Local

Oscar nod for Kelowna film maker

KELOWNA – For one local filmmaker working out of a basement suite, an Academy Award nomination came as quite a surprise. “Our goal is always just to make something that is thought-provoking and that the audience will like,” says Kelowna native and now Academy Award nominated film maker Adam Scorgie. “But when you find out...

Locals wrapping up second film about the Okanagan’s newest sport

OKANAGAN – A year after their first film was named a finalist at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Kelowna climbers Clayton Arnall and Andy White are close to finishing their second film about bouldering in the Okanagan. Out of the Shadows, the follow up to The Fields – A Bouldering Film, is about a small community...

World famous photographer loses Kelowna cabin to fire

KELOWNA – A luxury cabin in Ellison that burned to the ground over the weekend belongs to world-renowned photographer and inventor Gary Fong. Fong, a former musician and wedding photographer, is also the inventor of several popular lighting systems and an instructional website many professionals around the world consider the gold standard. His best known...

Price of go-juice in the Okanagan still above provincial average

OKANAGAN – As the price of oil continues to fall, drivers across the country are noticing it costs them a lot less to fill their tanks. Compared with the rest of Canada however, Okanagan prices haven't been set as low. According to GasBuddy.com, a website that compares gas prices across North America, most prices in...

Bouldering competition rolls through Kelowna this weekend

KELOWNA – For the second year in a row, rock climbers from around the world will come to Kelowna for Rock the Blocs Bouldering Festival. Bouldering is similar to traditional climbing, except instead of mountains, climbers scale large rocks as quickly as possible. The Okanagan is getting a reputation for having some of the best...

Local pilot catches heat for harassing wild animals

KELOWNA – A YouTube video of a Kelowna man flying his paramotor around the Okanagan may have attracted more attention than he wanted. Emile Beaulieau made the video of him flying his fan-driven paraglider around the Okanagan late last year. In it, he can be seen skimming over rooftops and buzzing herds of wild deer...

Accused Westside shooter trial coming to an end

"THE CASE BECOMES STRONGER WITH EACH PASSING KILOMETRE." KELOWNA – Was Michael Ellis only doing what he was told when he led police on a high speed shootout along Westside Road in 2012 or is his friend and former co-accused taking the blame because he knows it can’t affect his sentence? That was the focus...

Biggest jump in Okanagan real estate sales in seven years

OKANAGAN – Real estate sales across the Okanagan had the biggest jump in seven years last December, according to the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board. Overall the region saw sales increase 24 per cent during the last month of 2014, with apartment sales up a massive 42 per cent over the previous year. Townhouse and...

Passenger during Westside Road police shootout says he was in charge

LANGUAGE ADVISORY KELOWNA – Michael Ellis, accused ringleader of a 2012 high speed shootout with police, was just doing what he was told. At least that’s what his only defence witness says. Shawn Wysynski, who is also a lifelong friend of Ellis, told Kelowna Supreme Court Justice Ian Josephson that the only reason his friends were...

Witness shot at three times, continues following

KELOWNA – A witness who took the stand in the attempted murder trial of accused Westside Road shooter Michael Ellis was shot at three separate times, but still refused to stop following him. Michael James Scott is an onsite construction supervisor with the Ministry of Transportation. He was in his work truck on Westside Road...

Westside shooter threatened man and his young son

KELOWNA – The encounter lasted only a few minutes but left a strong impression on Mark Langmead and his 11-year-old son. “It was very disturbing,” he told Justic Ian Josephson in the B.C. Supreme Court trial of accused Westside shooter Michael Ellis Tuesday. “(My son) was very upset. He was extremely quiet and refused to...

See the Thompson-Okanagan like you never have before

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A video posted to YouTube over the weekend gives a truly birds-eye view of some of the most spectacular features of the Thompson-Okanagan. Emile Beaulieu is a Kelowna resident whose passion is paramotoring. Using a parachute and what is essentially a large powered fan strapped to his back, he performs breathtaking fly-bys of...

Heavy snowfall is bad news for people with disabilities

KELOWNA – For many residents of Kelowna, the massive snowfall over the last couple days has been more than an inconvenience. Dino Padula, a wheelchair user and the owner of Active Mobility Products in Kelowna says this much snow virtually cuts off many people with disabilities from normal activities like grocery shopping and other daily...

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...