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Kelowna

Cisco Road wildfire grows under controlled burns

LYTTON - A wildfire that was discovered a week ago near Lytton and grew rapidly over 24 hours has grown again, but this time because of controlled burns. B.C. Wildfire crews are working the Cisco Road Wildfire which was first discovered on June 11. It was first estimated at 150 hectares and by the end...

Fewer rentals available in Thompson-Okanagan as prices rise

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – It's getting harder to find an apartment to rent in most Thompson-Okangan cities, and those that are available cost significantly more than they did one year ago. Kelowna and Kamloops saw minor adjustments in rental availability rates this year compared with the B.C. average. Between April 2014 and April 2015, the provincial average...

Big air and local talent featured in extreme mountain bike movie

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Ever wondered what it’s like to do a 70-foot front flip on a tricked out mountain bike? Now you can get an idea without risking reconstructive surgery or a lengthy hospital stay. An extreme mountain biking movie, unReal, is premiering in Kamloops and Kelowna next week. UnReal is a movie that does for...

Pianos in the Park take social media by storm

KELOWNA – Less than a week after they were set up, Kelowna’s Pianos in the Park are filling the downtown streets with beautiful music. Videos of people playing the pianos have flooded social media, including one by local musician James Elser, who covered Elton John’s Your Song in front of Rotary Centre for the Arts....

Filmmaker captures awe of Okanagan Valley

OKANAGAN - The essence of what makes the Okanagan Valley breathtaking has been captured by a filmmaker from Summerland in a short video entitled Born To Wonder. Steve Cogbill, 19, says he just finished several months of work on the video and he hopes it will motivate both locals and would-be tourists to take a...

City moves to revamp public sign bylaw

KELOWNA - In the face of changing tastes and technology the City of Kelowna could soon deal with signs in a different way. City council is directing staff to revamp its sign bylaw, but they expect plenty of consultation with business owners and other stakeholders. “Signage is important to everyone really. The city gets a...

Kelowna women rescues dog being pulled behind moving vehicle

"WE ALMOST THREW UP WE WERE SO SCARED." OKANAGAN – Four friends from Kelowna were driving on Road 22 in Oliver last Friday night when they saw something they couldn’t believe: A puppy, less than two months old, being pulled behind a moving vehicle. “It was one of those really small lane roads,” says one...

Kelowna bell-ringing ceremony to honour missing and murdered aboriginal women

KELOWNA - The bells will be ringing in Kelowna this weekend, 1,122 times to be exact. A request by The Cathedral Church of St. Michael and All Angels on Sutherland Avenue to ring its bell multiple times this Sunday has been approved by city council. The symbolic ringing of the bell on June 21, National Aboriginal...

Who cares about distracted driving on B.C. roads and highways?

BRITISH COLUMBIA - If you have an opinion on the distracted driving laws — and we’re sure you do — you will now have a chance to share them with the B.C. government. The province is considering raising penalties for distracted driving but will first hold a four-week public consultation through a new website and social media...

Witnesses to Kelowna crash sought

KELOWNA - A two-vehicle crash at Highway 97 and Spall Road last week has RCMP asking for witnesses to come forward. On June 11, around 9 a.m., RCMP responded to a crash between a white Ford van (Norelco Cabinets) and a grey Honda pickup (Western Gasco Cylinders Ltd.) Both drivers were uninjured but RCMP are...

Police confirm homicide on Bernard Ave; victim identified

KELOWNA - A suspicious death Sunday night has been deemed a homicide but RCMP are not yet saying what caused the death. Warren Welters, 51, was found deceased around 8:30 p.m., June 14, at 941 Bernard Avenue. Cpl. Joe Duncan says police remain on scene and ‘are investigating any and all leads.’ He also notes...

Kelowna firefighters sign seven-year labour agreement

KELOWNA - Firefighters and adminstrative staff with the Kelowna Fire Department will enjoy a series of raises after signing a new collective agreement with the City of Kelowna. Firefighters have been without a contract since the end of 2012 but on Monday, June 15 the local firefighters union and the City of Kelowna ratified an...

SNELSON TRIAL: Lawyers present final arguments in manslaughter trial

KAMLOOPS - Motive, opportunity and his own lies all point to Neil George Snelson as the person who strangled and beat 19-year-old Jennifer Cusworth to death over 20 years ago in Kelowna, court heard from the Crown during final arguments today, June 15. Cusworth, an Okanagan Community College student was found in a ditch on...

Kelowna seeks federal cash to upgrade City Park promenade

KELOWNA - A section of the popular promenade through City Park could be in line for a serious upgrade should the city successfully secure a grant from the federal Canada 150 community infrastructure program. Parks planning manager Terry Barton recommended to city council today, June 15, an application be made for the maximum grant of...

Annual Naked Bike Ride gets the reaction it was looking for

KELOWNA - Organizers of the second Annual Naked Bike Ride in Kelowna are calling the event a success with much more media coverage and more positive reaction from the people they passed in the streets, even if their numbers were about the same as last year. “Last year we had zero media, we flew under...

Two arrested following Kelowna crime spree

KELOWNA - A day-long crime spree in Kelowna and West Kelowna ended after two men were arrested in a stolen pickup truck earlier this month. Several people and businesses were hit during the one day crime spree on June 3, Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a media release. The spree started with the theft of...

Another warm week for the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - After a week filled with record and near-record temperatures, things are set to cool down in the Okanagan this week, but only slightly. With temperatures reaching the mid-30s, Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton hit records this past week and while Environment Canada is not calling for temperatures quite that hot this week, the mercury...

Kelowna church asks for noise bylaw exemption for bell-ringing marathon

KELOWNA - If Kelowna city council gives the okay, the bell at The Cathedral Church of St. Michael and All Angels will toll over 1,000 times, once for each of the missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada. The church is asking the city to temporarily set aside its noise bylaw beginning 11:30 a.m. on...

Star Trek Ultimate Voyage concert coming to Okanagan

KELOWNA – Paging all Star Trek nerds and music lovers, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage concert tour is making a stop at Prospera Place next spring. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, June 12, for the Kelowna stop on the tour which will launch following an engagement at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, on...

Kelowna man says police arrested him for nudity they had tolerated many times before

KELOWNA - A Kelowna man says RCMP, anxious to keep a lid on the party scene at Mushroom Beach, arbitrarily arrested him for public nudity after walking by ignoring the sunbathers many times before. Mushroom Beach is the nickname for what the city calls the Lake Avenue beach access and has become increasingly popular with...

Be prepared for emergency wildfire evacuations

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With an unusually dry and hot summer forecast for the Thompson-Okanagan this summer, regional districts are urging residents to get prepared in case emergency evacuations become necessary. Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre spokesperson Bruce Smith says the best time to make an emergency plan is long before something happens. He recommends residents understand...

Give wheelchair rugby a try at Kelowna KOs Roll n’ Bowl fundraiser this weekend

KELOWNA – It’s fun, safe and it benefits a worthy cause. And it might just give you a new appreciation for what many Kelowna residents live with every day. The Kelowna KOs wheelchair rugby team are holding a fundraiser this weekend where kids and adults can try out their sport while raising money for the...