Kelowna

West Kelowna pushing city status bid under the radar

WEST KELOWNA - Opponents of the district’s push to seek city status say mayor and council have tried to slide the issue under the radar when it deserves a full and open public debate. Gordon Ficke, President of the Historic Westbank Association, says council ignored a request from the group to hold a townhall meeting...

Gyrocopter tours coming to Kelowna

OKANAGAN – The next big thing to hit the skies over the Okanagan is part of a growing trend around the world. The gyrocopter, sometimes called an autogyro, looks like a helicopter but instead of getting its thrust from the top rotor, the engine sends power to a propeller mounted at the rear. Gyrocopters are...

VIDEO: 20,000 young fish pumped into lake

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Moving more than 20,000 young fish from a hatchery into a lake isn't easy, unless you have the right tools for the job. On Sunday, May 3, Go Fish B.C., a nonprofit program organized by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of Canada, released a behind-the-scenes video of the restocking of rainbow trout in Paul Lake...

UPDATE: Kelowna teen located

UPDATE: 10:55 A.M., MAY 25, 2015 RCMP say Raven Graham has been located. 9:27 A.M., MAY 5, 2015 KELOWNA - Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a teen missing since mid-April. Raven Graham, 17, was reported missing April 14. She is described as Caucasian, 5’5” and 115 lbs with blonde hair and...

Hard lessons from California drought to be learned in the Okanagan

KELOWNA - With snowpack levels on the west side of Okanagan Lake at extremely low levels coupled with the dry winter the valley has just experienced, a comparison with drought-stricken California and the measures they must now take to avoid catastrophe is perhaps inevitable. “People say jokingly the best planning is done in advance… what...

Gas prices jump in the Central Okanagan

KELOWNA - If you’re running low on gas and can find a gas station that has yet to get the memo, you might want to fill up. Gasbuddy.com users are reporting an 11 cent jump in the price of regular gas, from $1.11.9 to $1.22.9 at stations across the Central Okanagan. And you might have...

The heart-breaking reason this nine-year-old boy quit hockey

"TO WIN AS A TEAM AND LOSE AS A TEAM IS A PRICELESS CONCEPT THAT SHOULD BE CHERISHED AND VALUED MORE THAN WINNING AT ALL COST" KELOWNA - A young hockey player made a heart-breaking decision to quit his hockey team with only two games left in the season and his father’s written reasons for...

Meteors to shower the Southern Interior sky this week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A nearly full moon may play havoc with the Aquarids Meteor Shower as it peaks this week but there is still a chance to see some of the brightest meteors if you can find a patch of clear sky and are patient. The product of dust particles left behind by Halley’s Comet, the...

Kenny vs. Spenny coming to Kelowna

KELOWNA – Two best friends famous around the world for their not-so-friendly but always entertaining rivalry are coming to Kelowna this summer. Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice starred in a hit Canadian TV show called Kenny vs. Spenny which featured two lifelong “friends” square-ing off every week in competitions like “Who can wear a dead...

Kelowna property tax increase comes in lower than originally planned

KELOWNA - It’s not much, but homeowners in Kelowna will be happy to hear the property tax increase for 2015 will be a bit less than originally planned. Adjustments to the final budget will see an official tax increase of 3.2 per cent, down from the 3.46 per cent established in the provisional budget submitted in...

UPDATE: Kelowna teenager found

KELOWNA – A Kelowna teenage last seen on Thursday, April 30 has been found. RCMP say Gabriel Hamel, 16, has been located. Police are not releasing any other information about the missing case. To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or...

Newest Interior beer festival promises greatness

KELOWNA – The Great Okanagan Beer Festival in Kelowna next weekend is all about the world of craft beer. The main event is Saturday, May 9 in Waterfront Park on Okanagan Lake with an estimated 2,500 people expected to sample beers from over 40 breweries. Gibbons Festivals and Events have three days of events planned...

South East Kelowna residents facing big rate hikes

KELOWNA - Water managers from the South East Kelowna Irrigation District heard loud and clear from residents concerned with the $23.7-million price tag for a water system upgrade. Irrigation district chair Brian Wright described the discussion around the proposed system as “robust” but claimed most residents understand it has little choice but to upgrade water...

Kelowna student association hosting vigil for Nepal

KELOWNA - Nepalese students in Kelowna are joining hands to honour the thousands of people who lost their lives when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal last weekend. The Nepalese Scholars’ Association of the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus will be hosting a candlelight vigil to raise awareness and funds for the Red Cross this...

UPDATE: Missing Kelowna man found

KELOWNA – RCMP say a Kelowna man missing since Monday has been found. Missing person Nathan Gartner has been located, according to a media release issued early this morning, May 2. The RCMP asked for the public’s help to find Gartner yesterday morning. Police aren’t releasing any other details about the missing person case. To...

Kelowna Fire Department calls up two per cent

KELOWNA - The release of the 2014 annual report by the Kelowna Fire Department provides a glimpse of what the largest fire department in the B.C. Interior goes through in a year. “Kelowna Fire Department responded to just over 9,500 calls for service which was a two per cent increase from 2013,” says fire chief...

MAP: 1,500 expected for 18th annual Kettle Valley Neighbourhood Garage Sale

KELOWNA – For the 18th year in a row, Kettle Valley will host one of the biggest community garage sales in Kelowna this weekend. Last year more than 1,100 people visited the 78 booths, but this year is expected to be even larger. So far more than 100 homes have agreed to take part, and according...

Kelowna honours outstanding contributions during 40th annual civic awards

KELOWNA - The City of Kelowna celebrated its 40th annual civic and community awards at a gala event at the Kelowna Community Theatre. The awards recognize outstanding contributions and achievements by Kelowna residents in a range of categories. The full list of award recipients is provided below: Teen Honour in the Arts Antony Knight Honour...

Mounties shoot moose in downtown Kelowna

KELOWNA – RCMP had to shoot and kill a moose in downtown Kelowna early this morning after it was hit by an SUV on Harvey Avenue. Cpl. Joe Duncan says the call came in shortly after 4 a.m., May 1, and RCMP arrived to find a badly injured moose in the westbound lanes of the...

Jason Aldean set to ‘Burn It Down’ in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Country music star Jason Aldean is coming to town this October on the Canadian leg of his recently expanded Burn It Down tour. Aldean, a three-time Academy of Country Music Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year nominee will be coming to Kelowna and Kamloops, as well as Vancouver and Prince...

Jason Aldean set to ‘Burn It Down’ in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS - Country music star Jason Aldean is coming to town this October on the Canadian leg of his recently expanded Burn It Down tour. Aldean, a three-time Academy of Country Music Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year nominee will be coming to Kelowna and Kamloops, as well as Vancouver and Prince...

Jail for amateur boxer who had sex with Kelowna minor

KELOWNA – A 25-year-old Kelowna man was handed a minimum sentence of 90 days in jail for having consensual sex with a 14-year-old girl last summer. Alexander Schoenherr, 25, is an amateur boxer and self-described 'loner' with no prior criminal record. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual touching of a person under 16....

Almost $50k raised at first Papa John’s Dreams for Kids Day

KELOWNA – The first ever Papa John’s Dreams for Kids Day raised more than $42,000 to help make dreams come true for kids with disabilities and life-threatening illnesses. Papa John’s took over the program from Wendy’s late last year. And yesterday, April 29, five participating restaurants in Kelowna, West Kelowna, Kamloops and Prince George raised...

Who is killing the stone people of Knox Mountain Park?

KELOWNA - Silently they stand, motionless, offering mute testimony to what their cold hard eyes have witnessed. Which is nothing, really, because they are just piles of rock. Locals and the more adventurous hikers have long known of the intricate free-style stone sculptures which have come and gone in a remote corner of Knox Mountain...