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Kelowna
New garden space for care home on Bernard Ave
KELOWNA – David Lloyd Jones Home, located at 934 Bernard Ave, has begun planning a new outdoor garden space for its residents. Jonathan Clare, Residential Manager at David Lloyd Jones Home explains, “We are truly blessed to live in an area where we can enjoy the outdoors virtually year round. Those who call David Lloyd...
School suspension rates dropping like a stone
KELOWNA - Suspension rates at Central Okanagan schools have been dropping steadily in the last five years, mirroring in part the decline in crime rates in communities across Canada. But the superintendent of schools for the Central Okanagan says the district can claim part of the credit for helping push down the suspension rates with...
Auroras flare, northern lights possible tonight
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you can find a break in the clouds tonight you may be able to catch the tail end of a major northern lights storm that started early this morning. Natural Resources Canada reports the auroras were on the verge of a major storm just north of the Thompson-Okanagan earlier this morning and...
Fortis customers claim routine over-billing
KELOWNA – Days after angry Kelowna residents gathered outside Premier Christy Clarks riding office to protest unfair power bills, many people are coming forward with stories about being massively over billed. Katie Krebs lives in Kelowna with her husband and two kids. She says last December and January, Fortis B.C. sent them a bill for...
More tickets released for Aerosmith
KELOWNA – If you missed out on tickets for the Aerosmith concert at Prospera next month don’t fret, a selection of premium side stage seats will be released this Friday. The seats were originally held back in case local demand wasn’t what promoters were expecting but strong sales means the block of seating will be...
Breast-feeding supporters plan West Kelowna ‘feed-in’
WEST KELOWNA - A group of breast-feeding supporters are planning a mass 'feed-in' at the next West Kelowna council meeting, dissatisfied with the reception given by councillors to a delegation promoting breast-feeding at the last council meeting. Last week, as part of a class project, a delegation of UBC Okanagan nursing students and a public...
Continuous pour means dust, noise and traffic tie-ups for downtown
KELOWNA - A big, loud mess: There’s no other way to describe the choked traffic and construction noise locals will experience downtown around Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue starting Tuesday morning and lasting all this week and into the next. City council has waived its own noise bylaw at the request of developer Graham Construction...
Enderby woman’s story highlights WorkSafe B.C. initiative
ENDERBY - It was supposed to be just a regular day out mending a fence on the family farm, but in a fraction of a moment a 21-year-old Enderby woman became entangled in machinery and her life was in the hands of a medical team at Kelowna General Hospital. In a media release this week,...
Future of iconic downtown buildings in question as city considers civic area’s future
KELOWNA - It’s time to focus on the 10,000-foot view of Kelowna’s civic area and how residents see it developing over time - that’s the thrust of a report city councillors will consider Monday. “The city owns a large majority of the land within the study area,” said Ross Soward, a planning specialist with the...
Avalanche risk increases on heels of windy, wet weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With spring break officially underway for students and spring-like temperatures throughout the region it may feel like spring in the valleys but this past weekend proved winter is not over just yet. On Saturday a wind storm ripped through the region, leaving thousands without power, and while B.C. Hydro crews raced to fix...
Windstorm slams BC interior knocking power out to 39,000
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A major wind storm blew through the B.C. interior Saturday afternoon, March 14, knocking down trees and breaking branches which in turn hit hydro lines cutting the power to about 39,000. In the Thompson-Okanagan area just under 1,000 B.C. Hydro customers are still without power as of 1 p.m., Sunday, March 15 due...
Protest against high power bills
WEST KELOWNA – A group of moms and concerned citizens gathered in front of Premier Christy Clark’s West Kelowna riding office today to protest what they say are exorbitant power bills. Shannon Christensen, one of the speakers at the rally, Saturday, March 14 said hundreds of women in her non-profit group Mamas for Mamas have...
Don’t forget to book your camping sites this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you decide to sleep in this Sunday you might miss out on the summer you’ve been dreaming of. The online and call centre reservation system for provincial campgrounds officially opens Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m. Reservable sites tend to book up quickly, especially at the more popular campgrounds and for long...
Kelowna and Penticton derby girls ready to roll
KELOWNA - The junior hockey season may be over soon, but don't dispair, the roller derby season in the Okanagan is just getting started. The Okanagan Roller Derby Association kicks off the season Saturday, March 14 at the Central Sports Club at 1155 Ellis St. with the Kelowna's Bad Apple Betties taking on the Penticton Pisterolas....
Watch out! Cars back on Knox Mountain road
KELOWNA - Another sign that spring is coming early — the road to the top of Knox Mountain Park has reopened to vehicles, a week ahead of last year. “We’re definitely a bit early this year,” says Blair Stewart, urban forestry supervisor with the City of Kelowna. While the upper portion remains closed to vehicles...
Increased power bills protest planned for this weekend
KELOWNA – A group of moms and concerned citizens are gathering in front of Premier Christy Clark’s West Kelowna office Saturday to protest what they say are exhorbant power bills. Shannon Christensen is one of the speakers at the rally. She says hundreds of women in her non-profit group Mamas for Mamas have been hit...
Suspect wanted in Kelowna 7-Eleven robbery turns himself in
KELOWNA - A 17-year-old Kelowna boy turned himself in to police Wednesday in connection with the robbery at the 7-Eleven at Bernard Avenue and Gordon Drive. The robbery in progress was reported March 9 at 1:55 a.m. According to a media release, a suspect entered the store alone wearing a mask and brandishing a knife....
Another record day in the Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This will probably come as little surprise, but it was another record day in the Southern Interior, with a handful of communities setting new records Thursday. At 19.6 Celsius Penticton just surpassed a century-old record Thursday while Summerland hit 19 C, well above the previous high temperature record of 16.7 C also set...
Local Jammery will air on Food Network next month
KELOWNA - A local restaurant that has the spirit of a winery with their on location jam factory will make it's debut on the Food Network April 10. The Jammery, located on Highway 97 between Kelowna and Lake Country, is not only a great local restaurant with a lot of homey appeal, but is also...
What goes down, must come up — city crews begin annual street-sweeping program
KELOWNA - With such a mild winter, city crews put down less sand and salt this winter, but what they put down they still have to pick up. “We’ve been holding back until this week because we’ve still had some temperatures below freezing,” said roadways supervisor Stephen Bryan. “You can’t sweep and do a good...
So what are you supposed to do with 100 tonnes of sewage sludge? The regional district just found out
KELOWNA - If the Central Okanagan Regional District has temporarily solved its sewage sludge disposal problem by trucking it to a site near Clinton, it’s partially because they can’t look to their nearest neighbours for help - they’re full. “We just don’t have the capacity, so we can’t help,” said Kevin Van Vliet, manager of...
High temperature records continue to fall
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Though the spring equinox is still just over a week away the spring-like weather has resulted in temperatures reaching the mid- to high-teens most days this past week, warm enough for several new records. On Wednesday, March 11, Kamloops hit 19.9 Celsius, shattering previous weather records of 17.8 C last recorded back in...
Central Okanagan school district to find out its share of provincial budget pain
KELOWNA - Central Okanagan school board officials are meeting tomorrow with the Ministry of Education to learn what its share of $29 million provincial budget cuts will be and where they might hit. Secretary treasurer Larry Paul is expecting a budget cut of aproximately $1.1 million, based on similar reductions in the last few years,...
Young gear-heads say they are being unfairly targeted by police
KELOWNA – Several young car enthusiasts in Kelowna say police are forcing them to get vehicle inspections despite passing roadside inspections. Recently, RCMP in the Okanagan have stepped up their enforcement of traffic laws, but Owen Kuipers, 17, is a first year automotive technician apprentice who says he was unfairly targeted by police because he...