Kelowna

Kamloops and Vernon Finning locations will stay, unknown if job cuts will hit locally

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While Finning International announced another round of cuts the company says Southern Interior locations won’t be moving or amalgamating. The company, which is the world's largest dealer for Caterpillar equipment, has bases in Canada, where it's headquartered in Vancouver, South America and Europe. The cuts, announced today, Nov. 12, are company-wide. Hilary Anaka,...

Nude marcher joins Kelowna Remembrance Day parade

KELOWNA - A man in the buff tried to join the Remembrance Day parade in downtown Kelowna yesterday. The nude male joined in near the intersection of Water Street and Bernard Avenue just before 11:30 a.m., but was promptly removed from the parade, Const. Jesse O’Donaghey says in a release. "The Kelowna RCMP were vigilant...

UPDATE: Missing Kelowna woman located

UPDATE: 2:18 P.M., NOV. 12, 2015 RCMP says Crystal Schmid has been located and is safe and sound. 10:05 A.M., NOV. 12, 2015 KELOWNA - RCMP need your help locating a Kelowna woman who was last seen five days ago. Crystal Schmid was last seen Saturday, Nov. 7. She is a 32-year-old Caucasian female, 5‘7”...

Storm moving over Southern Interior today

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A powerful storm bringing strong winds and heavy rain or snow is set to hit the Southern Interior by this evening. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the South Thompson and South Okanagan, as well as several area highways, warning the storm will hit the Central Interior this afternoon, Nov....

Keeping memories of sacrifice alive during Veteran’s Week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - "As the hind of the company reached the street corner about a hundred feet away a shell landed in their midst. About six men went down… The Company Commander lay on his face with the back of his head sheared off… Three other men were killed and lay beside him. The Company Sergeant...

Never forget: Students give us something to think about this Remembrance Day

“THE SOLDIERS… DESERVE TO BE REMEMBERED AND HONOURED” THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Remembrance Day is a long-honoured tradition of remembering the sacrifices of so many Canadians, but in a day and age where war isn’t at the forefront of every home, what do kids think Remembrance Day is all about? Students at Pacific Way Elementary in Kamloops...

Okanagan musician honours uncle with Remembrance Day song

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A local musician thinks the Remembrance Day song he recorded 10 years ago about his uncle's wartime experience should underscore the futility of war for a new generation. “I’m a pacifist myself,” Barry Mathers says. "But as I always say, we didn’t start it but we had to finish it. We couldn’t let...

City of Kelowna take lead on homelessness file

KELOWNA - One of the front-line agencies dealing with the homeless in Kelowna is thrilled to see the city step up and provide leadership with plans to hire a full-time homeless coordinator. Local John Howard Society executive director Gaelene Askeland also says the city is on the right track embracing the low-barrier housing first philosophy...

Big storm to hit Southern Interior Thursday

THOMSON-OKANAGAN - A series of powerful storms are set to move through the B.C. Interior beginning tonight and lasting through the end of the week. The first storm will begin tonight and a second storm, more powerful than the first, will hit the Interior on Thursday and Friday, producing strong winds and heavy rain, according...

Okanagan Connector crash victims identified by coroner

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The B.C. Coroners Service has released the names of three people killed in a collision Nov. 6 on the Okanagan Connector. The victims have been identified as Sean Robert Anderson, 40, of Westbank, Kim Christine Dunstan, 26, of West Kelowna, and her brother Jarrett Francisco Dunstan, of Westbank. Anderson was driving a rented...

Woman found dead at West Kelowna house fire identified

WEST KELOWNA - A body found at the scene of a West Kelowna house fire last week has been identified as a resident of the house. The body of Hazel Delgado Budiongan, 37, was found inside the house, which was the scene of an early morning fire on Nov. 4. RCMP consider both her death...

Local animation studio Yeti Farm Creative expands into original work

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Yeti Farm Creative, an animation studio based in Kelowna, has announced a serious expansion and the the completion of two original digital first productions. The company recently expanded into a 7,000-square-foot facility dark fibre studio in downtown Kelowna, Okanagan film commissioner Jon Summerland says in a press release. The company also announced...

Heavy snow coming to a Southern Interior highway near you

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are planning to hit the highways over the next couple of days make sure you are prepared to deal with winter conditions, including gusty winds and heavy snow. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the Coquihalla Highway and Highway 3 warning up to 20 centimetres of snow could...

How Kelowna city hall plans to spend a billion dollars

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A billion dollars and change — that’s how much the City of Kelowna is estimating it will spend over the next 15 years on infrastructure — roads, sewers, buildings, vehicles — but also such things as waste water treatment and domestic water supply. Infrastructure planning manager Joel Shaw broke down the draft...

Big White to open early for the first time in years

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Big White is opening two weeks early, the first time in 14 years the ski resort has begun operations this early in the season. “This is early. This is not usual. Mother Nature has given us a gift and we’re giving it back to the locals,” Michael J. Ballingall, Big White’s booster-in-chief, declared...

Court ordered sale of Mandy and Me forces owner to seek help

KELOWNA – A West Kelowna woman who is losing her farm of more than 30 years has started raising funds to help provide care and possibly find homes for her animals. Silverado Socrates’s five-acre farm and business, Mandy and Me Trailriding, was sold to the highest bidder in Kelowna court last week. She was hoping...

Marianas Trench to rock fans in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Pop-rockers Marianas Trench are hitting the road in the spring of 2016 for their Never Say Die tour and have included Kelowna on their list of stops. Tickets will go on sale for the Tuesday, April 5, 2016, concert at Prospera Place tomorrow, Nov. 10. The multi-platinum selling Canadian band is touring in...

Wet Veterans’ week ahead for the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - As temperatures continue to cool off in the Okanagan, there is at least a chance of snow or rain every day this week for the region. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to be at or slightly above seasonal normals most of the week, while overnight lows will be just below normal most...

What you can learn from seven people who turn ideas into reality

KELOWNA - Everyone has an idea. Some people have big ideas. Then you have Mark Jennings-Bates-size ideas. One year, the Kelowna business consultant might be racing rally cars, another year riding an enduro bike across South Africa. Or he might be setting a new Guinness Book of World Records team flight on a paramotor across...

Kelowna’s funky Queensway transit exchange wins award

KELOWNA - The wavy new roof gracing the Queensway transit exchange has caught the eye of the people who judge such things and been recognized with an award. The Council of Southern Interior Construction Association gave the transit exchange an award of excellence in the category of community institutional construction. The design of the wood...

Kelowna city council aims to take lead on homelessness

KELOWNA - Admitting it’s out of touch with current community efforts to combat homelessness, Kelowna city council is hoping to jump into a leadership role by hiring a homeless coordinator and adopting a new, more direct housing strategy. The initiative comes amid signs of increased homelessness in Kelowna, including a doubling in the number of...

Some risks in Kelowna’s civic block condominium plan

KELOWNA - Right now, visitors to 350 Doyle Ave. are usually of the reluctant kind, brought there in the back of a police cruiser or paddy wagon. But if the goals of the civic block plan are realized, 350 Doyle Ave. — current home of the Kelowna RCMP detachment — could find favour within a...