Kldec1715

Public safety top of mind as Kelowna council approves tax increase

KELOWNA - Taxpayers will likely face a property tax increase of 4.12 per cent after city council passed the 2016 provisional city budget. The increase is heavy on public safety as more than half the increase of about $6 million is dedicated to hiring more police and bylaw officers while moving ahead with construction of...

Snowfall warning for Coquihalla

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you were planning on hitting the highways tonight you may want to think again, up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected by Friday afternoon. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, noting 20 to 25 cm of snow is expected before the Pacific...

$1M Lotto ticket sold in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN – Someone in the Okanagan is one million dollars richer after getting an exact match in the Lotto 6/49 Guaranteed Prize Draw Breakdown yesterday, Dec. 16. According to the 6/49 website, the prize has yet to be claimed but was sold somewhere in the Okanagan. Guaranteed Prize draw prizes are not shared with other...

City of Kelowna playing catch-up on roads after pothole complaints go up

KELOWNA - Ignore potholes in your roads and they will come back to haunt you. That’s the lesson Kelowna city council took away after approving $3.4 million for road resurfacing in the 2016 budget. Councillors heard the annual roads resurfacing program has been underfunded for several years as the city focused on other priorities. Complaints...

Rutland couple doing their part to help Salvation Army reach goal

KELOWNA – A couple who just moved to Kelowna is using their talent for Christmas decorating to help a local charity that is well short of its goal for the season. Ken and Julia Berry live at 875 Theodora Rd. in Rutland. Although new to the Okanagan they are already planning to make a big...

West Kelowna firefighters prep for cold water rescues

WEST KELOWNA – With freezing temperatures comes winter activities like ice skating and ice fishing, so firefighters at West Kelowna Fire Rescue have been practicing their ice rescue techniques all week. “As crews discovered today, the ice remains unsafe in many locations,” Fire Chief Jason Brolund says in a media release. “Under current conditions, on...

Kelowna Fire Department to buy four new trucks for $1.6M

KELOWNA - The Kelowna Fire Department is going to get a bunch of new trucks in 2016. The city will spend $1.6 million next year replacing four of the department’s service vehicles, including $1.33 million for two new fire engines. That will buy the department two engines; an $810,000 replacement for engine four, a 1996...

Accused Kelowna trailer park killer released on bail

KELOWNA – The Kelowna man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in April 2014 has been released on bail. Ryan James Quigley, 36, has been in custody since he was arrested at a residence on Coronation Avenue on April 4, three days after the body of Amy Jane Parkes was found inside a mobile home on...