cent increase. Half of the extra money would go towards wage increases for staff while the remainder would be used to offset higher rents and utilities, higher book and eResource...
VIDEO: Coach of Okanagan MMA club talks about runaway success
KELOWNA - An online fight website has profiled local MMA coach David Lea about his gym’s remarkable success in the world of professional fighting. David Lea is the coach of Toshido MMA. In the video, produced for MMAmadhouse.com, Lea describes how he started the club in 1998, only five years after the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
Adventure Club to headline UBCO Frosh party Friday
KELOWNA – To celebrate the start of another school year the University of B.C. Student Union is holding their annual Frosh Concert this Friday, Sept. 18. With artists like Adventure Club and Big Data performing, tickets to the outdoor concert are expected to sell out soon, according to the UBCSUO Facebook page. Last year Canadian...
Driver hopitalized after rolling car into bucket of a Bobcat
PENTICTON – A 26-year-old woman was taken to hospital Wednesday morning after she lost control of her car and rolled down an embankment into the bucket of a Bobcat. The cause of the crash at 1656 Holden Rd. is still being investigated and the medical status of the driver, the lone occupant, is not known....
Trial coming to an end for former RCMP officer accused of downloading child porn
KELOWNA - A former RCMP officer accused of possessing child pornography will soon find out his fate. Closing arguments were made Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the Supreme Court trial of former RCMP officer Ryan David Hampton, who is accused by his wife of downloading child porn during a messy separation. Hampton pleaded not guilty to...
Witnesses sought in crash that left Kelowna cyclist in coma
KELOWNA - RCMP are looking for witnesses in crash that left a Kelowna cyclist in a coma. Trevor Bohac, 42, was riding his bike eastbound on Robson Road West with his dog on Sept. 1 shortly after 4 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle turning into a driveway. His leg was broken and...
West Kelowna singer named best new artist at Indigenous Music Awards
WEST KELOWNA - A local First Nation singer and songwriter has won Best New Artist at the Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg. Kelly Margaret Derrickson, daughter of Grand Chief Ron Derrickson, beat out five other artists for the prestigious award on Friday, Sept. 11. Her debut album, Warriors of Love, was released in 2013 and...
Local immigrant making sure Mexican culture is celebrated in Kelowna
KELOWNA - A Kelowna bar is holding an event Wednesday night to help some local immigrants feel a little closer to home on a special day. Carmen Ruiz says Mexican Independence Day is important for the roughly 1,500 Mexicans living and working in the Okanagan. “This something that makes us really excited,” she says. “Lots...
Kelowna police detain door-to-door canvasser claiming to be collecting money for Rock Creek fire victims
KELOWNA - Police detained a man who had been canvassing Kelowna neighbourhoods looking for cash he says would go to victims of the Rock Creek fire. Const. Kris Clark of the Kelowna RCMP says in a release that local RCMP found the man in the 1600-block of Lindsay Drive around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept....
ELECTION 2015: NDP candidate vows to do more than toe the party line
WEST KELOWNA - The NDP candidate for the Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola riding believes her experience in urban and rural communities make her the best candidate. Angelique Wood, 45, grew up in Vancouver but moved to the small town of Hedley in 2006. In Vancouver she worked as an art dealer for First Nation and Inuit art...
Two arrested for series of Kelowna vehicle thefts
KELOWNA – Two men have been charged with multiple offences relating to what police call a series of vehicle thefts in Kelowna this month. On Sep. 6 the Kelowna RCMP Street Enforcement Team with the assistance of a police dog arrested two men for possession of break-in instruments and theft of motor vehicles. Kody James...
ELECTION 2015: Are you in the new Kelowna riding?
ELECTION 2015 – Those who don't know the exact latitude of where they live may be confused by the Elections Canada description of the new electoral district of the Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola. Even the name is complicated. Made up of areas from the former ridings of Okanagan-Coquihalla, Kelowna-Lake Country and the British Columbia Southern Interior, the...
Kelowna area kokanee runs looking strong despite warm, low water
KELOWNA – While many rivers and streams around B.C. are seeing below-average numbers of salmon spawning as a result of warmer temperatures and lower water levels, Mission Creek Regional Park staff say their salmon numbers are higher than they’ve been in two years. Park interpreter Nicole Kittmer says they currently have around 6,000 salmon in...
Put your best paw forward this weekend and help stop animal abuse
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – This weekend thousands of animal lovers from across the Thompson-Okanagan will help stop animal abuse simply by walking their dogs. For more than a decade, residents of cities across the province have laced up their sneakers for the Scotiabank and BCSPCA Paws for a Cause Walk. Manager of the Kelowna SPCA Suzanne Pugh...
West Kelowna mom says B.C. Transit is preventing her from filing complaint
KELOWNA – A local mother says B.C. Transit has brushed aside her complaints one of their drivers verbally abused her and another was driving dangerously. Carrie Watson, 43, had just left an event at the Parkinson Recreation Centre with her five-year-old daughter the evening of Aug. 29. They boarded the 97 bus headed downtown where...
Okanagan church group spends $60k to bring family from Syria
KELOWNA – Three local churches who spent $60,000 to bring a family from to Kelowna from Syria this summer are raising funds to bring even more refugees from the civil war-torn country. For 30 years the Central Okanagan Refugee Committee have rescued families and individuals from countries afflicted with famine, wars and disease. Six months...
Etsy craft market coming to Kelowna
KELOWNA - For the second year in a row, Kelowna crafters can get their Etsy fix in real life, instead of through a computer. On Sept. 26, Etsy: Made in Canada will be at Sandhill Winery for a free crafters market featuring handmade items from more than 30 Canadian artisans. Last year roughly 3,000 people...
ELECTION 2015: Green Party candidate puts fishing on hold while he attempts to reel in voters
WEST KELOWNA - Green party candidate Robert Mellalieu decided to run for MP when his 19-year-old son started getting into politics. “We homeschool and that’s how this all came to be. He asked who I was going to vote for so we took a list of candidates and started highlighting the things we agreed with....
Witnesses say Kelowna driver who critically injured cyclist was drinking, distracted and lied to police
"CAN YOU COME HELP ME STAND UP BECAUSE I'VE JUST BEEN HIT BY A TRUCK" KELOWNA – A cyclist who was hit by a truck and critically injured in Rutland last week told his girlfriend police have the wrong man pegged as the driver. Jill Hamer, 40, had just left dinner with her common-law husband...