Local
Cisco Road wildfire evacuation alert rescinded
LYTTON – The Regional District Emergency Operations Centre has rescinded the evacuation alert for roughly 60 properties near the Cisco Road wildfire near Lytton. The alert was issued at 9 p.m. June 11 for the west side of the Fraser River from the intersection of Lytton Ferry Rd. and South Spencer Rd., south to the...
No fireworks and possibly no campfires allowed this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Without a significant amount of rainfall Tuesday night, the Southern Interior could see a fire danger rating of ‘extreme’ by the start of the weekend. And that could mean no campfires on the weekend before Canada Day. Kelsey Winter of B.C. Wildfire says the fire danger rating in the Kamloops Fire Centre, which...
Cancellation of Kelowna City Park vendor program ‘an insult’
'THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL LOSE THEIR HOMES BECAUSE THIS WAS THEIR PRIME INCOME' KELOWNA – The row of street vendors that have lined the walkway leading into City Park for more than 15 years will not be allowed back this year, and vendors say it will have devastating impacts on their families. That decision...
Okanagan-bound boat caught and decontaminated for possible invasive mussel threat
KELOWNA – Conservation officers in Kelowna decontaminated a boat today which came to the Okanagan from an Ontario lake known to be infested with invasive mussels. The boat was purchased by someone in the Okanagan city and transported from Lake Eerie in Windsor, Ont. It was shipped along with another boat bound for Fort McMurray....
RCMP, SPCA investigating woman accused of dragging puppy behind moving vehicle
OKANAGAN – After news of four Kelowna women who rescued a puppy that was injured while being pulled behind a moving vehicle in Oliver last week, the SPCA and RCMP have begun a joint investigation into possible animal cruelty. On Friday, June 12 at around 7:30 p.m., four women from Kelowna were on a wine...
Robot invasion: Engineers testing out their gadgets
KELOWNA – Graduate students from across Canada were in the Okanagan this week, testing out and demonstrating the latest in robotic technology. Teams from schools across Canada spent the week in Kelowna programming and testing their machines at an annual event meant to bring together engineers and operators normally scattered across the country. The annual...
Pianos in the Park take social media by storm
KELOWNA – Less than a week after they were set up, Kelowna’s Pianos in the Park are filling the downtown streets with beautiful music. Videos of people playing the pianos have flooded social media, including one by local musician James Elser, who covered Elton John’s Your Song in front of Rotary Centre for the Arts....
One year later, police still need help solving Glenmore murder
KELOWNA – One year after a Kelowna woman was found murdered in her Glenmore home, RCMP are still no closer to identifying a suspect. The body of Theresa Ashley Neville was found by paramedics shortly after midnight June 18 and an autopsy revealed Neville was murdered. Frank Schlief says he rented the home to Neville,...
Fewer rentals available in Thompson-Okanagan as prices rise
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – It's getting harder to find an apartment to rent in most Thompson-Okangan cities, and those that are available cost significantly more than they did one year ago. Kelowna and Kamloops saw minor adjustments in rental availability rates this year compared with the B.C. average. Between April 2014 and April 2015, the provincial average...
Traffic improvements coming to busy intersection in Sicamous
SICAMOUS – A new roundabout is scheduled to be built on Highway 97A in Sicamous next year. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone says in a media release the improvements, set to be installed some time in 2016, will provide safer and easier access to businesses in Sicamous for travelers on the TransCanada Highway and...
Be prepared for emergency wildfire evacuations
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With an unusually dry and hot summer forecast for the Thompson-Okanagan this summer, regional districts are urging residents to get prepared in case emergency evacuations become necessary. Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre spokesperson Bruce Smith says the best time to make an emergency plan is long before something happens. He recommends residents understand...
Cannabis oil stopped her seizures, now family trying to help others
SUMMERLAND – The family of a young girl from Summerland say her only relief from debilitating seizures has come from an oil derived from marijuana, and they are holding a fundraiser to help other families in the same situation. Kyla Williams, 3, has a rare form of epilepsy that causes her as many as 300...
VIDEO: U.S. mountain bike champ takes on Kelowna trails
KELOWNA – A four-time U.S. mountain biking champion, who splits her time between living in the Okanagan and travelling the world, posted a video online recently of her training in Kelowna for one of the toughest races in the world. Sonya Looney, 31, was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico but went to school in Boulder,...
Give wheelchair rugby a try at Kelowna KOs Roll n’ Bowl fundraiser this weekend
KELOWNA – It’s fun, safe and it benefits a worthy cause. And it might just give you a new appreciation for what many Kelowna residents live with every day. The Kelowna KOs wheelchair rugby team are holding a fundraiser this weekend where kids and adults can try out their sport while raising money for the...
Free-to-play pianos now at five locations around Kelowna
KELOWNA – An idea that started as a simple Facebook post one year ago is now a reality for tourists and residents alike to enjoy. Last spring Festivals Kelowna posted to their Facebook page a video called The People’s Piano from South London. It shows a man playing a piano that the local government set...