Kelowna

Kelowna water providers in no hurry to comply with voluntary water cuts

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Kelowna’s five water providers will decide next week whether to comply with a request from the provincial government to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 30 per cent. Darwyn Kutney, general manager of the Glenmore Ellison Irrigation District, says the Kelowna Joint Water Committee will meet July 30 to discuss the request. “I...

Westbank First Nation promises to explain private hospital project at media conference

OKANAGAN - After weeks of silence, the Westbank First Nation leadership is offering an update on the status of the Lake Okanagan Wellness Centre. Chief Robert Louie is promising an update and will answer questions on the stalled private hospital project at a media conference this morning. Infonews.ca has been asking Louie for an interview...

Center of Gravity set to take over downtown Kelowna this weekend

KELOWNA – Canada’s hottest beach party, an annual music and sports festival that continues to grow every year, is back in City Park again this weekend. Monster Energy’s Center of Gravity is a 100 per cent local event started by Kelowna native Scott Emslie eight years ago. Since that time it has grown to attract...

Shelter Cove fire remains steady during the day

WEST KELOWNA - B.C. Wildfire has been hitting smoke on the south flank of the Shelter Cove fire with air tankers but other than that, not much has changed today in the 430-hectare blaze. The evacuation order continues for 70 homes along Westside Road which is closed in both directions between Cinnabar Creek and La...

Memorial ride to mark Kelowna cyclist’s death

KELOWNA - Cyclists concerned about safety will hold a Critical Mass Ride in memory of the local woman who was killed last week after colliding with a car door. “The ride is in memory of the fallen cyclist Patricia Keenan, and will also support the need for safer cycling infrastructure, laws that protect cyclists from...

Smoky skies advisory issued for Okanagan

OKANAGAN - It may come as little surprise given the number of fires burning in the area, but a smoky skies advisory has been issued for the entire Okanagan. The special air quality statement was issued by the Ministry of Environment and the Interior Health Authority yesterday evening, July 21, for the entire Okanagan, including...

Health authority hard hit by influenza last season

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Southern Interior was hard hit by influenza last season with a jump in confirmed cases and deaths. But at the same time, the flu season here in the Interior Health Authority was typical of what the rest of Canada experienced. Dr. Gillian Frosst, an epidemiolgist with the heatlh authority, told the board...

Kelowna water utility may soon be forced to restrict use

KELOWNA - As drought-like conditions persist throughout the province people are being asked to cut back on water use, which means water restrictions could be around the corner for Kelowna water utility customers, who have not yet faced restrictions this summer. The province has declared a level three drought in the Okanagan and is sending...

First wife testifies in trial of former Vernon cop charged with child porn

KELOWNA – The first wife of a former Vernon RCMP officer charged with child porn described him as a confrontational man who often raised his voice. Jennifer Fisher and Ryan Hampton’s marriage officially ended in 2011, the same year he married his accuser, Valerie Little. Little, herself a member of the RCMP, told police she...

Search for missing Okanagan Mountain Park campers called off

OKANAGAN - A search for whoever left behind a tent and a cooler in Okanagan Mountain Park has been called off. RCMP were called about the abandoned camping equipment found near the shoreline between Goode’s Creek and Van Hyce Beach on Friday, July 17. A note left behind said the mystery campers had left July 7...

Kelowna Fire Department rescues exhausted cops from Okanagan Lake

KELOWNA - A lake rescue took a dangerous turn last night when the drunken victim turned on a couple of Kelowna RCMP officers trying to save her. Exhausted by the struggle, the two cops had to hang onto a bouy in Okanagan Lake until rescued by the Fire Department’s marine unit. Police were called out...

Sunny week ahead for Okanagan

OKANAGAN - It was a hot, sunny and stormy weekend and this week is expected to be a bit closer to normal Okanagan summer weather. Temperatures reached as high as 36 Celsius Sunday as storms rolled through the region. While there is a risk of thunderstorms again today the chance of rain forecast for the...

Kelowna Rockets raise thousands to help kids with autism play hockey

KELOWNA – Players, coaches, scouts and fans of the Kelowna Rockets helped raise more than $15,000 to help children with autism enter hockey programs Friday morning. The sold out Rockets Alumni Foundation 15th Annual Golf Tournament teed off July 17 as they attempt to raise $100,000 over the next three years for the Canucks Autism...

Yoga fundraiser planned for Kelowna woman killed in car crash

KELOWNA - A deep friendship cut short has pushed a Kelowna woman to help out her friend's family. Anna Mandl says she knew Chantal Bazin since elementary school. Bazin is the young woman who was killed last weekend along with Kayla Cartwright in a car crash on Highway 97 in Vernon. “I’ve known Chantal since...

Okanagan Across the Lake Swim will be bigger than ever this year

KELOWNA – For the 67th year in a row, swimmers from across the province will plunge into Okanagan Lake for the Across the Lake Swim this weekend. And this year will be bigger than ever. Last year, 900 participants showed up but this year event organizers have increased capacity significantly. A record 1,200 swimmers of all ages...

Get some colour at the third annual Okanagan Tattoo Show this weekend

KELOWNA – Fans of counterculture from around the world are gathering at Parkinson Recreation Centre this weekend for the third annual Okanagan Tattoo Show. The event, which runs Friday to Saturday, features 70 tattoo artists from across Canada and the world as well as merchandise booths, food, live music and events. There will also be...

Clerk assaulted during robbery of religious supply store

KELOWNA - Apparently this guy doesn’t believe in divine retribution. RCMP are looking for a man who assaulted a store clerk during the robbery of Loaves and Fishes Book and Church Supply yesterday afternoon, July 16. The man came into the store around 1:30 p.m. and began helping himself to silver and gold crosses, pendants...

Kelowna cyclist dies after collision with car door

KELOWNA - A local cyclist has succumbed to injuries she suffered when someone opened a car door in front of her bike. Patricia Keenan, 38, was cycling behind a friend on Bernard Avenue Tuesday evening, July 14, just past Ethel Street when the incident happened. Police say Keenan was wearing a helmet but the force...

‘Ungovernable’ lawyer with history of misconduct disbarred

KELOWNA – A Kelowna lawyer with a long history of professional misconduct has lost his licence to practice law for representing a company running a Ponzi scheme. Douglas Warren Welder was disbarred from the Law Society of B.C. after a panel found he received and redistributed more than US$1.65 million while representing International Fiduciary Corporation,...