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Kelowna

Sample local authors for last minute gifts

KELOWNA - Books make a great last minute gift and the latest from a local author is the perfect touch. Here’s the latest from some local talent. All True Not A Lie In It This novel by Okanagan College professor Alix Hawley made the Giller long list and won amazon.ca First Novel Award in 2015. All-day...

Red Deer man missing more than a month may be in Kelowna

KELOWNA - A Red Deer man missing for more than a month may be in the Kelowna area and RCMP need your help finding him. James Currie, 22, of Red Deer last had contact with his family Nov. 4. They reported him missing Nov. 25 after concern arose for his well-being. Currie is described as...

Kelowna leisure takes a breather with holiday schedule

KELOWNA - The winter break is a great time to swim, workout or visit the library as a family, but before you head out the door make sure you know what the holiday hours are. Parkinson Recrecation Centre runs altered hours from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 21 to 23, closing early at 4...

Fortis jacking up power rates on New Year’s Day

OKANAGAN - The price of electricity will be going up almost three per cent in the Fortis service area. Rates will be going up 2.96 per cent New Year's Day, the publicly-owned utility announced last week after receiving regulatory approval. The company says that amounts to a monthly increase of $3.81 for the average Fortis...

How the City of Kelowna plans on spending your money in 2016

KELOWNA - The city will require about $120 million from property owners to cover costs in Kelowna next year. While big ticket items like police officers and recreation centres often get the headlines, the city spends millions on dozens of other initiatives in many different areas as well. Here, in no particular order, are some...

Kelowna resident wins $1M in Lotto 6/49

KELOWNA - Christmas came early for one Kelowna resident. Tuong Van Mai won the guaranteed $1 million prize in the Dec. 16 Lotto 6/49 draw.  “When I checked my ticket before work I couldn’t believe I won $1 million because I never thought I would win that big. I was shocked and overwhelmed but I...

Handmade in the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you’re hoping to go a less commercial route this holiday season, look no further than the Thompson-Okanagan, a region that boasts numerous handcrafted gifts. From ceramics to sweet treats, there’s surely a gift to be found for every boy and girl — one that keeps you out of box-store lineups to boot....

Meteor shower and full moon highlight Christmas week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Christmas week will be one to remember this year, at least for sky watchers who enjoy the auroras, meteor showers and full moons. The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, will take place Monday, Dec. 21. The Shatford Centre in Penticton will host a viewing of the dramatic sunset beginning at...

Five-car pileup slows traffic on Harvey in Kelowna

KELOWNA - The already heavy holiday traffic on Harvey Avenue through Kelowna was made worse by a five-car crash at Burtch Road this afternoon. Emergency crews were called to the scene of a series of rear end collisions at about 1:30 p.m. today, Dec. 21. Two people were taken to Kelowna General Hospital, according to...

Okanagan to enjoy warm and white Christmas

OKANAGAN - It will be a pretty typical week when it comes to weather in the Okanagan, with temperatures expected to stay near seasonal normals for much of the Christmas week. Environment Canada is calling for highs ranging from 0 Celsius to -3 Celsius most days this week, though Kelowna is expected to hit a...

Kelowna to give some love to 14,000 street lights

KELOWNA - Most people don’t think much about street lights unless they happen to crash their car into one of them. Kelowna has 14,000 street lights with a replacement value of $23 million, Kelowna council heard during budget deliberations today, Dec. 17. Many of the lights, however, are past their service life and require maintenance...

Good chance of a white Christmas in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Mother Nature looks prepared to give us a white Christmas this year, with a snow overnight and at least a chance of snow expected every day this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for snowfall to end this morning, Dec. 18, and will be followed by a chance of rain or flurries later today....

Local gifts and food to get you through the holidays

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With fresh foods and resources available on our doorstep, giving local is easy in our region. Many natural resources help create the gifts we put under our Christmas trees — from wood products and minerals, to cider and wine. And of course if you have a natural tree or a wood fire you...

Public safety top of mind as Kelowna council approves tax increase

KELOWNA - Taxpayers will likely face a property tax increase of 4.12 per cent after city council passed the 2016 provisional city budget. The increase is heavy on public safety as more than half the increase of about $6 million is dedicated to hiring more police and bylaw officers while moving ahead with construction of...

City of Kelowna playing catch-up on roads after pothole complaints go up

KELOWNA - Ignore potholes in your roads and they will come back to haunt you. That’s the lesson Kelowna city council took away after approving $3.4 million for road resurfacing in the 2016 budget. Councillors heard the annual roads resurfacing program has been underfunded for several years as the city focused on other priorities. Complaints...

Snowfall warning for Coquihalla

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you were planning on hitting the highways tonight you may want to think again, up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected by Friday afternoon. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, noting 20 to 25 cm of snow is expected before the Pacific...

Kelowna Fire Department to buy four new trucks for $1.6M

KELOWNA - The Kelowna Fire Department is going to get a bunch of new trucks in 2016. The city will spend $1.6 million next year replacing four of the department’s service vehicles, including $1.33 million for two new fire engines. That will buy the department two engines; an $810,000 replacement for engine four, a 1996...

Curriculum change the first challenge for new Central Okanagan superintendent

KELOWNA - The incoming superintendent of the Central Okanagan School District praised his predecessor Hugh Gloster even as he acknowledged some of the challenges the district is facing. Top among them is the province-wide introduction of the new curriculum, something Supt. Kevin Kaardal acknowledged today, Dec. 16, at a media event with school board chairperson...

Emergency response team used to arrest prohibited driver in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA - RCMP had to use the emergency response team to arrest a prohibited driver in West Kelowna this afternoon. The 37-year-old man was arrested after he fled from police in his vehicle, Kelowna RCMP say in a press release. Officers tried to stop the man a number of times. West Kelowna RCMP then...

Kelowna councillors face hard choice in hiring more police officers

KELOWNA - Kelowna city councillors are facing a hard choice in the 2016 budget — hire all six police officers recommended by formula, or hire just three for now even though street crime has increased over the past year. Councillors are already facing a 4.11 per cent increase on the 2016 budget, of which 1.97 per...

UPDATE: Kelowna man located

UPDATE: 9:38 A.M., DEC. 16, 2015 RCMP say Randy Burns has been located and is safe and sound. Personal details and photo have been removed from this story. 2:58 P.M., DEC. 15, 2015 KELOWNA - Randy Burns, 46, was last seen Nov. 28 by a family member, Kelowna RCMP say in a press release. Anyone...