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TIMELINE: Bank robber strikes three provinces in two months
VERNON - A man police are calling a serial armed robber has stolen cash from eight different banks across three provinces in just 52 days, and police are worried he's not done yet. The first in a series of similar incidents happened at 2:50 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2014, when a man dressed in dark...
Evicted trailer park tenants threatened with legal fees
KELOWNA – As the deadline to remove their home from Jubilee Mobile Home Park nears, evicted tenants Ross Arnott and Ed Schneider say they are now being threatened with legal fees incurred by the managers who want to use the spot as a maintenance facility. The manufactured home, where they have lived since 2007, is...
Fog causes cancellation, delays at YLW
KELOWNA – The heavy fog that settled over Kelowna Monday morning is affecting both arriving and departing flights at Kelowna International Airport. YLW spokesperson Jenelle Hynes says so far they have only had to cancel a Westjet flight to Vancouver but more are possible. “It’s pea soup here,” she says. “We were having zero visibility...
Glitter revenge website starts up in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Two Kelowna women think they have a sparkly solution for anyone looking to send a fun, harmless message to friends or enemies they think could use a little more glitter in their lives. Sendrevengeglitter.com is a Kelowna-based website that for $9.99 will mail an anonymous envelope containing the most infuriating craft product there...
Local man wants $500,000 for this ridiculous reason
KELOWNA – A Peachland man with a good sense of humour but a less than life-threatening injury is seeking half a million dollars from the public to help get him through a difficult time. Jack Klassen filed the tongue-in-cheek post to the fundraising website gofundme.com Thursday morning. He doesn’t have medical bills to pay and...
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...
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...
What inspired a Kelowna man to try changing the world
KELOWNA - For most people, life changes gradually. For Michael Lavigne however, a single day in 2013 marked the start of his new life. Although a successful businessperson in Manitoba, he found himself depressed to the point his doctor prescribed him medication. “Here I was, newly married, a good job, making lots of money but...
Suspected drunk driver rolls vehicle into drainage ditch
KELOWNA – A man in his 20’s who rolled his vehicle into a ditch in Glenmore Friday morning may have been drunk. According to Const. Kris Clark the accident happened around 9:30 a.m. on Valley Road. Police were able to find the alleged driver when a witness, who smelled alcohol on the man's breath, told...
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...
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...
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...
Tenant dispute has nothing to do with WFN
WESTBANK – A dispute between two tenants in a mobile home park and a mobile home park owner has nothing whatsoever to do with the Westbank First Nation, Chief Robert Louie says. Ross Arnot and his partner Ed Schneider took a dispute with their landlords public this week as they face eviction from unit 144...
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...
Toxic heroin a dangerous new trend in Kelowna
KELOWNA – The Fentanyl-laced heroin that killed two people in Vernon this week is also…
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...
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...
MAP: Christmas lights in Kelowna
KELOWNA - From Candy Cane Lane in Springvalley to Rotary's Kerry Park display, residents of Kelowna have stepped up their efforts this year to make it one of the best ever for lovers of light. Although we were unable to get all the light displays in the city on this map, it does represent all...
How a community saved Christmas for young family robbed of presents
KELOWNA – The Beston family Christmas tree is surrounded by presents again, thanks to an outpouring of support from the community. Jason and Jenny Beston, the parents of a family that was robbed of cherished personal items and presents just days before Christmas, say they have been overwhelmed with gifts from the community over the...
Barricades planned for deadly stretch of Hwy 97
LAKE COUNTRY – A dangerous stretch of Highway 97 where a woman died following a head on collision Sunday is getting some attention from the Ministry of Transportation. “That incident over the weekend was terrible and our thoughts are with the friends and family of the people affected,” says Ministry spokesperson Murray Tekano. “It’s really...
B.C. Coroners Service identifies woman killed in Highway 97 crash
KELOWNA – The B.C. Coroners Service has identified the woman killed in a crash between a semi and an SUV on Highway 97 north of the Kelowna Airport Sunday afternoon. She was Frances Marie Strocher, 48, of Kelowna. Const. Kris Clark of the Kelowna RCMP says Strocher was driving a Volkswagen Tiguan and was the only...
Christmas dinner comes with a gift bag at Gospel Mission this year
KELOWNA – Christmas is the second busiest time of the year for the Kelowna Gospel Mission and this year more than 50 volunteers were on hand Saturday for their annual Christmas dinner. As was the case in years past, the Mission served around 600 dinners to hundreds of hungry residents between noon and 6 p.m....