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For Vickie Song, it was an easy decision, one in which pride had no place. She tried doing it on her own. As a trained chef, she cooked for mining camps in Northern B.C., but shift work took too much time away from her children, Nicholas, 14, and Breanna, 11. She now hasn't worked in a...

For Vickie Song, it was an easy decision, one in which pride had no place. She tried doing it on her own. As a trained chef, she cooked for mining camps in Northern B.C., but shift work took too much time away from her children, Nicholas, 14, and Breanna, 11. She now hasn't worked in a...

Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society is a little different. Instead of the traditional Christmas turkey or ham dinner other non-profit agencies offer, Ki-Low-Na serves buffalo for their traditional Feed the People complimentary dinner for those in need on Christmas Eve. And, Event Coordinator Kathleen Bray said, they do it for a very good reason. "They get turkey at...

A Kelowna man faces weapons charges after he was arrested in a pub with a loaded handgun. Ryan Bradley Allin, 29, was arrested Saturday night at the Willow Park Pub, 590 Highway 33 West. When Kelowna RCMP arrived, they found a man seated at the bar with a loaded .45 calibre pistol tucked in the...

Electricity rates for Kelowna customers are going up in 2013. Kelowna City councillors approved an annual rate increase of 6.5 percent to the city's electrical utility rates for residential, municipal and school customers at Monday's regular meeting. On average, a customer using 940 KWhs a month can expect to pay an additional $6.83 a month....

Paramedics are crediting two Kelowna RCMP officers for saving a man's life. At 3:30 p.m. Monday, the RCMP received a report of a possible intentional overdose at a residence on the 1400 block of Leaside Avenue. No one answered the door when police arrived, but officers were able to gain access to the home through...

Twelve people escaped unharmed in a Rutland duplex fire this morning. Kelowna fire crews responded to a 911 call at 7:11 a.m., about a house fire in the 500 block of Bolotzky Court. The first arriving engine reported heavy black smoke coming from the right rear of the two-storey duplex, along with smoke and flames...

Mathew Sweet-Grant has pleaded guilty to two assault counts in the video-recorded burning of a young man at a Kelowna house party. Sweet-Grant, 20, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and assault with a weapon Monday in B.C. Provincial Court. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 4. Sweet-Grant and Joshua McWhirter, 18, were arrested last week on...

The city will find out what's needed to improve Lakeshore Road when a report is presented on Monday. The report from Director of Infrastructure Planning Randy Cleveland will be presented during the regular city council meeting and is part of a 20-year servicing plan that would lead to upgrades to Lakeshore Road from Richter Street...

Some Kelowna city councillors are uncomfortable with the increased cost of adding three new RCMP officers and a civilian to the local police force. Policing constituted the largest item on the budget, accounting for about 25 percent of the $103 million burden to taxpayers. The RCMP contract called for an unexpected increase of $6,550 per...

Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society is a little different. Instead of the traditional Christmas turkey or ham dinner other non-profit agencies offer, Ki-Low-Na serves buffalo for their traditional Feed the People complimentary dinner for those in need on Christmas Eve. And, Event Coordinator Kathleen Bray said, they do it for a very good reason. "They get turkey...

The world may not come to an end on Dec. 21 as the Mayans predicted, but Kamloops may not be so lucky. A Facebook event circulating online has generated about 14,200 confirmed guests to attend an "end of the world party" expected to take place in Barnhartvale the evening before the Mayan prediction of the...

At first, Barry Chretien only wanted to help a friend's father in any way he could. Maybe he'd spend a few extra bucks for food. The West Kelowna businessman was text-messaging late Monday night with a friend who lives in Northern B.C. She said her father, a West Kelowna resident, had run into difficulties, hadn't...

City councillors will spend all day Thursday reviewing the 2013 provisional budget. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, councillors will do a line-by-line deliberation of the budget, which was formally presented by City Manager Ron Mattiussi on Monday. The $357 million budget recommends a $103 million tax demand, up $3.6 million from 2012. That would increase...

A Calgary man pleaded guilty this morning to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in the 2009 street racing death of another Calgary man. Michael John Bell, 56, issued the plea in B.C. Supreme Court in the deadly crash on Boucherie Road in West Kelowna on April 10, 2009. The plea was a resolution reached...

Kelowna city councillors will review a record provisional budget that recommends a 2.54-percent property-tax hike. The $103 million budgetary tax demand that City Manager Ron Mattiussi will present to the council today increases municipal taxes for the average homeowner will pay $42 more in 2013 than last year, to $1,686. After first receiving the 2013...

Bernard Avenue is set to re-open to motorists, who will notice narrower streets, wider sidewalks and less parking. Having nearly completed the first phase of the $14-million revitalization project on one of Kelowna's main downtown streets, Bernard will re-open for traffic at 6 p.m. Friday. As different as Bernard looks now, said the city's director...

RCMP Const. Geoff Mantler likely will face little or no jail time when his sentencing comes up early next year, according to several observers, but his career as a police officer is most certainly over. Mantler, who pleaded guilty Wednesday for assault causing bodily harm for the videotaped kick to the face of Buddy Tavares...

After nearly two years since his videotaped kick to the face of Buddy Tavares, RCMP Const. Geoff Mantler pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm Wednesday. Sentencing will be at a later date. The shocking turn of events happened just moments before Mantler was to take the stand in his own defence. Instead, his lawyer...

RCMP Const. Geoff Mantler is expected to tell his side of the story to a B.C. Provincial Court judge this afternoon. Crown counsel Will Burrows called two witnesses before resting his case this morning, which signalled the beginning of Mantler's defence. Mantler is charged with assault causing bodily harm in the Jan. 7, 2011 arrest...

For the second time this year, Kelowna city councillors turned down a developers bid to build the controversial Monaco project, a large development proposed for the corner of Doyle Avenue and St. Paul Street. Still, developers were encouraged to review the twin-towered project in order to keep it within required guidelines.  The problem with the...

RCMP Const. Geoff Mantler likely will take the stand in his own defense Wednesday. On suspension without pay following his videotaped kick on Buddy Tavares Jan. 7, 2011, Mantler likely will testify in B.C. Provincial Court following completion of the Crown's case. Crown counsel Will Burrows said he plans to call two witnesses Wednesday morning...