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West Kelowna News
West Kelowna yacht club and boats damaged in windstorm
WEST KELOWNA - Heavy rains and strong winds caused played havoc with the West Kelowna Yacht Club today, damaging several boats, docks and perhaps the integrity of the breakwater itself. Several boaters inspected damage around 4 p.m. today, Nov. 17, and two boats threw their moorings entirely. One, the Manhattan, had its bow torn off as...
West Kelowna firefighters serve as ‘sherpas’ for disabled man’s breathtaking wilderness trip
WEST KELOWNA - Local firefighters have again made possible the annual Fire in the Mountains, a dream trip to the wilderness for a disabled person. This fall, Logan Miller, 20, with the help of the firefighters, completed the alpine circuit at Cathedral Provincial Park, near the U.S. border. Logan had an active youth but has...
Elderly woman fends off violent home invader in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - An 85-year-old woman is doing okay after struggling with an attacker for 20 minutes during a violent home invasion in the early hours, Sunday, Oct. 25. West Kelowna RCMP aren’t naming the woman, who managed to escape and call 911 at her neighbour’s house in the 2300-block of Butt Road. The suspect...
Fire rips through West Kelowna home
WEST KELOWNA - Residents and their pet were able to escape as flames tore through a home in West Kelowna Wednesday night. West Kelowna Fire Rescue was called to a fire at a single family residence on Empire Place in the Mission Hill area of West Kelowna around 9:45 p.m., Nov. 11. When they arrived...
Woman found dead at West Kelowna house fire identified
WEST KELOWNA - A body found at the scene of a West Kelowna house fire last week has been identified as a resident of the house. The body of Hazel Delgado Budiongan, 37, was found inside the house, which was the scene of an early morning fire on Nov. 4. RCMP consider both her death...
UPDATE: Missing West Kelowna woman found
UPDATE: 1:32 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015 WEST KELOWNA - RCMP say Virginia Denomie has returned home safe and sound. Thanks to the media and the public for their assistance, police say. 1:05 p.m., Friday, Nov. 6, 2015 WEST KELOWNA - Police are asking for your help to locate a missing West Kelowna woman. RCMP...
Busy conflict season winding down as Central Okanagan bears seek higher elevations for hibernation
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - An extremely busy bear season might be coming to an end, at least as far as local conservation officers measure it. “I think this is the first day we haven’t had a call for service,” Sgt. Josh Lockwood said this morning. Nov. 6. “Of course, it’s early yet.” The most recent numbers...
Court sells Mandy and Me farm to highest bidder
WEST KELOWNA – Things didn’t go the way Silverado Socrates was hoping in court. Socrates is the owner of Mandy and Me Trailriding in West Kelowna. Her bank foreclosed on her mortgage after loaning her $600,000 to upgrade the facility. On Wednesday, Nov. 4 she watched as a Supreme Court Justice read the winning bid...
VIDEO: West Kelowna restaurant vandal caught on camera smashing glass
WEST KELOWNA - The owner of Thai Fusion has had enough and wants the community to see the man who continues to smash his front window. Luke Sumpantarat has shared surveillance footage of a man he believes has been targeting his business. Four times this year Sumpantarat has arrived at the restaurant he and his wife...
UPDATE: Body discovered following suspicious West Kelowna house fire
WEST KELOWNA - The body of a woman has been discovered after a suspicious house fire in West Kelowna early this morning. West Kelowna Fire Rescue and RCMP responded to the fire at 2311 Boucherie Road around 1:45 a.m., Nov. 4, RCMP spokesman Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a press release. Jason Brolund, the West...
Vandals repeatedly smash windows of West Kelowna restaurant
WEST KELOWNA - A West Kelowna business owner is wondering who is out to get them after their front windows have been smashed four times this year, costing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and lost income. Luke Sumpantarat moved to West Kelowna when he was just 17 years old and in 2010 he...
Okanagan couple have two vehicles stolen in two days
WEST KELOWNA – A couple who just moved back to the Okanagan from Winnipeg were greeted by thieves who stole both of their vehicles over the course of just two days. Marilyne and her husband Steve Chapman moved to West Kelowna from a small town outside Winnipeg five weeks ago. While renting a place at...
West Kelowna eyesore up for redevelopment
WEST KELOWNA - One of Westbank’s biggest eyesores, and A source of many complaints, has been sold with plans to develop the site. The old Cattle Country restaurant strip mall and gas bar has been sold to an eastern developer and plans include reopening the gas station and retail stores on Highway 97 at Elliot...
ELECTION 2015 CO-Similkameen-Nicola: Scott: ‘I was under no pretense when I signed on to do this’
WEST KELOWNA - Conservative Party of Canada candidate Dan Albas was a clear winner in 2011 with 54 per cent of the 53,359 voters in the riding made famous by former party leader Stockwell Day. But will the changes in the boundary realignment make a difference? The Okanagan-Coquihalla riding looks significantly different since boundaries changed...
Would you like fries with your unsolved crimes?
KELOWNA – RCMP have released details on three unsolved crimes in Kelowna, West Kelowna and Lake Country, including stolen guns, credit card fraud and a man who broke into a fast food restaurant and stole boxes of food. On Sept. 5, a suspect used two stolen cards, a bank card and a credit card, to...
ELECTION 2015: West Kelowna mayor says endorsing federal election candidates is bad politics
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Firmly on the fence is where West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater is sitting as far as publicly endorsing a candidate in the Oct. 19 federal election. “I have to work with whoever is elected, although I can say we worked well with Dan Albas (incumbent MP for Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola.) He helped us...
Glenrosa Cemetery added to heritage register in West Kelowna
OLD BURIAL GROUND MAINLY USED FOR CHILDREN WEST KELOWNA - The Glenrosa Cemetery is officially being added to the West Kelowna heritage register and there are plans to study three more possible historic sites as well. Glenrosa Cemetery, hidden in plain sight on the side of Glenrosa Road, is the burial ground for 10 children...
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...
Driver crashes into store in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA – Firefighters had to extract a man from his car after he drove through the front window at the Bulk Barn in West Kelowna this afternoon. The 78-year-old man wasn't seriously hurt, but the front window of the store at 3610 Carrington Rd. and some merchandise was badly damaged, according to a media...
New West Kelowna winery could have major impact on number of Chinese tourists visiting the Okanagan
WEST KELOWNA - A new $30-million wine tour destination in West Kelowna could dramatically increase the number of foreign tourists coming to the Okanagan. Construction on Grizzli Winery on Boucherie Road is scheduled for completion next spring. Ground was broken earlier this year but already it’s starting to take shape. The winery, at 60,000 square...
Police shut down grow op in West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA - A small neighbourhood in West Kelowna was locked down today, Oct. 6, as RCMP raided a house on Thomas Road. For several hours in the afternoon, RCMP, West Kelowna Fire Rescue and B.C. Ambulance were at 1120 Thomas Rd. One neighbour, who wishes not to be identified, says the owner of the...
Province balks at paying West Kelowna expense claims for Smith Creek wildfire
WEST KELOWNA – The fight against the Smith Creek fire in the summer of 2014…
UPDATE: Highway 97 in West Kelowna reopens following head-on collision
WEST KELOWNA - A head-on collision on Highway 97 near Grizzly Drive backed up traffic in both directions this morning, Oct. 1, closing the highway and sending a 76-year-old woman to hospital in serious condition. Kelowna RCMP spokesman Const. Steve Holmes, says in a meida release, the collision between a Toyota sedan and a Jeep...
West Kelowna’s Crystal Mountain and its patrons in limbo at least one more year
WEST KELOWNA – Robert Mellalieu will have to wait at least one more year before…