Local

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....

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...

Two pedestrians hit at downtown intersection

KELOWNA – Two teenagers suffered minor injuries after they were hit by a pickup truck while jaywalking across Bernard Avenue at Richter Street Thursday evening. RCMP Const. Steve Holmes says witnesses saw three males in their late teens cross Bernard northbound at around 5 p.m. before two of them reversed their direction unexpectedly and “bolted...

Kelowna farmer in trouble for covering land with mystery dirt

"THE CITY CANNOT TELL A FARMER HOW TO FARM HIS OR HER LAND." KELOWNA – A Kelowna farmer is in some trouble with the Agricultural Land Commission for adding untested dirt to his water-logged horse pasture. The 11 acre property is located in the South Pandosy area and is within the Agricultural Land Reserve and the...

Sneena Road overpass open to traffic

WEST KELOWNA – The Sneena Road overpass, which has slowed traffic on Highway 97 north of the William Bennett Bridge for close to a year, has finally been completed. The overpass is a $9.3 million dollar connection between Westbank First Nation lands on either side of the highway. In an official ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday,...

A second chance for Thistletown Boxing Club

KELOWNA – One of B.C.’s last remaining boxing clubs is getting a fresh start thanks to some help from a local business owner. Kelowna’s Thistletown Boxing Club first opened in 2007. For seven years it was managed by former National champion Graham McIntosh before financial troubles forced him to close the doors in July. A...

Charity comes easy to this Kelowna family

KELOWNA – For the third year in a row a Mission family is showing that charity doesn’t have to be a lot of hard work. For the past two years, the de Haas family have partnered with a local pizza shop to donate more than a dozen pizzas they take to school and offer to...

Kelowna’s housing prices will continue to climb in 2015

KELOWNA – It’s going to continue to be a seller’s market in Kelowna over the next year as low interest rates combine with low inventory to drive prices up. According to RE/MAX Housing Market Outlook Report, the 2015 average residential sale price in Kelowna rose seven per cent over 2014. Although that is one per...

Convicted killer due for sentencing for ramming police car

"IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT PERIODS OF INCARCERATION HAVE AFFECTED HIM." KELOWNA – A Kelowna man with an extensive criminal history is being sentenced for using a stolen truck to ram a police car as he tried to evade arrest only one year after being released from prison for a 2005 manslaughter conviction. "It was only...

Test results back on trees suspected of being poisoned

KELOWNA – Test results on a stand of trees the City believes were poisoned to improve someone’s view of the lake last month have come back inconclusive. Environment manager Todd Cashin says they still believe the trees were vandalized but whoever did it must have used a chemical that is quite common and ultimately untraceable....

Hells Angel sentencing could be postponed until after Christmas

KELOWNA - What was supposed to be a day of final submissions ahead of sentencing has turned into a multi-day examination into the lives of two men convicted of multiple weapons charges. Admitted Hells Angel Joseph Bruce Skreptak and alleged gang associate Cory Montemurro asked to postpone sentencing until early January so they can spend...

$20,000 worth of pro camera equipment reported stolen

KELOWNA – An early morning break and enter has cost a Kelowna camera store close to $20,000 in professional equipment. The theft happened at Lens and Shutter on Harvey Ave. around 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. Store manager Jaime Paniagua says he found out about the theft when the security company called and told him three...

You can help build a Lake Country food bank with this simple gesture

LAKE COUNTRY – The food bank in Lake Country is asking for the public’s help winning a national competition that could put them one step closer to a much-needed new facility. The Aviva Community Fund is a Canada-wide contest soliciting community votes for ideas put forward by local non-profits and the winner gets a cash...

Basran, new council sworn in for Kelowna

KELOWNA – The youngest mayor in Kelowna’s history was sworn into office Monday night along with his new council of eight. In his first speech as mayor, Basran, 37, thanked his family and supporters and outlined the areas he feels are key to a successful term. Areas like transportation, support for small business, social programs,...

Kelowna lawyer helping veterans get the help they need

"ONCE YOU'RE IN THAT HOLE IT CAN BE VERY HARD TO CLIMB OUT. THAT'S WHERE WE COME IN." KELOWNA – A local lawyer has made it his mission to help marginalized B.C. veterans transition to civilian life. Matthew Canzer is a Kelowna lawyer who recently started the B.C. chapter of the Veterans Emergency Transition Services....

Deal signed for Okanagan rail line

OKANAGAN – A deal between the consortium of municipalities and CN Rail to buy the decommissioned rail corridor between Kelowna and Coldstream has been reached. The consortium, made up of Kelowna, Lake Country, Coldstream, along with the North Okanagan and Central Okanagan Regional Districts, have agreed to buy the 47.5 kilometre long stretch of railway...

Ogopogo art and the origins of the valley

OKANAGAN – Strange etchings at the bottom of Lake Okanagan are among the latest revelations included in the third edition of a best-selling book about the origins of the Okanagan. First published in 1994 and updated in 2004, the first two editions of Okanagan Geology sold more than 10,000 copies. Editor and author Murray Roed...

Municipalities granted one week extension to submit rail trail proposal

KELOWNA – The consortium of municipalities hoping to buy the decommissioned CN rail corridor between Kelowna and Vernon have been granted a one week extension to submit their value assessment proposal to the Canadian Transportation Agency. The acquisition team – made up of Kelowna, Lake Country, Coldstream, North Okanagan and Central Okanagan Regional Districts –...

Nominate a small B.C. business before time runs out

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Small Business B.C. Awards is accepting nominations and already a few local businesses and entrepreneurs have been recognized for their contributions and achievements. Nominations and votes will be accepted until Nov. 30, 2014 and is open to all new and existing businesses registered in B.C. with fewer than 50 employees. The Top...

UBCO hosts WFN art forum Friday

KELOWNA – A public forum examining the impact Westbank First Nations art has had on the revitalized downtown is taking place at the Alternator Centre this Friday. The hour long forum, part of a monthly series called Alterknowledge that looks at social issues in the Okanagan, is organized by faculty at UBCO in partnership with the...

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...