Kelowna news
City doing swimmingly despite economic uncertainty
KELOWNA - The rest of the world may be in financial turmoil, but Kelowna continues to do fine, at least as measured by our performance as a community last quarter. “There is lots of volatility in the global economic climate,” the city’s community planning director Doug Gilchrist told council, while presenting them with positive numbers...
Black ice causes roll over on Casorso Road
KELOWNA - Black ice is to blame for a single vehicle roll over near Swamp Road Sunday night, according to RCMP on the scene. The accident happened between the roundabouts on Casorso Road when the driver lost control of her late model Jeep while travelling west. It came to rest at the bottom of a...
Economic Development Commission hires new boss from within
KELOWNA – The search to replace the Economic Development Commission manager has come to an end and the headhunters didn’t have to look far. Business Development Coordinator Corie Griffiths has been promoted to the to commission’s top job. The current manager, Robert Fine, is leaving the Central Okanagan Regional District in March to take a...
Big bucks on big plans for bikes and pedestrians in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - West Kelowa is pushing ahead to improve and upgrade its pedestrian and bike path network with an ambitious plan both to make cycling and walking easier and to find ways to help pay for it. West Kelowna council saw the first draft of the 20-year pedestrian and bicyle path plan this week,...
City councillor Hodge could be out of hospital this weekend
KELOWNA – City councillor Charlie Hodge is on the mend and could be released from hospital soon, says his wife Teresa Hodge, although it’s not clear when he will return to work. "Charlie is slowly feeling better and we hope he can come home very soon,” she says. "Doctor will decide when he is ready...
Hunters to march on Premier’s office
KELOWNA – The president of the Oceola Fish and Game Club isn’t going to Saturday's protest at Premier Christy Clark’s office for himself. He’s doing it for his step-son Colin and others of his generation. “I grew up in the Cariboo and general open season on moose ran from September to November,” Sean Richardson says....
School trustees promise higher graduation rates in Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - Getting them to school is easy. Getting them to graduate is a bit tougher. That’s the conclusion of the student graduation and readiness report Central Okanagan school trustees will soon receive from staff. “It’s one of the big ways we measure student success,” superintendent Hugh Gloster says. The report by director of instruction...
Vandals spray paint car, garage door in Glenrosa
WEST KELOWNA - Someone is tagging personal property with spray paint in the Glenrosa neighbourhood of West Kelowna. The latest incident happened last night, Jan. 28, in the 3200-block of McMahon Road, a few blocks from Glenrosa Elementary School, according to a post on Facebook. A Subaru Forrester and garage door were spray painted with pink...
UPDATE: Name released in Hwy. 33 fatality
KELOWNA - The name of the 21-year-old Kelowna woman who died Wednesday afternoon after her vehicle went off the road and down a steep embankment has been released. Alexandra Paulina Nyuli, aged 21, of Kelowna was the driver and sole occupant of a car that left the roadway and rolled more than 100 metres down an embankment. She...
You just died. Now what?
KELOWNA – Thanks to several emerging trends in the death industry, the question of what happens after you die just got a little more complicated. With a reputation as a retirement city and 25 per cent of our local population over the age of 60, Kelowna has become something of a last stop for many...
New RCMP officers will fill service hole identified in 2012
KELOWNA - Six new RCMP officers will join the ranks of the Kelowna RCMP this year, likely just in time for the summer tourist crush. “Four of the new officers will be front-line general duty policing officers,“ said Supt. Nick Romanchuk, while one officer will be assigned to child abuse investigations and another to civilian...
Kelowna councillor in hospital with lung infection
KELOWNA - Kelowna city councillor Charlie Hodge has been admitted to Kelowna General Hospital suffering from pneumonia. The two-term councillor’s confirmed his condition on his Facebook page, saying the infection was confined to his lower left lung and that a CT scan had shown there were no blood clots. Hodge is also known to suffer...
Lake Country Food Bank wins grand prize
LAKE COUNTRY – The Lake Country Food Bank is one step closer to getting the new facility it so desperately needs. In September of last year, the food bank entered into a national non-profit charity contest that gives out $1 million in prizes for deserving organizations in need. The Aviva Community Fund announced Tuesday that...
Dog licensing rates soar in the Central Okanagan
KELOWNA - Just one year after introducing tougher dog control measures and a stiff fine for unlicensed dogs, the regional district is reporting big success in persuading people to legalize their pets. Bruce Smith, communications officer for the Central Okanagan Regional District, said the number of licensed dogs is now just shy of 20,000, up...
Dragons’ Den brings auditions tour of hit show back to Kelowna
KELOWNA — The Dragons are coming to Kelowna and it will be their only Southern Interior stop. Producers of the hit CBC series have announced the latest round of online auditions for the show, which pits would-be entrepreneurs and inventors against a panel of seasoned and successful business people and possible investors from across Canada...