Kelowna

’80s themed psychic ski race returns to Big White

KELOWNA – After a 20 year hiatus, the Kelowna Cup ski race is coming back to Big White. The '80s themed race is a kind of psychic slalom where racers, some wearing costumes from the '80s, make a timed run down a course and then predict what their time will be for the second run....

Money isn’t everything as West Kelowna councillor Rosalind Neis found out during 2014 election

WEST KELOWNA - It seems candidates in elections everywhere are spending ever more to get elected, which makes West Kelowna councillor Rosalind Neis’ 2014 campaign war chest that much more impressive. There was nothing in it. Neis’ campaign contribution disclosure form, released Monday by Elections B.C., is full of zeroes — no corporate or developer...

Here’s what the City of Kelowna is doing about climate change

KELOWNA - The city is turning climate change into revenue, some $235,000, according to a report Kelowna councillors will receive on Monday. Sustainability coordinator Tracy Guidi will update councillors on the city’s efforts to meet the goals of the Climate Action Revenue Incentive program. It helps fund local initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in...

Inn from the Cold won’t have to close early

KELOWNA – Inn from the Cold will not have to close early, thanks to a funding boost from the province. The temporary winter shelter recently announced it would be closing due to a lack of operating funds. On Friday the provincial government stepped up with a one-time funding of $22,000, which will allow the shelter...

Westside Road shooter not guilty of attempted murder

KELOWNA – Michael Ellis, the man accused of shooting at police as he and two others tried to escape along Westside Road in 2012, was found not guilty of attempted murder but could still face a lengthy jail term after he was found guilty of more than a dozen other related charges. Justice Ian Josephson...

Kelowna fighter makes UFC history

KELOWNA – Matt Dwyer will never forget his first trip outside of Canada. Not only did the Rutland Senior Secondary graduate score his first win in the UFC, but he did it with a rare punch that will be on highlight reels for years to come. The move he used is called a superman punch...

UBCO gets knuckles rapped over back road campus access

KELOWNA - It may be a case of a few rule breakers wrecking it for everyone else. UBC Okanagan has announced an agreement with Curtis Rd. residents to reopen the private road in North Glenmore to limited use by a limited number of staff and students. The road has been closed to UBCO since Feb....

Race on to save CN Rail corridor deal despite no vote

KELOWNA - Whether it takes a referendum in Lake Country or Kelowna buying the whole thing outright, both politicians and staff in the two municipalities say they’re determined to find a way to make the CN Rail corridor purchase a reality. “We see this as too good an opportunity to pass up,” said City of...

It’s back… snow expected overnight

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We just knew it was too good to be true, Mother Nature is set to remind us winter is not quite over with a couple centimetres of snow by Friday morning and well below normal low temperatures early next week. Environment Canada is forecasting high temperatures to be within the seasonal normals of...

Early spring weather means early return of ticks

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This spring-like weather may have you enjoying the outdoors with a hike or two, but beware, ticks are already out in full force. Hikers and dog owners are already reporting tick sightings, with one Kamloops-area hiker picking up nine in a single hike last week. In the Southern Interior the most common tick...

Other shelters step up to help homeless displaced by Inn From the Cold money woes

KELOWNA - It seemed as though lack of funding and subsequent closure of 35 beds at the Inn From the Cold overnight shelter program could mean the end of safe transitional accomodations for some of Kelowna's homeless, but two other charities are stepping forward to announce they have room and nobody will be turned away....

UPDATE: Witnesses say cop ran red light, sent woman to hospital

KELOWNA – Witnesses to an accident involving a police vehicle that sent a Kelowna woman to hospital Tuesday afternoon are saying the officer caused the accident by running a red light. Amanda May Embree was on her way to Mission Creek Park with two friends and a three-year-old boy around 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24. "We were...

Flying fees edging upwards at Kelowna Airport

OKANAGAN - Flying in and out of Kelowna just got a bit more expensive with council approving an across-the-board increase in operating fees at the city-owned airport. The success of Kelowna Airport and its record passenger volumes means increased costs for maintenance, labour, utilities and technology, Noreen Redman, the airport’s corporate services manager, told council....

Firefighters investigate report of smoke at Executive House apartment complex

KELOWNA - Firefighters weren't taking any chances following a report of smoke coming from a fourth floor unit at the Executive House apartment complex this afternoon. Emergency crews were called out at roughly 3 p.m. Feb. 24. According to Kelowna Fire and Rescue Platoon Capt. Tim Light, the smoke was the result of a cigarette...

No such thing as free parking; budget for parkade expansion takes off

KELOWNA - City councillors have found out what the rest of us have known for years — that parking doesn’t come cheap in Kelowna. City staff have asked council to transfer $762,000 from the future Ellis St. parkade budget to the current Library parkade expansion, allowing the project to be complete for summer, 2016. The...

Accused in Clearwater murder case denied bail

KAMLOOPS – A Supreme Court Justice denied bail for a Clearwater man accused of killing his ex-wife and taking his three children hostage last Easter.  Crown Prosecutor Adrienne Murphy confirmed Justice Alison Beames denied Iain Drummond Scott’s application for bail Tuesday morning in Kelowna Supreme Court. Scott was arrested after a police standoff outside his...

Mayor says no time for referendum on CN Rail corridor deal

KELOWNA - Lake Country Mayor James Baker says there isn’t enough time to hold a referendum on the CN Rail corridor purchase before the April 1 deadline, unless the rail company and Transport Canada can somehow be persuaded to change the rules and extend it. With Lake Country out, the entire deal could collapse, leaving...

Alleged gangster convicted for cache of guns released

KELOWNA – A man suspected of having ties to the Hells Angels who was convicted of almost a dozen weapons-related charges last year has been released from custody pending an appeal. Cory Joseph Montemurro, 45, was driving a rented Jeep Grand Cherokee Nov. 25, 2010 when police found him and three other men with an...

What Colin Basran had during the election that rival Sharon Shepherd didn’t

KELOWNA — The 2014 mayoral race in Kelowna, which quickly came down to current councillor Colin Basran versus former mayor Sharon Shepherd, was billed as youth versus experience. It might have been better pegged as 'have' and 'have-not.' Winner, and now Mayor, Basran outspent Shepherd well over three to one, raising through contributions almost $76,000...

Kelowna woman charged after trying to smuggle 35 kg of cocaine into B.C.

WEST KELOWNA – A large amount of drugs found in a hidden compartment in the trunk of a car over the summer have led to charges against a Kelowna woman. Charges of were laid against Caitlin Christine Gladdish, 26, over the weekend for trying to bring more than 35 kilograms of cocaine into Trail, B.C....

How the city is going to try to make it easier for tourists in downtown Kelowna this summer

KELOWNA - Summer in downtown in Kelowna is going to be all about construction, traffic congestion and scarce parking as the city deals with an unusual number of big, building projects. “The biggest concern is construction during the summer when the volumes are highest and parking stalls are used the most,” Purvez Irani says. He's...

Trailer Park Boys actors sell out show in Kelowna

KELOWNA – A couple of cast members from the hit Canadian TV show The Trailer Park Boys were in Kelowna for a sold-out comedy show Thursday night. Around 250 people packed the Habitat for the adults-only show featuring actors John Dunsworth, better known as the drunken manager of Sunnyvale Trailer Park Jim Lahey and his...

Community centre set to reopen nearly 18 months after arson

WEST KELOWNA - The Westbank Lions Community Centre, the unofficial meeting place for the West Kelowna community, has officially recovered after being destroyed by fire nearly 18 months ago. The hall was set on fire in September 2013 and while it was initially thought it would need to be torn down the structure was able...