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Kelowna
Locals wrapping up second film about the Okanagan’s newest sport
OKANAGAN – A year after their first film was named a finalist at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Kelowna climbers Clayton Arnall and Andy White are close to finishing their second film about bouldering in the Okanagan. Out of the Shadows, the follow up to The Fields – A Bouldering Film, is about a small community...
Price of go-juice in the Okanagan still above provincial average
OKANAGAN – As the price of oil continues to fall, drivers across the country are noticing it costs them a lot less to fill their tanks. Compared with the rest of Canada however, Okanagan prices haven't been set as low. According to GasBuddy.com, a website that compares gas prices across North America, most prices in...
Surging demand pushes French Immersion expansion into West Kelowna school
POPULAR LANGUAGE PROGRAM LEAVES ONE LOCAL SCHOOL MORE FRENCH THAN ENGLISH KELOWNA - Surging demand for French Immersion in the Central Okanagan School District has the only middle school that offers the program well beyond capacity and it’s just a matter of time before the popular program needs to expand into West Kelowna. That’s the...
Budget squeeze won’t stop construction crush
KELOWNA — The new $48-million RCMP police services building is casting a large shadow over this year’s municipal budget, with staff warning of the possible chilling effect on other capital projects. But don’t expect the the seemingly endless parade of construction projects over the last few years to let up much, at least if Kelowna...
World famous photographer loses Kelowna cabin to fire
KELOWNA – A luxury cabin in Ellison that burned to the ground over the weekend belongs to world-renowned photographer and inventor Gary Fong. Fong, a former musician and wedding photographer, is also the inventor of several popular lighting systems and an instructional website many professionals around the world consider the gold standard. His best known...
Kelowna garage damaged by fire
KELOWNA - Crews arriving at the scene of a residential garage fire were greeted by heavy black smoke early Monday evening. The Kelowna Fire Department was called to Carruthers Street around 6:15 p.m., Jan. 12, and while they were able to quickly extinguish the fire the interior of the garage was already destroyed. In total...
Road rush by developers could push South Perimeter to top of list
TRAFFIC RELIEF FOR THE MISSION? KELOWNA — Kelowna city councillors have paved the way for the so-called South Perimeter Road to jump ahead of other roadways projects in the Mission by authorizing staff to accelerate its design and begin negotiations with property developers pushing for the project. Property developers approached council in the fall about...
Up close and personal with a bobcat in Kettle Valley
AMAZING PHOTO OF WILD CAT KELOWNA – A close encounter with a bobcat has prompted a warning for people living in the Village of Kettle Valley in Kelowna. A couple of neighbours spotted a bobcat dragging a house cat away Friday afternoon, Jan. 9, according to Kettle Valley president Stephen Wells. “They ran at the...
Local pilot catches heat for harassing wild animals
KELOWNA – A YouTube video of a Kelowna man flying his paramotor around the Okanagan may have attracted more attention than he wanted. Emile Beaulieau made the video of him flying his fan-driven paraglider around the Okanagan late last year. In it, he can be seen skimming over rooftops and buzzing herds of wild deer...
Temperatures continue upswing
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After a dump of nearly 40 centimetres of snow in many parts of the Southern Interior we are now looking at temperatures above seasonal normals all week. According to Environment Canada we can expect to see highs of about 2 Celsius Monday and Tuesday and of 0 C Wednesday and Thursday. By the...
UPDATE: Fire fighters battle house fire in Ellison
KELOWNA – Smoke and flames from a house fire in Ellison above the Kelowna Airport Sunday afternoon, Jan. 11, could be seen for kilometres as crews struggled to get access to the huge blaze. Kelowna Fire Rescue was called at about 11:30 a.m. to the fire at 4211 Twin Creek Pl. A call for mutual...
City budget ‘bare bones’ despite sizeable tax increase
KELOWNA — Even Kelowna’s mayor concedes it sounds odd calling a possible 3.5 per cent tax increase a “bare bones budget." “It sounds crazy but this is actually a very lean budget,” says Colin Basran, who blames two big-ticket items — Kelowna’s new police station and recent union contract settlement — for the increase. “Both...
Kelowna family homeless after grease fire
KELOWNA – A family of five find themselves without a place to live after a grease fire in their half of a Kelowna duplex this afternoon, Jan. 10. Kelowna Fire Rescue got the call around 3:30 p.m. about smoke and flames visible at a home at 645 Hollydell Rd. in Rutland. Platoon captain Kelly Stephens...
Accused Westside shooter trial coming to an end
"THE CASE BECOMES STRONGER WITH EACH PASSING KILOMETRE." KELOWNA – Was Michael Ellis only doing what he was told when he led police on a high speed shootout along Westside Road in 2012 or is his friend and former co-accused taking the blame because he knows it can’t affect his sentence? That was the focus...
Biggest jump in Okanagan real estate sales in seven years
OKANAGAN – Real estate sales across the Okanagan had the biggest jump in seven years last December, according to the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board. Overall the region saw sales increase 24 per cent during the last month of 2014, with apartment sales up a massive 42 per cent over the previous year. Townhouse and...
STAHN: Yes it snowed, now get over it
We had a bit of snow this week. In fact we saw upwards of 40 centimetres over a two-day period, an amount not seen for between 77 and 87 years here in the Thompson-Okanagan region. Yes, that’s a lot of snow, but that’s all it was - snow. I’ve heard a lot of people exclaiming...
Mop up continues on slush-covered streets
KELOWNA – Snow removal crews will be working well beyond their typical guidelines by trying to run a plow over all 450 kilometres of city sidewalk in the next couple of days. That's unusual, in part because the city and residents rely to a certain extent on warmer temperatures to melt snow before it becomes...
Toxic heroin a dangerous new trend in Kelowna
KELOWNA – The Fentanyl-laced heroin that killed two people in Vernon this week is also…
Get ready for new Kelowna HOV lane rules
KELOWNA - There are some new rules to follow if you're driving Highway 97 through Kelowna, starting January 19. The High Occupancy Vehicle lanes will transition to time-of-day operations. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding holidays, the HOV lanes must be observed. At all other times, the lanes will be available...
Why Kelowna’s response to snow removal is “almost unheard of across Canada”
WANT TO SUE? GOOD LUCK KELOWNA — So you finally get out of your snow-choked driveway, just to slip on your neighbour’s sidewalk and break your nose. Or you break your wrist, jumping over a snowbank to cross the road. If you’re looking for someone to sue, don’t bother naming the city in the lawsuit...
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: Snow-dogs of the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You’d think four legs are better for getting around in the snow than two. But that’s not the case when you’re a dog and the snow is higher than you are. Like us humans, some Thompson-Okanagan dogs embraced the snow this week, while others sulked about it. You’ll see some grumpy dog faces...
Highway 1 remains closed because of avalanche risk
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A storm system that left behind upwards of 40 centimetres of snow in our region and closed some schools for two days has also shut down Highway 1 in several spots. Avalanche control took place between Craigellachie and Revelstoke Monday because of the high risk and that section of highway was again shut...
Most of Thompson-Okanagan well shy of record snowfall amounts
ONLY KELOWNA COMES CLOSE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Nearly enough snow fell on Kelowna to set new two-day snowfall records this week but it was nowhere near the amount that fell on Penticton in 1932. The storm began late Saturday evening and had ended in much of the region by Monday evening. After two days of solid...
Heavy snowfall is bad news for people with disabilities
KELOWNA – For many residents of Kelowna, the massive snowfall over the last couple days has been more than an inconvenience. Dino Padula, a wheelchair user and the owner of Active Mobility Products in Kelowna says this much snow virtually cuts off many people with disabilities from normal activities like grocery shopping and other daily...