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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
UPDATE: Highway 97 in West Kelowna reopens following head-on collision
WEST KELOWNA - A head-on collision on Highway 97 near Grizzly Drive backed up traffic in both directions this morning, Oct. 1, closing the highway and sending a 76-year-old woman to hospital in serious condition. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Steve Holmes, says in a meida release, the collision between a Toyota sedan and a Jeep...
Orange Shirt Day remembers residential school victims
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you saw someone wearing orange today, don’t assume they are supporters of the federal NDP. “Orange Shirt Day is a reminder of the pain and anguish of residential school survivors and their families,” Rose Caldwell says. “For the ones who made it through and the ones who never came home.” Caldwell is...
Kelowna leads the country in rate of pot possession charges
KELOWNA - A local lawyer who specializes in drug cases says news that Kelowna has the highest rate in Canada for charges laid for simple pot possession shows bad judgement by local RCMP. Stanley Tessmer has practiced criminal law in Kelowna since 1997 and one of his areas of expertise is in drug cases. “It...
Few leafy losses following summer of drought in Kelowna
KELOWNA - All that remains of the two large cottonwood trees that used to shade the city parking lot at the Water Street boat launch are the two big holes where they once stood. One tree snapped and fell over Monday night, Sept. 28, and the other tree was removed by city crews as a...
Kelowna mayor plays it safe with policy for lighting up The Sails
KELOWNA - Tourists and locals alike have long flocked to The Sails at the foot of Bernard Avenue for postcard moments in the Okanagan sun. The sculpture’s graceful curves can also be lit up at night in a variety of colours. At the discretion of the Mayor’s Office, community groups can ask to have The...
You could soon buy wine with your cheese at Kelowna grocery stores
KELOWNA – It’s taken a while but consumers could soon be able to pick up…
Cyclist killed in Kelowna car crash
KELOWNA - A cyclist has died after a collision with a car on Springfield Road. Kelowna RCMP are not releasing the name of the 63-year-old man who they say may have run a stop sign on Belgo Road. “I don’t know that charges will be laid because it’s alleged the cyclist is at fault,” said...
Construction worker needs help with recovery after severe spinal injury on the job
WEST KELOWNA - Cole Bernier, a construction worker injured last week in a workplace accident, is facing a lengthy recovery after being crushed under some roof trusses. “Cole is someone you’ll never see without a smile on his face and if he’s frowning, it is typically because you changed his music or didn’t leave enough...
Irrigation districts say Kelowna mayor jumping the gun on water quality push
KELOWNA - Kelowna’s four major irrigation districts say they are well into the plan to improve water quality and eventually connect their systems and they’re not quite sure why city council wants to change the plan. Last week, mayor and council announced water quality as their top priority and said they would push to speed...
We Are The City teases with new song and video
KELOWNA - We Are The City has released a new song and video. Keep on Dancing was released in early September and the video was released Sept. 22. We Are The City was formed in Kelowna in 2008 and released its first album In A Quiet World in 2009. The band followed up with a...
Cities aim for the 21st century with Internet advertising law
KELOWNA - Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran is leading the charge to drag the way municipal governments communicate with citizens into the 21st century. Kelowna is sponsoring a resolution at the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention underway in Vancouver, which would allow so-called statutory notifications - information cities are currently required by law to publish in...
ELECTION 2015: UBC Okanagan students get a chance to grill local candidates
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Candidates from both local ridings delivered a youth-oriented message to a couple of hundred UBC Okanagan students during the first all candidates forum in Kelowna. And while voter apathy amongst youth is a long-standing issue, you would be hard pressed to find a more engaged group of young people than the crowd...
Solving Brains and Brawn puzzle means teamwork
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Grey matter and lean muscle mass — you need some of both to succeed in this world. That’s the message behind Brains and Brawn, a new event at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus which pits teams of two against a puzzle that leans on your muscles and your mind. “People...
Food bank fall harvest begins in Central Okanagan
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Local farmers and orchardists are in the middle of harvest and so is the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank. “From now until Christmas is our harvest time, the time when we have to stock up until spring,” spokeswoman Ami Catriona says. "We go through 1.4 million pounds of donations a year and...
RCMP auxilliaries crush grapes for Hospice House
KELOWNA - Local RCMP auxillary constables are cleaning their feet and counting the money after raising more than $12,000 during a grape stomp last week. The auxillary constable program will present a cheque for $12,203 to the Central Okanagan Hospice House, RCMP spokesman Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a press release. “This event was so...
Culture Days brings out the wild and wonderful in Kelowna
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - With more than 40 events planned for this weekend in Kelowna, culture is definitely what you make of it during the sixth annual Culture Days. More than 40 events are planned for various venues around the city Friday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 27, and will include a wild mix of everything...
ELECTION 2015: Where you can hear from the Kelowna-Lake Country candidates
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Local candidates in the federal election will be trading barbs at five different all-candidates forums in the riding of Kelowna Lake Country over the next several weeks. Students at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia will be first to hear from the Conservative, Liberal and NDP candidates at a student...
Making a living foraging the forests of the Okanagan
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - When local forager Scott Moran talks about his work you can't help but think of how romantic and daring it is — the ability to live off the bounty of the land and be self-sufficient — but the reailty is he puts a lot of hard work into creating this charming life....
Kelowna’s underground water source showing signs of stress
KELOWNA - A UBC Okanagan hydrogeologist says the huge Rutland aquifer running under Kelowna, which is the water source for thousands of residents, is showing signs of stress. And that means it’s time for a well-designed technical management plan of both ground and surface water sources in the Central Okanagan, Dr. Craig Nichol says, pointing...
Former Okanagan Sun football player needs help after brain aneurysm
KELOWNA - A young Kelowna man is fighting to regain his old life after a brain aneurysm caused him to crash his motorbike and left him in hospital in a coma. Jesse Kendall, 23, was riding with friends when it happened, his wife Michelle Felty says. “They were doing one last ride before winter," she...
Kelowna could see first new high school in decades
KELOWNA – The Central Okanagan school board is making a pair of big ticket capital…
Kelowna mayor is about to take on irrigation districts on water quality
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran is bent on solving one of the city's greatest and longest problems — drinking water — and seems prepared to go to war with local irrigation districts to make it happen. Basran and the city announced this week the current plan to standardize water delivery across the city...
Kelowna golf clubs want to start serving liquor at 9 a.m.
KELOWNA - Golfers at Gallagher’s Canyon and the Okanagan Golf Club aren’t likely to be able to get a drink any earlier or later than they already do. City staff are recommending against an application from the owner of the two golf courses to add an extra hour of drinking time on either end of...
Hard Knox race to cause traffic disruptions in Kelowna this weekend
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Drivers in Kelowna’s North End should be on the lookout this weekend for participants in the inaugural Hard Knox run. The 12-kilometre course starts at the base of Knox Mountain on Sunday morning, Sept. 20, and goes down Ellis Street before turning onto the Waterfront pathways, according to a City of Kelowna...