Kelowna

Why a drone is following skiers around Big White

KELOWNA - Looking the part is half the battle when you're on the ski hill, but now you can tuck away your GoPro camera and awkward pole accessories during your next Big White ski adventure because the mountain resort offers a drone filming service to capture your feats of athleticism. It's as simple as signing...

Downtown Kelowna to get cleaner, safer

KELOWNA - Visitors to downtown should soon notice the place is a fair bit tidier and safer with a significant boost to the Downtown Kelowna Association’s cleaning and security budgets. Kelowna city council approved this week an increase in the association’s annual levy to $804,000 from $781,000 last year. The levy is applied to all...

Another chance to see northern lights tonight

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you weren’t able to find a clear spot to view the northern lights yesterday, or the day before, tonight might finally be your night. There were major storm intervals in the past 24 hours, according to Natural Resources Canada reports, and the auroras are expected to be active with stormy intervals over...

Pole athletes blur the line between strength and sensuality

KELOWNA - If you have any illusions or misconceptions about what exactly pole dancing is or isn't, Erin Smith is gonna calmly bust 'em up for ya and right away. Number one on the list is that pole dancing is not particularly athletic, more akin to erotic dancing than, say, Crossfit or TRX. “Ninety-nine per...

City ups the bounty for graffiti vandals

KELOWNA - Taggers beware! The City of Kelowna and Crimestoppers have just upped the bounty on spray-paint vandalism. Previously, a would-be whistle-blower could only count on a reward of up to $500. The new initiative promises the full $500 as soon as an arrest is made. “Cleaning up graffiti comes with a price tag and...

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,...

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...