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John McDonald
John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.
It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.
But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.
If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca
Taxpayers heap abuse on snow removal staff
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Few things, it seems, can bring out the ugly in a person more than a snow covered street. A story posted yesterday with a photo from the perspective of a West Kelowna snowplow driver showed cars parked willy-nilly on a local road, making it virtually impossible to plow. The story touched a nerve and...
New homelessness coordinator will face big challenge in Kelowna
KELOWNA - When Kelowna’s new homeless coordinator is hired sometime this spring, they will find themselves working with a system that local service providers say is bursting at the seams. NOW Canada’s executive director Liz Talbot says the non-profit society’s 20-bed womens shelter has been running well over capacity for months now, even before the...
If your street looks like this, your complaint isn’t with snow plowing
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As snow removal complaints begin to pile up and residents begin pointing fingers, one municipality is pointing the finger right back. The City of West Kelowna sent this picture to local media and posted it to its Facebook page to show residents what snow plow drivers face on a daily basis while trying...
Kelowna truck fire sparks suspicion
KELOWNA - A pair of vehicle fires in the Rutland area, one of them suspicious, has sparked the interest of Kelowna RCMP. Police are considering a fire in a white Chevorlet pickup found in the 500 block of Hollydell Road around 10:30 p.m. yesterday, Jan. 4, suspicious, RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donaghey says. A passing...
Kelowna sees nearly 10 per cent jump in property values
KELOWNA - Homeowners in the Central Okanagan can expect some of the biggest increases in property assessments in the Okanagan region when official notices hit mailboxes this week. B.C. Assessment says the average single-family home in Kelowna went up 9.63 per cent to $567,600, with Lake Country close behind at 9.16 per cent and an...
Police check possible link between Kelowna restaurant robberies
KELOWNA - Police are investigating the possible connection between the robbery of a pizza restaurant on Sunday to a similar incident at a frozen yogurt store last week. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donghey says in a media release investigators are looking at the similarities of the two incidents and will be reviewing security footage...
City of Kelowna clearing main routes during latest snowfall
KELOWNA - City crews are asking for patience and cooperation as they deal with the latest snow fall in Kelowna. City and contract snow removal crews are working non-stop concentrating on priority one and two roads — high traffic main roads and secondary collector roads, according to a media release issued this afternoon, Jan. 4....
Thieves break into Westbank First Nation office
WEST KELOWNA - Someone has broken into the Westbank First Nation main office and stolen a computer. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Jesse O’Donaghey says police received a call at 11:21 a.m., Jan. 1, from a passerby who noticed a broken window on the ground floor of the band’s office at 515 Highway 97 South. Investigators...
MAP: Kelowna dominates list of most valuable properties in the Thompson-Okanagan
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - When it comes to property values, Kelowna is the clear leader among communities in the Thompson-Okanagan region, dominating the top 100 most valuable properties list. B.C. Assessment’s annual property valuations show a waterfront home 4358 Hobson Rd. in Kelowna was assessed at $9.51 million, the clear leader in the top 100 residential...
B.C. Assessment out with Kelowna home values next week
KELOWNA - Thousands of local homeowners will find out tomorrow, Jan. 4, just how much the B.C. Assessment Authority thinks their house is worth. That’s when the authority’s 2016 assessment rolls are made public and official assessments begin landing in some two million mailboxes across the province, spokesman Tim Morrison says. Assessments are used by...
2015 TOP STORIES: Politics divided our ridings like never before as Liberals take office
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - Big changes in the political map across Canada translated this year into upheaval for local politicians. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, seeking a fourth term after nearly ten years in power, dropped the writ on the longest federal election campaign in history, an eleven week marathon largely seen to benefit the incumbents. It...
Kelowna will spend millions on new vehicles in 2016
KELOWNA - Kelowna will be dropping lots of money on new wheels this year as it prepares to replace an assortment of vehicles. The city will spend almost $2 million in 2016 replacing 25 vehicles or pieces of equipment of various types that are at the end of their service life cycles. That includes 15...
2015 TOP STORIES: Marijuana goes mainstream as legalization looms
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Marijuana made the news so much in 2015 you could almost smell it wafting across Canada. Supporters could definitely smell change in the air as outright legalization of the drug became part of Justin Trudeau's winning campaign in the 2015 federal election. No sooner was he elected that unions started proposing responsible ways...
Debt reduction tops list of financial priorities for 6th straight year: poll
TORONTO – Paying down debt remains the top financial priority of Canadians, but it's a goal many appear to be having difficulty meeting, according to a new poll conducted for CIBC.
2015 TOP STORIES: Big bridges, little players and water wasters hot topics in the Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - Transportation and water were prominent in local news in 2015 and transportation over water — in this case, a second bridge over Okanagan Lake — generated lots of interest. Even though it’s at least 25 years away and may never be built, the province began consultations on a possible second crossing of Okanagan...
Functional training, high-intensity interval training top fitness trends for ’16
TORONTO – For a second year in a row, Canadian fitness experts are touting functional fitness and high-intensity interval training as top workout trends.
Online animals of the year got attention with cuteness, causes, big eyes — and a rat’s resolve
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Animals can melt the human heart, tickle the funny bone or bring us to tears. And thanks to Instagram, YouTube and other online options, you can enjoy their antics simply by following, liking or pinning them.
Drunk driving checks net few impaired drivers in Chase check
CHASE - RCMP say a Christmas Eve checkstop in Celista that produced nothing more than verbal warnings shows local motorists are heeding the message about drinking and driving. In a release, Chase RCMP Sgt. Gary Heebner says one ticket for no insurance was issued as were verbal warnings, but no impaired driving charges among the...
UPDATE: Kamloops teen missing more than two weeks located
UPDATE: 2:30 P.M., DEC. 31, 2015 RCMP say the 17-year-old Kamloops teen has been located and is safe. All personal information has been removed. 12:23 P.M., DEC 31, 2015 KAMLOOPS - Police need your help locating a teen missing for two weeks. Kamloops RCMP say in a press release that a 17-year-old has been missing...
Channel your inner polar bear during icy plunge in Okanagan Lake
KELOWNA - Polar bear swims have become a traditional way to welcome the new year for many people and residents of the Central Okanagan are no exception. There will be two to choose from the region, one in Kelowna and another in Peachland, and those willing to go a bit further also have the option...
Think you got a lot of snow? You must have a short memory
KELOWNA - This weekend’s two-day snow dump didn’t even come close to the storm that started 2015, according to the people tasked with clearing much of it out of the way. “We didn’t activate the snow routes,” says public works manager Darryl Astofooroff, in charge of the city’s snow removal service. “We didn’t consider it...
Kelowna frozen yogurt store target of armed robbery
KELOWNA - An employee of a frozen yogurt store was forced to turn over an unknown amount of money to an armed robber last night in Kelowna. A lone masked male entered the store in the 2400 block of Highway 97 North and showed the handle of a gun before demanding money around 8:30 p.m.,...
Highway rollover sends man to Kelowna General Hospital
KELOWNA - A rollover on Highway 97 early this morning has sent a 20-year-old man to hospital with serious injuries. The man was driving a white Chevrolet Blazer northbound on the highway when it hit snow at the intersection with Leckie Road around 6:50 a.m., Kelowna RCMP says in a press release. The vehicle slid...
Cold, snow force Kelowna’s Gospel Mission to throw open the doors
KELOWNA - Last week’s cold coupled with this weekend’s snow has pushed the Kelowna’s primary homeless shelter to capacity. “We dont turn people away, we are open 24/7 and have been since the cold and snow hit last week,” Kelowna's Gospel Mission's Michael Morrison says. Morrison says the Mission’s 82 mens' beds, 12 step up...