Kelowna

Man injured while free diving in Okanagan Lake has died

KELOWNA - A man who was critically injured while free diving near Paul’s Tomb on Sunday has died. The B.C. Coroners Service says 27-year-old Kevin John Stephens was free diving in Okanagan Lake and had submerged for several minutes before his girlfriend, also a free diver, brought him to the surface. “After several minutes she...

Kelowna councillor seeks change to council meeting schedule

KELOWNA - City councillor Charlie Hodge needs more homework time and wants to move council meetings to another day. “This is what I get Friday morning in my agenda package,” Hodge says, brandishing a three-inch thick stack of reports. “I’m supposed to know all this by Monday morning or at least have an understanding of...

City cuts off tax incentives for part of downtown Kelowna

KELOWNA - A property tax break meant to encourage new development in part of downtown Kelowna has done what it was designed to do and there’s no need to extend the program. However, results in two other revitalization areas downtown and one in Rutland have not generated the hoped-for increase in residential development and may...

Feast of Fields has new location for farm to table festival

KELOWNA – The 7th annual festival celebrating locally grown food is happening in Kelowna this weekend. Okanagan Feast of Fields is one of three chapters started by FarmFolk CityFolk, a Vancouver organization dedicated to celebrating sustainable, local foods. Feast of Fields, which also takes place in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, is a four-hour wandering gourmet...

Premier meteor shower to light up the sky this week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - One of the best meteor showers of the year is set to peak this week, sending up to 60 shooting stars through the sky every hour. The Perseids meteor shower is visible from July 17 to Aug. 24 every year and is set to peak overnight Wednesday, Aug. 12 this year. Environment Canada...

Double dipping developers get go-ahead from city council

KELOWNA - A pair of micro suite developers have managed to “double dip” taking advantage of two different rental housing incentive programs for the same development. And while some Kelowna city councillors grumbled about the property tax and development cost charge revenue lost to the city, they were reminded staff are already working to close...

Okanagan set to break record temperatures this week

OKANAGAN - Grab your sunscreen, hat and a cool drink, we have a hot, sunny and likely record-breaking week ahead of us in the Okanagan. Temperatures soared above the 30 Celsius mark over the weekend, well above the 27 C seasonal normal high for this time of year, but we can expect things to get...

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,...

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...