Local

Top Gear episode airs featuring Okanagan highways
OKANAGAN – Residents of the Okanagan will see some familiar scenery in a recently aired episode of the hit BBC television series "Top Gear." In a rare review of two North America’s truck companies, stars James May and Jeremy Clarkson race each other across B.C. in a Ford F150 VelociRaptor and a Chevy Silverado 2500HD....

More tickets released for Aerosmith
KELOWNA – If you missed out on tickets for the Aerosmith concert at Prospera next month don’t fret, a selection of premium side stage seats will be released this Friday. The seats were originally held back in case local demand wasn’t what promoters were expecting but strong sales means the block of seating will be...

Is Kelowna hostile to medical marijuana?
KELOWNA – The police raid of a marijuana dispensary in downtown Kelowna last week appears to be an extension of a Kelowna bias against medical marijuana facilities, sources say. Police said they raided Kaya Clinic on Lawrence Ave. Jan. 15 based on complaints from the public, including complaints forwarded by the City of Kelowna. Inside, police...

Former Dragon to speak at Chamber AGM
KELOWNA – You won’t want to pass on this deal. Okanagan business tycoon and philanthropist W. Brett Wilson who gained fame during his stint on The Dragon’s Den will be speaking at the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting in Kelowna this April. Wilson, who owns several businesses in the valley, will share stories...

Fortis customers claim routine over-billing
KELOWNA – Days after angry Kelowna residents gathered outside Premier Christy Clarks riding office to protest unfair power bills, many people are coming forward with stories about being massively over billed. Katie Krebs lives in Kelowna with her husband and two kids. She says last December and January, Fortis B.C. sent them a bill for...

Local Jammery will air on Food Network next month
KELOWNA - A local restaurant that has the spirit of a winery with their on location jam factory will make it's debut on the Food Network April 10. The Jammery, located on Highway 97 between Kelowna and Lake Country, is not only a great local restaurant with a lot of homey appeal, but is also...

Young gear-heads say they are being unfairly targeted by police
KELOWNA – Several young car enthusiasts in Kelowna say police are forcing them to get vehicle inspections despite passing roadside inspections. Recently, RCMP in the Okanagan have stepped up their enforcement of traffic laws, but Owen Kuipers, 17, is a first year automotive technician apprentice who says he was unfairly targeted by police because he...

Customer injured trying to stop armed robbery
KELOWNA – Police are looking for a teenager who hurt a bystander while trying to rob the clerk at a convenience store on Bernard Avenue early this morning. RCMP Const. Kris Clark says the boy, who appeared to be around 17-years-old, entered the 7-Eleven at 1115 Bernard Ave. at around 1:55 a.m., Monday, March 9...

Okanagan Spirits headed to Denmark for another World Spirit Awards
OKANAGAN – A local distillery has been called to Denmark to hear if they will once again be called out as one of the best in the world. Okanagan Spirits was named World Spirits Award Distillery of the Year in 2013 and Senior distiller Peter von Hahn is on his way to Denmark this week...

Long forgotten time capsule to be opened this spring
KELOWNA – A time capsule discovered in a cornerstone of the recently torn down St. Paul’s United Church will be opened for the first time in almost 60 years March 24. The 58-year-old church on Lakeshore was torn down late last year to make room for a $20 million Arts and Worship Centre. During the...

Kelowna store employee reports sexual assault
KELOWNA – A local man is being held in custody after an alleged sexual assault of a downtown employee last week. Brian Spencer, 61, is being charged with two counts of sexual assault after he entered a store and began a conversation with a female employee at around 6:15 p.m. RCMP Const. Kris Clark says...

Local vets step up to help solve feral cat crisis
OKANAGAN – As plans get under way to address Kelowna’s growing feral cat problem, five local veterinarians have volunteered their time and facilities to help ensure the problem gets solved for good. Kelowna SPCA branch manager Suzanne Pugh says the city is facing a cat colony “crisis” and estimates there to be approximately 13,000 feral...

Kelowna coalition to tackle growing feral cat problem
ESTIMATED 13,000 FERAL CATS IN THE OKANAGAN KELOWNA – Five years after struggling to get control over a wild rabbit problem, Kelowna now faces a population explosion of another feral species. “There’s definitely a feral cat problem in Kelowna,” says Cheryll Gillespie, an animal welfare advocate and one of the founders of a new group...

February home sales best in years says real estate board report
KELOWNA – After a disappointing start to 2015, the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board is reporting a 34 per cent improvement in home sales in February compared with the same month in 2014. “After a more than usual slowdown in January, Okanagan-Shuswap home sales rallied along with consumer confidence during February despite weaker economic conditions...

Wu-Tang Clan members coming to Kelowna
KELOWNA – Three members of the influential east coast rap group the Wu-Tang Clan are coming to Kelowna this month. Ghostface Killah, GZA and Capadonna are members of the group Rolling Stone called “the best rap group ever.” They burst onto the scene in 1993 and have since released six albums to critical acclaim. They have...