West Kelowna
UPDATE: More West Kelowna evacuees going home
WEST KELOWNA - Even more Smith Creek wildfire evacuees went home Sunday. As of 5 p.m., the staff at the Emergency Operation Centre lifted the evacuation order for more streets in the Shannon Woods nighbourhood in West Kelowna. The evacuation alert has been lifted for Bartley Road and Lenz Road. About 2,000 of the 2,500 West Kelowna residents...
VIDEO: Smith Creek fire from above and by the numbers
KELOWNA - Take a guess: How much water have fire crews dropped on the Smith Creek fire over the past week and a half? Would you believe more than 1.2 million litres? As of Monday morning helicopters had flown more than 100 hours, skimmers had dropped more than 300 loads of water and foam and...
B.C. Hydro to conduct study on secondary power line to West Kelowna
WEST KELOWNA – District of West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater says last night’s line failure that cut power to thousands of homes for nine hours would have been very serious if it happened just one month from now. The failure was caused by a fire that started atop one of hundreds of poles supporting West...
Get your jingle on; Christmas Kettle campaign underway
KELOWNA – There may not be much snow around to get you into the holiday spirit, but the sound of jingling bells might help as the annual Salvation Army Christmas Kettle campaign gets underway. Local politicians and celebrities gathered at Kelowna’s Walmart on Friday to take a shift at the kettle outside the department store....
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,...
$400,000 worth helicopter parts stolen in West Kelowna worthless to thief: police
WEST KELOWNA - Someone has made off with $400,000 worth of helicopter parts from the back of a van in West Kelowna but police say they're worthless to the thief. Alpine Helicopters reported the theft to the RCMP on Saturday, saying 31 helicopter parts in several boxes were taken. Jill Seaton, the company's chief financial...
West Kelowna seeks public input on carriage houses
WEST KELOWNA - The District of West Kelowna is beginning a two month consultation process to find out if the community is in favour of seeing carriage houses in the neighbourhood. Often referred to as a granny suite, garden flat, laneway house or coach house, a carriage house is a smaller second home on a...
Westlake Road water main work next week
TRAFFIC DELAYS MAY OCCUR ON WESTLAKE ROAD WEST KELOWNA - Watermain replacement work on Westlake Road between Caledonia Way and Sussex Road, part of the Westlake Road Upgrade project, will begin Wednesday, December 10. Motorists can expect minor traffic delays when travelling through this section. Work is expected to take four days. Motorists are asked...
RCMP officers honoured for going above and beyond
WEST KELOWNA – In between the traffic stops and routine patrols, RCMP officers are sometimes called on to risk their lives to serve the public. Officers from West Kelowna, Lake Country, Kamloops, Salmon Arm and Summerland were recently recognized for their bravery at the Police Honours Night in Victoria hosted by Governor General Judith Guichon....
Progress in fight against drunk driving stalls in Central Okanagan
KELOWNA – After years of statistics showing a steady decline in the number of drunk drivers in the Central Okanagan, over past few years those numbers have leveled off. The people behind the Central Okanagan Chapter of Mothers’ Against Drunk Driving aren't giving up. The group launched its annual Project Red Ribbon campaign at the...
Latest WFN art honours veterans of all backgrounds
WEST KELOWNA – A new sculpture by renowned First Nation artist Smoker Marchand was unveiled in West Kelowna Tuesday. Marchand says the steel monument, which depicts three warriors in full battle dress, represents veterans of all backgrounds who have served in the military. “I wanted to show a strong Indian man. I wanted to show...
West Kelowna candidates forum tonight
WEST KELOWNA – On the day advanced voting opens across the valley, candidates for mayor, councillor and school trustee will be at Constable Neil Bruce Middle School in West Kelowna Wednesday night for the first all candidates forum. The three part forum, organized by the Westside Board of Trade, starts with candidates for council at 6:30...
Constituency offices shut down following Ottawa shooting
PENTICTON - It appears the constituency offices of Members of Parliament across the country are on shut down following events in Ottawa this morning, including those of local MP Dan Albas. In Penticton and Westbank, the offices of Okanagan-Coquihalla MP Dan Albas, was closed and locked today after Members of Parliament were locked down in...
UPDATE: 29-year-old feared missing in Nepal safe
KELOWNA – A Kelowna man who has been missing since the deadly avalanche in Nepal earlier this week has made contact with his family and is safe. According to Global Okanagan, the family of Matt Adams, 29, say they have spoken to him and he is unhurt. Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre said Thursday...
ELECTION 2014: West Kelowna candidates finalized
WEST KELOWNA – Three candidates are confirmed for mayor of West Kelowna, including incumbent Doug Findlater. Challenging Findlater for his job are Stephen Johnston and Mary Mandarino. The nomination period for the Nov. 14 civic election closed at 4 p.m. on Friday. Thirteen people are seeking one of six seats on council: - Joanne Baker -...