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Kelowna

Aboriginal forestry business gets boost from federal funding

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Aboriginal-owned forest sector companies in B.C. and Alberta will soon enjoy technical support and business advice from Western Economic Diversification Canada. Western diversification minister Michelle Rempel announced during a press conference at the Westbank First Nation corporate offices in West Kelowna that private company FP Innovations would receive $1.8 million to deliver educational...

Cougar sighting shuts down Kelowna park

KELOWNA – A popular Kelowna park has been shut down after a cougar was sighted earlier today, July 15. Bertram Creek Regional will be closed until further notice, says a release from the Central Okanagan Regional District. The release does not say who spotted the big cat but Kelowna RCMP and parks staff helped clear...

Thieves steal van to commit another crime

KELOWNA - Thieves doubled down early this morning, July 15, first stealing a van and then using it to commit another crime. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Steve Holmes said in press release someone broke into a locked compound in the 700 block of Evans Court some over night and stole a white 2007 Ford Econoline...

Beach service remembers young women killed in Vernon crash

OKANAGAN - Friends and family flooded a local beach in memory of the two young Kelowna women killed Saturday night in Vernon. Kayla Cartwright, 26 and Chantal Bazin, 22, died July 11 when the car they were driving crossed the centre line on Highway 97 in Vernon and hit an oncoming vehicle. But Jeff Cartwright,...

Mountain Equipment Co-op coming to Kelowna

KELOWNA - Outdoor enthusiasts will soon have another option when shopping for outdoor gear, Mountain Equipment Co-op has announced it is coming to Kelowna next spring. The legendary Vancouver outdoor outfitter will open a 20,000-square-foot location in the former Future Shop location in Orchard Plaza Shopping Centre in Kelowna. In addition to its outdoor products,...

Kelowna senior missing for two weeks

KELOWNA – A 71-year-old Kelowna senior has been missing since late last month. Police are asking for the public’s help locating Benjamin Wolfe, who has not been seen or heard from since June 29. He has no cell phone and there is no vehicle associated with him, according to Const. Steve Holmes of the Kelowna...

Sweet ending to mystery of the missing ice cream cone

KELOWNA - The owners of a giant ice cream cone have been reunited with their over-sized sweet treat, stolen from outside their ice cream and candy store on Bernard Avenue. “We’re just happy that someone called and we got it back,” Meaghan Ross, an employee of Sweet Cravings and daughter of Ken Ross who owns...

Man facing multiple charges following arson at Kelowna law firm

KELOWNA - A Kelowna man has been charged after setting fire inside a law firm building in downtown Kelowna Monday morning. Cody Weninger, 22, has been charged with assault, resisting arrest and arson following the incident at Pihl Law Corporation on Ellis Street. Weninger entered the building around 10:20 a.m. yesterday, July 13, and set...

RCMP divers search waters around CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay

WEST KELOWNA - RCMP divers are searching the waters around the CNR wharf in Gellatly Bay but the won’t say what they are looking for or what investigation the search is tied to. “All I can say is that it is related to an investigation,” Const. Steve McBride, the senior officer on the scene, says....

Man in jail after starting a fire in a Kelowna law office

KELOWNA - Police don’t have a motive for why a man tried to start a fire inside a downtown law firm earlier today. RCMP media spokesman Const. Steve Holmes says the man entered the Pihl Law Corporation building at 1465 Ellis St. and started a fire in some clothing on the third floor at about...

Kelowna women killed in Vernon car crash identified

VERNON - The B.C. Coroners Service has released the identities of two women who died in a head-on car accident in Vernon over the weekend. They were Chantal Diane Bazin, 22, and Kayla Elizabeth Cartwright, 26, both from Kelowna. According to a press release from the coroner Larry Marzinzik, Bazin was the driver, and Cartwright the...

Boat sinks itself doing stunts on Okanagan Lake

KELOWNA - A boat that sunk Sunday night in Okanagan Lake may have sunk itself by doing doughnuts. “That’s what it looks like. On a calm surface, you won’t have much issue but if you do doughnuts, you’re now churning up the water and creating an unstable situation for the boat,” RCMP spokesman Const. Steve...

Hey Kelowna, is this your giant ice cream cone?

KELOWNA - RCMP are looking to find the rightful owner of a giant ice cream cone and admit they are ‘licked' without further information. A Bertram Street resident woke early yesterday morning, July 12, to find a large ice cream cone sitting on his front lawn, according to police spokesman Const. Steve Holmes. “The homeowner...

Smoky skies advisory ends for Southern Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A system that broke a nearly three-week heat wave and dropped rain in the Interior also helped clear the smoke. The smoky skies advisory that had been in place since June 7 was lifted this morning, July 13, by the Ministry of Environment and the Interior Healthy Authority. While many large fires are...

Break in heat for Okanagan, back to seasonal normals

OKANAGAN - After nearly three weeks of temperatures exceeding 30 Celsius almost every day, we are finally seeing cooler temperatures, some rain and less smoke. This weekend, the heat wave finally broke with temperatures closer to seasonal normals of 27 C on both days, and Environment Canada is calling for high temperatures to remain a...

Break in heat for Kamloops, back to seasonal normals

KAMLOOPS - After nearly three weeks of temperatures exceeding 30 Celsius almost every day we are finally seeing cooler temperatures, some rain and less smoke. This weekend, the heat wave finally broke with temperatures closer to seasonal normals of 28 C on both days, and Environment Canada is calling for high temperatures to remain a...

Water board wants more control over what people do in watersheds

OKANAGAN - In an effort to put a stop to mud-bogging and pit toilets near reservoirs, the local water board is supporting a call for greater control over source watersheds. “The board wants our members to have more control and the province to give more support to water utilities to protect the quality of their...

Changing demographics could force school closure in Rutland

KELOWNA - It’s been years since it last happened and there’s no guarantee yet that it will, but in the face of static enrolment and ever-tighter budgets the Central Okanagan School District is once again looking at possible school closures. “I would suggest the next possible school closure would be in the Rutland area,” school...

Suspicious salesman going door to door in Kelowna

KELOWNA - A man going door to door on MacKenzie Road has raised suspicions in the neighbourhood. Const. Steve Holmes says a man claiming to be selling furnaces and hot water tanks was going door to door but had no company identification and refused to leave a business card or brochure. It seems he is...

Police confirm identity of Black Mountain murder victim but still no arrests

KELOWNA – RCMP have confirmed the identity of the man found murdered in his home on Black Mountain earlier this week. The body of Amardeep Singh Ahluwalia, 47, was found in his home on Feedham Avenue in the early morning hours of July 7. Police have said very little about the cause of death but...

Unemployment ticks upward in Central Okanagan

KELOWNA - Unemployment in the Central Okanagan has jumped in the last six months however the number of job hunters remains well below the national average. In its latest labour force survey, Statistics Canada is reporting an unemployment rate of 4.5 per cent in the Kelowna census area, up six basis points from last month...

UPDATE: False call brings swarms of police to downtown Kelowna

KELOWNA - A downtown street was blocked off and under heavy police presence Thursday evening, but RCMP Cst. Steve Holmes says it was all because of a false call. "Investigators are relieved that no one was injured in the incident but are disturbed at the complete disregard for public safety," he says in a release....