
Police bring in special forces to watch long weekend gang activity
GANGSTERS TAKE VACATIONS TOO KELOWNA - Kelowna is often a gathering point on the B.C. Day long weekend for tourists, partyers, gangsters and this year, to keep on top of all of them—more police. With the Centre of Gravity festival estimated to bring an extra 30,000 people to the city, in addition to the typical...

Centre of Gravity lights up City Park
KELOWNA - This weekend saw some of the biggest names in electro-dance music fed crowd goers just what they wanted: a steady rise and fall of body moving beats. Around 6 p.m., the first headliners hit the stage at City Park for the Centre of Gravity music festival. A founding member of metal band Motley...

Weather man Mike Roberts says goodbye to the news world
KELOWNA – You won't find an iPhone on his desk or catch him Googling his research, but that hasn't stopped Mike Roberts from giving Okanagan audiences a well crafted weather story. Prepping tonight's broadcast, Roberts admits he's not entirely up to speed with today's web driven culture. Glancing through scenic wildlife photos emailed from Global...

Portion of Knox Mountain closed to vehicles
KELOWNA - The dial on the fire hazard sign at the entrance to Knox Mountain Park is now in the red - indicating an extremely high risk for a wildfire. The city has responded by closing the upper portion of Knox Mountain Drive to vehicle traffic starting Aug. 1. Cars will not be allowed up...

Confession to Large Avenue arson fair game for trial
KELOWNA – A confession to a 2012 arson on Large Avenue was judged to be fair game as evidence in the trial for Brandon Seberras-Pick. The accused is facing three charges in connection with a house fire, car fire and break and enter in a Black Mountain neighbourhood on Feb. 2, 2012. Seberras-Pick, then 18...

Fire crews dip into water reservoir to fight flames
KELOWNA - Following yesterday's fire in North Glenmore area residents were put on a boil water notice. So how exactly did people's drinking water come into the equation? Glenmore Ellison Improvement District operations manager Darren Schlamp says typically in residential areas the fire department can access hydratants with 150 feet, but yesterday's fire broke out...

Discounts await well behaved dog owners
KELOWNA – If you have a dog with a valid 2013 license expect to find something special in your mailbox. All qualifying pet owners are now automatically enrolled in the My Dog Matters rewards program which fetches you savings on everyday pet purchases. Discounts on anything from groomers to pet stores, doggy daycare, veterinarians, even...

Crowds gravitate to Kelowna’s City Park
KELOWNA - One of Canada's largest electro-dance festivals is revving up on the damp sands of the City Park waterfront. The countdown is over for those eagerly awaiting the sold-out Centre of Gravity festival and if you're late in the game, a limited amount of reserved tickets go on sale today. Some of the most...

Christy Clark sworn in as MLA for Westside-Kelowna
KELOWNA - Premier Christy Clark is officially the new MLA for Westside-Kelowna. She was sworn in by the clerk of the house today at the Vancouver Premier's Office at Canada Place. It was a small ceremony attended only by cabinet members including Minister of Transport Todd Stone, Minister of Agriculture Pat Pimm and Minister of...

City wants to know how far hospital area will expand
KELOWNA - As tensions simmer between Interior Health's hospital expansion and Pandosy area residents, city councillors are trying to cool things down. But negotiating fair boundaries for the hospital's parking area is proving a difficult task without knowing exactly how much land Interior Health has its eyes on. Two weeks ago it announced its purchase...

Bush fire puts Glenmore residents on boil water notice
KELOWNA - Residents in Glenmore are advised to boil their drinking water following this morning's brush fire. The Glenmore Ellison Improvement District has issued a Boil Water Notice for customers in the vicinity of Scenic Road "due to the activities" of today's firefighting efforts. Residents on the following roads will be affected: Appaloosa, Arab, Augusta, Bonn,...

Middle school for the Mission gets city approval
KELOWNA - A segment of park land in the Mission's Ponds neighborhood will now be part of a long awaited school site for students Grades 6 through 8. With city approved rezoning of the site, School District No. 23 can now go forward with their purchase of the land to build a new middle school...

Final paving underway on Highway 97 from Winfield to Oyama
KELOWNA - A smooth, scenic new stretch of highway from Winfield to Oyama should be open to traffic in a month's time. Now getting a second layer of pavement, the $77.9 million six-lanes of Highway 97 should be complete by August. Ministry of Transportation project manager Rampaul Dulay says the project is right on schedule...

New recycling program boasts tax savings for homeowners
KELOWNA - A new producer-run curbside recycling program is coming to the city next year and it boasts savings for taxpayers. But those savings could be a flash in the pan if the program gets more costly down the road. After a 2011 change in B.C.'s environmental policy all major producers (from restaurants to newspapers)...

Central Okanagan gets a checkup on its vital signs
KELOWNA - Are you satisfied with the quality of life in the Central Okanagan? If you're a resident in Peachland, West Kelowna, Kelowna and Lake Country you have until August 8th to express your thoughts and suggestions for anything from fair wages, water consumption, affordable housing and childcare. Through a community feedback survey the 2013...