Julie Whittet

More traffic, be it on wheels or by foot, is what city planners think will create a safer park space for Kelowna residents. After an online forum for public input closed last April, the City unveiled it's first park re-design concept. Rather than cutting through large spaces of grass, new roadways, cycling routes and pedestrian...

After major flooding hit areas of southern Alberta a couple weeks ago, communities devastated by the disaster are now facing the task of rebuilding their lives and homes. For some, summer vacations will not be going ahead as planned. Tourism Kelowna communications manager Catherine Frechette says the priorities have changed for many of the Albertans...

"IT IS DISTURBING TO ME THAT YOU HAVE GLORIFIED CRIMINAL CONDUCT:" JUDGE KELOWNA - Robbing a jewelry store, shooting at police and kidnapping a driver will fetch a 20-year-old Surrey man eight years in jail. Devan Marckus Wong pleaded guilty to multiple offences stemming from a 2011 robbery of Kelowna's Premier Pawn shop and was...

KELOWNA - After yesterday's challenge put forth by the NDP, Christy Clark has now confirmed she will be participating in a public debate with byelection opponents. On July 4, all eight candidates are invited to discuss key issues in the Westside-Kelowna riding. Liberal Party campaign manager Don MacLachlan says Clark has never dismissed the opportunity...

KELOWNA - A local shoe store owner has an unusually big shipment of footwear on the way. Shoe company Keen Canada has somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 pairs of new shoes to donate and they are asking Jim Belshaw of Roy's Shoes to help get them to Alberta. Devastating flooding of the Elbow and Bow...

KELOWNA - An unexpected deluge of rainfall had Kelowna residents on edge last week. Both June 19 and June 20 saw record breaking rainfall. A total of 10.5 mm fell on Wednesday - the previous record was 2.5 mm back in 2005 -  and another 23.4 mm on Thursday for a two-day total of more...

KELOWNA - Non-motorized water sports could soon be a lot more visible on Lake Okanagan. A paddle centre proposed for a beach access off Abbott Street in Kelowna's South Pandosy area is the latest pilot project with that goal in mind. Canoes, kayaks, row boats and stand-up paddleboards could all be stored and launched from...

Over the next three years Kelowna's transit system is expected to grow as much as the city itself. To expand the system and keep it running smoothly will take more money from taxpayers. Regional programs manager Jerry Dombowski says Kelowna is entering a new phase of growth which will translate into a larger base of...

Kelowna's network of major roadways is soon to get a new link. Phase 2 designs are now underway on the John Hindle Drive project to link Glenmore Road directly to Highway 97. The road would stretch from the Glenmore Landfill entrance to UBC Okanagan to help alleviate traffic and congestion by creating an east-west connection....

NDP candidate Carole Gordon is running against Christy Clark in the upcoming Westside-Kelowna byelection and says the Premier is scheduling herself out of local debates. Gordon says Clark is campaigning through photo-ops rather than discussing local issues with her opponents in an all-candidates meeting. There have been two opportunities open to Clark, including meetings through...

Salaries and expenses paid in 2012 for city workers will be outlined in a public presentation today, along with Kelowna's Annual Report. A grand total of $59,097,062 was spent on the city's 2012 payroll. Salaries for city councillors totalled $347,178 with an additional $24,025 in work related expenses. That number includes Mayor Walter Gray's annual...

Routine fire inspections for some Kelowna buildings and institutions may soon become less frequent.  Night clubs, cafes, and hospitals are just some establishments that could see fewer inspections for fire safety. Kelowna's fire department is proposing a building's risk and compliancy should determine the frequency of inspections, not just its occupancy classification. This would require...

Municipal fire services don't just handle local emergencies but are also summoned by the province in times of need. A Mutual Emergency Aid Agreement between all fire departments in the Central Okanagan Regional District ensures firefighting resources can be shared across boundaries. The agreement signed by Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country, Regional District and Peachland...

B.C. Premier Christy Clark is officially a registered candidate for the Westside-Kelowna by-election. Former Liberal MLA elect Ben Stewart will be working alongside Clark as her campaign chair, joining her today for door-knocking with volunteers who will be hitting Lake View Heights, West Kelowna Estates and Shannon Lake. Stewart says their objective is to re-confirm...

Teepees pitched in downtown Kelowna yesterday stood taller than some city buildings. Celebrations for National Aboriginal Day continued well into the night on the corner of Ellis Street and and Lawrence Avenue.The event showcases aboriginal culture for the local community. Similar events across Canada celebrate the heritage and traditions of Metis, Inuit and First Nations....

UPDATE: 6:45 a.m. June 21 Lakeshore Road is again open to traffic. UPDATE: 8:17 p.m. June 20 The City is playing it safe and closing Lakeshore Road due to the extremely high flow of Mission Creek. Lakeshore Road between Lexington Drive and Cook Road is temporarily closed and traffic is being redirected through Gordon Drive....

PEACHLAND - Record breaking rainfall didn't stop these Okanagan women from taking on Canada's highest outdoor zipline – in the nude. A total of 64 women of all ages came out to dangle 381 feet in the air at ZipZone Peachland today to raise money for breast cancer research while raising the nerve to take...

Power is currently out for residents in the Lake Country area. B.C. Hydro says approximately 1,700 homes are without power. A pole-top fire caused by nesting osprey disrupted the power circuits early this morning on the Westside.Power circuits on Kelowna's northwest side run under Lake Okanagan supplying electricity to Lake Country. Crews are currently on...

Adrian Dix and Westside Kelowna NDP candidate Carole Gordon were busy door knocking before making a stop at the downtown Streaming Cafe today. Dix was happy to announce the NDP campaign has already made big gains by forcing the Liberal government to back down on its controversial wage increases for political staff. Gordon's byelection campaign...

A local non-profit group specializing in family services and counselling has now been tasked with managing Kelowna's most comprehensive addiction treatment centre. The Bridge Youth and Family Services Society has been providing programs for parents, children and youth in foster care over the past 40 years. Just yesterday Interior Health announced the organization was the...

After running out of money the Crossroads Treatment Centre - Kelowna's only comprehensive addiction treatment centre - announced last January it would be closing its doors to patients at the end of June. Not until August will those services be available again for those seeking in-house addiction treatment. Interior Health announced today it has awarded...