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Kelowna
Progress in fight against drunk driving stalls in Central Okanagan
KELOWNA – After years of statistics showing a steady decline in the number of drunk drivers in the Central Okanagan, over past few years those numbers have leveled off. The people behind the Central Okanagan Chapter of Mothers’ Against Drunk Driving aren't giving up. The group launched its annual Project Red Ribbon campaign at the...
Kelowna lawyer fined $10,000 for these two words
LAWYER AND COP SQUARED OFF IN COURTHOUSE Language advisory KELOWNA - A local lawyer is paying a hefty price for a heated exchange with a police officer while trying to resolve a case in the Kelowna Law Courts in 2011. Marty Johnson, who practices criminal defence and personal injury law, was suspended from practicing law...
Local bus drivers plan moment of silence for murdered passenger
KELOWNA – The moment the funeral for the man stabbed to death on a Kelowna bus last week begins in Vancouver, close to 30 local transit buses will pull to the side of the road for a minute of silence honouring the man who so faithfully used their service over the past two years. Caesar...
Housing sales continue to rise
KELOWNA – The housing market in the Kelowna and Vernon areas shows no signs of slowing down with sales up fifteen per cent in October compared to the same month in 2013. Numbers released by the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board show a jump of fourteen per cent in the Central Okanagan and twelve per...
Water board has money to give away
KELOWNA – There is another $300,000 up for grabs for those who need money to fund a project to save water or improve its quality in the Okanagan in 2015. The Okanagan Basin Water Board is back with its Water Conservation and Quality Improvement grant program. It’s the ninth year for the program. The cash...
Interest on first day civic election advance polls same as 2011
KELOWNA – More than 1,500 people took to the polls on the first of four advance voting days in the Kelowna civic election Wednesday and early numbers indicate interest in the 2014 election is roughly similar to 2011. While total advanced voter turnout on the first day is significantly lower this year – 2,063 compared...
Okanagan Regional Library axes service in some communities
OKANAGAN - The Okanagan Regional Library has already cut services at some branches, and more are on the chopping block. It’s all part of a process to improve equity at the regional library’s 29 service locations, after a financial audit found some discrepancies. Some branches, including those in West Kelowna, the City of Kelowna, the...
Snow accumulating on TransCanada
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you needed proof winter is coming, you need not look further than Rogers Pass, where the snow is beginning to stick around. Over the past day more than a centimetre has fallen in Albert Canyon between Glacier National Park and Mt. Revelstoke National Park, with even more falling at the higher elevations...
Murder victim was a popular employee of Kelowna Flightcraft
KELOWNA - The man killed in what police are calling an unprovoked attack on a city bus last week is being remembered by coworkers as a popular, unique man dedicated to his job. Before he was murdered on a bus on Baron Road last Thursday, Caesar Rosales, 55, was a business systems analyst for Kelowna...
UPDATE: Man charged with Kelowna bus killing appears in court
KELOWNA – The Kelowna man charged with second degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of a passenger on a B.C. Transit bus appeared in Kelowna provincial court and has been remanded in custody. Tyler Jack Newton, 23, went before a judge Monday morning. Newton spent the weekend in jail following his arrest Friday...
Poppy campaign is underway
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The annual poppy campaign began on Halloween and runs until Remembrance Day. Every year legions around the country sell poppies, the international symbol of remembrance, from the last Friday in October through to Nov. 11. Cadets, veterans and volunteers will be out in the community peddling poppies and donation boxes are going up...
Okanagan sex offender arrested on outstanding warrants
TWO MEN ARRESTED UNDER B.C. FUGITIVE RETURN PROGRAM THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A man convicted of sexual touching in a Penticton court last summer has been arrested by Kamloops RCMP and returned to Ontario on outstanding warrants, while another man with outstanding warrants stemming from an alleged domestic incident was arrested in the North Okanagan and returned...
Ghosts of the Southern Interior
FROM ALBERT OF SAGEBRUSH TO LOYD OF TOWNE THEATRE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If spooky is what you are after this Halloween you are in luck, the region is ripe with ghosts and haunted houses sure to make your hair stand on end. In Kamloops, one of the most famous haunted buildings is Padova, the old sanatorium...
UPDATE: More than a dozen people witnessed murder on Kelowna city bus
BUS PASSANGERS WARY AFTER MURDER KELOWNA – Passengers on the number eight bus in Kelowna are eyeing each other with more suspicion Friday, after a man was murdered in an apparently random knife attack at a stop on Baron Road Thursday night. Taran Mundie, 23, is a UBCO student who takes the bus almost every...
UPDATE: Missing Kelowna teen found
KELOWNA – A 15-year-old Kelowna girl missing for over four days has been found. In a media release Friday, RCMP say "the 15-year-old girl reported missing has been located, and she is safe and sound. Thanks to the media and public for your assistance." Jasmine Jobin had been last seen on Oct. 26. Investigators had...
No treats from Mother Nature this Halloween
ENVIRONMENT CANADA PREDICTS AN UMBRELLA IS IN YOUR FUTURE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If makeup is part of your Halloween costume you may want to come up with a plan ‘B’ as it looks like Mother Nature will not be doling out any weather treats Friday. The forecast calls for cool temperatures and rain. The rain forecast...
It’s all about safety on Halloween
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first thing that comes to mind on Halloween is safety, at least for parents. Kids are only thinking about the candy and costumes, but there are ways to help keep them safe on Halloween night, even if it’s the last thing on their minds. Always make sure young children are accompanied by...
Big White hosting Team B.C.
KELOWNA - Big White will play host to a Team B.C. training camp this season. Team B.C. Alpine Ski Racers U16 will spend three days training for the 2015 Canada Winter Games at Big White in January. "We are thrilled to host the camp here at Big White," Michael Ballingall with the resort says. The...
Open burning goes ahead, smoke visible
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Cooler temperatures and lighter winds mean conditions are safe for open burning in most areas, and that means we can expect to start seeing more smoke in the air. B.C. Wildfire officials sayprivate landowners, Wildfire Management Branch personnel and industry partners are burning piles of wood debris to reduce wildfire risks. The provincial...
A terrifying, bloody end to the East Kelowna Haunted Hall
KELOWNA – One of Kelowna’s most popular Halloween attractions will soon be as dead as the corpses it used to scare kids and adults for the past three years. The East Kelowna Haunted Hall has been a yearly fixture ever since organizer Kathy Bullach started it with her own decorations in 2012. She says although...
Video showcases Canadian lack of tolerance… for racism
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Canadians have come together over the past week to not only remember the lives of two soldiers who were killed in cold blood on Canadian soil, but to defend the rights of Muslims across the country. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was quick to call the man who shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the...
Kelowna born actor cast in second season of True Detective
KELOWNA – From Snakes on a Plane to Friday Night Lights, Kelowna-born actor Taylor Kitsch…
Be leery of this email targeting education support payments
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Parents looking to get the $40-per-day temporary education support payment promised by the government during the B.C. teachers’ strike are advised to be aware of a fraudulent email which includes a link to a false Canada Revenue Agency website. A Maple Ridge woman contacted the RCMP after receiving an email which linked to a site...
Power back on at CrocTalk animal rescue… for now
KELOWNA – You might say he’s caught between a hot rock and a hard place. Doug Illman is the owner and operator of CrocTalk Conservation and Rescue, a reptile rehabilitation and education centre in Southeast Kelowna. With more than 50 animals including adult crocodiles, exotic cats, fish and birds, the centre functions as both a...