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VIDEO: Nitro Circus honours Okanagan athlete’s historic return to the ramp
KELOWNA - The biggest freestyle motocross and action sports promotion in the world is honouring a Kelowna rider who made history last week as the first paraplegic to pull of a backflip in front of a major audience. Bruce Cook was paralyzed from the waist down two years ago while attempting the first ever double...
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...
Deadline to register your off-road vehicles quickly approaching
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Backcountry riders have until Nov. 1 to register their dirt bikes, ATVs and snowmobiles. The new law, which also stipulates several safety regulations while on Crown land, has been voluntary since last November, and back in May the provincial government extended the hard deadline from June 1 to the start of next month....
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...
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...
Board members to crash at homeless shelter
KELOWNA – In an effort to raise awareness of the problem of homelessness in our community, board members of a local shelter will be sleeping over at one of their own facilities tonight. In support of World Homeless Day, several members of the Inn From the Cold board of directors as well as some volunteers,...
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...
UBCO students launch first campus radio show in the Okanagan
KELOWNA - The Okanagan’s first college radio station doesn’t have a broadcast tower or FM licence, but they are attracting the attention of musicians and listeners across the valley. Heatwave Radio launched online only three weeks ago. Still in the beta stage, they're not worrying too much about their analytics and they don’t really know...
Okanagan Marathon to shut down majority of downtown roads this weekend
KELOWNA - Thousands of runners from across the country will be lacing up their shoes and taking part in the 21st annual BMO Okanagan Marathon in Kelowna this weekend. The race is part of the Okanagan Family Festival Weekend, which includes the 42.2-km marathon, a 21.1-km half marathon, a 10-km run/walk, a 5-km run/walk, a...
UPDATE: ‘I don’t know why anyone would target that one house’ for home invasion, shooting: Neighbour
LAKE COUNTRY – Some residents of Tyndall Road are understandably on edge after one of their neighbours was shot during an alleged home invasion Sunday night. “You can hear a pin drop here at night,” says Jody Logan, who lives across the street and was home at the time. "You kind of feel a bit...
UBCO student brings campus cultural clubs together for first ever Harmony banquet
KELOWNA – It's unusual for Ryan Kaila to walk into a room at UBC Okanagan and not know anyone. "I consider myself a pretty well-known person around campus,” he says. “But I walked into this cultural club event and I didn't know a single person there. I noticed that all of these groups get the...
Malicious honk from passing driver sends Vernon horseback rider to hospital
VERNON – A competitive show jumper was seriously injured by the thoughtless and dangerous actions of an unknown motorist near Armstrong this week. Kristen Marie Pym, 20, was out for a relaxing ride on her seven-year-old black and white mare Lilly on a warm, early fall evening Sept. 30. Pym was riding Lilly in a...
Researchers gather in Kelowna to talk sex
KELOWNA - An annual conference that brings researchers from across the country will be in Kelowna this weekend for a three day exploration of a topic many still find taboo. The Canadian Sex Research Forum has been held in different cities across Canada for the last 42 years. Topics have changed a great deal over...
TV pilot highlights luxury homes being built in the Okanagan
KELOWNA - A local TV producer is putting the finishing touches on a pilot TV episode that gives viewers a glimpse of what goes into building Kelowna’s newest and most expensive homes. Pamela Tomlinson, who produced The Carnies, The Canadian Culinary Championships and a feature length film called Hitler’s Speech Writer, has turned her lens towards a local construction...
Top female sailors to race in Kelowna this weekend
KELOWNA - Some of the best female sailors in the country will be in Kelowna this weekend for a competitive sailboat race that hasn’t been held in Kelowna since 2007. The 2015 Re/Max Canada Women’s Keelboat Championships is a fast-paced weekend of racing that takes place over three days in front of Waterfront Park in...