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West Kelowna

Suspect in string of armed robberies faces judge

KELOWNA – A man initially charged with robbing one West Kelowna drug store a year ago has now been charged with six other robberies that took place in the months prior. Brandon Oswald, 23, was arrested within moments of a robbery at Shoppers Drug Mart on Dobbin Rd just before 10 p.m. March 10, 2014....

Suspected Tim Hortons robber arrested after public tips

WEST KELOWNA  - RCMP on the Westside have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with a robbery at the Tim Hortons on Carrington Rd. Saturday night, March 28. According to RCMP spokesman Cpl. Joe Duncan, the suspect is alleged to have covered his face and gone into the the restaurant with a weapon where he...

Armed robbery at West Kelowna motel

WEST KELOWNA – Staff at the Super 8 motel in West Kelowna were held up early this morning by an armed man who got away with some cash. RCMP say the robbery happened at about 2:50 a.m., March 27, at the motel on Westgate Road. A man with a weapon and with a black t-shirt...

Regional district budget down this year, but could have dropped further

KELOWNA - The Central Okanagan Regional District will spend $59.4 million of your tax dollars this year and you’re welcome to say something about it. “There is an opportunity for the public to address the board regarding the 2015-19 financial plan,” said spokesman Bruce Smith. “They don’t have to preschedule or anything. There is a...

Valoroso Foods faces second verification inspection later this week

KELOWNA - Valoroso Foods was open for business today even as officials from the health protection branch of the Interior Health Authority say they will be conducting a second inspection to ensure the company has taken action on violations it found during an inspection last Friday. “We will be going back at the end of...

Breast-feeding supporters crowd West Kelowna council

MAYOR ASKS FOR PROTOCOL TO DEAL WITH FUTURE DELEGATION REQUESTS KELOWNA - Crying and cooing babies provided the soundtrack as proponents of breast-feeding crowded West Kelowna council chambers tonight to show their displeasure at what they said was a lack of support for their cause. Breast-feeding mothers nursed their babies inside and outside of council...

West Kelowna breast-feeding protest to go ahead as planned

WEST KELOWNA - The West Kelowna Feed-In is going ahead as scheduled despite a bit of damage control by the district. The group declared they would protest at the March 24 council meeting after a delegation from the Interior Health Authority and UBC Okanagan asking council to help them promote breast-feeding were turned away at...

Carriage house survey shows support for secondary dwellings in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA - Westside residents could soon see a sight their Kelowna counterparts have seen for quite a few years — carriage houses popping up on lots where one house already exists. The latest results are in from the district’s extensive public consultation on the subject and three-quarters of West Kelowna people feel carriage houses...

Video surveillance policy under scrutiny in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA - The district is updating its video surveillance policy to ensure compliance with the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. “With video surveillance cameras, obviously there are concerns with privacy,” says Erin Goodwin, facilities manager for West Kelowna. “There are standards that we have to follow.” The district does not...

UPDATE: Power restored to 4,000 in West Kelowna

UPDATE: 7:31 a.m., March 20, 2015 Power has been restored. B.C. Hydro says the cause was a tree that had fallen across the wires. WEST KELOWNA - More than 4,000 West Kelowna customers are waking to no power on the first day of spring. B.C. Hydro reports power is out to 4,016 customers because of...

Breast-feeding supporters plan West Kelowna ‘feed-in’

WEST KELOWNA - A group of breast-feeding supporters are planning a mass 'feed-in' at the next West Kelowna council meeting, dissatisfied with the reception given by councillors to a delegation promoting breast-feeding at the last council meeting. Last week, as part of a class project, a delegation of UBC Okanagan nursing students and a public...

West Kelowna declines request to support breast-feeding initiative

WEST KELOWNA - A delegation from UBC Okanagan seeking support for a breast-feeding initiative got a rough ride from West Kelowna council, despite its support from other local governments. The group was seeking council’s endorsement for the Baby Friendly initiative, plus a pledge to make district facilities breast-feeding friendly and educate employees and local businesses...

West Kelowna takes aim at medical marijuana dispensaries

WEST KELOWNA - Enquiries about setting up a medical marijuana dispensary on the Westside have prompted the district to close what they describe as a loophole in their business licensing bylaw. “We are adding a sentence into the bylaw that essentially says a business must be in compliance with both the Criminal Code and the...

Child luring warning issued for Central Okanagan

WEST KELOWNA - Two incidents similar to one in Kelowna last month have led the RCMP to issue a child luring warning for the entire Central Okanagan area. The incident happened just before noon on Tuesday, March 3, when two 15-year-old boys were walking in the area of Westlake Road and Stevens Road. The man...

Yard sale planned for evicted trailer park tenants

WEST KELOWNA – Friends and supports for a West Kelowna couple evicted from the Jubilee Mobile Home Park have organized a yard sale to help raise money. Ross Arnott and Ed Schneider have until April 1 to move or vacate their manufactured home in the park on Westbank First Nation land on Boucherie Road where...

Money isn’t everything as West Kelowna councillor Rosalind Neis found out during 2014 election

WEST KELOWNA - It seems candidates in elections everywhere are spending ever more to get elected, which makes West Kelowna councillor Rosalind Neis’ 2014 campaign war chest that much more impressive. There was nothing in it. Neis’ campaign contribution disclosure form, released Monday by Elections B.C., is full of zeroes — no corporate or developer...

Westside Road shooter not guilty of attempted murder

KELOWNA – Michael Ellis, the man accused of shooting at police as he and two others tried to escape along Westside Road in 2012, was found not guilty of attempted murder but could still face a lengthy jail term after he was found guilty of more than a dozen other related charges. Justice Ian Josephson...

Mar Jok Elementary School rings in Chinese New Year with grand opening

WEST KELOWNA - A new West Kelowna elementary school has held its grand opening and the opportunity to bring the Chinese New Year — year of the goat — into the celebration wasn't ignored. The event on Wednesday, Feb. 29 was attended by the family of Mar Jok, the new school's namesake. He immigrated to...

Community centre set to reopen nearly 18 months after arson

WEST KELOWNA - The Westbank Lions Community Centre, the unofficial meeting place for the West Kelowna community, has officially recovered after being destroyed by fire nearly 18 months ago. The hall was set on fire in September 2013 and while it was initially thought it would need to be torn down the structure was able...

UPDATE: Missing West Kelowna teenager found

WEST KELOWNA – A teenager from West Kelowna who had been missing since Monday, Feb. 9 has been found. RCMP asked for help to find Megan Cowan, 18, on Thursday, Feb. 13. "The West Kelowna RCMP is pleased to confirm that the 18-year-old woman reported missing has been located, and she is safe and sound,"...