Local

BC Tree Fruits to release signature cider

KELOWNA – A new cider by will be available at select B.C. Liquor Stores, beer and wine stores and restaurants as of April 1 and it's no joke. Broken Ladder cider comes from B.C. Tree Fruits and has been in the works for years. The development process included an intensive recipe process, partnerships in the...

If your dog is suddenly paralyzed this could be why

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Mary Verigin knew something was wrong with her dog as soon as she opened her crate last Monday morning. “She could get up on her front feet but there was no strength behind her shoulders,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do. Of course I was crying.” Verigen phoned her vet, Dr....

Mamas for Mamas to host charity gala

KELOWNA – A fast growing group of Okanagan moms who provide help and support for other moms in the area will hold their first ever fundraising gala this fall. And they are looking to the public for help with auction items. Mamas for Mamas founder Shannon Christensen says the group has grown so quickly that...

Kelowna man arrested for threatening the government on his Facebook page

KELOWNA – A Kelowna man was arrested this week for posting “threatening comments” to his own Facebook page. Cpl. Joe Duncan says the man believes the government owes him money and although the comments didn’t mention any specific agency, they were serious enough that someone notified the police and RCMP arrested him. “I don’t know...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Website brings farm to table and also to your smartphone

KELOWNA – A Kelowna-based website is making it easier for people interested in supporting local businesses to find their soil mate. Soil Mates is a website that, using the GPS on your phone, displays nearby breweries, farms, markets and wineries. “Local farmers, raisers and producers are central to this and Soil Mate is working with...

Law Society forbids Kelowna man from giving legal advice

KELOWNA – A Kelowna man has been forbidden by the Law Society from practicing law in B.C. According to a press release, Kevin James Anderson has consented to an injunction prohibiting him from representing himself as a lawyer anywhere in the province. He is also prohibited from engaging in the practice of law, including drawing...

Kelowna gas prices climbing

KELOWNA – If you’re from Kelowna but driving through West Kelowna or Lake Country today, you might want to consider filling up your gas tank. According to bcgasprices.com, the average price per litre of regular gas at most Kelowna stations has gone up to 115.9 recently. That’s around 8 cents more than the national average...

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...

These videos about small Thompson-Okanagan towns will make you proud to live here

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - From brewhouses to outdoor theatre companies, a number of small businesses in the Thompson-Okanagan are being celebrated in a six-part video series. It’s part of a project called Small Business, Big Culture that highlights select cities across B.C. and Alberta. Vernon, Armstrong and Kamloops made the cut, in addition to Medicine Hat, Lethbridge,...

Changes will ensure prisoners’ privacy during strip searches: RCMP

KELOWNA – Local RCMP Supt. Nick Romanchuk says after being chastised by a provincial judge for illegally broadcasting images of strip searches to a guard room at his detachment, changes have been made that will ensure privacy for prisoners. “I’m not going to get into the intricate details of what’s in there but suffice it...