Kelowna

Bike theft spike sparks warning from Kelowna RCMP

KELOWNA - RCMP are advising owners to harden the target of an 'extreme spike' in recent thefts - your bike. In a release today, May 20, RCMP spokesman Cpl. Joe Duncan says there have been 154 bike thefts reported in Kelowna since the beginning of the year. Duncan says owners can’t prevent all thefts but...

Kelowna RCMP searching for man linked to possible arson

KELOWNA - A fire at Boyd Autobody and Glass damaged four vehicles while a second fire on Bedford Avenue damaged a camper in April and now RCMP are looking to identify a man seen in surveillance footage from the area. In the early morning hours on April 10 the Kelowna Fire Department attended a fire...

Interior Health to consider ebola preparedness recommendations

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If the world has learned anything from the ongoing ebola epidemic, it’s that you cannot predict where and when a person carrying the dreaded virus will show up. The Interior Health Authority learned that in December when one of its own employees, nurse practitioner Patrice Gordon, returned from Sierra Leone and began displaying flu-like...

Big White Ski Resort awarded for excellence

NAMED A TOP-PERFORMING SKI DESTINATION BY TRAVELLERS KELOWNA - Big White Ski Resort has received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award. Now in its fifth year, the award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given to establishments that consistently achieve great reviews on TripAdvisor. Destinations must maintain a consistent high review from a minimum number...

Hot weather ahead for the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Dig out your sunscreen and your flip-flops because B.C.’s Interior is in for some unseasonably hot weather over the coming week. Although the average temperature for the region is in the low 20s from Kamloops all the way south to Penticton, residents can look forward to highs of 29 C with only occasional...

Westside Road shooter could get dangerous offender status

KELOWNA – The man who shot at police as he and two accomplices fled from police along Westside Road in 2012 will be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine if he is a dangerous offender. In late February, Michael Ellis, 41, was found guilty of unlawful discharge of a prohibited weapon, armed robbery, attempted robbery,...

Check out all your summer camps before you sign up

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A first-of-its-kind kid’s camp expo coming to a community near you is your chance to get a taste of all the fun activities available to keep your little ones busy all summer long. Campapalooza is a chance to meet counsellors and see what all the great summer camps offer for toddlers to teens...

More delays along Lakeshore Road

KELOWNA – If you thought delays along Lakeshore Road were over, think again. Crews have begun prep work for the South Pandosy Transit Exchange project between KLO Road and Lanfranco Road and although both lanes will largely remain open, lane restrictions will be implemented causing delays along the busy corridor. According to the City of...

Children with big hearts found charity to help homeless in Kelowna

KELOWNA – The Doty sisters say the inspiration for founding the B.C. Halo Project came from the love of making blanket forts at their grandma and papa’s house. Hanna and Lauren Doty, who are in grade four and grade one respectively, have created the non-profit foundation as part of their effort to collect used and...

Lake Country family bringing anime to the Okanagan

"THERE'S ALWAYS THAT 'YOU'RE A NERD THING', BUT THAT'S CHANGING." KELOWNA – A family from Lake Country has opened a store in Orchard Park Mall which has no competition anywhere in the Okanagan. The product they sell may be unfamiliar to most people, but it’s a marketgaining in popularity around the world. Anime, the broad...

Conservatory dream dies, strip mall could rise from the ashes

KELOWNA - When the Conservatory was first proposed 15 years ago on the corner of Glenmore Drive, the high-end seniors housing project was big news. Original plans called for twin towers containing some 1,200 strata units with commercial space and a two-acre indoor tropical garden housed in a glass-walled atrium. Somewhere along the way that...

B.C. ROAD TRIP: Where to go, when you need to go

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Road trips are a great way to see this magnificent province of ours but need to be planned out carefully, especially if you have little ones. Not only do you need to have snacks, drinks and activities to help keep them from getting cranky, you need to plan regular bathroom and stretching breaks....

City puts cash behind Strong Neighbourhoods program

KELOWNA - Strong neighbourhoods make for strong towns and cities; that’s the basic premise behind a new program launched by the City of Kelowna and they are putting some cash behind it. It’s early days but Strong Neighbourhoods hopes to tap into growing evidence that getting to know your neighbours is good for your physical...

Sick chicken gets first class medical care

KELOWNA – There’s not much Dr. Steve Wilson of the Lakeshore Animal Clinic wouldn’t do for a sick pet. Even one that only cost $1.50. Wilson has 50 hens and ten roosters living on his acreage in Kelowna. Many of them are so old they barely lay eggs and while most farmers would have them...

A Royal Affair fundraiser channels Marie Antoinette for Opera Kelowna

KELOWNA - Royals are hot right now and Opera Kelowna is well placed to take advantage of that with its latest fashion show fundraiser. The aptly-named A Royal Affair will look to royals of the past; think Marie Antoinette and the Chateax de Versailles, long a style icon for modern day fashionistas. Staged by stylist...

Local Crime Stoppers program tops province with help from Kelowna RCMP

KELOWNA - It’s National Police Week and the Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers is praising the local detachment for its pursuit of the tips the crime prevention group receives. “RCMP Supt. Nick Romanchuk and his team doggedly pursue tips to the Crime Stoppers tipsline, making the Okanagan program the top producing program in B.C.”, says Central...

Dozens of vehicles impounded due to excessive speeding

KELOWNA – In the last two months, more than 50 vehicles were ticketed and impounded for excessive speeding between Kelowna and Vernon. Since March 1, the Kelowna RCMP Integrated Road Safety Unity conducted speed enforcement along the Hwy 97 corridor targeting aggressive drivers travelling more than 40 km/h over the posted speed limit.  “Aggressive driving...

Restaurant competition heats up in downtown Kelowna

KELOWNA - So you wanna open a restaurant in Kelowna? Better bring your A-game because there’s a lot of competition. BNA Brew Co. is just the latest on the scene with its 8,000 square feet location in a historic former warehouse next to Flashbacks nightclub on Ellis Street. “We’re a restaurant that brews its own...

Motorized bicycle builder fought the law and the law won

KELOWNA – A man has been found guilty in Kelowna traffic court of operating a motor vehicle without a licence or insurance, but he wasn’t in a car and he wasn’t on a motorcycle. At around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 12, 2013, Alejandro Eytcheson Calderone was riding a bicycle equipped with a small gas motor...

Do you know this Kelowna armed robbery suspect?

KELOWNA – Almost 48 hours after a Kelowna convenience store was robbed, RCMP are asking for the public’s help to find the suspect. Police were called to the Mac’s at 2147 Richter St. around 2:49 p.m., Tuesday, May 12 following the report of an armed robbery. RCMP say in a release that a man walked...

West Kelowna water supply vulnerable if drought continues

WEST KELOWNA - If you were able to visit West Kelowna’s Rose Valley reservoir right now, you would find it full, water lapping right to the edges of the man-made storage water facility. However, if you were to judge the district’s water health as normal by that same measure, you would be wrong as the...

Identity of elderly man killed in car crash released

KELOWNA - The B.C. Coroners Service has released the identity of the man killed in a car crash near Peachland earlier this week. Peter Hudyma, 84, of Oliver, was the driver and only occupant of a car which left the road in the 6400-block of Highway 97C near Peachland at about 5:50 p.m., Tuesday, May...

TimeDrive lets young professionals donate their skills to local charitable groups

KELOWNA - Proving millennials are not all about themselves, TimeDrive 2015 goes tonight. It's an event which connects young professionals with non-profit organizations in need of their skills or services. “The younger demographic, from early 20s to late 30s is generally who we appeal to,” says organizer Victor Narynskyyi, a member of Gennext which is...

No shortage of May long weekend fun

KELOWNA – Two annual events which have been happening in Kelowna for more than 50 years are back again and taking over Kelowna this May long weekend. Rutland May Days and the Knox Mountain Hill Climb have been annual events in Kelowna for the last 56 and 58 years respectively. The Hill Climb, which attracts...