Kelowna

And the survey says… life is good in Kelowna

KELOWNA - If you consider yourself pretty much an average Kelownian, then you’re also pretty much satisfied with your life in the city. That’s the conclusion of the most recent citizens survey, released Friday, April 10. “We are generally encourage by the survey results,” city communications supervisor Jodie Foster Sexsmith says. She believes the key...

UPDATE: Suspicious car fires at Boyd’s under investigation

KELOWNA - A blaze at an autobody shop was one of two arson fires in Kelowna early this morning. RCMP say around 2:50 a.m., today, April 10, firefighters put out four burning cars at Boyd’s Autobody and Glass in the 1900 block of Dayton Street. A second fire on Bedford Avenue damaged a camper. “Police...

Faulty landing gear light causes anxious moments at Kelowna Airport

KELOWNA - A faulty landing gear indicator light on a light plane landing at Kelowna Airport this morning had emergency crews on standby. “We had a Piper Cherokee, which is a small aircraft, coming in. It only had one person onboard,” Kelowna International Airport spokesperson Jenelle Hynes. “They had contacted the tower because there was...

Wildfire fuel reduction critical as risk on the rise in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA - If you see smoke coming from up Bear Creek in the next few weeks, it’s likely not a raging wildfire. What you’re seeing is actually a fuel mitigation program designed to stop a raging wildfire from starting in the first place. “What you see behind me is what keeps firefighters awake at...

Lake Country referendum could prove pivotal in closing CN Rail corridor deal

KELOWNA - The provincial government recently pledged more than $7 million for the CN Rail corridor purchase but it does nothing to solve Lake Country’s shortfall of $2.6 million. It may also have created a new problem — voter apathy in Lake Country where a yes vote for the purchase is still critical to the deal...

Three Rockets make NHL Central Scouting rankings

KELOWNA - The National Hockey League Central Scouting rankings are out for the 2015 draft and three Rockets have made the list this year. Nick Merkley sits at 23rd among North American skaters. The Calgary native has 90 points in 72 games this season and has already tallied six points in four playoff games. With...

UPDATE: Police say man sought in ‘inappropriate’ pictures did nothing wrong

LAKE COUNTRY - Photos found on a second-hand camera purchased in Lake Country had RCMP looking for the man found among ‘inappropriate’ photos, but after finding him yesterday, say he was not related. A Lake Country woman called police when she ‘discovered some inappropriate photos’ on a child's camera she purchased it second-hand on March...

Late snow to hit Interior highways this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A spring snow storm is expected to drop up to 10 centimetres of wet snow on Southern Interior highways this weekend. According to Environment Canada, an unseasonably cool frontal system will reach the coast by Friday evening and rain will change to snow over the mountain passes early Saturday morning. So far 5...

Kelowna kitchen fire damages home

KELOWNA - Firefighters were able to keep a fire contained to the kitchen of a Bouvette Street home Wednesday night but the resulting smoke caused damage throughout the home. The Kelowna Fire Department responded to a call of a fire in a kitchen in a single family residence Wednesday, April 8. In total three engines,...

Local electronics retailer expands as big box stores close shop

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If Andre Blanleil gets any satisfaction from the demise of his retail competitor, electronics giant Future Shop, he doesn’t show it. “They were good competitors. They did a good job for the market they were going after,” the president of Andres Group of companies says. The regional chain operates 21 locations under the...

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...