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Kelowna
Death no longer considered suspicious: RCMP
KELOWNA - RCMP say they still believe Jacqueline Abaku died suddenly in her Glenmore home last week but are no longer calling it suspicious. RCMP Cpl. Joe Duncan says the B.C. Coroners Service conducted an autopsy last week but could not confirm the reason for the change. "They're classifying it now as a sudden death,"...
Dog that mauled its owner ordered euthanized
KELOWNA – A dangerous dog that sent one of his owners to hospital for two days with severe bites late last year will be euthanized by court order. “The wounds are deep, bloody and gruesome,” writes Judge Jane Cartwright in her decision today, April 8. “It is clear that Loki’s attack on his owner was...
Neighbours fight crime with Block Watch program
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - In a world where social media provides almost instantaneous connections, an anti-crime program that relies on email and the telephone for neighbours to stay connected seems almost anachronistic. But that’s the model the Block Watch program still uses in British Columbia and local crime prevention coordinator Duane MacTavish says it is doing...
Sunny today, cloudy for final ski day of season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We may be starting the day well below seasonal normals but the next couple of days will be sunny and warm. Seasonal normal low temperatures sit at 2 Celsius in Kamloops and 3 C through the Okanagan while seasonal normal high temperatures range from 14 C to 16 C. Today has started off...
ReStore opens Kelowna location
KELOWNA – After a very successful year in West Kelowna, Habitat for Humanity has opened another ReStore in the Central Okanagan, this time in Kelowna. Executive Director Deb Guthrie says the Kelowna ReStore, which takes in items donated from the public, resells them and uses the profits to build homes for families in need, is even bigger...
Full time cashier convicted of stealing $24K in social assistance
GOING TO THE MINISTRY OFFICE MADE HER FEEL "WORTHLESS" KELOWNA – A Kelowna cashier is awaiting sentencing for fraud after collecting and spending close to $24,000 in social assistance while working full time because she was “finally living like everyone else.” According to a March 30 judgment by Judge Ellen Burdett, Theresa Derworiz, who has...
Cash deposit stolen from Superstore Gas Bar
WEST KELOWNA – Police are asking for help from the public in identifying a man believed to have stolen cash from a gas station Monday afternoon. According to a release from Cpl. Joe Duncan, a suspicious man was seen 'hanging around' the Westbank Superstore Gas Bar around 12:45 p.m., April 6. “When the store attendant...
Kelowna woman found dead identified
KELOWNA – A woman found dead in her Glenmore home last week has been identified. Police found the body of Jacqueline Elizabeth Abaku, 31, in her home in Glenview Gardens around 3:45 p.m. March 31. Police spent most of the day questioning neighbours, but have not released her cause of death. According to a high...
Province pledges $7.2M for CN Rail corridor purchase
KELOWNA - There are some strings attached, but the provincial government is pledging $7.2 million to help make the purchase of the CN Rail corridor a reality. The money is conditional on a successful referendum in Lake Country later this month, according to a press release from the province Tuesday, April 7. “We believe in the...
Criminals should worry about Facebook in West Kelowna’s Shannon Lake
WEST KELOWNA - You almost have to pity the drug dealer, con man or break-in artist who tries to do business in Shannon Lake. The walls have eyes and they are all connected to each other. A suspicious thin, white male, late teens, maybe early 20s, driving an old silver or grey Buick, made that...
Double days off at Easter? You either got it or you don’t
KELOWNA - Other than politics and religion, is there anything that divides us more than who gets two days off at Easter and who doesn’t? Is there anything more confusing? Who gets time off around Easter pretty much comes down to the haves and the have-nots. If you’re just a regular working stiff, working 9...
Total lunar eclipse an Easter weekend treat
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Play a little hide and seek with one of the biggest ‘eggs’ you can find this week — a total lunar eclipse is scheduled to take place this Easter weekend. According to Time and Date, the moon will be totally eclipsed for about five minutes early Saturday morning with the event set to...
Fourth Kelowna fighter signs with UFC
KELOWNA – Another member of Kelowna’s Team Toshido has been signed to the UFC. Shane “Shaolin” Campbell, 28, who came to Kelowna from Edmonton five months ago, is a 6’ lightweight with a professional record of 11-2. With a background in Muay Thai, Campbell has fought around 90 times in the ten years since he...
District seeks court permission to euthanize “dangerous” dog
KELOWNA – A local couple will find out next week if their dog will be euthanized for what has been called a “severe” attack, which left a Kelowna woman with deep cuts to her legs and arm. A four day trial in Kelowna court concluded this week and Judge Jane Cartwright will decide Wednesday, April...
Early spring means Knox Mountain Park now fully open
KELOWNA - Continued good weather means the road to the top of Knox Mountain Park, Kelowna's signature greenspace, is opening a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. The City of Kelowna says it was opening Knox Mountain Drive because night time temperatures have consistently been above zero. Vehicle access is restricted in winter months as...
Police seek information on suspected arson in Rutland
KELOWNA - An early-morning fire that significantly damaged a townhouse on Kneller Road on the weekend may have been arson. The occupants of the townhouse were home when the fire started just after midnight, March 29, but managed to escape unharmed. A Kelowna Fire Department crew extinguished the fire shortly after arriving, but not before...
UPDATE: RCMP investigate suspicious death at Glenview Gardens
KELOWNA – Police are saying very little about why officers spent much of the day…
City toilets, fountains and landfills open Easter weekend
KELOWNA - You can get in a workout and take a load to the landfill this holiday long weekend, but don't expect to be able to pay your back taxes or make a development variance application. Kelowna City Hall will be closed both Good Friday, April 3, and Easter Monday, April 6, for the Easter...
Long Island Medium coming to Kelowna
KELOWNA – A popular TV psychic will be making an appearance in Kelowna next month. Theresa Caputo, star of the hit TLC show Long Island Medium, will perform live at Prospera Place Tuesday, June 9. According to a media release, Caputo will give interactive readings to audience members throughout the show as well as share...
West Kelowna wants to be a city not a district; using alternative approval process to make it happen
WEST KELOWNA - Like an awkward teenager, not quite sure where it fits in, the District of West Kelowna is looking to grow up into a full-fledged city. “We have about 31,000 or 32,0000 people. We are in within the population range,” Mayor Doug Findlater says. “It would be more recognizable as a city in...
Mother Nature’s take on April Fools’ Day: A mix of snow, rain and thunderstorms
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After dropping upwards of 20 centimetres of snow on some highway passes Tuesday, the first day of April could also bring more rain, more snow and a chance of thunderstorms to the Interior. Temperatures should hit the double-digit mark today, but will hover just below seasonal normals of 12 Celsius to 14 C,...
Controlled burns could be coming to a neighbourhood near you
CITY COUNCIL AGREES TO "TEST BURN" IN MCKINLEY LANDING KELOWNA - Forest fires are a touchy subject in the Okanagan so it was no surprise proponents of a controlled burn in McKinley Landing had some explaining to do to city councillors. City staff want to conduct a controlled burn in McKinley Landing as part of...
Pac-Man takes on the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if Pac-Man took over the streets of the Okanagan, wonder no more. Google Maps is now offering a local version of Pac-Man. Only available in some browsers, you will see a Pac-Man box in the bottom left of the screen. You simply need to...
Suspected Tim Hortons robber arrested after public tips
WEST KELOWNA - RCMP on the Westside have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with a robbery at the Tim Hortons on Carrington Rd. Saturday night, March 28. According to RCMP spokesman Cpl. Joe Duncan, the suspect is alleged to have covered his face and gone into the the restaurant with a weapon where he...