Kelowna

City keeps cultural incubator cooking, gives out cash grants

KELOWNA - If there was an elephant in the room, Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran addressed it directly. “A lot of times people think ‘there goes the city spending money on culture’ without having the complete picture of what creative culture does for our community,” said the Mayor, as council received a report outlining $180,000 in...

No bad roads, only bad drivers say police after Hwy 33 hairpin accidents

KELOWNA - A spate of accidents near the eight-mile hairpin turn on Highway 33 are more of a sign of bad driving than a dangerous road, say Kelowna RCMP. The latest accident, where a Chevy Cruz fish-tailed into a logging truck, is the type of incident that could be avoided if drivers would follow the...

Lois Lane evicted, 108-year-old building to be torn down

KELOWNA – Shoppers prefer to come to Lois Lane Antique Warehouse on their days off since it takes a while to browse the crowded aisles. Here you can find everything from reclaimed furniture to antique telephones, toys and appliances. You can get a great deal on an old lamp from a long demolished hotel or...

City doing swimmingly despite economic uncertainty

KELOWNA - The rest of the world may be in financial turmoil, but Kelowna continues to do fine, at least as measured by our performance as a community last quarter. “There is lots of volatility in the global economic climate,” the city’s community planning director Doug Gilchrist told council, while presenting them with positive numbers...

Counting Crows ‘Hanginaround’ Kelowna this spring

KELOWNA – Counting Crows will be stopping in Kelowna for a concert this spring as a part of the band’s world tour to support their new album Somewhere Under Wonderland. The band hasn’t toured Canada in over 15 years. “It’s about time we’re getting back to Canada,” lead singer Adam Duritz says in a media...

Councillor Hodge bounces back, shrugs off lung infection

KELOWNA – Coun. Charlie Hodge was back in his chair at Kelowna city council Monday afternoon after being hospitalized for pneumonia last week. “Once you get here it’s like sitting at your kitchen table,” said Hodge, who added he was just glad to be back. “It knocked the wind out of me that’s for sure."...

Big and Rich returning to Merritt

JOINS DIERKS BENTLEY, LADY ANTEBELLUM AND OTHERS MERRITT - Dierks Bentley was announced as the Saturday night headliner for the Rockin’ River Fest in Merritt back in November and now several other big country names are set to join him. Big and Rich, who have previously performed in Merritt, will return to close out the...

Man dressed as superhero assaults two women

KELOWNA – A man wearing silver underwear over a red body suit is being sought by police for slapping a teenage girl and a woman on their backsides. According to a release from Kelowna RCMP, they received a report an unknown male was hiding in some bushes on the 2000 block of Pandosy Jan. 19....

February kicks off with snowfall

SKI HILLS CELEBRATE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - February kicked off much the same way January did, with a dump of snow. In Kamloops the snow had mostly tapered off by noon on Sunday, Feb. 1 while in Kelowna a mix of snow and rain persisted into the early evening. Penticton had just a bit of snow on...

Sheer volume of snow overwhelmed West Kelowna crews during January dump

WEST KELOWNA - With just a couple years experience managing their own snow removal, staff with District of West Kelowna said they did alright during the near-record breaking snowstorm in early January with local reports of snow as deep as 50 centimetres. “We’re still quite new at this but we heard from other communities that...

City councillor Hodge could be out of hospital this weekend

KELOWNA – City councillor Charlie Hodge is on the mend and could be released from hospital soon, says his wife Teresa Hodge, although it’s not clear when he will return to work. "Charlie is slowly feeling better and we hope he can come home very soon,” she says. "Doctor will decide when he is ready...

Why West Kelowna council balked at a $100,000 gift to community

WEST KELOWNA - They don’t mind having it, just not where B.C. Hydro wants to put it. That’s the reaction of West Kelowna council to the utility’s proposal to install a fast charging station for electric cars at the Mt. Boucherie complex. “They liked the idea just not where they want to put it,” communications...

Big bucks on big plans for bikes and pedestrians in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA - West Kelowa is pushing ahead to improve and upgrade its pedestrian and bike path network with an ambitious plan both to make cycling and walking easier and to find ways to help pay for it. West Kelowna council saw the first draft of the 20-year pedestrian and bicyle path plan this week,...

School trustees promise higher graduation rates in Central Okanagan

KELOWNA - Getting them to school is easy. Getting them to graduate is a bit tougher. That’s the conclusion of the student graduation and readiness report Central Okanagan school trustees will soon receive from staff. “It’s one of the big ways we measure student success,” superintendent Hugh Gloster says. The report by director of instruction...

New RCMP officers will fill service hole identified in 2012

KELOWNA - Six new RCMP officers will join the ranks of the Kelowna RCMP this year, likely just in time for the summer tourist crush. “Four of the new officers will be front-line general duty policing officers,“ said Supt. Nick Romanchuk, while one officer will be assigned to child abuse investigations and another to civilian...

Dog licensing rates soar in the Central Okanagan

KELOWNA - Just one year after introducing tougher dog control measures and a stiff fine for unlicensed dogs, the regional district is reporting big success in persuading people to legalize their pets. Bruce Smith, communications officer for the Central Okanagan Regional District, said the number of licensed dogs is now just shy of 20,000, up...

More avalanche control along Highway 1

RISK REDUCED WITH LOWER TEMPERATURES THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Temperatures will be just above normal the rest of this week but with the cooling temperatures comes the perfect opportunity for crews to perform avalanche control in Glacier National Park. Highway 1 through Glacier National Park will again be closed for a brief time this afternoon, Jan. 28,...

Lake Country Food Bank wins grand prize

LAKE COUNTRY – The Lake Country Food Bank is one step closer to getting the new facility it so desperately needs. In September of last year, the food bank entered into a national non-profit charity contest that gives out $1 million in prizes for deserving organizations in need. The Aviva Community Fund announced Tuesday that...

TIMELINE: Bank robber strikes three provinces in two months

VERNON - A man police are calling a serial armed robber has stolen cash from eight different banks across three provinces in just 52 days, and police are worried he's not done yet. The first in a series of similar incidents happened at 2:50 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2014, when a man dressed in dark...

Temperatures fall short of records

CALGARY GOT OUR HEAT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It looked like we might set new records this week with temperatures expected to hit double digits, but that hope appears to have skipped right over the Interior and into Alberta, where Calgarians enjoyed temperatures nearly 20 degrees above normal over the weekend. Environment Canada was originally calling for...

UPDATE: Near zero visibility for some foggy Okanagan areas

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada has issued a fog advisory for much of the Southern Interior. According to Environment Canada, a strong temperature inversion over southern B.C. will cause widespread, dense fog to develop over many Southern and Central Interior valleys this evening. The fog will persist until midday Tuesday. Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced...

Dead inmate connected to Penticton charges

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An inmate found dead at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre last week was waiting to face several charges in Penticton. Daryl Belseck, 52, was accused of assault, mischief under $5,000 and uttering threats on Dec 23. He was due to elect his mode of trial on Jan. 21, two days after he died....

Medical marijuana testing laboratories could soon set up shop in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Medical marijuana analytical testing will soon be a possible business after Kelowna city council agreed with staff that the current medical marijuana production bylaw needed clarification. “We have been approached by several operators seeking clarification,” urban planning manager Ryan Smith told council. “The principal purpose here is to create a definition of analytical...