Local
This year’s flu vaccine to target relatively vicious strain
KELOWNA – If you feel like this fall has already been worse than others for getting a cold or the flu, Interior Health has some bad news for you. It won’t peak for another month. According to Interior Health medical officer Kamran Golmohammadi the influenza virus and all the other viruses that cause flu-like symptoms...
Paralyzed Okanagan FMX rider makes history
'WHEN YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO SOMETHING YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN' KELOWNA - A freestyle motocross rider who was paralyzed two years ago while attempting a double front flip has just made history. Bruce Cook is the first paraplegic to land a backflip on a motorcycle in front of a major audience. And he...
Brace yourself, pop culture is set to take over the Okanagan
KELOWNA - The second major expo celebrating comics, cosplay, sci fi and all things nerdy is coming to Kelowna this weekend. The Kelowna Entertainment Expo event organizer Matthew Odland says the two-day event at the Capital News Centre will feature famous actors in fantasy and science fiction, comic book and art vendors, collectibles, action figures...
Kelowna dinner and dance to raise money for orphans in India
KELOWNA - A fundraising dinner for a local orphan’s foundation is being held in Kelowna ahead of the start of the Indian Festival of Lights. Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, starts on Nov. 11 this year, but the Kelowna-based East Meets West Orphans Foundation dinner and dance will take place a month earlier, on...
Half-naked man assaults woman walking to work in Rutland
KELOWNA - Police need help identifying a half-naked man who grabbed the buttocks of a 24-year-old Kelowna woman on her way to work. The woman was walking near the intersection of Mills Road and Highway 33 in Rutland just before 7 a.m. today, Oct. 14, when a man wearing nothing below the waist grabbed her...
Accused bus stabber makes court appearance in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Nearly one year after a Kelowna man was stabbed to death in an allegedly unprovoked and brutal attack on a transit bus, the suspect is in court to find out if there is enough evidence for the trial to proceed. Tyler Jack Newton, 25, is charged with second degree murder for stabbing 55-year-old...
ELECTION 2015: Where to hear the Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola candidates speak
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Several businesses and organizations in the new Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola electoral district are making it possible for voters to meet the candidates who want to represent them in Ottawa. The new riding includes all of West Kelowna, Summerland, Princeton, Keremeos, Logan Lake, Merritt and Peachland and the majority of Kelowna excluding downtown, the...
Second fossil from the future discovered in downtown Kelowna
KELOWNA - Another fossil from the future can be seen in downtown Kelowna thanks to an Okanagan artist taking part in a controversial public art pilot program. The metallic capsule filled with futuristic debris is suspended above a walkway in Kelowna’s cultural district. It was created by artist Johann Wessels for the Kelowna Art Gallery...
New local charity steps up to send Westbank fashion designer to L.A.
WEST KELOWNA - A First Nations clothing designer from Westbank who was invited to take part in Style Fashion Week in Los Angeles this week thought she had missed her opportunity, but a last minute sponsorship from a new Kelowna charity has her packing her bags. “I leave tomorrow afternoon,” Jill Setah says. “I am...
Kelowna Gospel Mission to unveil new, larger dining room on Thanksgiving Day
KELOWNA – There’s no reservation necessary and everyone is welcome to the Gospel Mission’s annual Thanksgiving dinner this weekend. The Kelowna Gospel Mission serves more than 800 meals on Thanksgiving Day, Oct. 12. Several local and provincial politicians will serving meals along with more than 50 volunteers. Prior to the meal service, there will be...
New web show lets you sip and learn about Okanagan wine in your slippers
SUMMERLAND – Looking for an alternative to stuffy shows that teach you about the Okanagan’s favourite beverage? There’s a new local wine review show hosted by a cast of colourful characters that features interviews and information about the Okanagan’s best wines and wineries. Sipping with Slippers premiered on YouTube in late September. They recently released...
ELECTION 2015: First time Vernon voter is a little baffled, but her confusion makes a surprisingly crucial point
VERNON - The voting process might seem straightforward to many people, but one first time voter in Vernon isn’t ashamed to admit she’s completely confused. Meghan Rydde, 22, thought she was finally prepared to cast her first ever ballot on Oct. 19 — that was until she found out her understanding of the election system...
Young Kelowna man sentenced for assaulting teenaged girl
Kelowna – A 21-year-old Kelowna man has been sentenced on a charge of assault for pushing the head of a 13-year-old girl towards his crotch. Zachary Xavier Heise, now 21, was with three friends - two girls, aged 13 and 14, and a boy, 16 - in Vernon in May 2013. Heise was significantly older...
Suspects who shot Lake Country man during home invasion still at large
LAKE COUNTRY – The suspects and the victims of a home invasion and shooting in Lake Country likely knew each other, say Kelowna RCMP. Last Sunday night, Oct. 4, two men entered the home of a Lake Country couple just before midnight. RCMP won’t say if anything was stolen but a media release sent Monday...
Bear with two cubs spotted at Kelowna Airport
KELOWNA – The Kelowna Airport sees its share of visitors but nothing like the three spotted there recently. A mother black bear and two cubs were seen three times between the highway and the long term parking lot over the past three weeks, according to airport spokesperson Jenelle Hynes. “There have been no encounters with...