Kelowna

Man accused of running down paper carrier during police chase won’t face judge until 2016

KELOWNA – A preliminary inquiry of prolific offender Donald Maxwell Brodie, accused of critically injuring a paper carrier while evading a police road block in 2013, has been set for early 2016. Brodie, 35, is charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, flight causing bodily harm, impaired driving causing bodily harm and two counts of...

RCMP reunite missing dog with family

KAMLOOPS - Saundra Potter didn’t expect to come home without a dog when she took a family trip to Kelowna to run an errand. Potter and her three children left their dog Bailey in the back of her truck with a blanket, food and water when they entered a store to grab barbecue supplies last...

Huckleberry evacuation alert lifted as emergency operations centre closes

KELOWNA - The last evacuation alerts for the 55-hectare Huckleberry fire in Joe Rich have been rescinded. While the alert has been lifted for the 28 properties along Huckleberry Road, a release from the emergency operations centre says residents can expect to see ongoing fire suppression operations as firefighters work to fully extinguish the fire....

TRENDING NOW: Film about B.C. town inspired by ‘Nightcrawler’

The B.C. filmmaker was inspired by the movie Nightcrawler, which showed a cool bird's eye view of Los Angeles.  He decided to try the same camera techniques as seen in the movie.  See just how abandoned a small city can look in the middle of the night.  %%embed1%%

High temperatures in South Okanagan set new records

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you thought it was hot yesterday, you were right. Many communities in the province set new high temperature records yesterday, July 3, including several in the Okanagan. According to Environment Canada, Penticton, Summerland and Osoyoos all squeaked in new records yesterday. At 36.9 Celsius, Penticton broke a record set back in 1922...

UPDATE: Firefighters gaining ground on Huckleberry fire

KELOWNA - Fire fighters appear to be gaining control of a large fire near Heartland Ranch in Joe Rich. A release this morning says containment guards appear to be holding and the fire didn't grow much over night. It's still estimated at 80 hectares in size. Some 14 structural firefighters from Joe Rich Fire Rescue...

It’s taken 13 years but Central Green in Kelowna is starting to take shape

KELOWNA - It’s been 13 years since the school that once occupied the site known as Central Green closed down and now the second affordable housing project slated for the old Kelowna Secondary School grounds has began construction. Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society and the Ministry of Housing broke ground on the $16-million project this week. The...

Dancing and playing highly encouraged in local parks this summer

KELOWNA - With summer full on, expect a lot more activity in urban parks around the Central Okanagan. The City of Kelowna wants locals to bust a move with the Dancing in the Park program, now in its fifth year and held each Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Stuart Park. All ages and...

Okanagan feeling the heat

OKANAGAN - Expect temperatures to remain in the mid-30s through much of next week as the Okanagan continues to flirt with record-breaking temperatures. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures of 36 Celsius throughout the Okanagan today, July 3, and 31 C Saturday in Vernon and Kelowna. Penticton is expected to reach 33 C on Saturday....

No busting the Kelowna buskers: Play on, city says

SECURITY MADE ERROR TELLING YOUNG MAN TO MOVE ON FROM PIANO IN THE PARK KELOWNA - Maybe he just doesn’t like the piano. A young man playing the piano in Stuart Park was asked to move along on Canada Day after a security guard hired by the city to patrol the area came along and...

Vernon cop charged with possessing child porn nearing trial date

KELOWNA – The trial of the former Vernon cop charged with possessing child pornography will start the middle of next month after a brief court appearance today. Ryan Hampton, 37, faces counts of possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, attempting to obstruct justice and half a dozen breaches of court orders. He was arrested...

Feature film to shoot in Kelowna this month

KELOWNA - Cameras will start rolling in the Okanagn next week as an Irish company rolls into town to shoot a new feature film. Tomato Red is a feature film being adapted from a novel by Daniel Woodrell and is about two siblings with big dreams and an ex-con sidekick. Cast names have not yet...

Regional District ambassadors to reward good dog owners

KELOWNA – Employees of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan, armed not with tickets but with treats, are in Kelowna again this summer to reward residents who are responsible dog owners. Communications officer Bruce Smith says the ambassador program was so successful last summer they’ve decided to bring the program back. The two ambassadors,...

City borrows $57 milllion for cop shop, parkade construction

KELOWNA - The city has signed on the dotted line, borrowing $57 million to fund the construction of the RCMP police service building and the construction and expansion of the Memorial and Library Parkades. Construction of the 100,000-square-foot police services building by contractor Bird Design-Build has yet to break ground on the site at Clement...

Kelowna makes a push outdoors

KELOWNA - Even locals don’t know all the best places to hike, swim and bike — that’s the premise behind the Active By Nature campaign, which will use advanced route signage, a video and an interactive website to promote Kelowna’s outdoor infrastructure. “A proven and effective way to inform residents about our network and to...

VIDEO: Kenny Vs. Spenny promote upcoming Kelowna show

KELOWNA – The best friends from Toronto who actually kind of hate each other, have put out a video promoting their upcoming show in Kelowna. Both Kenny Hotz and Spencer “Spenny” Rice, stars of the hit TV show Kenny Vs. Spenny, feature in the short video, but it is Spenny who does most of the...

Okanagan apples almost ready to cross the globe

OKANAGAN – The general manager of the B.C. Fruit Growers Association says they are about a month away from knowing if Okanagan apples will be bound for one of the largest markets in the world. Glen Lucas says he had hoped they would have the answers to whether or not local apples will be a...

UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm warnings back in effect for B.C. Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you haven't experienced major rain or thunder and lightning, your turn is likely coming. Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch on and off for most of the region today, June 30. At 5:35 p.m., Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the North Okanagan, including Vernon. The storm has...

Wine and fruit waste prompts Kelowna treatment facility upgrade

KELOWNA - The city is looking at upgrading the Brandt’s Creek Trade Waste Treatment facility in a bid to reduce the amount of biosolids it produces and the cost of hauling them away. Staff are recommending the city pay $450,000 for a centrifuge to be installed at the facility located in the North End industrial...

Campfire bans in effect this weekend for B.C. Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Due to an elevated risk of fire across the Interior of B.C., the Kamloops Fire Centre has banned all open fires, including campfires, as of noon on Friday, July 3. Kelsey Winter of B.C. Wildfire says the step is being taken to prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety around Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon...

Kelowna council won’t follow Vancouver’s lead on medical marijuana dispensaries

KELOWNA – More than 80 new medical marijuana dispensaries have opened in Vancouver in the last year, prompting city council there to consider implementing business regulations to keep them from getting out of control. But the mayor of the Interior's largest city says Kelowna council is not planning on revisiting the issue any time soon....