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Kelowna
Centre for the Arts partners with Okanagan Film Commission
KELOWNA – The Okanagan Film Commission and Kelowna’s Centre for Arts and Technology have formed an educational partnership to help keep aspiring filmmakers and animators in the Okanagan. The Centre and the Commission have worked together for years now, according to marketing director Amy Nutt, but this is the first time they’ve made it official...
Parkinson Rec Centre replacement moves a step closer
KELOWNA - A plan which could one day see a replacement for the Parkinson Recreation Centre in Kelowna is moving to the next step. Parks and building manager Terry Barton says in a report to city council a replacement for the aging multi-use facility is the most pressing recreation need in the city. Built in...
Fat bikes, new terrain coming to Silver Star this winter
VERNON – The ever growing Silver Star Mountain Resort has announced several big changes this year, including more than 100 acres of new skiable terrain. Tree skiing for intermediates and experts will get more than 90 acres of new terrain to try and areas from Putnam Creek to Silver Woods will also be expanded. In...
Big fires down but not out in Kamloops Fire Centre
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The only two wildfires of note in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been downgraded to patrol status. Shelter Cove fire off Westside Road near Kelowna and Bolean Lake fire near Falkland were downgraded August 5 and will now be monitored by crews of five firefighters. “Patrol status means they are done active fire...
Kelowna seeks to fix flawed heritage conservation model
KELOWNA - In a bid to coordinate its heritage conservation efforts, Kelowna is looking to Edmonton for direction. The first phase of the heritiage review identified the governance model the city now uses, involving a loose collaboration of heritage groups, to be the source of overlapping mandates and confusion, according to a report from city planner...
VIDEO: Be the ball with this new sport
KELOWNA – Soccer just got a whole lot safer, and a whole lot more fun, with a sport which lets you feel what it’s like to be the ball. Bouncing Soccer Kelowna is behind the Okanagan’s newest and craziest outdoor sport. Started by Kelowna residents Rebeca Espinosa and her husband David Corbo, Bouncing Soccer lets...
Water meters help keep lid on consumption in Kelowna
KELOWNA - As the province deals with the one of the most widespread droughts on record, municipalities and other water providers are increasingly looking for ways to alter consumption patterns amongst their users. While staged watering restrictions can force short term changes in use, the gold standard for long term change is the water meter,...
Warm, sunny weekend on tap for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - After a break from the heat we will need to again dig out the sunscreen for a hot and sunny weekend. While temperatures were in the low- to mid-20s the last two days, just below seasonal normal highs of 27 Celsius, and were accompanied by up to eight millimetres of rain, we can...
Whooping cough on the rise across Interior Health region
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An increase in cases of whooping cough across the Interior Health Authority, but primarily in the Central Okanagan, has prompted a warning from public health officials. Medical health officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi says in 2015 there has already been 58 confirmed cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, with 36 of them...
Block Party turns Bernard Avenue into backyard festival
KELOWNA - Thousands of people are expected to take part in what has become a tradition in downtown Kelowna over the last 26 years. “Well the name has changed a couple of times but it’s been around for 26 years. Downtown Kelowna Association is the oldest business improvement area and we are 25 years old,...
Province treads lightly enforcing drought rules
OKANAGAN – The province has added to the regions under a level four drought advisory,…
Alleged drunk driver loses control, almost goes over embankment near Kelowna
KELOWNA – A local man suspected of drunk driving without a valid driver’s licence was arrested in Kelowna last night after he lost control of his car near Postill Lake Road around 8:30 p.m. According to Cpl. Joe Duncan the 32-year-old Kelowna man was behind the wheel of his 1989 Mustang last night, Aug. 5,...
Kitten rescued from rat trap needs a new home
KELOWNA – A young kitten is in need of a good home after a caring West Kelowna man rescued her from a rat trap last weekend. The kitten, which Dr. Moshe Oz of Rose Valley Veterinary Clinic says is around 10 weeks old, was found in a glue trap, which uses an adhesive substance to...
Cougar put down after stalking Black Mountain neighbourhood
KELOWNA - A cougar spotted in a residential neighbourhood near Black Mountain Elementary was tranquilized and then euthanized yesterday afternoon. Conservation officer Ken Owens says the animal was captured near Lynrick Road Tuesday, Aug. 4, after reports of it going from backyard to backyard, behavior he describes as opportunistic. “First our officers tranquilized the cougar...
Drought levels worsen in Okanagan and North Thompson
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Drought conditions are worsening in the region, enough according to the government to increase the drought rating for both the Okanagan and North Thompson regions by one level. The Okanagan Region is now enduring level four drought conditions while the North Thompson is facing level three, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources....
Lots on the table for Central Okanagan school trustees this fall
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - It may be the middle of summer but a new school year is fast approaching for the Central Okanagan School District. School board chair Moyra Baxter says school trustees face a number of pressing issues for the 2015-16 school year, including another probable budget deficit, the transition to a new superintendent of...
UPDATE: Auto recycling shop burns in East Kelowna
KELOWNA - A fire at Apple Valley Auto Recycling and Service in East Kelowna sent billowing smoke into the already hazy sky this morning. According to platoon captain Kelly Stephens three workers were removing a gas tank from a vehicle when the fire started at around 10 a.m. on Aug. 5. A neighbour reported hearing an...
New film ‘The Orchard’ shooting in the Okanagan
KELOWNA – An independent film company has chosen the Okanagan for an upcoming production that starts filming this weekend. Vancouver-based Mutant Films, Inc. starts shooting The Orchard, on Aug. 10 The film stars Matt Angel of R.L Stine’s The Haunting Hour, CSI Miami and CSI NY, and Morgan Taylor Campbell of Super Natural, Spooksville, and The Killing. It is written and...
Lake Country radio control club says district is out for revenge
KELOWNA - A local radio control flying club says the District of Lake Country is trying to run them out of town despite a court ruling that says they can stay. The Kelowna Ogopogo Radio Controllers Association moved from Kelowna to a farmer’s field in Lake Country two years ago. Club member Rick Dawdy told...
Rockets new head coach has a winning history
KELOWNA – After nearly a month-long search, the Kelowna Rockets have a new head coach. Brad Ralph, the former head coach of the Idaho Steelheads, has been signed to a three-year contract, Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton announced Tuesday, Aug. 4. Ralph, 34, was a finalist for East Coast Hockey League Coach of...
Custom trike and trailer stolen from Kelowna home
KELOWNA – A Kelowna man is offering a $5,000 reward for information that reunites him with his cherished and unique three-wheeled motorcycle that was stolen over the weekend. Ron Berthelette bought the customized Boss Hoss trike from Texas ten years ago. He says it’s one-of-a-kind, due to it’s custom paint and rear section designed to...
Hot start to August in the Okanagan
RAIN EXPECTED THIS WEEK OKANAGAN - It was a hot and sunny August long weekend in the Okanagan but expect things will cool off a bit during the week. Temperatures easily soared above the 30 Celsius mark every day this past weekend and while today, Aug. 4, will see the mercury hit just above seasonal...
Student highrise numbers too much for Kelowna city staff
KELOWNA - Design deficiencies in a high-rise intended for student housing is threatening the project’s viability. City of Kelowna planning staff are recommending city council not support an application for a development permit and a development variance permit for Cambridge House, a 70-unit six-storey high-rise planned for the corner of Ethel Street and Harvey Avenue....
UPDATE: Wildfire near West Kelowna under control, contained
WEST KELOWNA – B.C. Wildfire hit a blaze near West Kelowna hard and fast yesterday afternoon, bringing the fire under control within hours. The fire was spotted around 2:30 p.m., July 31, above Carre Road off Glenrosa Road on the way to Crystal Mountain. West Kelowna Fire crews backed up 20 firefighters from B.C. Wildfire...