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Kelowna
Local ski hills are growing white
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While some of us are still holding on to the last strings of warmer weather, those looking forward to skiing and snowboarding will be happy to know the snow is falling at area ski hills. All three of the big ski hills in the area — Sun Peaks, Silver Star Mountain and Big...
Cannan packs up old life, ponders future after election defeat
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Sitting amid the boxes and bags in his half-packed up office, former member of Parliament Ron Cannan can’t resist a joke. “The always said you could run a dog in this riding as a Conservative and it would get elected. Well, I proved them wrong.” Cannan has until Nov. 18 to vacate...
Everything you wish you didn’t need to know about rats in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Just a few years ago, Thompson-Okanagan residents didn’t have to worry about rats invading attic spaces or chewing up electrical wires, simply because the rodent was a rarity in these parts. That's all changed. Steve Ball owns BugMaster Pest Control, which services the North, Central and South Okanagan, and he says rat complaints...
How to keep your jack o’ lantern from rotting
KELOWNA – An unusually warm summer may have been nothing but a help to most farmers in the Okanagan but it’s forced pumpkin farmers to take steps to ensure customers get products that aren’t mushy and spoiled. Jas Sanghera is the owner of Don-O-Ray Vegetables on Benvoulin Road. He says the unusual weather this year...
Knox Mountain Park under popularity pressure
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Knox Mountain, the crown jewel of Kelowna’s park system, is under increasing pressure as its popularity grows. Use of the landmark park has jumped in all areas including vehicle use which has climbed from a daily average of 448 in 2012 to 582 in 2014. Event use has gone up as well...
Heritage buildings to get some love in Kelowna
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - It’s a pretty big to-do list but city planners have come up with priorities for some of Kelowna’s main heritage buildings. Topping the list is remedial work for the former Glen Avenue school, the Water Street firehall and Cameron House, planning specialist Pat McCormick says in a report to city council. The...
Wet fall week ahead for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - A mixed bag of weather — cloud, rain and sun — is expected in the Okanagan for the last week of October. Environment Canada is calling for temperature highs at or just above seasonal normals of 9 Celsius throughout the region all week, with the warmest temperatures expected today, Oct. 26. Overnight lows...
Kelowna man charged in death of Calgary toddler
KELOWNA – A Kelowna man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a Calgary toddler in 2005. Police caught up with Ryan John Podhorodecki, 32, in Victoria where he was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 21, and transferred to Calgary to face the manslaughter charge. Calgary police Staff Sgt. Colin...
Kelowna tourists caught in path of worst hurricane in history
KELOWNA - A small group of tourists from Kelowna who are vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta are fleeing to higher ground to escape the strongest hurricane ever recorded. Rod Robinson, owner of Bogie and Bacall Hair Salon in Orchard Park Mall, is travelling with his wife Donna and friends Denny and Patty Pirot, who are also...
Some Kelowna infrastructure grants could be in limbo after Liberal election win
KELOWNA - Despite election promises about investment in infrastructure, the advent of a new Liberal government will likely delay some Kelowna projects already in the works. “We do have various applications out there, but with the election, it’s been very quiet,” infrastructure director Alan Newcombe says. While he expects the Liberal government will honour applications...
Sun and frost this weekend in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Temperatures should be close to seasonal normals, on both the high and low end, this weekend and with those cooler overnight temperatures comes frost. Environment Canada is calling for a high in the double digits today, Oct. 21, and Saturday, with a high of 9 Celsius being forecast for Sunday. The seasonal normal...
OK Corral needs to wrangle up new customers
KELOWNA – After 31 years of being Kelowna’s only country bar, the OK Corral is struggling to survive. The nightclub, one of the few in Kelowna not located downtown, has seen a dramatic drop in attendance over the last two years, says marketing director Angie Clowry. “The last few years have not been successful,” she...
Kokanee salmon population explodes in Okanagan Lake with biggest spawn in quarter century
OKANAGAN - It’s a record year for Kokanee salmon spawning on Okanagan Lake. Jason Webster, a Vernon-based fisheries biologist, says more than 300,000 shore spawners were counted during this year’s annual survey — the most in more than 25 years. “It’s turning into a cyclical thing where every four years there’s a great big run,...
Embarrassed by your own bad behaviour during election campaign? It’s time to make amends
OR NOT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You likely had one or two of them among their Facebook friends — someone highly partisan, emotionally charged and willing to to go to the wall defending their particular political brand. Taking on all commenters, some of these people have left scorched earth in their wakes, fighting out the election in...
Mediator to intervene in dispute between irrigation districts and City of Kelowna over drinking water plan
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - The provincial government is stepping into the dispute between city council and the four irrigation districts that supply domestic water in Kelowna. Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran confirms the province, through the Ministry of Communities, has provided a mediator to help get a mandatory review of the Kelowna integrated water supply plan back...
ELECTION 2015: We could do way more to help youth vote, says UBCO professor
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A local professor who conducted his own youth voting campaign thinks we could do a lot more to get young people into a voting booth. “I had students on the last day asking about how they can vote back home. A lot of students don’t live here, their home address is somewhere...
Meteor shower peaks over the Southern Interior this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If clouds part enough tonight you may be able to get a glimpse of the Orionid meteor shower as it peaks early Thursday morning. The Orionid meteor shower, which is formed from the debris of Halley’s comet, is known for producing bright and quick meteors. This meteor shower runs throughout October and into...
West Kelowna eyesore up for redevelopment
WEST KELOWNA - One of Westbank’s biggest eyesores, and A source of many complaints, has been sold with plans to develop the site. The old Cattle Country restaurant strip mall and gas bar has been sold to an eastern developer and plans include reopening the gas station and retail stores on Highway 97 at Elliot...
Former Okanagan MPs to earn millions in pension
OKANAGAN - Colin Mayes may have retired, and Ron Cannan may have been defeated in the 2015 federal election, but with pensions set to pad their bank accounts to the tune of between $1.3 million and $2.3 million over their life-times, taxpayers are not quite done with them yet. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation released the...
Voter turnout jumps in Thompson-Okanagan ridings
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Voter turnout numbers in the 42nd federal election jumped to more than 70 per cent throughout the region, just above the national average and well ahead of 2011 turnout. In the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, where Conservative Cathy McLeod was re-elected, voter turnout jumped to 74.07 per cent this election, up significantly from the 63.3...
ELECTION 2015: Fuhr ousts Conservatives as Kelowna-Lake Country goes Liberal
"AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEGE:" CANNAN KELOWNA - In a surpise upset Liberal Stephen Fuhr has won Kelowna-Lake Country, ousting three term Conservative Ron Cannan. The riding has been a bastion for the Conservatives but the surging Liberals managed to tap into a desire for change that washed across Canada in recent weeks under leader...
Kelowna tackles need for second dog beach
KELOWNA - There isn't a lot to building a dog park — but figuring out where to put it can take years. With that in mind, the city’s urban planning manager Terry Barton is proposing the city start a public engagement process to figure out what is needed and, most importantly, where people will tolerate another...
Kelowna Diwali dinner raises $30,000 for orphans in India
KELOWNA - A Kelowna fundraising Diwali dinner and dance over the weekend raised roughly $30,000 for a local orphan’s foundation that helps kids in India. The first ever East Meets West Orphans Foundation event at Rutland Centennial Hall included traditional Indian food, a live dance performance, an auction and a lively dance to Bhagra music...
Referendum likely for Kelowna recreation centre replacement
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - No matter what shape or form Parkinson Recreation Centre takes in future redevelopment, planners think it’s going take another city-wide referendum to get funding approval. There are four different directions the city can take, from ongoing redevelopment to full replacement of the aging recreation centre and pool, the only multi-purpose recreation facility...