Quebec and BC women sailing off coast of Chile disappeared after quake With luck, sailor Josée (Jade) Chabot will be safe at home in Montreal to celebrate her 50th birthday at the end of the month. But for now, family members fear that she and a handful of others aboard the SS Columbia, including a B.C. woman (from Nelson), are shipwrecked off the coast of earthquake-ravaged Chile. 3/12/2010 6:30:50 AM
Is Kelowna's Prospera Place prospering? One look at the Prospera Place website and you might conclude things are a little slow at Kelowna‘s largest entertainment venue. On the coming events page, it lists only Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles on May 30, and Cirque du Soleil‘s Allegria from Aug. 25 to 29. 3/12/2010 5:56:21 AM
Critics say Liberals hid tax hike on used cars Quietly buried in last week's budget was a raise in the PST on the private sales of vehicles, boats and aircraft. The move, on the same day as the HST, July 1, will see the tax raised from seven per cent to 12 per cent. The move will net Victoria millions of dollars in tax revenue. (Ed: Scroll down to story.) 3/12/2010 5:51:33 AM
Rats! Residents lose pit fight The first loads from a newly approved gravel pit in Joe Rich could be trucked out within a few months. Though considerable site work needs to be done before full operation gets underway, some extraction of gravel is expected to begin this spring. 3/12/2010 5:08:56 AM
Kelowna council will meet Monday on Downtown Plan The first meeting in a process that could trigger changes to a downtown revitalization plan will take place Monday. City council has scheduled a morning “workshop” to discuss the CD-21 zone proposal that would allow for a dozen new highrises between Harvey Avenue and Queensway, west of Water Street. 3/11/2010 5:51:26 AM
Park location concerns Rossland residents A handful of residents expressed concerns to Rossland council over the potential location of a community skate park at the Emcon lot across from Rossland Secondary School. Mayor Greg Granstrom says while he understands concerns, the skate park association still has a ways to go before actually obtaining the site. 3/11/2010 5:49:21 AM
Valley Man says his Toyota has problems, and dealer not helping Toyota representatives stand by their product and a recall fix for reported cases of unexpected acceleration. "The biggest problem remains floor mats,” said Russ Murray, service manager at Vernon Toyota. But one Kelowna driver has had his Tundra pickup spontaneously accelerate on three separate occasions. 3/11/2010 5:15:18 AM
West Kelowna: Simpson sentenced to 4 years Cameron Simpson was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday for killing his roommate two years ago. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Rogers accepted a jury‘s decision that the knifing of Robert Isaac, 34, at their home in West Kelowna was not an accident, but a conventional case of manslaughter. 3/11/2010 5:07:58 AM
Kelowna company launches national job website What should have been a simple process of hiring an employee has led two local entrepreneurs into a new opportunity which, if successful, will help thousands of people get hired. Robert Montgomery and Shaun Pilfold are the minds behind Ogopogo Media Inc. 3/10/2010 4:45:22 PM
Controversial Joe Rich gravel pit gets the go ahead Despite considerable public opposition, the province green-lighted a permit application for a Joe Rich area gravel pit, MLA Norm Letnick confirmed Tuesday. After eight years, the operator of the Pyman Road pit met the requirements and received their quarry permit March 2. That approval came with conditions. 3/10/2010 4:04:25 PM
Kamloops Woman opens door to a frightening sight; charges pending A Kamloops woman will likely reconsider opening her door to strangers after a man with a knife came knocking. Police said the woman answered her door just before 10 p.m. on Monday night to see a man who tried to push his way inside. 3/10/2010 4:01:45 PM
Castlegar short on lawyers A recent report in a legal publication claims Castlegar is facing a severe shortage of lawyers in the near future. The Lawyer's Weekly says the 4 lawyers currently serving about 15 thousand people in the Castlegar area have a median age of 63. 3/10/2010 3:54:17 PM
Gold-medallist to lend voice to Valley fete Olympic skeleton gold medallist Jon Montgomery will be the auctioneer at a fundraising event in Kelowna next month. Montgomery will attend the Canadian Cancer Society‘s sixth annual Gala of Hope, April 10 at the Delta Grand hotel. The Russell, Man., native makes his living as an auctioneer. 3/10/2010 3:51:35 PM
Kelowna: Capozzi defence willing to wait There‘s no rush for Cam Capozzi‘s preliminary hearing, his lawyer said Monday. The Kelowna man charged with murdering his mother, Josephine (Babs) Capozzi in August has spent the last seven months behind bars. He won‘t seek his release on bail because it would be "futile," said lawyer Henry Sarava. 3/10/2010 1:45:39 PM
Drunk leads Kelowna cops on slow-speed pursuit A drunk driver was attempting to become even more intoxicated before being intercepted by local police following a slow-speed pursuit. Const. Steve Holmes said the unidentified 52-year-old Kelowna resident, who was already impaired, decided to drive himself to a local liquor store to get more booze. 3/10/2010 5:50:34 AM
New Sally Ann centre opens Saturday The Kelowna Salvation Army will officially open its new community life centre and thrift store in Rutland Saturday. The event takes place at 11 a.m. at the old Valley Lanes location, which has been undergoing renovations for the past six months. 3/10/2010 5:48:29 AM
Get ready to be spun dry on looming HST Another day, another attempt to soft-sell the HST to suspicious B.C. taxpayers. First up was last week's lame effort to convince people that revenue from the harmonized sales tax will be devoted to health-care spending. A lot of people think they were lied to by the government during the election campaign. (Ed: They were). 3/9/2010 6:35:25 PM
Kelowna man caught using cellphone while driving busted with drugs in car A Kelowna man stopped by police Monday for talking on a cellphone while driving got into even hotter water. A search of the vehicle turned up more than seven grams of hash oil, 32 grams of hash, a small amount of pot, $1,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia. 3/9/2010 11:22:43 AM
Synthetic grass gives garden guru new lease on lawn maintenance If you happen to know where garden guru Don Burnett resides, it’s likely you’ve taken a couple moments to check out some of the greenery he’s famous for. Come this summer however, the emerald hue of his lawn won’t be a product of a green thumb — it will be due in large part to SYNLawn. 3/9/2010 6:59:44 AM
Kelowna: Car hits 93-year-old cyclist A 93-year-old cyclist walked away with only a sore knee after a car hit him. The man was riding west on Highway 33 without a helmet as a Kia sedan pulled out of a gas station at Hollywood Road on Monday morning. The cyclist rode in front of a hedge just before the collision and the driver didn’t see him, police said. 3/9/2010 6:01:46 AM
Save BC Schools Website A new website launched in the West Kootenays is hoping to draw attention to school closures across the province. While the website is under a week old, Milligan adds his hope is PACs from across BC will share information and ideas. 3/9/2010 5:30:18 AM
Update: Kootenay Doctors offer to pay for OR Nurses The head of BC's Nurses Union says they applaud the creative thinking of doctors at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital when it comes to subsidizing the nurses wages. Deb McPherson says cuts to Operating Rooms across BC only fuels debate over private surgical clinics, who are eager to branch out. 3/9/2010 5:27:55 AM
Kelowna: RCMP arrest man wanted for violent robbery Just before 10:00 a.m., Monday, a male approached the counter at the Booster Juice at the Capri Mall. He went around the counter, grabbing the 23 year old female clerk and shaking her as he demanded money. 3/9/2010 5:24:03 AM
Vernon: Two arrested after woman stabbed Vernon RCMP were called to the Vernon Sandman hotel after a woman entered the lobby with a stab wound to the abdomen. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said, “When they arrived they found a 48-year-old female laying on the floor holding her abdomen,” said Molendyk. 3/8/2010 6:10:54 PM
Police looking for ‘very busy people’ involved in substantial grow op At just before 2 a.m. on March 7th, West Kelowna RCMP attended a residence, in the 1600 block of McNaughton Rd for a complaint of a domestic dispute. Upon arrival, police instead found a very large marijuana growing operation. 3/8/2010 5:51:15 PM
Former Westside Warriors employee claims sexual harassment A former employee of the Westside Warriors has launched a human rights complaint alleging that one of the hockey club’s volunteers sexually harassed her on two occasions. The matter is now set to go before a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal hearing in Kelowna. 3/8/2010 5:23:35 PM
Mounties find huge haul of stolen goods We hear all the time when things are stolen but here’s a case of goods being returned.
The Kelowna RCMP property crime unit recovered some $250,000 worth of stolen property including vehicles and even a skid steer from a property in the 4400 block of Black Road in Kelowna on March 5. 3/8/2010 5:20:07 PM
Peachland: B.C. man gets 20 years for plot to kill U.S. attorney A B.C. man and former U.S. Army Ranger has had an extra 20 years added to his prison term after trying to hire a hit man to murder an assistant U.S. attorney. Luke Sommer, 23, offered an undercover FBI agent as much as $20,000 to kill the prosecutor. He'll now serve a 44-year sentence. 3/8/2010 1:46:45 PM
Best asked of wine judges Wine judging: it‘s all about supping the stuff and giving medals to the ones you like best, right?
Wrong. Actually, even if a judge tastes 35 wines in an hour, there‘s very little drinking. 3/8/2010 7:35:19 AM
Peachland: Beach Avenue open house garners interest Approximately 86 residents showed up to learn more about Peachland’s Beach Avenue roadway and multi-use pathway improvement project and provide their comments on the design drawings. The open house last week gave residents the opportunity to review two different design options. 3/8/2010 6:06:58 AM
Prince George: Two arrested after 1,500-plant grow op busted Two Surrey residents are facing charges after allegedly running a marijuana grow-op in Prince George. Mounties say they uncovered approximately 1,520 pot plants during a Thursday morning raid. A 36-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman, both from Surrey, were arrested. 3/8/2010 6:01:44 AM
Ripped out apple orchard upsets area neighbours Neighbours are not happy about the Westbank First Nation’s decision to tear out the apple orchard on the band’s newly acquired property. The bulldozers completed the work this week. Sommerset Court resident Lita Prince said the barren landscape next door was a little hard to accept. 3/8/2010 5:31:17 AM
UBCO student’s study on frailty catches the eye of provincial government Kaitlyn Roland, a PhD student at UBC Okanagan studying the development of “frailty” in older adults, has been invited by the provincial government to present her research to key government officials at a student-led research symposium in Victoria on Monday. 3/8/2010 5:25:19 AM
Gold medalist donates $10,000 to KGH Foundation Team Canada defenceman Shea Weber hasn't forgotten his ties to the Okanagan. The former Kelowna Rocket strongly advocated for a $10,000 donation to be made by the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation to Kelowna General Hospital Foundation. 3/8/2010 5:23:52 AM
Dream smashed: Spaghetti bridge goes down mysteriously Spaghetti bridges are meant to be broken – but not before the weight-supporting showdown event starts. An intricate pasta structure built by Hungarian students was mysteriously destroyed Friday before the start of the 27th annual Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest at Okanagan College in Kelowna. 3/7/2010 6:07:50 AM
Snowboarder dies on hill at Big White A Vancouver snowboarder died Saturday morning at Big White Ski Resort east of Kelowna. Michael Ballingal said the young man died while snowboarding in bounds. An off-duty doctor who happened to be skiing behind the snowboarder was on scene within a minute, said Ballingal. 3/7/2010 5:55:25 AM
Westside: Door unlocked on ancient era A driller was boring down into hard rock in December when he suddenly penetrated soft sediment. The unexpected discovery revealed evidence of an ancient glacier that covered the Okanagan Valley, and it changed the way scientists view the early history of the Southern Interior. 3/7/2010 5:42:23 AM
Vernon: Residents question city’s spending The City of Vernon’s spending habits are coming under scrutiny. Twelve people attended an input session on the proposed 2010 budget Tuesday at the Schubert Centre, and many of them accused the city of taking taxpayers’ dollars for granted. “Get your taxes down, get your budget down,” said Corky McMechan. 3/6/2010 11:58:41 AM
Okanagan Logging dispute back to court Both sides in an ongoing logging dispute will be back before a judge this week. Tolko Industries and the Okanagan Indian Band are scheduled to be in a Vancouver courtroom Friday at 10 a.m. “We hope the justice will revoke the enforcement order based on new evidence,” said Chief Fabian Alexis. 3/6/2010 11:55:18 AM
Trail closed for tree removal Trails in two regional parks on the Westside will be closed until further notice while crews remove pine-beetle infested, hazardous trees. Sections of Glen Canyon Regional Park in West Kelowna will be cordoned off as workers and equipment cut down trees near the Hebert Road access below Pineridge Place. 3/6/2010 4:58:56 AM
Proposed TV network for Okanagan on hold for now Corus Entertainment‘s proposal to establish a new TV network with local content in Western Canada, including the three major Okanagan cities, is temporarily on hold. Corus planned to launch the Local1 channels within six months of approval, possibly by the end of the year if it was approved in April. 3/6/2010 4:20:15 AM
Kelowna: De Ciantis won‘t go to federal pen A Kelowna driver whose truck killed one pedestrian and injured another person three years ago won‘t be going to a federal penitentiary. As a sentencing hearing got underway in Kelowna provincial court on Friday, Crown counsel David Grabavac asked for three to five years in penitentiary for Damian De Ciantis. 3/6/2010 4:16:31 AM
Brazen home invasion frightening experience for female resident When answering your front door, you don’t usually expect to find someone you’ve never seen before, drooling. A 32-year-old Kelowna woman was confronted by just such a sight after a knock at her front door, just after noon on March 3. 3/5/2010 7:14:34 AM
Looking for Canada’s worst driver The TV show Canada’s Worst Driver is calling on Kelowna residents to help find the next round of dramatically dismal drivers for Season 6 of Discovery Channel’s smash hit series. Selected participants will film the series in June at an undisclosed location in Ontario. 3/5/2010 5:45:49 AM
Kootenay doctors offer to pay for OR nurses Some B.C. doctors in the Kootenays are offering to pay out of their own pockets to keep nurses in operating rooms. Three operating-room nurse positions are being cut at the Kootenay-Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail 3/5/2010 5:31:31 AM
'Unprecedented' B.C. avalanche warning A growing avalanche threat across most of B.C. has prompted the Canadian Avalanche Centre — for the first time ever — to issue its third special slide warning in as many weeks. "Three warnings in three consecutive weekends is unprecedented," said Karl Klassen. 3/5/2010 5:29:40 AM
Prince George residents not told about bad air The BC NDP went on the attack in Question Period Thursday wanting to know why the Liberal government has remained silent for 18 months after learning about dangerously high pollution levels in Prince George. In some areas, concentrations of formaldehyde were 20 times higher than what is considered safe in B.C. 3/5/2010 5:23:25 AM
Municipal staff will need to reload on firearms bylaw Another shot is being taken at a firearms bylaw for Lake Country. On Tuesday, council instructed staff to go back to the drawing board after concerns arose that a proposed bylaw would have prevented the discharge of firearms and bows. 3/5/2010 5:14:19 AM
Okanagan College: Bridging fun and learning As day breaks on Okanagan College‘s 27th annual spaghetti bridge competition, a renewed interest in engineering and applied science technologies is being exhibited. The competition challenges students to design and build structures using spaghetti and glue. 3/5/2010 5:03:25 AM
BC Government taking $778 million from ICBC surplus The B.C. provincial government will reap the benefits of an estimated $778 million in surplus income from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia in the next three years, money that some critics say should go back into drivers' pockets. 3/5/2010 4:47:05 AM
West Kelowna: Rally race planned seeks council approval Targa Bambina, a staged road rally race, is set to take over West Kelowna’s Glenrosa Road on the May long weekend. Targa Canada West, based in Nelson is promoting the event, taking entries and generally whipping up excitement in the rally racing community. There’s just one small problem. 3/5/2010 4:32:18 AM
Fat chance any Lib will stand up to Campbell Don't look now, Terry Lake, but you're at the top of the HST hit list. In the latest front to open in the escalating war over the harmonized sales tax, the New Democrats have targeted MLAs considered vulnerable in the next election. (Ed: Terry Lake is the former Mayor of Kamloops, and a rookie MLA.) 3/4/2010 12:30:37 PM
Gold-medal Vernon Paralympic athlete to carry torch For Vernon’s gold-medal wheelchair curler Sonja Gaudet, Wednesday was a very big day. Not only did she find out she would be carrying the torch in the Paralympic relay in Vancouver, but her Canadian curling team was named Canadian Team of the Year at the 37th Canadian Sport Awards in Toronto. 3/4/2010 12:17:23 PM
Two hurt after trains collide near Golden, B.C. The CP Rail twin main line in southeastern B.C., just west of the Alberta border, has been closed by a derailment. Canadian Pacific spokesman Kevin Hrsak says two CP trains collided Wednesday afternoon outside Golden, B.C. Hrsak says a small fire was quickly doused by the Golden fire department. 3/4/2010 11:37:10 AM
Kamloops welcomes Masters of the World Francois Boda has only had his two feet planted in the River City for a couple of days, but he’s already determined to come back. The American sprinter from Oklahoma had never heard of Kamloops until he decided to sign up for the 2010 World Masters Indoor Championships. 3/4/2010 9:56:15 AM
Young man recalls breaking up sexual assault by Rutland Rapist When a young man interrupted what turned out to be a sexual assault by the Rutland Rapist on his front lawn in the summer of 2007, he had no idea that it was Tyler Stephens, a schoolmate who was once one grade ahead of him at Rutland Secondary School. 3/4/2010 7:26:52 AM
Chile quake leaves Valley man shaken George Christoff got the wake-up call of his life when a massive earthquake jolted his hotel last weekend. The Kelowna businessman and former documentary producer had arrived in Santiago, Chile, two days before the 8.8-magnitude temblor struck, killing more than 700 people. 3/4/2010 4:32:54 AM
Low Okanagan Valley snowpack melting away Snow accumulation in the Okanagan hills declined significantly in February, which raises the potential for water shortages this summer. The Environment Ministry‘s river forecast centre lists the snow pillow average for the Okanagan, Kettle and Similkameen valleys at 78 percent. 3/4/2010 4:31:19 AM
NHL's Detroit Red Wings to hold open practice in Kelowna The Kelowna Rockets are pleased to announce that the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings will hold an open practice at Prospera Place in Kelowna on Wednesday, March 17 as part of a three day stay in Kelowna. The Red Wings connection to the Okanagan is well known. 3/3/2010 5:13:32 PM
Rutland Rapist developed taste for petite, lone women As Tyler Stephens roamed the streets of Rutland, night after night in 2007, looking for new victims he developed a preferred taste—petite, defenseless women found walking alone, always strangers. Of his 10 known attacks on nine different women, the tallest was 5′6″. 3/3/2010 11:31:46 AM
Hydro customers could see 9 per cent rate increase B.C. Hydro customers could see a 9.1-per-cent rate hike on their electricity bills come next month. Hydro is seeking to increase its basic rate to cover infrastructure costs. “They’re only telling you half the story,” NDP energy critic John Horgan said. “It’s not going to aging infrastructure, it’s going to the government.” 3/3/2010 11:30:31 AM
East Kootenays: Local Highway 3 improvements The 2.25 million dollars for improvements on Highway 3 from Paulson Bridge to Avalanche Gate will primarily be put towards re-paving. This according to Boundary-Similkameen MLA John Slater. Slater, who formerly chaired the Highway 3 coalition says it's great news for all communities along the stretch. 3/3/2010 6:51:45 AM
Kelowna Council will make room for microbrews Microbreweries in Kelowna will officially be able to sell to their product to interested tourists stopping by the plant, Kelowna city council has decided. Monday afternoon city staff presented councillors with the option of creating two new zoning categories to allow for onsite liquor sales. 3/3/2010 6:48:54 AM
Judge releases offender to native elders A repeat offender who robbed a teen at knifepoint shouldn‘t be warehoused in prison, a judge ruled Tuesday. Willie Johnny, an alcoholic and solvent abuser, will spend time in jail and complete three years of probation in his home reserve near Williams Lake. Prosecutors asked for a prison term of four to five years. 3/3/2010 6:17:40 AM
Vernon: Charges pending after incident at VSS A Shuswap teen is facing assault- and weapons-related offences following a dispute at a Vernon school Friday. RCMP report that at around 2 p.m. Friday, three youth, all males, arrived in a car at Vernon Secondary School on 18th Street and confronted two male students. 3/3/2010 5:22:52 AM
Two men duke it out at a Rutland pub Police are still looking for information after a large fight broke out at a pub off of Highway 33. RCMP Const. Steve Holmes said the brawl took place at a pub in the 150 block of Highway 33, after one man punched another man inside the bar. 3/3/2010 5:21:20 AM
Kelowna's Bernard Ave. to undergo facelift In exchange for less parking outside their shops, Bernard Avenue merchants could get wider sidewalks and a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape. The number of vehicle lanes would be reduced from four to three. And switching Bernard to parallel parking would reduce the number of stalls, but create even wider sidewalks. 3/3/2010 4:29:19 AM
Update: Smithers man dead after fatal stabbing A 30-year-old Smithers man is dead following a stabbing Monday afternoon. As of 4:45 p.m., The Interior News has not yet been informed if charges have officially been laid. The 23-year-old woman who was arrested at the scene was expected to appear in provincial court at some point today. 3/2/2010 4:47:42 PM
Okanagan Indian Band gaining supporters; Tolko yet to act on injunction Tolko’s win of a B.C. Supreme Court order mandating the removal of an Okanagan Indian Band roadblock hasn’t amounted to much. Meantime, the blockade is growing stronger and Grand Chief Phillip Stewart explained, the support for their stand against logging Browns Creek is gaining momentum. 3/2/2010 4:34:09 PM
Radon Gas problem in Castlegar Radon Gas testing has been ongoing in the City of Castlegar..... This past year Dana Schmidt, Program Director of the Radon Gas Detector Program, has been collecting data from various locations. Schmidt says his findings show the city has a significant problem 3/2/2010 12:39:09 PM
Kelowna looks to restrict water use, misuse Water use in Kelowna could drop by 15 per cent in the next two years, council heard Monday. A variety of measures – including higher rates, enhanced leak detection, conservation campaigns and changes to the look of landscaping around new developments – could be used. 3/2/2010 5:16:14 AM
Summerland RCMP officer convicted of assault Cpl. Andre Turcotte sat emotionless in Penticton court as Judge Dev Dley brought down his verdict. Dley pointed to the testimony of the occupants of a passing car who stopped. They saw Turcotte repeatedly punching Campbell. Two said they also saw Turcotte kick Campbell as he lay on the ground. 3/2/2010 5:12:32 AM
DNA key to Tyler Stephens case Bags that Tyler Stephens used to cover his head while attacking women were key to his arrest, court heard Monday. Details of the Kelowna man‘s crimes were revealed publicly for the first time, as lawyers argue this week whether Stephens should be put away indefinitely as a dangerous offender. 3/2/2010 4:37:23 AM
Mounties looking for man who robbed Kelowna bank Monday At 12:39 p.m., police received a call that the CIBC bank on Pandosy had just been robbed. A male entered the bank, approached a teller and verbally demanded money. The male left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect is described as being Caucasian, 6 feet tall, with a medium/heavy build. 3/2/2010 4:27:30 AM
Armed home invasion nets federal jail time Close to two years in a federal prison was the result for a man facing a web of charges after taking up residence in a stranger's apartment with a sawed-off shotgun. "Just get it over with," Vernon Haley told the court during discussion of whether all of his charges should be dealt with on the same morning. 3/1/2010 3:17:27 PM
Funding for former CPR building in Nelson The Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce, can begin reconstruction on the old CPR Station, thanks to a 3-hundred thousand dollar funding announcement by the Columbia Basin Trust. The historic landmark at the foot of Baker Street will become a full service Regional Visitor Information Centre. 3/1/2010 3:10:49 PM
Knife wielding man kicked off Kelowna city bus A 19-year-old man learned that brandishing a knife on a city bus is a sure-fire way to frighten commuters and attract police attention. Friday night police were called to the Orchard Park Bus Stop to deal with a weapons complaint. They were told a passenger had pulled out a large knife. 3/1/2010 2:46:30 PM
More local TV options in the Okanagan? Corus Entertainment has applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to operate specialty cable channels in 64 Western Canadian centres, 27 of them in British Columbia. (Ed: Penticton and Kelowna are mentioned, along with Merritt, in our area.) 3/1/2010 10:08:06 AM
B.C. boy Niedermayer gives us Games memories to last forever The defenceman from Cranbrook nearly retired twice — actually did once, but returned to the National Hockey League halfway through 2007-08. A year ago, he said he wasn't sure he'd continue playing in the NHL. But to play in the Olympics, he re-signed with the Anaheim Ducks another year. 3/1/2010 8:40:48 AM
Developers relaunch plans for large subdivision near Kelowna airport Subdivision plans that were shelved six years ago have been dusted off for another go round with the Central Okanagan Regional District. Airport Sand and Gravel has applied to the Central Okanagan Regional District to rezone and subdivide a 150-hectare property. 3/1/2010 7:21:45 AM
Westbank: Ancient land surfaces at construction site One of the most fascinating and significant geologic features in the province has been uncovered during construction of the multi-million dollar Westside Road interchange project. In fact, it could be one of the oldest undisturbed soil deposits found yet in Canada, says geologist Murray Roed. 3/1/2010 5:59:27 AM
Dry weather fuels wildfire concerns It may still be winter, but emergency officials are already warning of the wildfire risk. Ongoing weather trends could result in high drought codes this summer, fuelling the possibility of forest fires. “This summer doesn’t look good based on what Forestry is telling us,” said Brent Watson 3/1/2010 5:28:13 AM
Deadline approaching for pesticide registry Residents who wish to be informed when pesticide spraying will occur in their neighbourhood should sign up with the City of Kelowna‘s commercial pesticide notification registry by March 15. Residents are asked to provide their name, street address, phone number, email address, preferences and reasons for registering. 3/1/2010 5:10:33 AM
Kelowna passport office opens today After more than a decade of public pleading and government lobbying, a Passport Canada office will finally open in Kelowna‘s Capri Centre Mall at 8 a.m. today. The Passport Canada office in Kelowna is technically what‘s called a satellite office of the full-service office in Surrey. 3/1/2010 4:07:17 AM
Environmental report would shrink SmartCentres proposal The footprint of the proposed SmartCentres development will have to decrease dramatically so as not to encroach on fish habitat. So say the findings of the Salmon Arm organization Wetland Alliance: the Ecological Response (WA:TER), who on Monday presented to council the Ecoscape Report. 2/28/2010 7:43:11 AM
Municipalities fret over effect of HST on everything The cost of everything from parking your car to swimming in the local pool is about to increase as municipalities grapple with introduction of the harmonized sales tax in July. "It's something that municipalities are quite nervous about and working hard to investigate all of the impacts." 2/28/2010 5:24:03 AM
Kelowna: Lawyer quits on accused priest A Sikh priest accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl is now without a lawyer and facing more serious charges. Unless he can find a new lawyer, Lahkwinder Singh must appear at his three-day preliminary hearing in April with only a Punjabi interpreter. A judge refused to grant him an adjournment on Friday. 2/28/2010 4:28:37 AM
Olympic puck drops on Jumbotron at Kelowna home show Kelowna Home Show organizer Rick Young wants everyone to know the Olympic gold medal men‘s hockey game will be on a Jumbotron at the show today. “We were seriously affected by the semifinal (in which Canada beat Slovakia) on Friday night,” he said on Saturday. 2/28/2010 4:25:28 AM
West Kelowna hit and run lands woman in court A young man is injured and a woman has been arrested, following a hit and run that took place Friday night. West Kelowna RCMP are investigating the incident which took place at approximately 10:55 p.m. in the Shannon lake area., say RCMP. 2/28/2010 4:13:43 AM
Vernon\North Okanagan - suspects arrested in an attempted robbery Last evening officers from the Vernon detachment arrested two male suspects after a report of an attempted robbery of a business in the Landing Plaza. A lone male entered the office just at closing time and produced a weapon and demanded cash. 2/27/2010 8:07:39 AM
Kootenay Pass Beer truck mishap They may have had some volunteers to help unload the truck, but it didn't come to that on the Kootenay Pass overnight. A semi, fully loaded with beer, lost control and went into the ditch. A security guard had to spend the night on the pass with the truck to make sure it was still fully loaded in the morning. 2/27/2010 8:04:36 AM
Mill jobs linked to logging dispute says Tolko Layoffs at a local mill are being partially blamed on an ongoing dispute on the west side of Okanagan Lake. Tolko Industries has announced there will be a two-week curtailment at the Armstrong sawmill starting March 8. Of the 175 employees, 12 to 15 may remain working. 2/27/2010 7:28:32 AM
Air Transat may land in Kelowna Kelowna city council will decide Monday whether to authorize the Montreal-based carrier to operate out of Kelowna International Airport. Started in 1987, the airline’s revenues exceed $3.5 billion. Air Transat is largely focused on tours to sun destinations like Mexico, the Caribbean and Florida. 2/27/2010 5:29:06 AM
Kelsey Serwa: Chasing the Olympic dream It seems we’ve been talking about the 2010 Olympics for so long that it’s hard to believe today marks the final day of competition for an event that was years in the making and has once again provided spine-tingling sporting moments that will not soon be forgotten. 2/27/2010 5:25:42 AM
Unusually warm weather not a figment of your imagination This week’s cooler temperatures and snow flurries notwithstanding, the first part of winter has been nearly 3 C warmer than usual. Kelowna Airport Meteorologist Ross Klock, said his research shows forecasters elsewhere are calling for the El Nino effects to continue for the next few months. 2/26/2010 12:08:15 PM
Kamloops: March 11 forum on gasification Thompson Rivers University will play host to one of the most anticipated public forums in recent years. The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce is organizing a forum on the plan by the Aboriginal Cogeneration Corporation to build a gasification plant in the city. 2/26/2010 5:55:47 AM
Kelowna: Fundraiser to help Caleb The community is rallying around the Lanz family as eight-year-old Caleb Lanz battles a brain tumour. On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a bottle dropoff is being held at Ellison Elementary School near the airport. Rhea Taylor is organizing the event and said bottles and donations are being accepted. 2/26/2010 5:47:47 AM
Dispute heats up between Okanagan Indian Band, Tolko Tolko is partially blaming a two-week shutdown of its sawmill in Armstrong on a blockade by the Okanagan Indian Band. “That‘s foohey,” said band Chief Fabian Alexis. “I know they want to create a sob story and blame the shutdown on us, but it‘s not true.” 2/26/2010 5:45:45 AM
Polio survivor caught growing pot for medicinal use catches a break in court A Kelowna pensioner who turned to a natural remedy to counter the long-lasting effects of polio caught a break yesterday from an empathetic judge. Police raided 60-year-old Kevin Donnelly’s home in Rutland on Aug. 21, 2009. In the basement, officers found 20 mature pot plants. 2/25/2010 9:55:36 AM
Short EnCana smokestack risks B.C. health: residents One of B.C.'s biggest natural gas plants is fouling the air because its smokestack is too short (by half). B.C. Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom said the government is aware, but said it presents a lifestyle problem, not a health risk. Some people living downwind from the plant aren't so sure. 2/25/2010 8:19:35 AM
Three Kamloops elementary schools to close As forewarned by the Kamloops-Thompson board of education, retaining the status quo is not an option when it comes to the sustainability of schools. This came to fruition on Monday night as elementary schools were dealt the biggest blow in the district’s reconfiguration plan. 2/25/2010 7:37:25 AM
Detained man says customs officer wouldn't call relatives A Polish man detained at Vancouver International Airport Sunday said he asked a customs officer several times to tell his waiting aunt and uncle what happened to him. But Pawel Marach said each time the officer told him it wasn't her problem. It was several hours before his aunt and uncle found out he was being detained. 2/25/2010 5:03:02 AM
Revelstoke RCMP arrest transgendered person for bank robbery RCMP received a report Tuesday that the Revelstoke CIBC had been robbed. The suspect entered the bank and produced a note which made reference to a firearm. An undisclosed amount of money was turned over to the suspect who then fled on foot. The description of the suspect given was a man dressed up as a woman. 2/25/2010 4:58:55 AM
Dog Euthenized: Bo’s day comes quickly A Kelowna woman says she‘s shocked and angry her dog was destroyed by animal control officials only hours after it was taken from her home. Karen Ziegler said Wednesday she believed the officials were only going to hold her dog Bo while the details surrounding attacks the animal was alleged to have made were sorted out. 2/25/2010 4:52:42 AM
Tolko takes blockade battle back to court Tolko’s lawyers will go before a B.C. Supreme Court judge to force the the Okanagan Indian Band to comply with an earlier ruling. If all goes well, the court will order the Vernon-area blockade be dismantled, though Chief Fabian Alexis said his forces will be there for “as long as it takes.” 2/24/2010 10:46:45 AM
Vernon turns page on library “The Okanagan Regional Library Board is very happy that this community will be able to receive the level of service it deserves,” board chairman Ted Bacigalupo said Monday morning as he announced plans to build a new library branch to serve the Greater Vernon community. (Ed: Current library building pictured.) 2/24/2010 9:59:27 AM
Kelowna man admits to bilking U.S. out of $369,534.60 John W. Chung could spend a year in an American jail after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $400,000 from U.S. taxpayers. The Kelowna man confessed this week to depositing an illegitimate tax-refund cheque worth US$369,534. The Internal Revenue Service determined the cheque came from a bogus tax return for “non-resident aliens” for 2006. 2/24/2010 9:57:30 AM
RCMP on the East Kootenay Judge situation Court scheduling may become a big problem in the East Kootenay...Recently one of the two Judges in the region retired....and the province has yet to appoint a replacement. Staff Sergeant Gord Stewart from the Creston RCMP says case delays could result criminals getting of the hook. 2/24/2010 9:43:53 AM
West Kelowna council agrees to rezone farm land for future health centre West Kelowna council has agreed to rezone land for the Westside Health Centre, even though the facility may not be built for some time. Council agreed to rezone the property at Brown and Bering Roads from A1 agricultural to CD-8, a comprehensive development zoning that restricts use. 2/24/2010 5:59:55 AM
Father who killed kids could be free in three months A British Columbia father who killed his three children but was found not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder could, theoretically, be free in just three months. But one criminal defence lawyer suggested Tuesday it's unlikely Allan Dwayne Schoenborn will be released. 2/24/2010 5:33:39 AM
Significant Peachland developments moving forward If a burst of new construction can be viewed as a sign of economic strength, it looks like Peachland could be the first Central Okanagan town to really shake off the remnants of the recession. Representatives from the Trepanier Manor development last week sent out a message that all systems were a go. 2/24/2010 5:31:48 AM
Relatives left in dark after Polish man detained at Vancouver Airport A Kamloops couple spent six hours at Vancouver International Airport Sunday wondering what had happened to their Polish nephew who was supposed to be arriving from England. "My wife was really worried," he said. "She was thinking about (Robert) Dziekanski." 2/24/2010 5:26:09 AM
German National arrested at Kelowna airport The RCMP Federal Drug Section in Kelowna assisted Hamburg Police Service by arresting 31-year-old Benjamin Rudt, wanted in Germany for allegedly drug trafficking of approximately 100 kilograms of marijuana and approximately 58 kilograms of hashish. 2/23/2010 4:08:04 PM
Feedlot to 1,500 homes plan too bloated for Kelowna council Land near a former feedlot will not be converted into a 1,500-unit housing development, Kelowna city council decided Monday. Council unanimously rejected an application to rezone 25 hectares west of Mill Creek and east of Dilworth Mountain to allow the high-density proposal. 2/23/2010 7:50:30 AM
Okanagan Indian Band’s fight for watershed providing an alternate image of B.C. Only a day has passed since the Okanagan Indian Band blockaded Tolko’s entrance to the Browns Creek watershed and it’s already become fodder for international news coverage. A German film crew was at the blockade near Vernon yesterday morning, said Chief Fabian Alexis. 2/23/2010 5:19:41 AM
Kelowna downtown development Zone 'in limbo' after vote A downtown revitalization plan is in limbo after Kelowna city council voted 6-3 on Monday to rescind its earlier preliminary approval. Councillors now intend to hold a “workshop” where they can discuss various aspects of the plan and, possibly, suggest a number of revisions to its details. 2/23/2010 5:15:06 AM
Lack of judges in East Kootenay Lack of Judges in the East Kootenays has prompted local lawyers to raise their voices. The provincial government has yet to replace a recently retired Judge and according to Susan Wallach a Nelson based lawyer the shortage will have a direct impact on citizens and the people's court. 2/23/2010 4:36:38 AM
Schoenborn not criminally responsible for killing his children Allan Schoenborn has been found not criminally responsible. "I find that Mr. Schoenborn did commit the first degree murder of each of his children as described in the Indictment, but is not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder," wrote B.C. Supreme Court Judge Robert Powers. 2/22/2010 4:06:24 PM
Kelowna man arrested in fatal hit and run case Arthur Horton, 78, was struck and killed by a vehicle as he walked along Sexsmith Road in Kelowna in July of 2009. The vehicle and it's driver fled the scene without stopping to assist Mr. Horton. On Friday Kelowna RCMP Detachment arrested 33 year old Dwayne Munk of Kelowna. 2/22/2010 3:07:48 PM
Revelstoke MP Jim Abbott announces he will not seek re-election Kootenay-Columbia MP Jim Abbott announced on Saturday that he will not be seeking re-election in the next federal election, ending a 17-year run as the MP for the riding. “I would like to thank all the constituents that I have had the honour of representing over the past 17 years,” said Abbott. 2/22/2010 8:18:38 AM
Kelowna: High-risk offender eyeing up plea deal The high-risk violent offender who was at the centre of a high-profile police manhunt in November may bring the saga to a close with guilty pleas. Burwell faces eight charges, including assault with a weapon, uttering threats and flight from a police officer. 2/22/2010 7:09:17 AM
Fire chief sees red when he sees gold The sight of a gold-plated fire hydrant may suggest the City of Kelowna has money to burn when it comes to street beautification. “It‘s not a good thing at all for people to paint over hydrants because they think they look nicer,” Kelowna fire Chief Rene Blanleil said. 2/22/2010 5:29:36 AM
Kamloops: Schoenborn verdict expected Monday The B.C. Supreme Court is expected to decide Monday whether a B.C. man who admitted killing his three children should face life in prison. The fate of Allan Dwayne Schoenborn, 41 is in the hands of B.C. Supreme Court Judge Robert Powers. 2/22/2010 5:15:31 AM
Kelowna: 20-year old Bryce Essler 'disappears' in Hawaii The search for a Kelowna man who went missing off a Hawaiian island covered more than 7,000-square kilometres before it was called off on Saturday. A memorial service for Bryce Essler was held on the beach of the Maui resort where he‘d been vacationing with his girlfriend. 2/22/2010 4:51:39 AM
Vernon: Good Samaritan restores woman’s faith Losing a wallet is always a nightmare when you realize you’re missing money, identification and credit cards that might be used to rack up huge bills. That nightmare was especially terrifying recently for Melissa Loring because she lost her wallet when it contained thousands of dollars worth of cash and gift cards. 2/21/2010 6:03:01 AM
Violent attacks on girlfriend gets Kelowna man locked up Two violent attacks on his former girlfriend that left her with a concussion and left her home in shambles earned a Kelowna man 18 months in jail. Judge Ellen Burdett described the actions of 32-year-old Brent Russell as “inexcusable,” and said they required the “strongest condemnation.” 2/21/2010 5:33:01 AM
Okanagan Growers desperate for solutions Angry Okanagan orchardists have given the B.C. Fruit Growers‘ Association executive its marching orders: Get help, and quickly. About 200 growers attended two emergency meetings last week to discuss options on how to pull the battered industry out of its downward spiral. 2/21/2010 5:27:18 AM
Update: Coast Guard calls off search for Kelowna's Essler A Hawaiian holiday has officially turned tragic now that the U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for Kelowna man Bryce Essler. The 20-year-old disappeared Thursday while snorkelling at a resort on the coast of Kaanapali, Maui. The Coast Guard said the news was “heartbreaking.” 2/21/2010 5:24:52 AM
Public to get its say about Westside health centre plan A public hearing is scheduled to take place this week concerning proposed rezoning for the site of the future Westside health centre. To date the municipality has heard little but support for the project, although some neighbours have expressed concerns about increased traffic and parking. 2/21/2010 5:10:49 AM
Okanagan Indian Band considers forestry blockade A dispute on the west side of Okanagan Lake is escalating. Members of the Okanagan Indian Band held a checkpoint on Westside Road Saturday to look for Tolko vehicles, and they also voted on whether to blockade logging operations at Browns Creek. 2/21/2010 4:54:21 AM
Cops investigate string of break-ins where nothing was stolen Ten unfortunate homeowners had their garages broken into, however nothing has been reported stolen from them. It is unclear as to exactly what thieves were looking for, but they broke into the garages of 10 residences in West Kelowna, searching for something that they apparently didn’t find. 2/20/2010 10:29:56 AM
Police suspect drug bust linked to organized crime Penticton police arrested a Kelowna man with suspected ties to organized crime Thursday. The 25-year-old man was carrying a half ounce of cocaine and trafficking paraphernalia when police arrested him in a parking lot just off Highway 97 in Summerland. 2/20/2010 5:33:55 AM
Surgery cancelled: Contaminated tool scare in Kamloops Elective surgeries will resume at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, B.C., on Monday. Surgical instruments that were about to be used in operations and were supposed to be sterilized were found to still have bone fragments and surgical cement on them from previous surgeries. 2/20/2010 5:23:22 AM
Prince George home invasion suspect slain A man who was gunned down in a snowbank in the front yard of a Prince George. B.C., home had recently been charged in a brutal home invasion, CBC News has learned. Police say Nathan Alicide Marshall, 27, was fatally shot early Wednesday on the1800 block of Hemlock Street. 2/20/2010 5:21:09 AM
20 year old Kelowna man missing in Maui The U.S. Coast Guard and Maui Fire Department crews are searching for a Kelowna man who went missing in the vicinity of the Aston Kaanapali resort on Maui Thursday. Rescue crews are looking for any signs of Bryce Essler, a 20-year-old from Kelowna. Essler was vacationing with his girlfriend. 2/20/2010 5:19:19 AM
1928 Ford Model T stolen in west Kelowna A thief is towing around a stolen box trailer that contains a restored 1928 Model T Ford inside it. The theft occurred sometime overnight on Feb 17-18 in the 1200 block of Brentwood Rd. in West Kelowna. 2/20/2010 5:15:21 AM
Olympic RCMP officer charged An RCMP officer assigned to security duties for the Winter Olympics has been charged with theft under $5,000 in connection with an alleged shoplifting incident in Burnaby. Charged was Staff Sgt. Suzanne Martel, a 19-year RCMP veteran stationed in Ottawa. 2/19/2010 5:32:46 PM
Kelowna man missing off Hawaii A search is underway off the beaches of Hawaii for a 20-year-old Kelowna man who went missing while snorkeling. Bryce Essler was in the water alone about 100 metres offshore from a Maui resort Thursday when last seen. Essler was on holiday with his girlfriend and her family. 2/19/2010 5:30:33 PM
Specialists help at Powers Creek The Kelowna fire department‘s high-angle rescue team was called Wednesday evening to retrieve an injured man from Powers Creek. West Kelowna RCMP responded to a report of a lost hiker after a man 911 to say that he had fallen down an embankment and couldn‘t walk. 2/19/2010 5:13:22 AM
Penticton: Valley Spellers take centre stage After weeks of classroom and school spelling bees throughout the Okanagan, Similkameen and Kootenays, 39 top-notch spellers are readying themselves for the Penticton Herald/Kelowna Daily Courier regional spelling bee on Saturday at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre. 2/19/2010 5:11:06 AM
Vernon a step closer to new library The long wait for a new library may be over. Okanagan Regional Library has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday and it’s believed that plans for a new Vernon branch will be announced. “I can’t say. It’s all in-camera at this time,” said Mike Macnabb, ORL director, when contacted. 2/19/2010 5:00:39 AM
Avalanche kills B.C. backcountry skier A B.C. medical doctor has died after he was caught with two other skiers in an avalanche in the province's Southern Interior. Ifor Thomas died Wednesday evening after he was dug out from the avalanche in the Trophy Mountain area near Kamloops. 2/18/2010 6:28:15 PM
Last pontoon queued up for demolition The end of an era is truly upon the Okanagan as the last pontoon was floated to the graving dock on Westside Road this week, queued up for demolition. And for the first time in a year, old pontoons are no longer floating on the west side of Okanagan Lake, north of the new Bennett Bridge. 2/18/2010 5:57:38 PM
Orchardists reeling over low prices Demands are escalating for government to throw Okanagan orchardists a life-line as prices collapse. Prices on the 2009 apple crop have plummeted below the cost of production, and there are fears that could force some growers out of the business. 2/18/2010 4:48:48 PM
Big White basking in Olympic glow As the world focuses its sights on Vancouver, one of the lesser known winners of the Olympic Games is making off like a bandit — for a couple weeks anyway. “General revenues were up by 25 per cent at Big White and Silver Star combined,” said mountain representative Michael J. Ballingall. 2/18/2010 4:29:53 PM
Nelson: Angry bank customer breaks door over reduced hours Tempers flared and glass was smashed at a credit union in Nelson, B.C. Wednesday when customers got frustrated over shortened office hours caused by a staff strike. One man was so angry about long delays in getting his cheque cashed that he put his foot through the front glass door. 2/18/2010 9:20:02 AM
Spring gets into the swing of things early One consideration has so far kept Judy Runzer from taking advantage of mild February weather and planting some primulas. “I see deer out and about, and I think, ‘Oh, boy, do I want to start fighting with them already?,‘” Runzer, of the Kelowna Garden Club, said with a laugh on Wednesday. 2/18/2010 6:20:47 AM
Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd, Chamber make nice Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd says she‘s had a reconciliation with the chamber of commerce. The mayor issued a press release late Wednesday saying she had met chamber leaders, and there was agreement to “work collaboratively.” 2/18/2010 5:24:03 AM
Starving photographer rescued from B.C. wilderness A wildlife photographer who planned to spend the winter living in a remote trailer in the wilderness of northeastern B.C. narrowly escaped starving to death after he failed to pack enough provisions. Hudson's Hope RCMP say the 42-year-old man was trapped for more than two weeks without food. 2/18/2010 5:06:53 AM
Kelowna: Thieves grab some very expensive snowmobiles. An early morning theft netted thieves some very expensive snowmobiles. Sometime between Friday nite and Saturday morning, a Ford F350 with a sled trailer, carrying 7 sleds, was stolen from behind the Mountianview Motel. They were all newer high performance demo models. 2/18/2010 4:39:19 AM
UPDATE: Body discovered on Mount Mackenzie identified UPDATE: RCMP on Feb. 17 RCMP release the identity of the deceased man. Noel Fraser Moore, 40, was from Ontario. ....Originally, Revelstoke RCMP say they have found the body of an unidentified adult male on Mount Mackenzie, and say that the body appears to have been there "for some months." 2/17/2010 2:21:18 PM
Chamber president displeased with reaction from mayor Representatives of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce aren’t pleased with the frosty reception they received from the mayor on Monday. Following a presentation outlining the business community’s input on the Official Community Plan, Mayor Sharon Shepherd said the report was missing the mark. 2/17/2010 10:12:55 AM
Kelowna: CD zone support a 2-way street A rally in support of a controversial plan to allow up to a dozen new highrises in downtown Kelowna is planned for Friday outside city hall. Organizer Nicole Rustad says the comprehensive development zone plan will bring a long-overdue transformation to downtown Kelowna.
It would allow for a dozen, slender highrises, up to 30 storeys, in specific locations. 2/17/2010 4:40:42 AM
Tolko to avoid Native blockade Tolko logging trucks will use alternate routes to avoid the possibility of Okanagan Indian band blockades on Westside Road. Vernon-based Tolko recently won a court case and was given the OK to harvest trees in the Browns Creek area above Okanagan Indian band land. 2/17/2010 4:34:07 AM
Kamloops hospital cancels 300 surgeries over dirty tools About 300 elective surgeries at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, B.C., were cancelled this week because of concerns about the cleaning and sterilization of surgical equipment, health officials announced Tuesday. "We are taking this extraordinary step to ensure patient safety." 2/17/2010 4:31:24 AM
Unidentified remains of adult male found near Revelstoke Police in the B.C. Rockies are trying to determine the identity of an adult male whose remains were found on a hiking trail. Revelstoke RCMP say a local resident was hiking on Mount MacKenzie last Thursday when he stumbled on the remains. 2/16/2010 12:49:59 PM
Kelowna homeless centre prepares for vacuum left by its closure Along with her staff at the Kelowna Drop In Centre, Selena Stearns has helped keep a lid on the activities along Leon Avenue for the better part of a decade. Known for being tough, but fair to those who seek her help, she’s also developed a reputation for being a thorn in the side of those who want to keep the area a drug dealing corridor. 2/16/2010 6:11:56 AM
Kelowna Hospital: Code purple has staff seeing red A surge of admitted patients crammed into the emergency department early Monday, prompting staff to order another code purple at Kelowna General Hospital. At one point, 26 patients who should have been in the main hospital were lying on stretchers in the tiny emergency ward. 2/16/2010 5:07:51 AM
Alberta snowmobiler dies in Revelstoke avalanche A man is dead after he was buried in an avalanche while sledding on a mountain in B.C. The 42-year-old man from Hussar, Alta., was sledding with a group of eight people on Eagle Mountain, in Revelstoke Sunday afternoon. The sliders triggered an avalanche in the area known as Eagle Pass. 2/15/2010 4:40:44 PM
Kelowna Night club owner feeling a little dried out The fate of a popular entertainment venue in downtown Kelowna could be decided on March 9. That‘s the date recommended by city staff for the continuation of a public hearing concerning an application by the owners of Habitat for a new type of liquor licence. 2/15/2010 7:09:29 AM
Kamloops: Gasificiation proponent admits communications failure Last month, the Aboriginal Cogeneration Corporation was issued an air-discharge permit by the Ministry of Environment to allow the Manitoba-based company to operate a gasification facility, where creosote-treated railway ties would be chipped and incinerated as part of an energy-creation facility. 2/15/2010 7:06:08 AM
Four more people rescued from out-of-bounds areas near Revelstoke resort Saturday Three snowboarders were rescued after wandering out of bounds at Revelstoke Mountain Resort Saturday afternoon. The snowboarders got stuck over some cliffs located below the Ripper Chair, in the same area where two people died just over two weeks ago. It is also where a snowboarder was rescued from last weekend. 2/15/2010 6:21:23 AM
Spallumcheen: Bigfoot RV to reopen He’d been with the company in its production department, and was its operations manager when the doors closed at the end of 2008. Now, Grant Bilodeau is the owner of Bigfoot RV in Spallumcheen, having purchased the rights to the Bigfoot product and production information. 2/15/2010 5:18:02 AM
Westside hockey president’s comments ‘disrespectful and inappropriate’ but not harassment The president of Westside Minor Hockey Association has been cleared of sexual harassment allegations made by the parent of a player after an internal investigation, but Scott Tipton did not escape the stern words of his own executive. 2/15/2010 5:14:19 AM
Province hauls local governments into court over $2,750 health care tab Looking to recover less than $3,000 it paid to treat a cyclist who hit a hole in the road, the provincial government has set its lawyers on the City of Kelowna, the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the South East Kelowna Irrigation District. 2/15/2010 5:09:50 AM
RCMP P.R. games: Oil company digging sour gas well 2km. from Ludwig property Weibo Ludwig said Friday night he believes the companies want he and his sons to stay away from a well that has just been dug two kilometres north of Trickle Creek, the farm near Hythe, Alta., where Ludwig lives with his family. The well is a high-level sour gas well. 2/14/2010 5:57:35 AM
Questions arise over lack of public input into mega marina With 800 berths, a dry dock storage facility, restaurants, hotel, shops, vineyards, a winery and trails all in the works, a member of West Kelowna council wonders why such a massive marina project has come so far without any public consultation. 2/14/2010 4:56:48 AM
Firefighters rescue man from blaze inside house West Kelowna firefighters rescued a disoriented man inside a burning home Friday night. When firefighters arrived at 10 p.m., they found the attached garage fully involved with the blaze spreading into the living quarters of the house and igniting a vehicle parked in the driveway. 2/14/2010 4:10:24 AM
CHBC TV employees optimistic following news that station has sold The atmosphere at Global Okanagan was a lot lighter today than it’s been in awhile. That was just another aspect of a tumultuous year for the station’s employees. They had already been dealing with potential closure for the better part of a year and those who are there today survived an earlier cut that saw 22 employees losing their jobs. 2/13/2010 9:22:05 AM
Community asked to rank gravel pit concerns Aggregate Task Force chairman and Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick said that aside from having technical staff identify the best sources of gravel supply for the next 100 years, his committee must determine what the community’s biggest beefs are when it comes to aggregate mining. 2/13/2010 9:20:15 AM
Memorial for Lake Country teenager set for Saturday A memorial will be held Saturday for the teenage girl who was struck down walking home from school in Lake Country. Josie Evans friends and family are planning to gather at George Elliot Secondary School then walk to the site of her death at Bottom Wood Lake Road. 2/13/2010 6:10:02 AM
Who, when to watch Okanagan athletes at 2010 Games in Vancouver Of the 206 Canadian Olympians competing in the Vancouver Olympics beginning today, eight will represent the Okanagan. Here are profiles for competitors that will represent Kelowna, West Kelowna, Penticton, Summerland, Vernon and Sicamous. (Ed: Kristi Richards is up first, at 4:30pm today) 2/13/2010 6:01:48 AM
Celebrate the Year of the Tiger at OC tonight It’s a couple days early, but Okanagan College’s International Education department will host its annual Lunar New Year celebration on tonight at 6 p.m. The student-run event takes place in the lecture theatre in the Student Services Building at the KLO Road campus. 2/13/2010 5:54:12 AM
Taxing times ahead, HST coming Some Okanagan business people are more worried than others about the impact the new harmonized sales tax will have, but most agree there is uncertainty about their economic future after July 1. That‘s the date the HST will come into effect in B.C. 2/13/2010 5:09:48 AM
Kelowna downtown re-development debate to start again February 22, will be the day Kelowna City Council will vote on the final reading of the controversial downtown re-development zone (CD21). The CD-21 zone encompasses a four block area of downtown from the waterfront/Abbott Street to Water Street and Harvey Avenue to Queensway. Mayor Shepherd said this has been a big issue. 2/12/2010 6:28:38 AM
Pine Beetle: Kelowna chopping down 1,200 Ponderosa pines The City of Kelowna is continuing the war against pine beetles by removing 1,200 infested Poderosa pines from city parks. "Due to warmer than normal winter temperatures, we are expecting an increase in infested trees this summer," said Blair Stewart, urban forest health technician. 2/12/2010 5:53:39 AM
House arrest likely for Kelly The man who killed Tyler Boyer with his truck will likely wait until summer before he‘s sentenced. Ryan Kelly sat quietly in Kamloops jail on Thursday as his lawyer told a justice of the peace that he‘ll try to secure one day of court time in early July for the sentence hearing. 2/12/2010 5:49:17 AM
Community service organizations brace for HST hit When the 12 per cent HST comes into effect July 1 it will replace the separate five per cent federal GST and the seven per cent Provincial Sales Tax. However, the new tax will apply to many things currently exempt from the PST such as commercial leases and some food items. 2/12/2010 5:23:34 AM
Vernon: Police warn of suspicious event Vernon RCMP are warning of a suspicious incident involving a middle-aged man and a teen age girl. Police spokesperson Gord Molendyk said a female student from Fulton High school was parking her car when she was approached by a man who said to her, “You should come with me.” 2/12/2010 4:42:45 AM
Apple growers frustrated by falling fruit crop prices There’ll be emergency meetings of valley fruit growers in Oliver and Kelowna tonight to discuss the low returns on last year’s crop of apples. Members of the Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative are just receiving the first advance cheques on last season’s crop and are shocked at how low they are. 2/11/2010 5:00:33 PM
West Kelowna: Amnesty period eyed for legalizing suites The law is being laid down for an estimated 2,000 illegal suites in the District of West Kelowna. Council approved a draft policy which will require that homeowners live in a home with a suite or risk having their tenants evicted and the suite shut down. 2/11/2010 4:57:32 PM
Kimberley to host environmental education workshop Educators with a passion for the environment are invited to Kimberley February 13-14 to take part in two days of professional development workshops, being coordinated by the Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) and funded by Columbia Basin Trust(CBT). 2/11/2010 12:34:36 PM
Accused rapist wants to see a judge as soon as possible The lawyer representing Alfons Schoenherr is trying get his client in front of a judge as soon as possible. Schoenherr, 60, was arrested Jan. 25 at his home on Alta Vista Drive and later charged with sexual assault, forcible confinement and robbery in relation to an alleged offence the day before. 2/11/2010 12:18:14 PM
Cops, bikers face charges after bar brawl Two Mounties and a Kelowna man face assault charges after a nasty dust-up between gang members and the off-duty cops outside a downtown strip club last summer. The two cops had been inside the strip bar when one of them “shoulder-bumped” an unknown man wearing Hells Angels colours. Local RCMP investigated the fight but didn‘t reveal it to the media last summer. 2/11/2010 6:21:03 AM
Kelowna: Controversial downtown highrise issue won‘t go away The controversial downtown highrise plan is the issue that won‘t go away for Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd. “It wasn‘t in my speech, but here we are talking about it now,” the mayor said after her annual state of the city address to a Kelowna Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday at Coast Capri Hotel. 2/11/2010 5:48:42 AM
Salmon Arm dad pleads guilty to drug trafficking in U.S. A Salmon Arm man faces at least a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in Washington state. Michael Barry Yuill, 36 — a father of two, was arrested on Oct. 7 in eastern Washington with 38 kilograms of cocaine. 2/11/2010 5:01:09 AM
Ludwig says RCMP treated him like a “pincushion” Wiebo Ludwig says if his DNA was found on threatening letters sent to EnCana after a series of pipeline bombings, that doesn't mean he wrote them. Ludwig has long been an outspoken critic of the public health risks he claims oil and gas companies disregard in favour of development. 2/11/2010 4:59:09 AM
Chiefs fight to keep sacred lake out of mine proposal Six chiefs from an Interior B.C. First Nation spend the next several days in Ottawa as they battle a proposal they fear will turn a sacred lake into a waste dump. Chief Marilyn Baptiste say the chiefs unanimously reject the draining of Teztan Biny. 2/11/2010 4:52:51 AM
North Okanagan 'Boil Water' downgraded Press Release from The Regional District of North Okanagan: Greater Vernon Water [GVW], the District of Coldstream [DOC] and the Interior Health Authority [IHA] are informing the residents living east of Murphy Road and Highway 6 that the “Boil Water Notice” has been downgraded. 2/11/2010 4:40:40 AM
Animal Trap kills family friend A spring-loaded trap killed a family dog on the side of a Joe Rich road on Sunday, and there‘s nothing illegal about it. Mike Miner was driving up Philpott Road with his two young daughters and let his two dogs run ahead of the family‘s pickup. The dogs were sniffing in the trees. 2/11/2010 4:39:21 AM
West Kelowna mayor cuts cheque Thanks, but no thanks. In rare move by a politician, West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater has turned down a raise. The first-time mayor refunded almost $2,800 to the municipality, which is the equivalent of the raise he was to receive in 2010. 2/11/2010 4:35:16 AM
Google eyes pry into Valley Tourists and criminals could benefit from Google‘s launch of its street view in the Okanagan, experts say. The Internet search giant unveiled a feature this week that allows computer users to view and navigate panoramic, street-level images of roads in the Central Okanagan, Vernon and Penticton 2/11/2010 4:33:06 AM
Missing Nakusp woman's body found in lake A Nakusp woman missing since Feb. 2 was found dead Tuesday. The body of 39-year-old Indrani (Indi) Ghosh was found during an aerial search near the mouth of the Kuskanax River, about 75 feet from the shore of Arrow Lake. 2/10/2010 5:04:34 PM
Grand Forks wants support on urban wildlife Grand Forks City Council is hoping to get communities in the Kootenay Boundary on board with their request for support from the Environment Ministry regarding urban wildlife. Mayor Brian Taylor says their deer problem isn't unique and the more communities on board with the plan, the better. 2/10/2010 8:50:38 AM
NDP applaud Kelowna pesticide policy The Kelowna city council’s decision to endorse a ban on the household use of toxic pesticides should be a wakeup call for the B.C. Liberal government to support legislation banning the unnecessary use of carcinogenic chemicals, says New Democrat environment critic Rob Fleming. 2/10/2010 8:32:11 AM
Mild winter puts illegal fishing pressure on valley bottom lakes Not all outdoors enthusiasts are skiing within bounds, sledding on trails, taking their licenses ice fishing and keeping their four-wheel drive vehicles on the roads. At least that’s what conservation officer Ed Seitz found on a trip up into the back country last week. 2/10/2010 8:30:23 AM
Penticton: New pest poses threat to cherries A new and devastating pest of soft fruits like cherries and grapes has made its way to North America and was discovered in an East Kelowna cherry orchard last fall. Spotted wing drosophila, a vinegar fly, can destroy an entire crop of cherries in a season, despite its tiny size. 2/10/2010 8:27:48 AM
Union seeks board backing The Central Okanagan Teachers Association says the Fraser Institute is misusing results of the Foundation Skills Assessment, which students in Grades 4 and 7 in B.C. write every year. The union wants trustees to help it oppose publishing how well each school places in the test results. 2/10/2010 7:05:43 AM
Vernon: Milestone Carnival creates memories Ten days, 115 events and thousands of happy people made the 50th Vernon Winter Carnival something to remember. “It was such a busy year for all of us but it was all worth it because we had such a good response,”said Sandi LaFleche, Vernon Winter Carnival office manager. 2/10/2010 4:40:43 AM
Off-duty cops charged after brawl with bikers in Kelowna Two RCMP officers have been charged with assault causing bodily harm stemming from an incident last summer when the off-duty cops allegedly picked a fight with an unknown man wearing Hells Angels colours. The incident occurred outside, after one of the officers “shoulder bumped” the victim inside, the club. 2/9/2010 11:54:48 AM
Pride flies high at UBC Okanagan About 50 people stood and clapped in the UBC Okanagan courtyard as the rainbow coloured Pride flag was raised and flown at the same level as the Canadian and B.C. flags. And there it will stay for the rest of the week as UBCO celebrates Outweek. 2/9/2010 5:07:32 AM
Woman likely blinded after Kamloops attack A Kamloops, B.C., woman may be blind in one eye following a vicious attack at an area hotel Saturday night. The incident happened Saturday night at the Knight's Inn around 11:30 p.m. It is believed the victim was visiting her ex-boyfriend in a hotel room when the assault occurred. 2/9/2010 4:53:49 AM
Drunk driver charged: 4 times the legal limit A man with more than four times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood was picked up while driving his car through Rutland on Saturday. RCMP Const. Steve Holmes said an officer patrolling in Rutland at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 noticed an older brown Toyota sedan. 2/8/2010 7:55:19 PM
Trial for the murder of Jennifer Cusworth won't start til September Three weeks have now been scheduled for the preliminary inquiry in the Jennifer Cusworth murder case. The hearing is set to kick off Sept. 13, 2010, and a judge will decide afterwards whether there is enough evidence to send accused killer Neil Snelson to trial. 2/8/2010 7:10:38 PM
Castelgar RCMP report missing senior on way to Kelowna Castlegar RCMP are asking the public to be on the look out for an elderly female who was last seen leaving Castlegar on route to Kelowna yesterday afternoon, never arriving to her destination. Mary Chernoff is 80 years old. She is driving a purple coloured 1993 Toyota Corolla. 2/8/2010 5:42:28 AM
Year of theTiger to usher in jungle power Ken Leung has dire predictions for the world this year, including Canada‘s governing Conservatives. Leung, a Feng Shui master living in West Kelowna, has consulted his charts and books for more than a decade to make predictions for the Chinese new year, which begins on Sunday. It‘s the year of the tiger, which symbolizes power in the jungle. 2/8/2010 5:27:16 AM
Kelowna Puppy trapped overnight on steep bank A puppy spent a lonely night on the bank of Powers Creek before firefighters rescued it on Sunday. The three-month-old lab-chow somehow got trapped 45 metres down a bank just off Glencoe Road. Residents living nearby heard it barking Saturday night, and a father and his son climbed down the bank in attempt to rescue the frightened animal. 2/8/2010 5:17:24 AM
Drunk Driver rams into vehicles in Kelowna parking lot An intoxicated motorist played demolition derby in a Kelowna parking lot Sunday, smashing five vehicles and making their owners fume. The 42-year-old man used his older Dodge pickup to ram the parked vehicles in the lot between the Kelowna Yacht Club and the Water Street Seniors Centre. 2/8/2010 5:13:08 AM
Kamloops: Assault suspect found dead Cops were called to the Knights Inn on Columbia St. at about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and arrived to find a woman with serious injuries to her upper body. Kamloops Mounties say the suspect in the attack — who is believed to be the woman's ex-boyfriend — was found dead early Sunday morning. 2/8/2010 5:10:06 AM
Kelowna finally gets an almost full-service passport office Kelowna will finally be getting an almost -full-service passport office, opening March 1. MP Ron Cannan said that staff have already been hired and construction has begun on a site in the Capri Centre Mall. The Kelowna location will not have next-day service because it has no local printing facility. 2/8/2010 4:15:47 AM
Vernon: Weapon produced in robbery Vernon RCMP are seeking a knife-wielding woman in connection with an armed robbery Thursday morning. She produced a knife at the Super-Save Gas station in the 4400 block of 27th Street shortly before 7:30. The woman was fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money. 2/7/2010 11:57:14 AM
Kootenay communities on board with Wood First Nakusp was the first community in the region to officially pass the Wood First resolution, and now Castlegar and the Village of Fruitvale have declared themselves Wood First Communities. Fruitvale Mayor Libby Nelson says promoting the use of wood is something the village fully endorses. 2/7/2010 5:26:30 AM
Kamloops: Pinpad scam resurfaces A number of Kamloops businesses should be expecting a visit from the RCMP in the near future. But it won't necessarily be a bad thing. The courtesy call is part of the effort by local Mounties to put a stop to debit and credit-card scams. 2/7/2010 5:20:14 AM
Tiger‘s troubles money in the bank Never did West Kelowna‘s Mike Caldwell think his golf ball collection featuring Tiger Woods‘s alleged mistresses would be such a hot seller. “I thought it would be fun and I‘d make some money off it,” said Caldwell. So far, Caldwell has sold 3,000 boxed sets, for a grand total of almost US$135,000. 2/7/2010 4:32:14 AM
Access to legal aid facing challenges The office of a non-profit organization that provided legal advice to those in Kelowna who could not afford it will soon be closed. The closure is the closest visible sign of a wider collision between an increasing demand on legal services and a decline in the ability to pay for them. 2/7/2010 4:21:11 AM
Terasen working to restore gas service Hundreds of homes in Kelowna‘s Black Mountain area remained without natural gas service on Saturday after a Terasen Gas main was damaged Friday by an excavator working near Highway 33 East and Traut Road. Terasen said 860 homes in the area lost service initially. 2/7/2010 3:30:34 AM
Westside Minor Hockey plagued by infighting, allegations Yet another Central Okanagan minor hockey association is mired in controversy and infighting while its president is under investigation by his own executive. Ryan Kineshanko confirmed for Kelowna.com that he is investigating an allegation of sexual harassment. (Ed: Atom team pictured here.) 2/6/2010 2:19:40 PM
Kelowna double-decker buses get up close to 2010 Olympics Seven double decker transit buses from Kelowna will soon be getting their 2010 Olympic moment, helping move passengers on the Sea to Sky Highway. B.C. Transit confirmed it would be borrowing the double deckers from Kelowna, as well as Victoria and Nanaimo, the only jurisdictions in the province that have them. 2/6/2010 7:18:54 AM
Pesticide ban no problem for most residents, says report Kelowna homeowners have embraced a new bylaw that restricts the use of pesticides on lawns, city council will hear on Monday. Nearly 80 per cent of residents are aware of the bylaw, and more than two-thirds of those say they‘ve eliminated or reduced their pesticide use, according to staff who conducted a telephone survey last fall. 2/6/2010 6:02:05 AM
North Okanagan Rail sale sought Officials in the North Okanagan are pushing to resurrect a rail line between Armstrong and Sicamous. The tracks have gone unused for months and while that's impacted local businesses, there is fear the long term effects could be dire. 2/6/2010 4:20:26 AM
Athletes bring Olympic spirit, cash to Valley ski areas The Olympic spirit is alive and well in the Okanagan, thanks to a record number of Olympians doing their final tune-ups on local cross-country ski trails. The most heart-warming story comes out of Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre in the North Okanagan. (Penticton's Apex/Nickel Plate ski area pictured.) 2/6/2010 4:19:08 AM
Update: CHBC manager says controversial anti-abortion ad was pulled before it ever aired Dennis Gabelhouse, general manager of CHBC, says the decision to pull a graphic anti-abortion ad even before it aired. Gabelhouse said from what he knows, the ad was created in the U.S. in 1989 and has never actually aired on North American television, despite many attempts over the years. (Ed: It was supposed to run tonite on CHBC-TV) 2/5/2010 4:48:00 PM
Kelowna: Alleged sex assault may have lasted 4 hours The victim of an alleged sexual assault told police she thought she may have been set up by a friend, Kelowna.com has learned. Charged in relation to the offence is Alfons Schoenherr, 60. He was arrested at his home on Alta Vista Road. 2/5/2010 4:41:35 PM
Penticton: Okanagan Spelling Bee Finalists Announced! After classroom and school spelling bees at schools throughout Okanagan, the Daily Courier and Penticton Herald are pleased to announce the super spellers who have qualified for the next level of Canspell competition, February 20, at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre. (Ed: Names at bottom of story.) 2/5/2010 2:39:00 PM
Lack of listeners puts an end to Kelowna country music station Country music fans are lamenting the loss of Kelowna’s B-103.1, but there just weren’t enough of them to keep the station afloat. “Country music isn’t viable in Kelowna,” said Bruce Davis, the general manager. (Ed: Penticton's Giant FM, 100.7 remains the top country station in the area.) 2/5/2010 11:15:12 AM
Vernon: City defends Polson Park plan The City of Vernon is fighting off claims it hasn’t listened to the public over Polson Park. The Park Environmental Stewardship Organization is criticizing plans for a new performance shelter and it insists public input on upgrades to the park have been ignored. 2/5/2010 5:17:39 AM
Northern B.C. teen charged in sexual assault of 9-year-old A nine-year-old girl has been hospitalized after being sexually assaulted by another child in a home in B.C.'s Interior. The girl was taken to Wrinch Memorial Hospital Emergency for treatment. She remained there Thursday night. 2/5/2010 4:40:34 AM
Kamloops Pizza driver beaten, bound A pizza delivery driver spent a terrifying hour on Wednesday night tied up after being beaten with a shotgun, robbed and left on a dark street by his captors. The Domino’s Pizza driver was delivering to a house on the Kamloops Indian Band reserve. 2/5/2010 4:29:49 AM
Update: No Olympic freebies for Kelowna's Mayor Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd has confirmed that she will not be attending the Olympics as a guest of the B.C. Lottery Corporation. The Lottery Corporation has offered free Olympics tickets to politicians from 20 communities where casinos or gaming facilities operate. 2/5/2010 4:23:54 AM
Mounties crack down on Kelowna dial a dope operation Members of the Kelowna RCMP Drug Section arrested three males in connection with a mobile drug trafficking operation in Kelowna. Members of the Drug Unit stopped a 1993 Green Ford Explorer in the 600 block of Lawrence Ave. after observing drug transactions from the vehicle. 2/5/2010 4:18:01 AM
This is why EnCana Corp. is unpopular in Northeast B.C. A report into a serious toxic leak at a northeastern B.C. sour gas well site has slammed EnCana Corp. for failing to be prepared for the emergency. Investigators said the sour gas well, located near Tomslake, leaked toxic hydrogen sulphide gas for eight hours. 2/4/2010 4:23:45 PM
Kelowna: Authorities investigate dumping above Mission Creek A case of material dumping above Mission Creek has drawn the attention of the City of Kelowna, the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the province’s Ministry of Environment. Authorities were first alerted to the dumping by a user of Mission Creek Regional Park on Jan. 20. 2/4/2010 3:52:44 PM
Kelowna: Woman has heart attack, dies while driving An elderly woman suffered an apparent fatal cardiac event, while she was driving her vehicle in the parking area of the Capri Mall today (Thursday). The 83-year-old Kelowna resident had just entered the Capri Mall parking area, in her Grey Cadillac sedan. 2/4/2010 3:38:24 PM
Omak, Washington man arrested for 1998 homicide and 2006 rape A 47-year-old man Omak man, who last month went missing after telling his wife he was headed to a store in Oroville, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of the rape and homicide of one woman and rape and attempted homicide of another woman in the south end of town. 2/4/2010 10:51:51 AM
Okanagan man uses Tiger Woods scandal for business venture An Okanagan man is getting global attention for his novelty creation. Mike Caldwell has created a collection of golf balls with the images of Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses. Gossip website TMZ claims one of the alleged mistresses may take legal action. 2/4/2010 6:58:05 AM
RCMP on Kootenay marijuana movie The movie, "Cannabiz," which focuses on the economy of BC marijuana and takes place primarily in Grand Forks highlights the dependence of the Kootenay Boundary and the seemingly futile battle by law enforcement to fight it. 2/4/2010 6:16:39 AM
Medal of Bravery for Castlegar boy Castlegar youth Cody Sloot is one of a number of people set to receive Canada's Medal of Bravery, at a ceremony in Ottawa tomorrow. Sloot is being recognized for his actions in June 2007, when as a 10 year old he travelled 5 kilometres through the wilderness to find help for his injured father. 2/4/2010 6:10:44 AM
West Kelowna: Budget axe falls on added policing, land acquisition Funding for land acquisitions and extra police resources were left on the cutting room floor after West Kelowna’s budget deliberations this week. Council opposed putting $1 million into a fund for future property purchases “to meet the future needs of the district.” 2/4/2010 5:41:02 AM
Court injunction allows Tolko to log Tolko Industries will be able to log in the Brown‘s Creek watershed on the west side of Okanagan Lake after all. The injunction states the Okanagan Indian Band, Okanagan Nation Alliance and others can‘t obstruct or otherwise interfere with Tolko‘s road maintenance, use of the road and timber harvesting. 2/4/2010 5:33:27 AM
Prince George's top cop ordered to apologize for harassing workers The officer in charge of the RCMP's Prince George detachment was ordered to apologize after several workers complained of harassment at the station. Chambers called staff manager Ken Corrigan a "bastard," an "idiot," a "water boy," and made a "masturbatory" gesture at him in public. (Ed: Another cop that should be fired.) 2/4/2010 5:27:14 AM
Mayors of BC cities with Casinos offered 'free' Olympic tickets B.C. Lottery Corporation – the Crown Corporation responsible for lotteries, casinos and other gaming in B.C.– has offered free Olympic tickets to senior politicians from 20 municipalities where casinos or other gaming facilities are located. 2/3/2010 5:18:31 PM
CHBC TV Kelowna pulls controversial anti abortion ads Okanagan television will no longer be home to the controversial anti abortion ads that gained nationwide attention. Kelowna Right to Life received word from CHBC Wednesday afternoon that they would pull the ad, after a few days of intense public scrutiny. **WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES. 2/3/2010 5:13:59 PM
Cranbrook: Fire claims life of Jim Smith Lake man The Cranbrook Fire Department was called to the scene of a house fire on Jim Smith Lake Road Wednesday. On arrival, they were advised that there had been two occupants inside the house when the fire broke out, a married couple, both in their 80s. The female managed to escape. 2/3/2010 4:48:49 PM
Clearing the way for spring The groundhog may have given us bad odds, but the City of Kelowna’s street sweepers say they’re already clearing bike lanes the weather is so mild. People want to ride their bikes and we should provide that service,” said Gord Murrell, roadway operations supervisor. 2/3/2010 2:38:38 PM
Update: Vernon toddler dead after house fire An 18-month-old Vernon boy has now died as a result of injuries sustained in a fire Tuesday morning that investigators believe was started by a child playing with a lighter. A grandmother, mother and two kids under the age of five lived in the unit of a four-plex. 2/3/2010 11:31:41 AM
Native chiefs reject results of Sun Peaks referendum Two First Nations say they do not accept the results of an "illegal" referendum that allows Sun Peaks Resort to become a municipality. "We absolutely do not accept the results of the referendum," Chief Judy Wilson of the Neskonlith Indian Band said Monday. 2/3/2010 10:24:47 AM
Semis collide near Revelstoke, 2 Calgary men dead Two Calgary residents are dead after a collision between a pair of trucks in eastern British Columbia early Wednesday morning. A semi and a tractor trailer collided about 25 kilometres east of Revelstoke around 2 a.m. local time, RCMP said in a news release. 2/3/2010 9:28:13 AM
Fire burns Vernon mother and children An 18-month-old Vernon boy has been airlifted to Vancouver hospital with burns following a fire on 24th Avenue Tuesday morning. Emergency crews were called to a four-plex in the 3600 block of 24th Avenue just after 9am following report of a house fire. 2/3/2010 9:23:54 AM
Pine Beetle invasion: Protecting the pines After two colder-than-average winters, the pine beetle is ripe to make up for lost time this year. With its milder temperatures, this El Nino winter is providing ideal conditions for the largest slaughter of pine trees in the Central Okanagan since the 2003 forest fire. 2/3/2010 6:15:57 AM
Meet Howard Soon, wine master of the Okanagan Howard Soon helped craft the German-style riesling blend at Calona Vineyards during Canada’s jug-wine era. Apparently, it was sweet and light enough to sip mountainside between runs without fear of a nasty tumble – Gatorade with a happy kick. 2/3/2010 5:30:42 AM
Kelowna Airport: Theft just tip of iceberg Sherry Cote not only has a cautionary tale about airport theft, but lax security behind the scenes. Cote and her husband, Kevin Jackson, lost thousands of dollars in jewelry and electronic equipment as they returned from a Panama Canal cruise on Jan. 23. 2/3/2010 5:07:35 AM
Salmon Arm texter misses the message, ticketed in Kelowna Kelowna RCMP want local drivers to know the grace period is over. This morning (Tuesday) a Salmon Arm resident earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first person driving in Kelowna to receive a ticket for texting on her cell phone.. 2/2/2010 4:39:00 PM
'Dirty' movie coming to Kelowna Some 10,000 people will soon see the movie DIRT! in the Central Okanagan, the organizers of this weekend’s REEL Change Sustainability Film Festival say. The point of the new film festival is to spur a change in lifestyle, to encourage people to adopt a more sustainable approach to the way they live. 2/2/2010 9:36:21 AM
Sex toy a ‘reprehensible’ Christmas gift for a 15-year-old girl, judge says Even if it was a joke, a judge didn’t think there was anything funny about giving a 15-year-old girl a sex toy and thong underwear for Christmas. Judge Ellen Burdett called the gift idea “reprehensible” Monday morning at the sentence hearing for 52-year-old Ronald Laverdure 2/2/2010 7:56:31 AM
Homeless man beaten by youths Several shoppers were walking to and from their cars near the 1800 block of Cooper Road on Sunday evening, but none appeared to notice a homeless man being beaten up by four young adults. RCMP Const. Steve Holmes said the 41-year-old man was attacked by four youths. 2/2/2010 5:47:43 AM
Vernon: Luxury resort opening postponed Vernon’s Sparkling Hill Resort has postponed their anticipated March grand opening. The 240,000 sq.ft. resort will now open April 30th, delayed by unforeseen difficulties of bringing in large and unique structural components from Europe. 2/2/2010 5:44:20 AM
Troubled lawyer to face judge Prosecutors want a man they say is a delusional stalker taken into custody fearing he is on the verge of committing new crimes. A Crown lawyer got a warrant for the arrest of Robert Michael Stainton, a former Alberta lawyer who is charged with stalking a Kamloops drug and alcohol counsellor. 2/2/2010 5:39:51 AM
2010 tax increase sliced to 3.8 per cent in West Kelowna Some extra money has been found to offset tax increases in the District of West Kelowna this year, keeping a bit of extra change in the pockets of property owners. Just over $243,000 was left last year because some one-time projects were not undertaken. 2/2/2010 5:14:32 AM
Kootenays: Drug-ferrying helicopter seized Police have seized a helicopter they say was used to ferry drugs across the Canada-U.S. border in the Nelson area in southeast B.C. The Bell 206-B Jet Ranger was seized last week from a rural property near Nelson and moved to an R.C.M.P. compound, police said Monday. 2/2/2010 4:59:57 AM
Truck crashes into Vernon house A elderly Vernon couple was roused out of their sleep by a pick up truck crashing into their home. The accident happened around 2:30 Sunday morning in the 2200 block of 24th avenue. The dodge pick up truck was stolen from the Kamloops area a few weeks ago. 2/1/2010 4:17:51 PM
Kelowna: Contractor found semi-nude in home Renovations may not be completed on schedule at a home on Lindsay Drive after a hired contractor was seen walking around the house naked from the waist down. RCMP Const. Steve Holmes said the 52-year-old man was let into the home Saturday morning by a 17-year-old family member. 2/1/2010 3:12:41 PM
Violent threats lead to arrest A confrontation between a shopper and homeless person let to an altercation in the parking lot between Zellers and Extra Foods in West Kelowna early Sunday morning. Shortly after 8 a.m., a man stopped to check what appeared to be discarded items or garbage under a transport trailer. 2/1/2010 2:56:00 PM
Pine beetle invasion still on, add in the Tussock moth Even though last summer’s fires are out, there’s some other natural threats which haven’t gone away, and in fact, are gaining new traction. The pine beetle, and new threat to Kelowna’s tree canopy, the tussock moth, are both set to explode in population, threatening over half the trees in Kelowna. 2/1/2010 2:42:59 PM
Bomb threat empties West Kelowna school Const. Neil Bruce Middle School in West Kelowna was briefly evacuated Monday afternoon after a bomb threat. Police moved in and found a note, scribbled on the wall of the boys bathroom, indicating that the school was going to blow up. 2/1/2010 2:27:26 PM
Westside Minor Hockey plagued by infighting, sex allegations Yet another Central Okanagan minor hockey association is mired in controversy and infighting while its president is under investigation. Ryan Kineshanko, second vice-president of Westside Minor Hockey, confirmed for Kelowna.com that he is investigating an allegation of sexual harassment against president Scott Tipton. 2/1/2010 10:39:43 AM
Hang up or pay up Don‘t answer that phone in your car or the long arm of the law will slap a ticket into your other hand. Starting today, police in B.C. are enforcing a new law that forbids motorists from using hand-held devices while behind the wheel. Those caught gabbing, texting or searching for music while motoring face a $167 fine. 2/1/2010 4:48:34 AM
Orchardists worry about their future A sense of deep pessimism about the future hangs over the Okanagan‘s troubled fruit industry, B.C. Agriculture and Lands Minister Steve Thomson heard Saturday in Kelowna. Low apple prices have many orchardists despairing of being able to keep on farming. 2/1/2010 4:41:09 AM
Vernon: New beach rings up $1 million tab There’s a price to be paid for expanding beaches in Greater Vernon. The North Okanagan Regional District has just spent $1 million for a residential lot on Lakeshore Road in Vernon. It has 50 feet of lakefront. The funds came from development cost charges and money set aside for parks. 2/1/2010 4:25:07 AM
BC Coroner: Blames snowmobilers’ deaths on underestimating backcountry Snowmobilers need to be more aware of avalanche risks, says the B.C. Coroner’s Service in a report about the 19 snowmobiler deaths last winter. Rick Given, president of the Kelowna Snowmobile Club, said that in the case of last year’s Fernie backcountry avalanche, a lack of education shouldn’t be blamed. 1/31/2010 4:32:25 PM
Prince George: SUV kills pedestrian on sidewalk, and runs away A 48-year-old man was killed Saturday evening when he was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Melody Crescent and Ospika Boulevard. Prince George RCMP say the accident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. The man was reportedly walking on the sidewalk when he was hit by an SUV. 1/31/2010 8:41:30 AM
Sun Peaks will not be hosting Olympic event Due to a dearth of snow on the lower levels of the three mountains that comprise Cypress Bowl in West Vancouver — which will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding when the Games begin on Feb. 12 — some media outlets had openly suggested Olympic organizers may be looking to move the events to Whistler or to Sun Peaks. 1/31/2010 8:02:21 AM
Rossland Bear Aware hoping for more funding Funding is looking a bit iffy for Rossland Bear Aware, however the society will continue to operate in 2010. Program coordinator Rachel Roussin, who will be stepping down from her post this year, says with no provincial funding in 2009, budget wise it was a tough year operating without the extra 14 thousand dollars. 1/31/2010 7:48:32 AM
Suggestion made that local politicians shut up It’s time for some politicians to stop talking, according to one local government association. Monday morning, Kelowna city councillors will discuss a policy paper from the Southern Interior Local Government Association which looks at ways to get SILGA delegates to zip their lips and get on with business. 1/31/2010 7:19:19 AM
Truck collides with new vehicles in dealership on Hwy 97 A man was taken to hospital after his truck left Hwy 97 and collided with a light pole and a two parked vehicles at Leckie Road in Kelowna Friday afternoon. Witnesses said the man drove his Dodge Ram pickup out of the Safeway parking lot, onto Hwy. 97, and headed straight across several lanes at speed. 1/31/2010 5:16:04 AM
Aerials champ ready for takeoff at Winter Games One of the Okanagan‘s brightest medal hopes is back in the hunt for Olympic gold. Steve Omischl, the reigning World Cup champion in freestyle aerials, suffered a mild concussion during a training session a few weeks ago in Calgary. 1/31/2010 5:08:53 AM
Invermere, B.C.: Panorama Mountain Village sold Panorama Mountain Village resort has new owners. Some are calling the sale a "move to fend off an auction" of former owner Intrawest's other assets including Whistler Blackcomb. But insiders said that this isn't the case at all. 1/31/2010 4:37:40 AM
60-year-old Kelowna man faces sex charges A 60-year-old Kelowna man was arrested and charged Monday with a slew of charges, including sexual assault. The other charges are unlawful confinement, uttering threats,
administering a noxious substance, robbery and obtaining sexual services from a person under 18 years of age. 1/31/2010 4:29:21 AM
Okanagan Growers seek aid over low returns Cash-strapped Okanagan fruit farmers need an emergency payment from the government to help them weather an acute financial crisis, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz heard Friday in Kelowna. Payments for apple and cherry crops have dropped significantly and many farmers are having trouble. 1/30/2010 5:36:08 AM
Game over for golf resort in Summerland Developers meant what they said when they announced they were pulling the plug on the Summerland Hills Golf Resort in a letter to Mayor Janice Perrino this week. Economic obstacles and an arbitrary deadline for the current option to purchase municipal land were cited as reasons. 1/30/2010 5:18:54 AM
United Way Just Shy of Goal just before deadline With only $4,000 to go before they reach their $1.3 million goal, United Way is pleading for donations. The books will closed Friday at 4:30 p.m., but they’re optimistic, said Harry Grossmith, CEO of United Way. "We’re confident. We’re going to make this," he said with only five hours until the deadline. 1/30/2010 4:48:13 AM
2 Ont. skiers plunge to deaths near Revelstoke Two Ontario skiers were killed after they slid over a cliff in an out-of-bounds area near the Revelstoke Mountain ski resort in southeastern B.C., police said. The accident happened Thursday afternoon. The RCMP have confirmed the male victims, ages 47 and 17, were from Grimsby, Ont. 1/29/2010 3:13:17 PM
Aboriginal school project taking off in Prince George The numbers at Carney Hill public school in downtown Prince George paint a bleak picture of native school life. Eighty-eight per cent of students enrolled are from first nations, yet their attendance rates are dismal and dropout rates are sky high. "We failed them," said Charlotte Henay. 1/29/2010 9:32:34 AM
Blackmore applies to intervene in polygamy case Polygamist leader Winston Blackmore says he would like to introduce extensive evidence of persecution and discrimination against Mormons when the B.C. Supreme Court considers the constitutional reference on polygamy. His participation would be conditional on finding the money to pay for his legal fees, he says. 1/29/2010 9:11:10 AM
Valley farmer outstanding in his field Roger Bailey of Kalwood Farms in Oyama was named the recipient of the 2010 Award of Excellence for Innovation in Agriculture and Agri-Food on Wednesday. Bailey was recognized for his mobile work platform that creates safer and more efficient working conditions in B.C. orchards. 1/29/2010 4:53:26 AM
West Kelowna residents band together to save beach access A public outcry forced West Kelowna council to back out of a proposed land swap last night. In December, council gave its preliminary approval to exchange a small piece of beach access, sometimes known as a road end, on Whitworth Road for a larger waterfront lot on Gellatly Road that includes a house. 1/28/2010 5:12:22 AM
14 Anglican churches could close in B.C. The Anglican Church of Canada may close up to 14 churches in British Columbia because of declining attendance. Bishop James Cowan of the Anglican Diocese of B.C. says its community numbers are dwindling because churchgoers are aging and no new members are taking their place. 1/27/2010 12:43:09 PM
Orchardists gather to discuss farming issues Both the federal and provincial agriculture ministers will address orchardists at the annual B.C. Fruit Growers Association annual convention in Kelowna later this week. Elections will also be held Saturday with incumbent Kirpal Boparai of Kelowna being challenged by Fred Steele also of Kelowna. 1/27/2010 7:08:38 AM
Pedestrian struck, suffers leg injury in West Kelowna At 3:14 p.m. Tuesday, a Honda SUV was stopped at the intersection of Horizon Drive and Westlake Road in West Kelowna Estates. The female driver, 47, from West Kelowna, proceeded to make a left hand turn, she failed to see a 44-year-old Alberta man who was crossing on the crosswalk. 1/27/2010 6:56:35 AM
Climate change initiative unveiled We can’t change drought, flooding and snow levels, so we must adapt to the forecast that will more frequently affect our lives, says Anna Warwick Sears. The funding will include nearly $300,000 for the Okanagan Basin Water Board to complete the third phase of the Okanagan Valley’s Water Supply and Demand Study. 1/27/2010 6:51:11 AM
Kamloops School Trustees decline pay raise (twice) The Kamloops-Thompson board of education has turned down a pay raise for the second time. The board is in the midst of consultations about possible school closures. In December, trustees unanimously declined a hike of 6.7 per cent, which would have boosted wages by $1,300 to $19,330. 1/27/2010 6:42:01 AM
Study ranks Kelowna 38th most expensive place to live world-wide For the third year running, Kelowna has been counted among the least affordable places to put down roots across the globe. Kelowna’s affordability was examined alongside 272 metropolitan markets in Canada, the U.S., Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. 1/27/2010 6:34:50 AM
Peachland: Fire crews find grow op On Monday, RCMP were called to assist in traffic control for a Peachland Fire Rescue crew that were extinguishing a fire at 6470 Bulyea Ave. While extinguishing the fire, fire crews located a marjuana grow operation in the basement. Police seized 233 mature plants. 1/27/2010 5:21:55 AM
Kelowna: Neighbours feel bottled up after depot confirms move The owner of Columbia Bottle Depots has confirmed the purchase of a building at 1314 St. Paul St., enraging surrounding business owners and residents. “This is supposed to be the new cultural area. You don‘t stick the homeless in the middle of it,” said Gene Weisbeck. 1/27/2010 5:18:58 AM
Penticton: Today is Wendy’s Dream-Lift Day Last year, $89,878 was raised at Wendy‘s restaurants in the B.C. Interior, with a sizable portion coming from the Penticton outlet. In addition to law-enforcement agents, local celebrities will be working at Wendy‘s throughout the day. 1/27/2010 5:08:50 AM
Former Vernon boy, Steve Fonyo's cruel fall from grace Erstwhile Canadian hero Steve Fonyo knows hard times. The man who once ran across Canada on one leg has done his share of time and wrestled his share of demons. Now, by ordinance signed by the governor-general, he is no longer a member of the Order of Canada. It is a spectacular fall from grace. 1/27/2010 4:55:06 AM
Ice palace takes shape for Vernon Carnival Vernon Winter Carnival’s new Queen Silver Star will begin her reign in a sparkling ice palace in Polson Park. Ice and snow carver John McKinnon of Nelson and his team started work last summer by visiting the site and making sketches. Now they’re hard at work with chainsaws and chisels. 1/26/2010 5:05:39 PM
No timeline for lifting boil alert in Lavington It could be some time before Lavington residents can stop worrying about turning on the taps. The North Okanagan Regional District expects that a boil water advisory that began for residents east of Murphy Road Thursday could remain in place for at least this week. 1/26/2010 5:01:13 PM
Kelowna student takes home grand prize Kelowna’s Steven Cresswell had a “just like TV moment” when he went to the Bridges Transitions Inc.’s Kelowna office yesterday. The teenager received a giant cheque for $2,500 thanks to his winning submission to the career planning company’s competition. 1/26/2010 3:26:55 PM
Update: Bail condition bans Mastop from practising law The B.C. Law Society will still open an investigation into the alleged misconduct of William Mastop, even though a judge has banned him from practising law. Stuart Cameron couldn’t recall any other lawyer in B.C. being charged with a criminal offence being released on a similar condition. 1/26/2010 3:24:58 PM
Olympic Torch gets big Kelowna reception (Video) City Park was teeming with locals adorned in red, white and all things Olympic tonight for Kelowna’s portion of the torch relay. By the time the party started at 6 p.m., thousands of Kelowna residents crammed into the downtown park to catch a bit of Olympic history and take advantage of the dozens of photo ops. 1/26/2010 5:36:09 AM
Kelowna 'traffic nightmare' coming this summer The three-month closure of Gordon Drive at Mission Creek will present major traffic headaches for commuters, Coun. Andre Blanleil says. “It‘s going to be an absolute nightmare,” Blanleil said at Monday‘s regular council meeting. 1/26/2010 5:23:00 AM
Premier announces $448 million cardiac centre for Kelowna Premier Gordon Campbell was taking advantage of the Olympic torch’s stop in Kelowna to celebrate the opening of a new UBC clinical teaching facility and to announce the construction of a new $448 million Interior Heart and Surgical Centre. Planning will begin immediately but it won’t be finished until 2017. 1/25/2010 4:53:02 PM
Kelowna area Impaired drivers keep cops hopping Although there were no significant incidents this past weekend, a number of motorists were given 24 hour driving suspensions between Friday night and early Sunday morning. There were 12 alcohol-related driving suspensions and 3 that were marijuana-related. 1/25/2010 3:30:50 PM
Wendy’s annual Dreamlift Day coming Wednesday Enthusiastic crowds are anticipated as the 16th annual Wendy’s Dreamlift Day draws near. On Wednesday, Jan. 27, all nine participating Wendy’s in Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna, Westbank and Penticton will raise funds for the Sunshine Foundation. 1/25/2010 11:12:06 AM
Jennifer Cusworth: Snelson awaits date for preliminary hearing The historical homicide case against Neil Snelson is inching ahead towards a preliminary hearing. During a brief court appearance this morning in Kelowna provincial court, Wade Jenson, the lawyer representing Snelson, told a justice of the peace that a pre-trial conference is scheduled for Thursday. 1/25/2010 10:55:04 AM
Premier packing good news and mitts for visit to the Okanagan It looks like Premier Gordon Campbell will be bringing some good news to the Okanagan today. The premier is scheduled to speak at Olympic torch relay celebrations in Penticton and Kelowna, and will announce “a major provincial investment to build a new care facility in the Okanagan.” 1/25/2010 5:53:05 AM
Troubled northern B.C. resort burned to ground An early morning fire has left one of the main buildings at the troubled 108 Mile Resort in the southern Cariboo a smouldering ruin. 100 Mile House RCMP Const. Chris Manseau said the building that housed the resort’s conference centre, restaurant and golf shop burned to the ground Sunday morning. 1/25/2010 4:48:45 AM
Rexin versus Rexin makes for Olympic irony The Vancouver 2010 Olympic torch relay is pitting a husband against his wife in this Southern B.C. town. While Ann Rexin was busily buzzing around organizing the community torch relay celebration Sunday night, a lone protester stood on a corner across the street. 1/25/2010 4:27:57 AM
Prorogue protestors ticked off over Tory tactic Democracy is endangered by the prolonged shutdown of Parliament as the Conservative government shows its contempt for notions of responsible government, protesters said Saturday. More than 200 people turned out at demonstrations in Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon to denounce Prime Minister Stephen Harper‘s decision. 1/24/2010 8:38:51 AM
W5: Behind the pipeline bombings in northern B.C. (Video) The Peace River country is a vast region that straddles the border between northern eastern B.C. and northwestern Alberta. In recent years it has seen a dramatic shift from agriculture-based economies to gas and oil development. This is especially true in British Columbia. 1/24/2010 5:50:00 AM
Friends of the Library revives book sale The revival of a January sale of used books proved to be a great success Saturday for the Friends of the Library. Close to 200 people were waiting outside the downtown Kelowna library to get into the big sale, in which any four books could be bought for just $1. 1/24/2010 5:28:44 AM
Campbell neuters B.C. government watchdog For a government that's run roughshod over access-to-information rights in this province, you can call this one the sour cherry on top of a very foul-tasting cake. Now the Freedom of Information Commission, an independent watchdog office in place to protect B.C. citizens, has suspended operations. 1/24/2010 5:16:14 AM
Towns elated to get peek at Olympic torch tomorrow Pancake breakfasts, musical performances, aboriginal blessings, flag-waving parades and salutes from former Olympians are among the events planned to celebrate the torch‘s procession through Peachland, Westbank First Nation and Lake Country. (This follows after the Penticton and area celebrations.) 1/24/2010 5:09:20 AM
RCMP arrest Okanagan lawyer for involvement with The Greeks crime group Vancouver Sun: A Vernon lawyer was charged with participating “in activities of a criminal organization” in connection with a notorious Okanagan gang, the Greeks. Accused of killing three people, the gang had dealings with the Hells Angels, and was suspected of having ties to the United Nations gang in Metro Vancouver. 1/23/2010 1:49:55 PM
Parole revoked for man charged in family slaying The National Parole Board has revoked day parole for a man serving a life sentence for the murder of a B.C. family 13 years ago when he was a teen. Chad Bucknell was 14 when he was charged in the slayings of his friend's adoptive parents and two other residents at their home near 100 Mile House. 1/23/2010 5:52:09 AM
Pre-Olympic: Victoria playing 'dirty tricks' with Privacy Commissioner's office Work at the office of B.C.'s Information and Privacy Commission in Victoria is reported to have ground to a halt after the commissioner resigned suddenly this week. Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis resigned unexpectedly Wednesday to take a job as deputy attorney general. 1/23/2010 4:47:06 AM
Aboriginal Centre opens at UBC Okanagan An Aboriginal Student Centre opened Friday at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. The province invested $600,000 in the centre, which was designed to reflect the cultural characteristics of the aboriginal students who will use it. 1/23/2010 4:30:54 AM
No new leads in Kelowna missing-man case After eight weeks, West Kelowna‘s Geoff Meisner is still missing. “The investigation is still active,” said Const. Steve Holmes, “but . . . there‘s nothing so far.” Meisner, 33, has been missing since Nov. 27. The father of four is described as 275 pounds, six feet one inch tall. 1/23/2010 4:25:06 AM
Million-dollar homes selling again in Okanagan Last year, while the recession raged, it took until May for the first eight $1-million homes to sell in Kelowna. In a dramatic turnaround, eight homes have sold in Kelowna for $1 million or more in the first two weeks of this year. Penticton has recorded a couple of $1-million sales so far this year. 1/23/2010 4:13:31 AM
Vernon, B.C. lawyer charged with gang involvement A Vernon lawyer who once headed the local Bar Association has been charged with participating in the activities of a criminal organization. William Mastop, 43, was arrested Friday morning in Lake Country and is charged with a single count of participating in the activities of a criminal organization. 1/22/2010 7:00:17 PM
Kelowna councillor calls for more conservation officers More conservation officers should be hired to patrol lakes, streams and wilderness areas of the Central Okanagan. Charlie Hodge, who is also a Central Okanagan Regional District director, told the board Monday night that until recently only two officers answered calls in the area. 1/22/2010 10:38:38 AM
More cougar sightings in Nelson Nelson Police say they've received a number of calls over the past day regarding a cougar within city limits. After Tuesday's discovery of a deer carcass on a residential property, further sightings have occured in the areas around Uphill and the Burlington Northern tracks. 1/22/2010 9:25:08 AM
Nelson-Creston MLA says lay-offs concerning With job notices going out to well over one thousand BC workers this past week, the MLA for Nelson-Creston says this may just be the tip of the iceberg. Earlier this week notice went out to 800 teachers in the Vancouver area and yesterday more than 200 public servants received their pink slips. 1/22/2010 5:59:34 AM
Jeep hits two girls on toboggan in Cranbrook, B.C. Two 11-year-old girls in Cranbrook, B.C., were hit by a Jeep Thursday when they slid down a hill on a toboggan and onto a road, police said. The two girls were taken to East Kootenay Hospital and then flown to Vancouver Children's Hospital with serious injuries. 1/22/2010 5:19:43 AM
Student rallying Valley to cause Kelowna will hold one of 52 anti-prorogation rallies taking place in cities across Canada on Saturday. The rallies are being held to protest Prime Minister Stephen Harper‘s decision to prorogue Parliament, said Christopher White, the founder of the Facebook group, Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. 1/22/2010 5:18:08 AM
Donation kicks off Y expansion campaign The Kelowna Y kicked off of an ambitious capital expansion campaign, announcing a $100,000 gift by Kelowna business owner Manse Binkley and his wife Anna Hunt-Binkley, who is also chair of the campaign. A press conference marked the start of the public fundraising phase of a $5-million project. 1/22/2010 5:16:05 AM
Kamloops: Judge threatens to evict Schoenborn from court A B.C. man on trial for allegedly murdering his three children was threatened with eviction from the court after he repeatedly interrupted his trial Thursday while a Crown prosecutor tried to deliver his closing arguments. 1/22/2010 5:11:58 AM
Are police going too far in trying to protect the Olympics? Heed says no The executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, David Eby, isn’t so sure. “We’re not convinced that this isn’t the intent of the tactic, to dissuade people from being involved in Olympic related organizing because the manner in which they’re doing it is very intimidating.” 1/22/2010 4:59:40 AM
Kelowna: Fire crews unsure if crematorium blaze had unintended victims It’s unclear whether a blaze this morning at a crematorium may have swallowed any unintended victims. Firefighters were called to the Springfield Funeral Home around 8:30 a.m. after flames apparently escaped a piece of crematorium equipment. 1/22/2010 4:56:14 AM
Coldstream Water: Almost Safe After over a week of unsafe water, Thursday afternoon Coldstream’s do-not-drink advisory was replaced with a boil-water advisory. Residents east of Murphy Road and Highway 6 near Vernon are advised to flush their household water and are under no circumstances to use the water before those procedures are complete. 1/22/2010 4:52:39 AM
Will $50-million biofuel project rise on KIB land? As the fury over a proposed cogeneration plant in Kamloops continues to rage, a second facility could be on its way just across the river. Raven Biofuels has signed a joint-venture agreement with Kamloops Indian Band that could see the development of a 30-acre ethanol biorefinery. 1/21/2010 1:37:58 PM
Olympic flame to arrive back in B.C. The Olympic flame will return to its host province Thursday afternoon after spending 10 weeks travelling across every province and territory in Canada. B.C. Lions head coach Wally Buono will meet former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed at Kicking Horse Pass on the Trans-Canada Highway. 1/21/2010 10:26:48 AM
Kelowna: Bottle depot prompts impromptu protest When the sold sign went up at 1314 St. Paul St. on Wednesday, Mike O‘Rourke‘s dander went up. The owner of O‘Rourke‘s Uptown Market across the street discovered the former Wightman Mechanical building, vacant for two years, had been sold to Columbia Bottle Depots. 1/21/2010 10:24:28 AM
Kootenays - Scuba Diving Fatality on ice covered lake On Sunday at 1:30 pm, Elk Valley RCMP members attended the scene of a scuba diving accident at Grave Lake near Sparwood, BC. Two (2) men had been scuba diving under the ice at Grave Lake when one of the men became separated from the other. 1/21/2010 7:43:38 AM
Vernon's Silver Star considers search fee Three Kelowna residents could be facing a bill after leaving a ski hill’s boundaries forced a search. Silver Star Mountain Resort is currently determining if any financial action will be taken against the 34-year-old man, 37-year-old woman and 11-year-old girl who left the marked area at Putnam Creek Sunday. 1/21/2010 7:20:54 AM
Kamloops: Province buys strip bar, hotel From a strip bar to an emergency shelter. The province is purchasing Kamloops' Rendezvous Hotel for $853,000 as a first step toward creating a new centralized co-ed emergency shelter with transitional housing options in Kamloops. 1/21/2010 7:17:35 AM
Police descend on anti-Olympic speakers in Kelowna The police took a special interest in an anti-Olympics speaking tour’s Kelowna stop last night. And while the cops say they are just doing what’s necessary to keep the Olympics safe, critics contend their actions are intimidating and an attack on the right to dissent. 1/21/2010 7:13:39 AM
Kelowna: Students demand safety Grieving teens at George Elliot Secondary School are refusing to let a friend die in vain. Classmates and friends have started a petition demanding sidewalks and streetlights for Bottom Wood Lake Road where 15-year-old Josie Evans was hit by a car on Jan. 13. 1/21/2010 5:07:46 AM
Crown error puts the brakes on Stephens dangerous offender hearing The dangerous offender hearing for Tyler Stephens didn’t make it past kickoff, after a mistake by the Crown prosecutor brought the proceedings to a halt. Stephens pleaded guilty to a series of sex assaults that earned him the title of the Rutland. 1/21/2010 5:05:38 AM
Former Vernon mayor Neil Davidson dies at 92 Lawyer Neil Davidson, who served as mayor of Vernon 1979-81, has died at 92 of old age. Davidson was involved in community projects before and after his stint as mayor and in 1997 was bestowed the Freedom of the City by the municipality, an honour rarely given out. 1/21/2010 4:45:52 AM
Student rallying Valley to cause Kelowna will hold one of 52 anti-prorogation rallies taking place in cities across Canada on Saturday. The rallies have been organized through a Facebook page attracting more than 200,000 members, nearly 8,000 of whom have confirmed they will attend one of the many demonstrations. 1/21/2010 4:36:53 AM
Son of residential school survivor catches a break Lingering complications from his mother’s time at a residential school bought a 39-year-old man a measure of sympathy from a Kelowna provincial court judge. “I didn’t do enough in the years since I’ve left the residential school,” she said. “Not your fault,” replied Judge Gale Sinclair, “because you didn’t know how.” 1/20/2010 2:19:40 PM
Norwalk outbreak hits Kelowna hospital psych unit Staff in the McNair psychiatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital are on heightened alert because of a Norwalk virus outbreak, Kelowna.com has learned. Dr. Paul Hasselback, the Interior Health Authority’s senior medical officer, described the number of people infected at KGH as “a handful.” 1/20/2010 2:15:16 PM
Prince George could close 11 schools Nearly one third of the schools in the Prince George area could be shut down. Anxious parents and school board employees packed the meeting to hear that 11 schools were on the chopping block in order to make up an anticipated $7 million budget shortfall next year. 1/20/2010 1:23:26 PM
Revelstoke - Skier lucky to be alive after skiing out of bounds A 31 year old male from Sweden is lucky to be alive after making a decision to ski out of bounds at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Tuesday morning police received a report of a man stuck on a ledge on Mt. Mackenzie. Ski patrol rescued the skier by using a helicopter and long lining him off the side of the mountain. 1/20/2010 6:49:57 AM
CORD board ready to oppose gravel pit On the heels of a town hall meeting into the proposed Pyman Road gravel pit in Joe Rich last week, the Central Okanagan Regional District added its name this week to the list of those opposed to the quarry. The regional district board noted the B.C. Ministry of Mines could approve the pit within the next couple of months. 1/20/2010 4:44:19 AM
Kelowna court: Crown balks at Capozzi deal Plea deal or no deal? No deal. Cameron Capozzi, 50, of Kelowna offered to plead guilty to manslaughter in the death of his 77-year-old mother on Aug. 18. Crown counsel‘s response: Not at this point. The preliminary inquiry will determine if there is enough evidence for a trial. 1/20/2010 4:41:57 AM
Joyous reunion as B.C. students finally make it home Seventeen high school students from southeast B.C. who had been stranded for days in Haiti returned home late Tuesday, grateful to be with their families but still thinking about what they had left behind. The students have pledged to continue to work to help the people they met in Haiti. 1/20/2010 4:38:39 AM
Mayors put Okanagan highway projects on province’s radar Local mayors want three major highways projects tacked on to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation’s to-do list, including a second crossing of Okanagan Lake. However, politicians clearly have a lot more lobbying to do before any work is done, based on the ministry’s feedback. 1/20/2010 4:28:35 AM
B.C. teachers face layoffs in funding crunch The Vancouver and Prince George school boards are considering widespread layoffs or school closures because of funding shortfalls. In Vancouver, 800 teachers with less than five years of seniority were sent letters on Tuesday morning advising them of possible layoffs next year. 1/19/2010 1:37:23 PM
Kamloops: Avalanche kills one snowmobiler, injures second A Manitoba man has been killed and an Alberta man badly injured in an avalanche in British Columbia's southern interior. The RCMP said the slide occurred Monday as four people were snowmobiling on Queest Mountain near Sicamous. The other two survivors, both from Alberta, were able to drive out. 1/19/2010 1:29:32 PM
Drunken stunt driving earns Kelowna man $2,100 fine Some angry and impaired stunt driving last summer in Oyama has cost a Kelowna man $2,100 and his driver’s licence. Judge Ellen Burdett meted out the punishment this morning in Kelowna provincial court and marvelled at the danger Adam Shaughnessy created when he got behind the wheel late on Aug. 8, 2009. 1/19/2010 10:13:02 AM
Two walk away from West Kelowna head-on The collision occurred at the intersection of Elliot and Broadview Rds in West Kelowna at 12:09 p.m. The 19 year old West Kelowna driver of a Red 1993 Ford Fiesta swerved into the oncoming lane and hit a brand new Subaru sedan being driven by a 65 year old West Kelowna woman. 1/19/2010 5:04:21 AM
Vernon: Just happy to be doing good To May Correale, it was a surprise for more than one reason. “I didn‘t realize I was doing anything special,” she said as she was presented with the 2009 Good Citizen of the Year Award by the Vernon Chapter of Junior Chamber International on Monday morning. 1/19/2010 5:02:40 AM
Kelowna: Heroes to all at bank lauded Two Kelowna men were recognized for their part in stopping a bank robbery and holding the suspect until help arrived. Gary Traub and Barry Heidebrecht received a Detachment Commander Commendation award on Monday. “It‘s just the way I was raised I guess,” said Heidebrecht, a 43-year-old general contractor. 1/19/2010 4:44:56 AM
Advisory eases in Coldstream homes Some Coldstream residents can now drink their water – as long they boil it first. Residents west of Murphy Road and Highway 6 near Vernon have been downgraded to a boil-water advisory, while residents east of that area remain on a do-not-drink water notice. 1/19/2010 4:38:33 AM
Man dies after crashing small plane in Nelson, B.C. The pilot of a small plane that crashed in Nelson Monday afternoon has died. The 57-year-old pilot from Trail was able to tell RCMP officials earlier in the day via cell phone that he had suffered a broken leg and other injuries but was unable to tell them where he was. 1/19/2010 4:18:26 AM
Police make arrest in weekend stabbing On Sunday, at 2:40 a.m., police responded to a complaint of a stabbing which took place at motel room on Lakeshore Rd. Investigation has revealed that a 21-year-old Kelowna male was stabbed in the neck by a 20-year-old Kelowna male for reasons that have yet to be determined. 1/18/2010 3:01:24 PM
Update: Missing Kelowna men spent two nights before rescue A 36-hour ordeal is over for two snowboarders who chose to ski out of bounds at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Police were notified Saturday at about 8:00 p.m. of the two overdue snowboarders. Revelstoke Search and Rescueconducted a search of the ski hill and surrounding area both by ground and by air. 1/18/2010 2:32:24 PM
Cache Creek: Natives urge Vancouver to incinerate, not dump Don't dump your garbage and poison our land, water, deer and salmon. That was the impassioned plea from Interior aboriginal leaders Friday who urged Metro Vancouver directors to stand firm against expanded use of the Cache Creek regional landfill. Ray Cameron said a nearby hillside is dubbed No Deer Mountain. 1/18/2010 7:58:21 AM
Vernon: Mayor Lippert re-elected as chairman of GVAC The chairman of the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee doesn’t believe his leadership was being questioned when he was challenged for the position. On Thursday, Vernon director Wayne Lippert was re-elected as chairman but Coldstream director Gyula Kiss was also nominated, prompting an election. 1/18/2010 7:53:46 AM
Revelstoke: Still no word on missing Kelowna skiers A search is underway for two skiers who went missing somewhere around Revelstoke Mountain Resort Saturday night. The two Kelowna men, both in their mid-30s, were reported missing by their girlfriends Saturday night at around 8 p.m., Staff Sgt. Jacquie Olson of the Revelstoke RCMP said. 1/18/2010 7:49:42 AM
Kelowna: Tributes pour in for teen Family and friends gathered at George Elliot Secondary School in Winfield on Sunday night to mourn the death of 15-year-old Josie Evans. The Grade 10 student was hit and killed Wednesday as she walked home from school along Bottom Wood Lake Road. Rain and foggy conditions obscured the view of motorists. There are no sidewalks or street lights in the area. 1/18/2010 5:41:11 AM
B.C. students in Haiti arrive in Canada A group of students from British Columbia and their chaperones who had been stranded in Haiti returned safely to Canada on Monday. One student told reporters at the airport that six of the 17 students and three chaperones in the B.C. group were not on the flight. 1/18/2010 4:52:38 AM
Bell announces forestry changes B.C. Forest Minister Pat Bell announced two changes in forest tenure at the 2010 B.C. Natural Resources Forum last Wednesday that could significantly change the bioenergy sector in the province. Bell said he intends to introduce receiving licenses and stand-as-a-whole pricing by the end of the year. 1/18/2010 4:50:27 AM
Warm days aren't causing orchardists any strain just yet It may have felt a bit like spring this weekend, but area fruit growers aren’t yet concerned that warmer temperatures will lure their trees out of hibernation and wreck their crops. "There’s still frost on the ground and it’s saturated with water,” explained Joe Sardinha 1/18/2010 4:35:57 AM
Kelowna: Olympic torch fires emotions Gayle Voyer‘s job is to get people excited about the 2010 Olympic torch and torch relay. She hasn‘t escaped its magic herself. The torch relay celebration co-ordinator in Kelowna admits that the first time she saw the torch four weeks ago, it was an emotional moment. 1/18/2010 4:31:24 AM
Stranded Kootenays, B.C. teens rescued; prepare for flight home (Video) Canadian Forces have rescued a group of stranded teen volunteers and their chaperones who arrived just before Tuesday's quake struck. On Sunday around 1 p.m., the group arrived in the capital of Port-au-Prince after spending more than four days stranded in the Haitian countryside. 1/17/2010 10:45:49 AM
Vernon award planned as a surprise affair Someone, somewhere in the North Okanagan is going to get a lovely, big surprise sometime soon. Sorry for the vagueness, but the media are sworn to secrecy surrounding most details of the pending announcement of Vernon‘s Good Citizen of the Year award. 1/17/2010 5:14:27 AM
Kelowna: Emotional homecoming for Haiti survivors With more than 1,300 Canadians still missing in Haiti, many are anxiously awaiting word that their loved ones are safe. But a few lucky families will be breathing easier this weekend after a homecoming in Kelowna. Ev and Al Hromek had been teaching in Haiti for four months when the earthquake hit. 1/17/2010 4:41:36 AM
Guilt as well as grief in tragedy A Lake Country motorist who hit and killed a teenage girl as she walked home from school Wednesday is now consumed by guilt. Police have not released the name of the man, who is in his 70s. Josie Evans, 15, of Lake Countrywas killed on Bottom Wood Lake Road during heavy rain and foggy conditions. 1/17/2010 4:34:30 AM
War deserter released from U.S. prison "If I had to do it again I would, because I'm not killing innocent people," Cliff Cornell told CBC News. Cornell, 28, spent four years in British Columbia before the Canadian government denied him asylum as a war objector. 1/16/2010 8:03:34 PM
Avalanche warning issued in B.C. Interior The Canadian Avalanche Centre has issued a special avalanche warning over a wide stretch of the B.C. Interior, from northeast B.C. through the central interior to southeast B.C. Karl Klassen said the avalanche danger in the area is high and "the risk of large destructive avalanches" is significant. 1/16/2010 8:00:52 PM
Kamloops: Organic farmers look for more income Closing the Loop — Keeping more Income on the Farm is the theme of this year’s Certified Organic Association of B.C. conference in Kamloops March 5 to 7. Administrator Sarah Clark says it was felt with recessionary times this year’s theme would be particularly apt. (Ed: The South Similkameen is a prime organic area.) 1/16/2010 8:30:20 AM
Kootenay students in Haiti awaiting rescue Kootenay Lake Superintendent of Schools says she won't rest until 17 Mount Sentinel School students are out of Haiti. American and Chileans who were in Grand Goave with the students have already been evacuated, and Superintendent Pat Dooley said she wants the Canadian military to help. 1/16/2010 7:57:08 AM
Coldstream’s Water Still Unsafe Coldstream’s water may not be safe until Monday, said Dr. Robert Parker, medical health officer for Interior Health. Residents have been notified not to drink their tap water until further notice. The Antwerp Spring well became contaminated with what is thought to be manure from surrounding agricultural land. 1/16/2010 5:39:45 AM
Trees in the orchards know it’s still winter out there Although some local orchards are experiencing flooding from the unseasonal rain, there aren’t any concerns about fruit trees emerging early from dormancy. Hank Markgraf, at the Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative, said at this point, everything is fine because trees are still dormant and the ground is still frozen. 1/16/2010 4:55:28 AM
Vernon Jubilee Hospital Topping Off Ceremony The new Patient Care Tower at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital was "topped off" with a living tree. The “topping off” ceremony is a tradition within the construction industry to celebrate the point where the basic structure of the top floor is finished. The tradition involves affixing a tree to the roof of the building. 1/16/2010 4:53:00 AM
Okanagan home of winter blahs It‘s not a date marked on any calendars, but Okanagan weather forecasters know when the Valley‘s grey winter days typically end. It‘s Feb. 21. “Give or take a week either way, Feb. 21 is when we generally see the skies start to open up a lot more.” 1/16/2010 4:47:48 AM
New gold, copper mines to spark B.C. economy British Columbia is on the cusp of a mining boom. The provincial government's environmental approval this week of Taseko Mines Ltd.'s $800-million copper-gold Prosperity project adds to a growing slate of industry developments set to bring some much-needed vigour to the local economy. 1/16/2010 4:33:01 AM
UN convoy visits stranded B.C. students in Haiti A United Nations convoy has visited 17 stranded Kootenay high school students and their chaperones in Haiti and determined that the best way to get the group out is via a military helicopter, a school official said Friday. But it's unclear when they will be evacuated. 1/15/2010 4:28:50 PM
Avalanche threat closes No. 1 Trans-Canada Highway The threat of avalanches has forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway in both directions from Revelstoke to Golden. There is a possibility the 148-kilometre stretch of road could be open again about 8:00 p.m PT, according the provincial transportation ministry. 1/15/2010 3:42:11 PM
Kelowna: No ice for Stuart Park It doesn’t look like there will be any public skating in Stuart Park this winter after all. The city’s original plan for the new park called for its ice rink to open by the Christmas holidays so residents could start making use of it even though the rest of the park wasn’t scheduled for completion until June. 1/15/2010 2:53:24 PM
Kelowna: Merkley gets eight years for role in 'sadistic' beating The eight-year jail sentence imposed this morning on convicted extortionist James Merkley exceeded the range suggested by the Crown. Judge Jane Cartwright cited a variety of aggravating factors as she passed a stiffer sentence on the first of three people involved in the violent and prolonged beating of Brent Doyle at the Teddy Bear Lodge. 1/15/2010 2:51:29 PM
Kamloops: Judge denies media request to broadcast Schoenborn interviews A B.C. Supreme Court judge denied Wednesday a media application to broadcast taped conversations between a distraught mother and the man on trial for murdering her three children. Justice Powers ruled there is nothing to be gained by broadcasting mother Darcie Clarke's conversations with Schoenborn. 1/15/2010 5:53:37 AM
Central Okanagan Fire crews flooded by calls A brief but intense deluge caused localized flooding around the Central Okanagan with impassable roads, a shut-down railway and some water damage to homes. Flooding-related calls began about 5:20 p.m on Wednesday and continued through the night, with emergency services personnel fielding more than two dozen reports. 1/15/2010 5:07:18 AM
Concern grows for B.C. high school students in Haiti The parents of 17 B.C. Interior high school students stranded in quake-ravaged Haiti got an email from the group Thursday, but that didn't end their anxiety. They learned that one of the adult chaperones is hurt, and that the group is worried about running out of food. 1/15/2010 4:58:11 AM
Coldstream contamination warning confusing The status of Coldstream‘s water was still murky at press time. Residents in the Lavington and Coldstream areas as far west as McClounie Road were advised on Thursday morning not to use their water at all after a boil-water notice was issued Wednesday. 1/15/2010 4:44:21 AM
Kelowna couple safe, sound after quake A Kelowna couple is on their way home from Haiti after their house was flattened in Tuesday‘s earthquake. Celeste Davidson saw her parents, Al and Ev Hromek, on CTV‘s Canada AM on Thursday morning and has since received an email assuring her they are safe. 1/15/2010 4:41:18 AM
Kamloops: B.C. aid to Haiti begins, anxiety remains A group of Kamloops firefighters, nurses and corrections officers plans to fly to Haiti next Friday to aid in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. "In our hearts, we know this is what's needed," said Fire Chief Niell Moroz, who will be among the group. Canada has a long history of giving aid to Haiti. 1/14/2010 1:54:19 PM
Joe Rich/Kelowna: Fear and frustration at Gravel Pit meeting A sense of powerlessness and frustration permeated Wednesday evening’s information meeting about the proposed gravel pit in Joe Rich. Many residents also took advantage of their time at the microphone to express contempt for a process they see as stacked against communities which want to keep gravel pits out of their backyards. 1/14/2010 6:13:02 AM
Kelowna Facebook group part of national anti-prorogation movement The power of Facebook will be put to the test on Jan. 23, when a series of more than 40 anti-prorogation rallies take place in communities across Canada, including Kelowna. “I think there is a time when the Canadian public needs to draw the line on what they feel is acceptable behaviour of politicians,” said Lisa Dahrouge. 1/14/2010 6:07:30 AM
Fatal pedestrian accident in Kelowna, 15-year old girl dies Police will have more to say this morning, about a fatal road accident
yesterday afternoon in Lake Country. A 15-year old girl was struck and killed around 4:30pm in Winfield. The pickup truck driver, an elderly man who didn't see the girl, is said to be devastated. (Ed: Story with no link yet.) 1/14/2010 6:01:54 AM
Tolko, ONA pleased by logging ruling Conditions set in Monday‘s decision to let Vernon-based Tolko Industries log in Brown‘s Creek are considered a victory by the Okanagan Nation‘s Alliance. “The B.C. Supreme Court has reaffirmed that the Okanagan Nation Alliance‘s interests cannot be ran roughshod by industry,” said Chief Tim Manuel of the Upper Nicola Indian Band. 1/14/2010 5:49:16 AM
Kelowna: Gov't Red tape 'sank my business' A Kelowna dog-grooming school closes its doors Friday, and the owner blames excessive red tape. Brandy East, 35, said, "It was the fees, and it was their demanding nature." Twenty per cent of her tuition income went to fees to PCTIA, even though she has only taught a total of 20 students since starting. 1/14/2010 5:09:59 AM
Kelowna missionaries missing in Haiti quake Friends and family are still waiting for word from a Kelowna couple missing in Haiti. Ev and Al Hromek have been doing missionary work there for several years and have not been heard from since Tuesday. Many people searching for friends and family have turned to Facebook pages. 1/14/2010 4:41:14 AM
Polygamist leader suing B.C. government Winston Blackmore, the leader of a polygamous community in southeastern British Columbia who has admitted to having multiple wives, is suing the provincial government for violating his rights when he was charged last year. Two separate legal experts, including a special prosecutor, recommended against charges. 1/13/2010 4:32:20 PM
Vernon: Demolition price tag is $507,000 Taxpayers will take a financial hit when a downtown Vernon building falls to a wrecking ball. The City of Vernon will spend up to $507,000 from land reserves to remove asbestos and demolish the Vernon Medical Clinic at 3909 31st Ave. “We’re pretty confident with the cost,” said Leon Gous. 1/13/2010 11:12:52 AM
‘I’m just kind of lost,’ says Geoff Meisner’s wife The wife of Geoff Meisner, who’s been missing since Nov. 27, 2009, continues to take things one day at a time while also trying to help the couple’s four young daughters through the crisis. “I’m just kind of lost,” Tammy Meisner told Kelowna.com. “I don’t know what to do.” 1/13/2010 11:08:54 AM
Kelowna man lucky to survive stabbing A 29-year-old Kelowna male is fortunate to have escaped serious injury following a stabbing that took place in the 3100 block of Lakeshore Road last night. Kelowna RCMP received the report, at just after midnight, and found the victim suffering from a stab type wound to his lower body. 1/13/2010 11:07:08 AM
RCMP ends search – and Wiebo Ludwig opens his door The day after police officers finished scouring his property, Wiebo Ludwig was acting as gracious host, showing journalists around the homes and outbuildings where investigators searched for evidence related to a string of bomb blasts in nearby British Columbia. 1/13/2010 6:20:22 AM
Kelowna/Joe Rich: Gravelly debate on tap tonight Measures beyond regulatory requirements have been taken to minimize the impact from extra truck traffic, reduce noise levels and screen the pit‘s appearance, said Tom Weisbeck. But opponents of the pit proposal say no amount of modification could make it acceptable to the majority of residents in Joe Rich. 1/13/2010 6:10:12 AM
Yellowhead Highway reopens after 12-truck crash The Yellowhead Highway west of Jasper, Alta., has reopened after an accident involving 12 semi-trailers and a sanding truck. RCMP said freezing rain contributed to problems on the remote stretch of highway near the Mount Robson campground. 1/13/2010 5:41:06 AM
Tolko told it can log Brown‘s Creek A judge on Monday granted Vernon-based Tolko Industries the right to go ahead and log in the Brown‘s Creek area, but with conditions. The Okanagan Nation Alliance was seeking an injunction to prevent Tolko from harvesting timber in the Brown‘s Creek area, on the west side of Okanagan Lake. 1/13/2010 5:01:39 AM
Kelowna: Home invasion goes awry A 52-year-old Kelowna resident made a wrong choice when he attempted to rob a couple in their home. At 4:30 p.m. Monday, a 29-year-old woman answered the door to her home, in the 1400 block of Hollywood to find the man facing her with a knife in his hand. The woman screamed, which alerted her 30-year-old husband. 1/13/2010 4:51:50 AM
Haiti: Students from Kootenays safe after earthquake Seventeen high school students from B.C.'s Kootenay region who are on a trip in Haiti are fine and all accounted for. Glen Campbell, the principal of Mount Sentinel Secondary in South Slocan, told ctvbc.ca that 17 students, two teachers and a parent arrived in Haiti on Tuesday. 1/13/2010 4:44:14 AM
Vernon Winter Carnival: 50 years in the making This year’s theme, to commemorate the special anniversary, is “50 Years of Carnival,” meaning a lot of familiar events will be around during the 10-day celebration, joined by some new events for all ages. Kicking off carnival will be the proclamation of the 50th Queen Silver Star Jan. 28. 1/12/2010 7:55:40 AM
Security? Kootenays dam to close during Olympics A dam in the Kootenays will close to the public during the Olympics, yet no additional security measures are being planned for two other dams in the region. The Keenleyside Dam, west of Castlegar, will close to public traffic throughout February, and security guards will patrol around the clock. 1/12/2010 7:27:22 AM
Olympic home rental windfall fails to materialize Metro Vancouver homeowners desperate to rent their properties to Olympic Games visitors have scaled back their golden expectations. An abundance of Games-time accommodation rental options has forced asking prices down and increased the likelihood that many properties won't attract renters. 1/12/2010 6:00:15 AM
Murder suspect stays silent A police officer spent a fruitless 150 minutes trying to convince George Nicholas Young to discuss the death of Joel Reimer, Young‘s lawyer said. “I‘m told by my client they spent 2 1/2 hours trying to get my client to speak about the matter (despite) persistent statements that his lawyer advised him he should remain silent,” Bill Clarke said Monday. 1/12/2010 5:55:26 AM
Training for jobless downgraded in B.C. Hundreds of British Columbians left jobless by the economic downturn have been told by the province they can't get the type of retraining they were expecting under the federal government's "Economic Action Plan." A spokesperson for the B.C. minister responsible, Rich Coleman, said he was too busy to answer questions. 1/12/2010 5:52:03 AM
Search of Ludwig's farm done, Cops still 'spinning' the story A massive police search of convicted oilpatch bomber Wiebo Ludwig's rural Alberta property in connection with a mysterious series of bomb attacks on gas pipelines ended Monday afternoon, with RCMP saying they left the farm with new evidence, but no charges at this point. 1/12/2010 5:36:59 AM
Kelowna Council 'passes the buck' on anti-idling law With several councillors expressing skepticism about a proposal to introduce an anti-idling bylaw, Kelowna city council punted the issue to an inter-regional committee.
Coun. Michele Rule had asked her colleagues to consider coming up with an anti-idling bylaw for Kelowna similar to one passed by Vancouver in 2006. 1/12/2010 5:22:37 AM
Mayor calls all hands on deck The fate of a downtown redevelopment plan is too important to be treated as a regular council item, Mayor Sharon Shepherd says. She took the somewhat unusual step Monday of asking staff to ensure that the matter is scheduled for a meeting where all councillors are expected to be present. 1/12/2010 5:20:22 AM
West Kelowna: Caught in a ring of silence Secrets, rules and more rules. It‘s not easy to host an Olympic torch run. Just ask West Kelowna. District officials only recently learned the torch route on Jan. 25 (it won‘t be publicly announced until a few days beforehand), and they still don‘t know the identities of all the torch bearers 1/12/2010 5:19:27 AM
Psychiatrist says he's unsure of motive behind the murder of 3 B.C. children One of the psychiatrists who interviewed a man who has admitted killing his three children in Merritt, B.C. says he's unsure about the father's motive. Dr. Shabarem Lahrasbe made the admission at the first degree murder trial of Allan Schoenborn in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops. 1/12/2010 4:56:46 AM
Crocodilian Crossroads: The Plight of Croc Talk (Video) One of Kelowna’s leading tourist attractions has reason for optimism that it won’t have to close its doors. The Croc Talk facility located in East Kelowna, home to abandoned crocodilians, African wildcats, turtles and tortoises, has received support from local companies since two supporters went public last month. 1/11/2010 6:12:58 PM
Volleyball player grateful for spike in community support A Kelowna woman is thanking the community for its support over the weekend. Tammy Thomas, volleyball player, is originally from Penticton, held a fundraiser Saturday night in hopes of raising money to help with her Team Canada training in Toronto this spring and was impressed with the help provided by the community. 1/11/2010 6:01:11 PM
Ministry bows to pressure from woodlot opponents Ministry of Forests officials have agreed to further consultation and to conduct studies on the potential impacts of a proposed woodlot in Joe Rich after hearing residents’ concern at an open house. After the meeting, a resident showed a television news story about a fatal slide that occurred in the same area in 1990, killing three members of the Philpott family. 1/11/2010 4:23:13 PM
Criticism over Gellatly Bay land swap A proposed land swap in Gellatly Bay appears to fly in the face of an alternative approval process, which Westside residents rejected seven years ago. That’s according to Westbank resident Jason Bednar, who was one of the organizers of a 2002 petition drive. 1/11/2010 2:50:50 PM
RCMP end search at Ludwig's Alberta compound The intense search of anti-oilpatch activist Wiebo Ludwig's Alberta property has ended. Police started searching Ludwig's family compound near Hythe, Alta., on Friday. They were looking for evidence related to six EnCana gas pipeline bombings in northeastern B.C. 1/11/2010 1:44:08 PM
Kelowna: Council to debate idle truths Kelowna city council will consider asking city staff to investigate other Canadian communities that have legislated an anti-idling bylaw. Coun. Michele Rule, who proposed the resolution, said it makes sense for Okanagan motorists to turn off their stopped vehicles. 1/11/2010 7:06:42 AM
RCMP finish searching homes on farm of convicted bomber RCMP officers finished searching the houses on a convicted oilpatch bomber’s sprawling rural Alberta property on Sunday, and moved on to other buildings. The officers have removed “quite a few” items from the Trickle Creek farm homes, Wiebo Ludwig’s wife Mamie said Sunday. 1/11/2010 6:54:32 AM
Joe Rich mobilizing against proposed gravel pit Joe Rich residents are always ready for a fight, but they are in the final rounds of an eight-year battle against two gravel pits and their chances of success don’t look good. Chris Terry, of the Joe Rich Ratepayers Society, is expecting a full house at the Rutland Centennial Hall this Wednesday. 1/11/2010 6:12:05 AM
One dead in Sunday night carriage house fire in Kelowna Kelowna Fire Department press release: - At approximately 7 p.m. Sunday evening, crews from the Kelowna Fire Department responded to a rural area in 1800 block of Belgo Rd. for a 9-1-1 report of a carriage house type of structure, fully involved with fire. 1/11/2010 6:07:29 AM
Kelowna murder suspect stopped on bus in Brandon Police have arrested the man wanted for the murder of Joel Reimer and flown him back to Kelowna by private jet. George Nicholas Young, 29, was riding on a Greyhound bus to Ontario on Friday when the RCMP picked him up as he stood outside smoking a cigarette near Brandon, Man. 1/11/2010 5:28:46 AM
Ludwig talks of '10-hour drilling' by police Anti-oilpatch activist Wiebo Ludwig says police interrogated him for 10 hours after arresting him as part of an investigation into a series of gas pipeline bombings in British Columbia. The Alberta farmer was arrested Friday and held overnight in jail, but he was released early Saturday. 1/10/2010 5:40:06 PM
Weekend avalanche warning issued in B.C. Skiers, hikers and snowmobilers are warned to be extra careful this weekend due to a reported risk of avalanches in most mountainous areas of B.C. Officials say recreational adventurers face significant danger in the province's backcountry and should take precautions. 1/10/2010 7:22:55 AM
Kelowna farmers take their produce indoors A farmers‘ market in January in the Okanagan? Why not? Bring it in from the cold and snow into the Parkinson Recreation Centre and call it the Indoor Kelowna Farmers Market. This was the first Indoor Kelowna Farmers Market for 2010. There will be 10 more this winter, all on Saturdays. 1/10/2010 5:31:21 AM
Police catch man suspected of Kelowna New Years murder Update, Saturday: Kelowna Police said that they have taken George Nicholas Young into custody Friday. Kelowna RCMP confirm that he has been remanded in custody and is expected to make a court appearance this week. More details will be released Monday. 1/10/2010 4:58:48 AM
Cops let Weibo Ludwig go After hours of police interrogation, controversial oilpatch activist Wiebo Ludwig walked out of an Alberta police station facing no charges Saturday — Police arrested him yesterday, but no charges were laid against him and police continue to search his Trickle Creek property. 1/9/2010 10:57:39 AM
Convicted bomber Ludwig arrested in B.C. pipeline blasts No charges have been laid against Wiebo Ludwig, an Alberta activist convicted of bombing oil and gas wells in the 1990s who was arrested Friday in connection with recent bombings at EnCana pipelines in northeastern B.C. "That's going to be a wait-and-see situation," said Sgt. Tim Shields. 1/9/2010 6:10:40 AM
The killer app that busted ski-resort snow jobs Do you want to know how much fresh powder has really fallen on your favourite ski hill? There's an app for that. Ski resorts have for years pulled a subtle snow job on their customers, routinely inflating how much new snow falls. Once the app was embraced around a year ago, the snow jobs suddenly ceased. 1/9/2010 5:38:56 AM
West Kelowna crash sends three to hospital RCMP are still investigating a two-vehicle accident at Boucherie Road and Highway 97 that has caused single lane traffic. The accident involved a grey Toyota Matrix and a red truck. The two occupants of the Toyota and single occupant of the truck have been taken to hospital. 1/9/2010 5:11:11 AM
Jobs picture getting worse before it gets better Last month in the Thompson-Okanagan, 21,400 people were jobless, a jump from 18,100 in November. That translates to an unemployment rate of 7.4 per cent in December, up from 6.3 per cent the month before and 6.2 per cent in December 2008. 1/9/2010 5:08:54 AM
Paramedics seek to oust (biased?) adjudicator B.C.’s paramedics are seeking to quash the appointment of longtime bureaucrat Chris Trumpy to investigate their lengthy and bitter labour dispute. The province’s 3,400 ambulance paramedics went on strike in April and remained off the job until they were ordered back to work. 1/8/2010 3:44:32 PM
Struggling rancher at loggerheads over clear-cutting Randy Saugstad is waiting for the flood. Then he'll be waiting for the drought. The Williams Lake-area cattle rancher says the BC Liberals' controversial makeover of the province's logging regulations is going to spell disaster. So he's been fighting Tolko Industries, the Vernon-based logging company. 1/8/2010 3:19:24 PM
Wiebo Ludwig arrested in B.C. pipeline attacks Wiebo Ludwig, an Alberta farmer who spent nearly two years in prison on charges related to bombings against oil and gas wells, was taken into custody around 8 a.m. Friday morning on his Hythe, Alta., farm, about 25 kilometres east of the B.C.-Alberta border. 1/8/2010 11:05:51 AM
B.C.'s unemployment rate creeps up in December British Columbia's unemployment rate edged up slightly in December, from 8.3 per cent the previous month to 8.4 per cent, Statistics Canada reported Friday. The westernmost province shed mostly part-time jobs while full-time employment increased by 6.9 per cent. 1/8/2010 7:49:35 AM
Kamloops: In a word? Dry You’d have to go back to the days when Lester Pearson was prime minister, the Vancouver Canucks were still an NHL dream and North Kamloops was merging with its counterpart across the Thompson River to find a drier summer than 2009. Last year was the second-driest on record. 1/8/2010 6:23:34 AM
Kelowna puts city back in civic awards The focus should be squarely on City of Kelowna residents at this year‘s civic and community awards. Eligibility criteria has been re-jigged to ensure only people who live within city boundaries can receive one of the major awards. 1/8/2010 6:18:33 AM
UBC Okanagan Students cut off Dozens if not hundreds of UBC Okanagan students are struggling to find a way to school this year after students returning to the campus for spring semester discovered cycling access to the university has been cut off. Over the Christmas holidays, residents along Curtis Road in Glenmore locked off a gate along the private road. 1/8/2010 5:34:14 AM
Kelowna Cop car collision A police cruiser was smashed by a Jeep while travelling through a red light intersection with its lights and sirens going. RCMP Const. Steve Holmes said the cruiser was hit at the intersection of Harvey Avenue and Cooper Street on Wednesday, just before 6 p.m. 1/8/2010 5:32:29 AM
Lake Country: Torch to be welcomed The District of Lake Country will welcome the Olympic torch to the municipality later this month. According to the municipality, the torch will pass through two parts of the community, Winfield and Oyama, on the morning of Jan. 26. And Lake Country plans to celebrate 1/8/2010 5:27:34 AM
Province puts conditions on Kelowna's downtown redevelopment plan After mulling over Kelowna’s controversial downtown redevelopment plan for more than a year, the province has decided the city needs to make infrastructure improvements in order to get it approved. The plan would create a four block downtown area where high rises up to 27 storeys would be built. 1/7/2010 6:59:05 PM
Still no word on cause of faulty joint on Bennett Bridge Almost six months after an expansion joint on the new Bennett Bridge prematurely wore out, the province’s Ministry of Transportation still does not know what caused the problem. Maintenance workers discovered the faulty joint on July 8, about 14 months after the bridge opened. 1/7/2010 11:23:29 AM
Snowpack levels rebounding nicely after near-drought Coming off what was a dryer-than-normal 2008-09 season, snowpack levels in the Okanagan have rebounded nicely, which bodes well for agriculture. “I don’t see a problem,” said president Joe Sardinha. The snow that has come and gone thus far has replenished soil moisture already, he explained. 1/7/2010 11:21:26 AM
Kelowna: Work to a good cause In life, Jack Messett couldn‘t bear to part with any of the landscape and abstract paintings he‘d created. But since he died last year, his daughters have donated the entire collection, more than 150 pieces, to the Central Okanagan Hospice Association to be used this year in various fundraising efforts. 1/7/2010 7:05:47 AM
Green light for Cache Creek landfill casts doubt on incineration Metro Vancouver's aim to incinerate more garbage instead of dumping it is in doubt now that a huge expansion of the Cache Creek regional landfill has won environmental approval. The $100-million 42-hectare expansion would extend the lifespan of the nearly full dump by another 17 to 25 years. 1/7/2010 6:21:51 AM
Truck stolen from Vernon school district compound RCMP are on the lookout for a stolen Vernon School District pick-up truck. The vehicle was taken from the district’s locked compound on 15th Street sometime on Dec. 31. “Someone cut a hole in the chain link fence at the compound and stole the truck,” said Vernon RCMP spokesman Gord Molendyk. 1/7/2010 6:14:19 AM
Prince George: Ice delays search for missing man in hangar fire Large amounts of frozen water from an airport hangar fire are holding up the search for Vernon Martin in Prince George. Martin, 55, who owned the NT Air hangar, hasn't been seen since the old wooden building was destroyed in a massive conflagration on Dec. 19. 1/7/2010 6:04:42 AM
Kelowna: Violence a constant in Young’s life The man charged with deliberately driving over Joel Reimer has a violent temper that spurred him to stab five men since 2000. Police were still looking on Wednesday for George Nicholas Young, 29, after Reimer was crushed under a van after a New Year‘s Eve party. 1/7/2010 5:26:07 AM
Still lots – and time – to apply for grant The dream of a new home with room for a growing family has finally come true for Tara and Jason Brisson. In April, the couple and their four-year-old daughter, Riley, will move into a house personalized to their needs, and it is all thanks to Project Build II. 1/7/2010 4:51:28 AM
Constituents say Hayes has poor communication skills A political storm is brewing as accusations fly over how inaccessible new Joe Rich/Ellison director Kelly Hayes seems to have become. “If residents call him, he won’t return calls and he has never consulted with the community with any of the decisions made at the board table.” 1/6/2010 6:46:02 PM
Mountie to name son after boy who escaped cougar The RCMP officer who shot a cougar in Boston Bar, B.C., to save the life of a cherished family dog says he will name his son after the dog's young owner. Gravelle said the incident has helped him and his wife pick a name for their child. 1/6/2010 10:52:51 AM
Quesnel: 180 to lose jobs in Canfor's B.C. cutbacks Canfor announced on Tuesday it would indefinitely curtail production at its sawmill in the northern Cariboo community of Quesnel. "In this situation, we're not shutting the mill down cold, so it is still a curtailment, but it's of an undetermined period of time," said Dave Lefebvre. 1/6/2010 10:21:07 AM
Body of avalanche victim recovered near Rossland Search and rescue teams recovered the body Tuesday of B.C.'s first avalanche victim of the year near Rossland. The Alberta man, in his mid-30s, was one of four skiers who used snowmobiles to get into the backcountry when disaster struck Monday afternoon. 1/6/2010 5:23:03 AM
Recycling revolves around real estate Those who use the bottle depot at 2914 Pandosy St. better get used to the idea of travelling greater distances in the interest of recycling. Columbia Bottle Depots was able to negotiate a three-month extension on its lease until the end of March. 1/6/2010 5:22:14 AM
Active citizens backing Kelowna GamesTown bid Kelowna residents seem quite keen on helping the city win a provincial competition that is offering $100,000 to upgrade sports facilities. Kelowna is one of 10 finalists in the GamesTown 2010 challenge, the government announced Tuesday. 1/6/2010 5:19:56 AM
Kelowna Murder suspect carries long, violent record The second-degree murder charge against George Young is just the latest addition to his long and violent criminal history. Young is accused in the Jan. 1 death of Joel Reimer, whose body was discovered around 8 a.m. under an idling minivan. A Canada-wide arrest warrant has now been issued. 1/5/2010 2:45:55 PM
Alberta skier dies in avalanche near Rossland Monday An Alberta man has died in an avalanche while skiing with three other back-country enthusiasts in the Mt. Mackie area near Rossland, B.C. Trail RCMP say the group were on a non-commercial ski outing when the avalanche struck. Three other men from Alberta and B.C. escaped the slide 1/5/2010 10:38:28 AM
Guilty plea in greenhouse grow op One of the five men charged in connection with an elaborate grow op near Beaverdell has confessed to the crime. Phuc Tran and the four other men were scheduled to begin their trial in Kelowna on Monday, more than a year after police swooped down on them. 1/5/2010 5:25:00 AM
Congestion, budget cuts mean KGH surgeries routinely postponed Doug Illman waited close to three months for his Dec. 18 surgery date at Kelowna General Hospital to roll around. Illman, the owner of Croc-Talk, had a shoulder injury which prevented him from lifting his arm up past his chest or carrying any weight, so he was anxious to get the operation done. 1/5/2010 5:21:49 AM
B.C. Assessment: Values hold across the Valley The average home in Kelowna dropped in assessed value by about three per cent in the past year, new figures show. West Kelowna residences dropped in assessed value by four per cent, Lake Country homes 2.7 per cent and Peachland residential assessments were virtually unchanged. 1/5/2010 5:18:59 AM
B.C. drug kingpin marked for death Colin Martin of Malakwa B.C. (east of Salmon Arm), a self-confessed drug kingpin knew the risk he was taking when he offered to help American DEA Agents. What Martin did not anticipate was that his offer would be made public in the court documents filed in Seattle three days before Christmas. 1/5/2010 5:13:55 AM
Peachland bankrobber pleads guilty in U.S. court to assault and trying to hire hit man Former U.S. Army Ranger Luke Elliott Sommer, 22, of Peachland, B.C., pleaded guilty Monday in a Seattle court to assault with a deadly weapon and solicitation of a crime of violence, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a release. 1/5/2010 5:08:11 AM
Boy recovering after cougar attack in northern B.C. A seven-year-old boy from northern B.C. was back at school Monday, a few days after being mauled by a cougar as he was playing in the snow. The boy's mother was nearby and managed to scare the cougar away. It was the first of two incidents in the province last week. 1/5/2010 5:00:47 AM
Snowy weather leads to Vernon fatal accident Heavy snow slowed most Okanagan Valley motorists on Monday as Vernon recorded its first traffic fatality of the year.
On the Westside, a serious crash briefly closed Highway 97. Monday afternoon a northbound semi tractor-trailer unit swerved from the slow lane into the fast lane of Highway 97. 1/5/2010 4:51:20 AM
Police seek information about Kelowna murder victim's luggage The luggage with which Joel Reimer flew into Kelowna on New Year’s Eve after a two-week work stint at the Fort McMurray airport is now at the centre of a murder investigation. Kelowna RCMP are asking for the public’s help in locating two bags belonging to the 30-year-old Reimer. 1/4/2010 8:14:01 PM
Vernon police on-scene at fatal traffic accident Vernon RCMP along with North Okanagan Traffic services are currently on the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident. The accident happened at approx 10:30 a.m. on Westside Rd approx 5.2 km south of Hwy 97. The accident involves a single vehicle that went off road and hit a hydro pole. 1/4/2010 12:10:36 PM
Downtown Kelowna offices burgled A number of downtown businesses were broken into either overnight or early this morning. RCMP were on the scene at 369 and 389 Queensway Ave. this afternoon, where a brick could be seen and shattered glass was strewn in the doorway. 1/4/2010 6:05:07 AM
Kelowna: Hit-and-run case turns to murder The first traffic death of the new year has turned out to be the Central Okanagan‘s first homicide. RCMP confirm the 30-year-old man run over by a van Friday morning was the victim of foul play. Joel Reimer of Lake Country was walking near Park Avenue about 8 a.m. when a minivan struck him. 1/4/2010 5:01:10 AM
Boy calls dog who fought off cougar his 'guardian' A boy from Boston Bar, B.C., whose golden retriever saved him from a charging cougar says he wouldn't be alive if his dog hadn't stepped in. Austin Forman, 11, was gathering firewood in his backyard at about 5 p.m. PT Saturday when his dog, Angel, started acting strangely. 1/3/2010 4:14:37 PM
Training saves lives at Silver Star Emergency personnel at Silver Star proved why the ski hill is one of the safest in Canada when they saved the lives of two guests recently. In a two-hour span, ski patrol, Silver Star Fire Department and volunteer ski doctor Kira McClellan successfully resuscitated two people who had gone into cardiac arrest. 1/3/2010 4:46:56 AM
New Year’s little miracles David and Vonne Biglow keep staring at their new addition. “We don‘t ever want to put him down or stop looking at him,” said David of Kelowna‘s New Year‘s Baby, Angus Orion Biglow, born 5:16 p.m. on Friday. 1/3/2010 4:33:27 AM
Okanagan profiled in Washington, D.C. newspaper The Okanagan‘s winter tourism delights are the stars of a travel feature appearing in today‘s Washington Post newspaper. The Post‘s Sunday circulation is almost 900,000 and the newspaper is considered one of the most respected and influential in the United States. 1/3/2010 4:28:03 AM
Nelson: Fatal accident takes life of Winlaw man A head on collision Wednesday night has taken the life of a Winlaw man.
The accident happened on HYW 3A in Bonnington, near Nelson. A vehicle travelling north carrying two residents from Winlaw lost control and crossed the centre line colliding with a southbound car carrying 2 people from Christina Lake. 1/2/2010 10:18:36 AM
Homeowner interupts robbery A West Kelowna man returned home New Years Day just in time to stop a robbery. The homeowner told police he arrived at his home at about 7:15 p.m. “The complainant reported that he just arrived home to find his door open and a male inside his residence,” said RCMP spokesman Corp. Ralph Jolley. 1/2/2010 9:58:55 AM
West Kelowna: Roadside memorial… The Kelowna RCMP have still not released the identity of a 31-year-old West Kelowna woman killed in a single-vehicle accident on Lakeshore Road at the Mission Creek Bridge. Meanwhile, this memorial was created last week in memory of the woman killed in the accident. 1/2/2010 9:57:39 AM
Lumby wants tax feedback Lumby residents can give input on a possible tax increase. On Jan. 11, the village will hold a town hall meeting on the 2010 budget. “One of our visions as a council is to be more transparent and this is a way for the public to see what we’re doing,” said Mayor Kevin Acton. 1/2/2010 9:49:15 AM
Vernon brothers go global with robots The robots being built by Vernon brothers Hudson and Nelson Schier are taking them around the world. Hudson, a Grade 7 student at Harwood Elementary and Nelson, a Grade 5 student at Silver Star Elementary, went to Robocup 2009 in Graz, Austria with a dancing robot they named Eddy 4.0. 1/2/2010 9:47:35 AM
With carry-ons gone, how safe is your luggage? New carry-on rules remain in effect on all U.S.-bound flights. But how safe are your valuables when stowed away in your luggage? A recent mishap has Bachelorette star Jillian Harris casting doubts. In December, Harris decided to take fiancé Ed Swiderski to her family's home in Kelowna. 1/2/2010 5:44:45 AM
Revelstoke: Snowmobile accident claims life A Revelstoke woman has died in a snowmobiling accident on a trail leading to the popular Boulder Mountain riding area. The incident happened just after 5 p.m. on Dec. 30. The woman was descending the trail after a snowmobile excursion when she went over a 10-metre embankment and struck a tree. 1/2/2010 5:23:00 AM
Dead body found in Kelowna on New Year's day The body of an identified male was found lying underneath a minivan parked at the corner of Abbott and Park early this morning. The body was reported to Kelowna RCMP at 8 a.m. and the detachment's traffic section cordoned off the area. 1/2/2010 5:14:10 AM
Valley welcomes New Year’s babies, Penticton first. A baby girl born in Penticton became the first New Year‘s baby in the Valley this year. Mother Sukh Mandeep Kaur and Navdeep Singh are the proud parents of the girl, who entered the world at 2:42 a.m. Friday weighing six pounds 15 ounces. 1/2/2010 4:45:31 AM
Kelowna: 13-yer old boy convicted in highrise arson A 13-year-old boy deliberately set a series of fires that caused up to $4 million in damage to a highrise under construction in Kelowna. Judge Jane Cartwright convicted the youth, who can‘t be named, of one count of arson. He‘ll be sentenced in March after a psychiatrist assesses him. 1/2/2010 4:41:16 AM
Dead body found in Kelowna The body of an identified male was found lying underneath a minivan parked at the corner of Abbott and Park early this morning. The body was reported to Kelowna RCMP at 8 a.m. and the detachment's traffic section cordoned off the area. 1/1/2010 6:13:54 PM
Assault leads to man's death in rural Kamloops RCMP have identified a man who was assaulted at the Skeetchestn Reserve and later died as Gary Moses. Kamloops rural detachment officers were called to the reserve on Dec. 30 after an assault was reported. When police arrived at the house, they found Moses unconscious. 1/1/2010 6:11:49 PM
Burning snowman seen on Rattlesnake Island If you see massive flames lighting up Rattlesnake Mountain tonight, don’t panic! It’s not a forest fire, or a ceremony to bring Ogopogo up from the depths of the dark, cold lake. Instead it will be a giant burning wood snowman. Tonight the torched snowman is a 100 year centennial send off. 1/1/2010 5:10:49 AM
As the year comes to a close a Kelowna business struggles to stay open Doug Illman’s public plea to save his ailing business, CrocTalk, has provided some relief but the possibility of closure is still imminent. “We’re still in the same position,” he said. “We need to get these bills paid to stay afloat." 12/31/2009 4:45:09 PM
10 to 20 cm of snow expected by Friday evening An intense low pressure system is forecast to track through the southern interior tonight. The system will bring snow heavy at times to most regions of the southwest interior and the Kootenays. Snowfall amounts of 10 to 20 cm are expected by Friday evening. 12/31/2009 4:04:33 PM
B.C. Assessments expected to take a jump The nearly two million property-assessment notices landing in B.C. mailboxes next week will reflect a catch-up in value. If you don't want to wait for the mail, B.C. Assessment's website, www.bcassessment.bc.ca, will have information online as of Monday. 12/31/2009 11:21:21 AM
Destructive wildfires just a wisp of smoke at the start Wayne Schnitzler was driving his two young daughters to the beach for a swim one Saturday last summer when he saw a wisp of smoke above the Gorman Bros. sawmill in Glenrosa. It was July 18, and the West Kelowna fire chief was supposed to be savouring his first day of vacation. 12/31/2009 7:21:28 AM
Kelowna/Vernon: Snow turns Highway 97 into skating rink Highway 97 between Vernon and Winfield was described as treacherous, a skating rink and one big sheet of black ice by motorists making their morning commute Wednesday. Police were advising people to not drive the road unless absolutely necessary. The warning was lifted later in the day. 12/31/2009 6:12:44 AM
Man cleared in MindyTran murder settles suit with RCMP The man who police believe killed Mindy Tran can now publish his book about the case. Almost 10 years after he was acquitted of murdering the eight-year-old Kelowna girl, Shannon Murrin has settled a lawsuit against a former RCMP detective and three men who allegedly beat him senseless. 12/31/2009 6:09:08 AM
Motorists must change chat habits Friday Drivers can still chat up a storm while motoring along Okanagan roadways – they just have to make sure their hands are free while they do it. New laws on the use of cellphones while driving take effect provincewide Friday, and only hands-free systems will be legal. 12/31/2009 5:02:37 AM
More expensive to drink in public and for rowdies and minors Rowdy bar patrons, minors and people who drink in public will face hefty new fines under changes to British Columbia's liquor regulations. Tickets for those who break the province's liquor rules will rise to $230 for many offences, effective Jan. 1. 12/30/2009 8:26:25 PM
Police advise Highway 97 travel 'treacherous' Vernon RCMP are advising that Highway 97 between Vernon and Kelowna Is extremely slippery and is described as treacherous. The officers from the Vernon office are responding to at least four accidents between Vernon and Crystal Waters. 12/30/2009 11:00:31 AM
Mailbox mischief and more in Castlegar Castlegar RCMP are looking for information after some mailbox mischief. In the morning hours of Christmas Eve, police found numerous boxes on Janisa road had been pried open. It's not known if any of the mail was stolen, but police say many were empty so it's a good possibility. 12/30/2009 10:47:41 AM
Kamloops: Day care where boy died closes permanently A Kamloops day care where a one-year-old boy died earlier this month has decided to close its doors permanently. Officials with the Interior Health Authority were advised of the decision by the owner last week. The Coroners Office and the IHA are investigating the death of the boy. 12/30/2009 10:16:40 AM
Jennifer Cusworth Cold case heats up Sixteen years after the 19-year-old college student was bludgeoned to death and dumped on a rural roadside, RCMP investigators revealed they were closing in on a suspect. A week later, they made their first arrest – a father of three who went to church regularly. 12/30/2009 6:26:31 AM
Kelowna Salvation Army kettle campaign surpasses expectations Despite a lagging economy, the Salvation Army’s Christmas kettle campaign blew past expectations. The army’s Kevin Mack said Kelowna kettle donations were tallied today and they added up to $239,000 — far surpassing this year’s goal of $212,000 and last year’s high of $205,000. 12/29/2009 5:49:26 AM
Kelowna man remembered as ’heck of a guy‘ Jeff Ogden was to begin his apprenticeship for window glazing in a few months. Instead, his family is planning his funeral. The Kelowna man and his old school buddy John Hill drove into the Fraser River during a visit to his hometown of Richmond early Christmas Day. 12/29/2009 5:46:16 AM
Okanagan Mountain fire top local story of decade By John Moorhouse: The opening decade of the 21st century comes to a close in just a couple of days. The past 10 years isn‘t without its highlights in the South Okanagan, with the 2003 wildfire on Okanagan Mountain easily being the top story of the decade. 12/29/2009 5:31:22 AM
Manitoba makes mockery of case for HST Why is Gordon Campbell breaking his election promise and inflicting a $2-billion HST on B.C. consumers? While Campbell is embracing the HST, the government of Manitoba is outright rejecting it--and for reasons that cast doubt on Campbell's tax-whacking logic. 12/29/2009 4:57:00 AM
Merritt: B.C. astronomy buffs want dark-sky preserve Amateur astronomers are trying to persuade municipal officials in B.C.'s southern Interior to cut out nighttime glare from city lights and turn 1,700 hectares of mostly rural land into a dark-sky preserve. The area, nestled in the Nicola Valley, would draw astronomy buffs from around the world. 12/29/2009 4:54:20 AM
Minor delays at Kelowna Airport on Monday Monday, 2:30pm: Those looking to get out of Kelowna can expect only minor delays, unlike many airports around North America. Stiff security measures imposed at most major North American airports haven’t spoiled the holidays of travellers flying out of Kelowna International Airport. 12/28/2009 3:05:55 PM
Kelowna man found dead inside grow-op A Kelowna family had a tragic holiday after the discovery of their son dead in his home on Christmas day. Police say a 50-year-old male went to investigate his son's whereabouts after he failed to come over to spend time with his family. The man found his 27-year-old son's body. 12/28/2009 3:01:40 PM
Skaters take to the ice on frozen bay Unseasonably cold temperatures have produced a popular skating patch on a frozen corner of Okanagan Lake in Kelowna. A surface about the size of six skating rinks has been created in a bay south of the Maude Roxby bird sanctuary at the end of Francis Avenue. 12/28/2009 8:39:58 AM
Sparwood, B.C., to mark grim anniversary Residents of the small B.C. community of Sparwood will mark a grim anniversary Monday. A year ago, eight men were killed when a series of avalanches pounded down on them as they were backcountry snowmobiling. 12/28/2009 5:49:32 AM
Polygamist predicts opponents will be 'damned' Winston Blackmore, Canada's best known polygamist, foresees a year of doom for those that deliberately break up families or interfere with a person's freedom. The case is expected to reverberate across the country, with its impact felt by various religious and immigrant groups. 12/28/2009 5:26:57 AM
Alleged home invasion turns into car chase and take-down “All we know right now is that we responded to a report of a home invasion in downtown Kelowna where the home owner followed the people in the vehicle, I guess there were several stops along the way where there were reports of weapons produced, some people were dropped off along the way,” Goodwin told Kelowna.com. 12/28/2009 5:22:35 AM
Wife of missing man says early hospital discharge may have contributed to his disappearance The wife of Jim Black, the Kelowna man who went missing early Wednesday, only to be found injured but alive Christmas Day, wants some answers from the Interior Health Authority about why her husband was released so quickly from hospital after collapsing in his bathroom the day before. 12/28/2009 5:18:50 AM
Kelowna woman to appear in Chilliwack court A Kelowna woman will be in court today in connection with an armed robbery that led to a police officer being knocked unconscious at a roadblock. Police say the 34-year-old woman used a long-barrelled weapon to rob an Esso gas station in Chilliwack at 7:30 p.m on Dec. 25. 12/28/2009 5:02:28 AM
Highway 97 impact concerns Enderby council There’s growing concern that Highway 97A improvements could turn downtown Enderby into a bottleneck. Council has received an update from the Ministry of Transportation outlining changes to the highway as a way of improving traffic flow. Mayor Dee Wejr is also concerned. 12/27/2009 8:15:46 AM
Kettle Valley resident shocked when missing man turns up Update: A Kelowna woman says she was amazed to find a developing news story end up in her front yard when Jim Black, missing since Wednesday, was discovered by a couple walking by her house in Kettle Valley. “He was conscious, but really wasn’t able to speak,” she added. “I knew right away it was him.” 12/27/2009 7:31:08 AM
Boxing Day numbers look good, despite recession's effect Christmas has come and gone and the most anticipated shopping day of the year is now upon us. One of those waiting was Nav Lasser who came all the way from Keremeos to get a 60″ flat screen with all the bells and whistles. "We are going to hook it up and play some video games,” Lasser said. 12/26/2009 7:54:41 PM
Update: Stockwell Day disputes Kelowna.com coverage Okanagan-Coquihalla MP and Minister for International Trade, Stockwell Day, called an outdoor press conference for 3:15 p.m. today (Wednesday) at Marina Park in West Kelowna. But when members of the media showed up at the allotted time and place, Day was nowhere to be found. 12/26/2009 5:20:32 AM
Boxing Day a day of deals The retail tradition-turned-buying-phenomenon known as Boxing Day is here. Sure, Christmas shopping is intense for both consumers and stores, but at least it‘s spread out over three weeks in December. Boxing Day is a single day to plan and score the greatest of all consumer triumphs. 12/26/2009 5:12:23 AM
No shortage of volunteers for Christmas Day dinner The spirit of the season moves even those who don‘t regularly attend worship services. Most of the 100-plus volunteers helping out at Kelowna‘s biggest Christmas Day dinner, presented by Victory Life Fellowship at the Parkinson Recreation Centre, don‘t often find themselves in a pew. 12/26/2009 5:10:52 AM
Missing Kelowna man found on Christmas Day A Kelowna man who went missing earlier this week has been found in the Chute Lake Road area. A Kelowna resident on Friday discovered an injured man on Sandpiper Street. He was later identified as James Black, 61. Police say he had been battling emotional problems. 12/26/2009 5:08:28 AM
New Kelowna Logo creates double take If she had it to do all over again, Mayor Sharon Shepherd would definitely have invited more public input into plans to change the city‘s official logo. Because people didn‘t feel they were consulted, and particularly because they didn‘t like the end result, Shepherd is still getting an earful. 12/25/2009 7:48:34 AM
What are you doing for New Year’’s? Kelowna is one of the coolest places to be in Canada this New Year‘s Eve, the Toronto Star says. The newspaper‘s Lifestyle magazine has named the Midnight in New Orleans party, planned for the Kelowna Community Theatre, as one of 10 unique places to ring in 2010. 12/25/2009 6:05:38 AM
Small car collides with tanker truck A crash at Leathead Road and Highway 97 destroyed a car, but left the driver with minor injuries. Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, a small car travelling northbound on the highway turned left on a green light without yielding to an oncoming tanker truck. Police said the truck struck the passenger side of the car. 12/25/2009 5:59:33 AM
Kelowna chef turns gingerbread house into a village At the Guishican House Restaurant in Kelowna Thursday, Christmas Eve lunch featured crepes, but chef and proprietor Goerg Rieder had other things on his mind. He was putting the finishing touches on a gingerbread house that grew into a gingerbread village. 12/25/2009 5:49:33 AM
Chute Lake Road: Missing Kelowna man Updated Thursday Update: 7:08 a.m. - On December 23, the truck Jim Black was believed to be driving (2005 Burgundy Toyota Tundra) was located unoccupied in the 5000 block of Chute Lake Road. An extensive search of the area was immediately conducted by the RCMP Police Dog Service along with Search and Rescue. 12/24/2009 2:47:08 PM
Calgary police track high-risk sex offender to Kelowna A Calgary police service investigator is heading to the B.C. Interior to track the movements of a high-risk sex offender who left Calgary and went into hiding for almost two months. Police say Dean Robert Zimmerman, 44, may have left Calgary by bus to go to Kelowna, B.C. 12/24/2009 6:10:57 AM
West Kelowna: Stroll by lake will be more inviting A lakeside walk will be safer and more pleasant for tens of thousands of West Kelowna residents next summer. Work starts in the spring on an upgraded stretch of Gellatly Road, with the long-awaited project to feature a bike lane, a pedestrian path, two-metre-wide landscaped boulevard, benches, lighting and parking. 12/24/2009 5:45:12 AM
$432 Million spent: Year of milestones for Interior Health A $432-million investment in two new patient care towers, a UBC medical school. A $27-million angioplasty program and the promise of open-heart surgery. The words “historic” and “milestone” were often repeated during the past year as health care in the Okanagan moved up to the next level. 12/23/2009 6:19:40 AM
Kelowna: Sign of the times for visitors Wilkommen is now verboten at the city‘s Welcome to Kelowna sign. Greetings in German, Japanese, and Korean have been removed from the sign at the corner of Sexsmith Road and Highway 97, with only the English and French salutations remaining. 12/23/2009 6:17:14 AM
Okanagan woman awarded $12K for disability discrimination The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal says an Enderby woman with a serious back injury was discriminated against when she was fired just three days into a new job after spending 16 years out of the workforce. The tribunal awarded Carolyn Hurn just over $12,000 for lost wages and damage to her dignity and self-respect. 12/23/2009 5:30:43 AM
Hop the bus for a ride to motorcycle show in Vancouver As winter weather and snow don’t dampen riders’ dreams of their favourite sport, the Kelowna & District Safety Council is organizing two buses to the Vancouver Motorcycle Show at the Abbotsford TRADEX next month. 12/22/2009 6:20:13 PM
Serious head-on crash closes Trans-Canada A serious head-on collision involving a minivan and a rig hauling an oversized load of six massive tractor tires has sent at least two to hospital in serious condition, and injured several others in three other vehicles that were involved in the chain-reaction crash. 12/22/2009 5:40:53 PM
West Kelowna woman dead after accident RCMP press release - A 31 year old female resident of West Kelowna is deceased, and a 54 year old male from Kelowna is in Kelowna General Hospital with serious injuries as a result of a single vehicle collision which occurred on Lakeshore Road in Kelowna on Dec.21 shortly after 11 p.m. 12/22/2009 5:34:23 AM
Hoping to fulfil wish list for homeless This Christmas, volunteers are trying to give the homeless gifts with a personal touch. Ana Frias is the project co-ordinator for Homeless Partners Kelowna. She and a team of volunteers have interviewed 140 people living at six local shelters about their lives and their Christmas wishes. 12/22/2009 5:02:00 AM
Kelowna man nabbed four times driving with a suspended licence Caught driving on four separate occasions with a suspended licence, a Kelowna man has been fined $1,500 and sentenced to 60 days behind bars. Vincent Porteous, 23, pleaded guilty this morning in Kelowna provincial court to those four driving offences and a breach of his bail conditions on another matter. 12/21/2009 5:38:51 PM
Vernon: Another RCMP member arrested for impaired driving A third B.C. Mountie in as many months has been arrested for impaired driving. Members of the Vernon detachment found the officer sitting inside his parked vehicle around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, and arresting officers suspected he was getting ready to drive while impaired. 12/21/2009 4:34:47 PM
Vernon facility to contract out care aides A residential care facility in Vernon has announced it will contract out care aides and licensed practical nurses effective June 15. The news creates instability and uncertainty for the 58 staff – 54 of them women – and for the residents. 12/21/2009 5:24:39 AM
Expensive booze only benefits the tax man When I first heard the news that University of Victoria researchers had hit on the bright idea of increasing liquor prices to curb excessive drinking, two questions went through my mind: Are these guys drunk? Or simply insane? British Columbia already has the highest booze prices in North America. 12/21/2009 4:55:13 AM
Hoping to fulfil wish list for homeless This Christmas, volunteers are trying to give the homeless gifts with a personal touch. Ana Frias is the project co-ordinator for Homeless Partners Kelowna. She and a team of volunteers have interviewed 140 people living at six local shelters about their lives and their Christmas wishes. 12/21/2009 4:41:08 AM
One man missing after Prince George hangar fire Authorities have confirmed that a 53-year-old man who was working in the Prince George hangar that burned to the ground on Saturday afternoon is missing. RCMP have not released the man's name, but say his truck was parked at the scene of the fire. His family reported him missing on Sunday. 12/21/2009 4:34:20 AM
Vernon MP Mayes’ views on climate change fuelling furor Okanagan-Shuswap Conservative MP Colin Mayes is under fire for comments he’s made about climate change. “I’m shocked he’s not accepting the science behind climate change,” said Mary Stockdale, a Vernon resident who received one of the e-mails. 12/21/2009 4:32:23 AM
Smartrisk: Avoiding a painful lesson By Kevin Parnell - NewsAbout 30 minutes into my interview with bereaved father Scott Walker, a man pops his head into Walker’s office. “What I want to know is how you do it?” the man asks Walker. “How do you keep doing it?” It’s the same question I had been wondering since we first sat down. 12/20/2009 3:28:44 PM
Possible Sale of Nakusp Hot Springs The Nakusp Hot Springs will likely have a for sale sign up in the New Year. Mayor Karen Hamling says they looked into having a social enterprise take over, but they didn't know if they could run it without a deficit, and there was talk of selling it after residents voted in favor. 12/20/2009 1:29:06 PM
Kelowna looks beyond traditional parade float The City of Kelowna‘s new parade float should be a slick new ride, not at all like a traditional one – and maybe solar-powered. That was the consensus among city councillors who narrowly voted this week to spend $50,000 building a new float after hearing the existing one, built in 2004, is banned from an increasing number of parades because it‘s considered too old. 12/20/2009 9:08:22 AM
Gospel Mission dinner with all the trimmings Six-month-old Meika Nykyha liked the mashed potatoes at the Kelowna Gospel Mission‘s annual Christmas dinner on Saturday. Her mother, Heather, was grateful for all of the fixings at the traditional meal served to about 600 people from noon to 5 p.m. 12/20/2009 5:07:07 AM
Quebec couple chose to ski out of bounds: court documents Comments Court documents filed in Vancouver say a Quebec couple made "a deliberate choice" to ski out of bounds at a British Columbia ski resort last February and cannot blame the police and others for the fatal consequences. 12/20/2009 4:57:14 AM
Survivor, families struggle with aftermath of avalanche that killed eight Jeff Adams' tormented mission drove him again and again to the mountain ridge that spewed deadly waves of snow last December. Each time he returned, Adams would dig up debris left behind from the frantic rescue effort: snowmobiles, helmets, pieces of winter gear. 12/20/2009 4:38:30 AM
Kelowna: Speed, alcohol factors in Friday night accident There was a serious accident Friday night that saw at least one person sent to hospital with serious injuries. The accident, which happened at about 10:50 p.m. on Springfield Road near Belgo, saw a Mazda vehicle attempting to pass another going westbound. 12/20/2009 4:30:42 AM
Fire destroys hangar at Prince George airport Firefighters are on the scene of a major blaze at Prince George Airport. The fire broke out in the Northern Thunderbird air hangar Saturday afternoon. The structure has collapsed. No one was injured and the fire is mostly contained as of 6 p.m. 12/19/2009 6:06:11 PM
Kamloops: Planned Giant Water Park in money trouble A giant water park and resort planned for Kamloops is now looking more like a mirage. After months of speculation that Sedric's Adventure Resort and Theme Park was in trouble, the company that hosted and built the development's website — sedrics.com — has pulled the plug. 12/19/2009 7:39:52 AM
Vernon Boy takes swing at attacking coyote Tyler Liefke, 11, was shovelling snow in his Valleyview Place backyard just before 7 a.m. Wednesday when he noticed what he thought was a dog sitting at the edge of the property. He realized it was a coyote when the animal began approaching his seven-year-old brother Markus. 12/19/2009 7:33:33 AM
Christmas travellers advised of snowy weather coming this way Environment Canada is warning travellers to be careful this weekend with a major weather system on its way. Forecaster Doug Lundquist said by late Saturday the system will be in place over most of the B.C. Interior with rain in the south and snow in the north. 12/19/2009 7:27:23 AM
"Considerable" Avalanche risk for Kootenay Boundary Snow ethusiasts with plans to visit the back country this holiday season better take caution...some areas have seen an increase in avalanche risk over the past few days. Karl Klassen, a forecaster with the Canadian Avalanche Centre urges people to check daily before going out. 12/19/2009 7:02:25 AM
SIR budget rollbacks reflect tough times for orchardists With difficult economic times in mind, the board of the Sterile Insect Release program slashed staff-recommended increases in next year’s requisition from regional district ratepayers and orchardists by more than half at Friday’s meeting. 12/19/2009 6:38:00 AM
Massive development would dwarf Westbank's Springer Road homes The form and character of Springer Road in Westbank is about to experience a massive and unwanted transformation, according to residents. Earlier this week at a public hearing, municipal councillors heard from homeowners, who are opposed to a planned multi-family development at the end of their street. 12/19/2009 6:36:15 AM
Okanagan Flu shot clinics wrap up There were lots of excuses for their last-minute appearance Friday, but they did attend the final H1N1 and seasonal flu shot clinic. One last clinic was also held in Vernon Friday to complete Interior Health‘s 291 scheduled clinics in dozens of communities. 12/19/2009 5:26:13 AM
Kelowna: Council to open piggy bank for bunnies A relatively small amount of money now could prevent big bunny troubles in the future, Kelowna councillors say. Council decided Thursday to spend another $12,000 on a rabbit control scheme, even though staff had not included the money in the provisional 2010 budget. 12/19/2009 5:24:11 AM
Missing West Kelowna man found dead The search for a 33-year-old West Kelowna man came to a tragic end on Thursday. Shane Frei was found inside his grey 2000 Pontiac Sunfire in the parking lot of West Ridge Mall in West Kelowna. The investigation to date has found no signs of foul play. 12/19/2009 4:24:29 AM
B.C. ranks high and low in Canada: report The B.C. Progress Board issued a report Thursday ranking British Columbia against other provinces in everything from cancer mortality to economic growth, and the results were mixed. On the positive side, British Columbians were found to live longer than other Canadians. 12/18/2009 5:10:56 AM
Kelowna: Hold the blue line The Kelowna RCMP detachment will get five new members next year, far short of the 21 requested by Supt. Bill McKinnon. But McKinnon said he was reasonably satisfied with the extra staffing after city council authorized the addition, at a cost of more than $500,000. 12/18/2009 4:35:27 AM
HST weighs on B.C. Liberals A recent poll conducted by Innovative Research Group shows the B.C. Liberal party support is collapsing under the weight of the proposed harmonized sales tax. The poll also showed a majority or 54 per cent of British Columbians believe B.C. is on the wrong track. 12/17/2009 5:29:19 AM
Hampers hit home for holiday Needy families in Kelowna will soon receive an early Christmas present courtesy the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs. The Martin Avenue Community Centre was filled with books, games and food Wednesday afternoon as volunteers packaged 1,200 boxes. 12/17/2009 5:02:20 AM
Kelowna: Geoff Meisner’s coach speaks out “Big guys can easily look really intimidating, particularly when they do MMA, but he was really nice to everybody and very friendly. He was a great guy to train with because he never got mad, never freaked out, just came down here to train.” 12/16/2009 6:00:39 PM
Kelowna Airport (YVR) prepares for private plane influx Now that Kelowna’s airport has been selected as an air traffic portal for private planes flying into Vancouver for the winter Olympics in February, work has started preparing for the arrival of planes here during the 60 days surrounding the Games’ two-week run. 12/16/2009 1:04:01 PM
Dog license increases annoy Kelowna’s mayor Modest increases in dog licensing fees raised the ire of Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd at Monday night’s Central Okanagan Regional District board meeting. Shepherd prefaced her opposition to the increases, stating that she herself is a dog owner who takes responsibility to license her pets. 12/16/2009 1:02:08 PM
Scruffy the Elf a demented hit Corey Doak started out composing and performing comedic songs before moving on to serious folk and gospel music. After more than a decade and five albums in his attempt to get radio airplay and a recording contract, the Kelowna resident has gone back to his roots. 12/16/2009 5:41:44 AM
Okanagan: Club there when need arises Shelly Delmage has turned down Christmas hampers every year since 2002. The single mother of two loves the fact the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs and others offer hampers, but she feels financially able to decline the offer this holiday. 12/16/2009 4:51:49 AM
Missing man’s wife makes tearful plea for help Geoff Meisner’s wife today made an emotional pitch for information about the 33-year-old West Kelowna man’s disappearance. “One thing I know is that a man of Geoff’s size and intelligence doesn’t go missing; someone somewhere knows something,” she said. 12/15/2009 4:31:39 PM
Terasen Gas price jumps about $60 per year Annual natural-gas costs will increase by about $60 for customers of Terasen Gas as a result of higher transportation and storage charges, the utility announced on Monday. Those charges which will take effect January 1, 2010. (Ed: The price of natural gas is way down so they want to pick your pocket this way.) 12/15/2009 12:23:14 PM
Opponents to new mall cheer Salmon Arm environmental review A 400,000-square-foot shopping centre to be built on the edge of the Salmon River is in limbo after the province said it will bring in an independent expert to determine how often the land floods. The move surprised the City of Salmon Arm and the developer. 12/15/2009 9:56:07 AM
What Cutbacks? Okanagan Regional Library Ex. Director gets salary increase It appears Okanagan Regional Library’s chairman will defend controversial wage hikes. It's a 2-year, 8-percent increase to professional librarians and a 7.9 per cent boost to executive director Lesley Dieno. Dieno’s annual salary will go from $121,500 to $131,000. (Ed: This follows a $200,000 provincial funding cut.) 12/15/2009 8:46:53 AM
Kelowna Judge allows repeat offender rare choice Judge Robin Smith gave Darcy Lenko the choice between less than two years and more than two years in jail. Lenko, who has more than 80 convictions, requested the longer sentence because he can access more programs in a federal penitentiary, where felons serve sentences over two years. 12/15/2009 8:26:58 AM
Boundary country: Deer plague Grand Forks The British Columbia community of Grand Forks has been overrun by hundreds of deer, and just what to do about the out-of-control population is dividing residents of the Kootenay town. A recent newsletter from city staff asked residents to stop feeding the deer. 12/15/2009 5:44:59 AM
Northern B.C. residents lose power in cold snap More than 2,400 residents of Tumbler Ridge had to endure a frigid Monday without electricity as temperatures in Northern B.C. plunged below -40 C. "My thermostat needle has dropped as far as it can drop inside the house," said Tumbler Ridge resident Frank Walsh. 12/15/2009 5:39:04 AM
Spinning car strikes pedestrian in West Kelowna Underestimating winter road conditions caused an accident that sent a 46-year-old woman to hospital with injuries on Sunday. At approximately 11:23 a.m. Dec. 13, a woman was struck by a car that was hit and spun out trying to cross Old Okanagan Hwy. 12/15/2009 5:36:17 AM
Westbank supporters crash official community plan forum Despite accusations they “hijacked” an official community plan forum on Thursday night, residents who want a “town” of Westbank established within the District of West Kelowna say they were invited to the event. Loreta Learmonth said council has been unwilling to meet with residents directly. 12/15/2009 5:33:44 AM
Kamloops: Suspect in obscene-letters case walked into school The man accused of sending a series of sexually-graphic letters to Kamloops, B.C., elementary schools may have gotten closer to students than previously thought. RCMP said Monday they were monitoring the suspect when he entered a school, and that's what triggered the arrest. 12/15/2009 5:19:49 AM
Kelowna Council approves plan to open up the waterfront City council has endorsed a plan to move the Kelowna Yacht Club and the Water Street Seniors Centre and free up the waterfront for more public access. “Probably for about 10 years we’ve been trying to do something like this, so I think it’s great that it’s finally going to happen,” said Coun. Andre Blanleil. 12/14/2009 6:56:12 PM
Kelowna Teen councillor makes history with swearing-in Nineteen-year-old Kevin Craig will make history when he is sworn in as the youngest-ever member of Kelowna, B.C., city council Monday afternoon. But first, he has to write an end-of-term exam. The UBC political science and economics student still lives at home with his parents. 12/14/2009 1:35:01 PM
Seven gang members arrested in Prince George raids (Video) Seven people who RCMP believe are members and/or associates of local gangs have been arrested. These two groups, the Game Time Soldiers and the Prince George Renegades, have been involved in an armed conflict, over the past few months, for control of the local drug trade. 12/14/2009 7:19:52 AM
Kelowna Yacht club, seniors' centre to be relocated Tonight, Kelowna city council will consider a relocation plan for the Water Street Seniors Centre and the Kelowna Yacht Club. The yacht club and seniors’ centre moves are important parts of a plan to redevelop the downtown waterfront for greater public use, according to city hall. 12/14/2009 6:50:24 AM
Everything is political for the Conservatives, now it's Olympic flights The federal government is playing politics over airplane flights during the upcoming Olympic Games, small airlines and regional airports. The one exception is Salt Spring Island, part of the Gulf Islands, represented by Conservative MP Gary Lunn, the minister of sport. 12/14/2009 5:32:48 AM
Kelowna: So-called friends bully their way into home New friends can quickly morph into enemies – especially in the drug trade, a Kelowna man has discovered. The 35-year-old complained to RCMP after two so-called friends bullied their way into his house and set it up as a headquarters for selling drugs, RCMP say. 12/14/2009 5:15:33 AM
New details emerge about probe of Highway of Tears murders In their hunt to determine whether a serial killer is preying on girls and women along British Columbia’s roadways, investigators have identified 2,000 “persons of interest” in the so-called Highway of Tears investigation. Staff Sgt. Bruce Hulan revealed new details to The Vancouver Sun. 12/13/2009 9:16:03 PM
Use extreme caution on slick Highway 33 Update: 4:10 p.m. - Cpl. Daly of the Kelowna RCMP has requested drivers to use extreme caution on Highway 33. Police are responding to two accidents and are having a hard time getting there as the roads are very slippery. The highway maintenance contractor for that area has been called in. Traffic is backed up. 12/13/2009 9:12:08 PM
Struggling ranchers want beef price inquiry The National Farmers Union is calling for Ottawa to investigate beef pricing, saying ranchers are selling cows and cattle at record low rates even as hamburger prices rise in grocery stores. "The crisis is now," said B.C. rancher Matt Williams, who grazes 1,600 Angus cattle in Merritt. 12/13/2009 9:52:25 AM
Okanagan Basin watershed study model is groundbreaking It might be the most comprehensive and detailed watershed supply and demand model ever done anywhere. There are 101 water purveyors managing the 200-kilometre-long watershed for a population of about 350,000 and 54 per cent of the water used is agricultural. 12/13/2009 8:02:52 AM
Sleazy scammer steals $5,000 from Grandfather Police are warning against another scam, this one aimed at seniors.
An 88-year-old man lost $5,000 after a young crook phoned to say he was his grandson and needed the money wired to him so he could get out of jail. The scammer used the grandson‘s correct name, and the victim obliged. 12/13/2009 8:00:07 AM
Shoppers feeling less like Scrooge While waiting in the photos-with-Santa line, it dawned on Amy Malo that Christmas is costing a lot more this year. “Oh, yes. We‘re spending way more,” Malo said with a laugh. “It‘s our baby‘s first Christmas. Of course, there has to be lots of presents and pictures.” 12/13/2009 5:51:15 AM
RCMP tampered with incriminating videotape: family The family of Clayton Alvin Willie will decide this weekend whether they want the videotape of his encounter with the Prince George RCMP made public, even though they still believe RCMP are holding back some taped evidence. Family members, and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip met senior RCMP officers Friday. 12/12/2009 7:30:28 PM
Disneyland Trip a screaming good time for sick kids The 2009 Sunshine Dreamlift to Disneyland was a scream, literally. The 81 kids screamed as their Boeing 737 rocketed down the runway at Kelowna Airport. They screamed again when they passed low over the Magic Kingdom. They screamed as they careered around the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 12/12/2009 7:11:48 AM
Bear Creek: Process for building trails ‘broken’ There’s a battle raging in the Bear (Lambly) Creek watershed on the Westside, according to two directors with the Okanagan Water Stewardship Council. They said trails being built for dirt biking in that area don’t show a lot of respect for the fact it is a domestic watershed. 12/12/2009 6:58:40 AM
Kelowna Senior struck and killed Friday The driver who struck and killed a woman Friday morning in downtown Kelowna was going through a red light, a witness says The driver turned left onto Bernard Avenue from St. Paul Street and hit the woman in the middle of the intersection, killing her instantly. 12/12/2009 5:18:42 AM
Bus carrying hockey team slides off Highway 97N A chartered bus transporting a boys' hockey team slid off a highway and down an embankment in north-central B.C. Friday afternoon. Reports from the scene said there appeared to be no life-threatening injuries, but 12 of the 23 passengers required medical attention. 12/11/2009 4:49:04 PM
Kamloops man arrested in obscene letters case Kamloops RCMP have arrested a 45-year-old man in connection with several obscene and explicit letters that were sent to local elementary schools. Five different schools received letters over two weeks. All the letters contained sexually graphic content, police said. 12/11/2009 3:16:43 PM
Kamloops: Death of child at day care probed The B.C. Coroners Office continues to probe the death this week of a one-year-old boy at a Kamloops day-care facility. An autopsy will be performed and the death occurred under what the coroners service is calling "unusual circumstances." 12/11/2009 9:56:57 AM
VALLEY IN BRIEF: 6 stories from all over the Okanagan Kelowna-Lake Country MP Ron Cannan will pick up a shovel today as he takes part in the official ground-breaking for a new housing development.
Cannan will be joined by Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson and representatives of The National Society of Hope. 12/11/2009 9:07:41 AM
Skiers stranded on Silver Star lift Silver Star ski patrollers and emergency crews had a chance to turn their training into action on Wednesday after a lift shut down, stranding 41 skiers in -15C weather. “It‘s only the second time in Silver Star history a lift had to be evacuated,” said Robin Baycroft. 12/11/2009 5:37:06 AM
Prince George ice climber dies in Montana avalanche A well-known Canadian ice climber died Thursday morning in an avalanche. Guy Lacelle, a native of Hawkesbury, Ont., who has been living in Prince George, B.C., was climbing up a gully in Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman, Mont., when the climbers above him hit a batch of wind-drifted snow. 12/11/2009 4:57:46 AM
Cause of Duck Lake crash still unknown Police are still trying to determine what caused a four-vehicle crash by Duck Lake that killed a 45-year-old Kelowna man on Wednesday. The 17-year-old boy driving the Acura SUV that caused the pileup was knocked out in the collision. 12/11/2009 4:12:21 AM
Faulty cord to blame for blaze A faulty extension cord sparked a fire that destroyed an Abbott Street house Wednesday night. Two men and two women, all in their 20s, were forced out of the rented house at 3031 Abbott St. A firefighter rescued a cat from inside the house after one of the women tried to go back in. 12/11/2009 4:10:46 AM
Something stinks in our provincial parks, and it isn't just the toilets Piles of human excrement and used toilet paper in campsites. Hiking trails closed because there's no money or staff to maintain them. Camping season cut short at dozens of sites across the province. B.C.'s crown jewel — our provincial park system — has fallen into a disgraceful state. 12/10/2009 7:22:48 PM
No referee to help missing Geoff Meisner this time Friday will mark two weeks since the 33-year-old Geofff Meisner inexplicably vanished, leaving behind a wife and four daughters.His disappearance has created speculation on some online news forums, fuelled mostly by his wife’s decision not to speak to local media and Meisner’s apparent lack of a day job. 12/10/2009 5:10:00 PM
Vernon woman faces animal-cruelty charges over ill-treated horses, dogs A menagerie of 28 horses, 39 dogs, a pig and a llama are all in the "protective custody" of the SPCA, but their original owner — who's facing criminal charges related to their care — wants them all back. Carla Christman of Vernon was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty. 12/10/2009 5:02:01 PM
Infrastructure, not parks, the priority in West Kelowna says Mayor West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater says that while the regional district’s parks acquisition program is a good idea, it’s not a top priority. “We are looking at some significant [tax] increases, almost all infrastructure related.” 12/10/2009 3:25:52 PM
Kelowna: Exotic animal safe haven faces closure A Kelowna tourist attraction that provides safe haven to neglected exotic pets may have to close its doors this winter. Doug Illman, owner of the CrocTalk facility in east Kelowna, is finding it difficult to fund the cost of providing an indoor tropical-like environment for the animals. 12/10/2009 6:21:00 AM
Nelson: Council voicing nursing concerns Nelson City Council is concerned about the six LPNs being laid off at the Kootenay Lake Hospital. At a meeting on Dec. 7, council unanimously passed a motion to write the Interior Health Authority a letter to tell officials of their concern with replacing the LPNs with care aides. 12/10/2009 5:06:47 AM
Hypocrites: B.C. gov't should hike price of booze (Ed: No wonder drinking is up. Our governments have been pushing wine as healthy for 10 years, and have liquor stores available around every corner. Duh!! Another tax grab.). Addictions experts are calling on the province to hike the price of booze to battle creeping consumption in B.C. 12/10/2009 4:59:41 AM
Big White big thrill for Hawaiian family What do Hawaiian children do the first time they see snow? After watching Charlie Brown‘s Christmas on TV, Rylan and Alyssa Sakai made snow angels as soon as they arrived at Big White. “We had a snowball fight, we made snow angels and we tasted snow,” said their mother, Rae, with a laugh. 12/10/2009 4:37:11 AM
Vernon woman facing numerous animal cruelty charges A Vernon woman is facing multiple charges after more than two dozen sickly horses and 39 dogs were rescued from her North Okanagan property. Crown Counsel has approved multiple charges of animal cruelty against Carla Christman. 12/9/2009 9:11:11 PM
Driver killed in multi-vehicle car crash near Duck Lake Update: 5:03 p.m. Kelowna RCMP have confirmed one fatality in a four-vehicle accident. Traffic has begun to move again.
At 4:14 p.m. One person is believed dead after anaccident near Duck Lake about 1 km north of Old Vernon Road and Highway 97. Four people were taken to Kelowna General Hospital. 12/9/2009 5:54:38 PM
Vernon: Kin Race Track fight heats up Debate over the future of Kin Race Track could flare up as proposed sports fields move ahead. The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee is expected to recommend Thursday that the North Okanagan Regional District budget $40,000 in 2010 for a consultant to design a sports field complex at Kin. 12/9/2009 7:14:13 AM
Kamloops: Lawyer for mom not surprised at taser report's findings Walter Kosteckyj, the lawyer representing Robert Dziekanski's mother, Sofia Cisowski, said he is not surprised at the contents of Paul Kennedy's report, except that the police watchdog's comments "were even harsher than I expected from him." 12/9/2009 7:07:33 AM
Kelowna: Isaac collapsed before the car The woman who watched her boyfriend bleed to death two years ago is still scared of his alleged killer, she testified Tuesday. Janet Lettmann, 36, told the jury that Cameron Simpson held a knife above his head after Robert Isaac was stabbed and told the dying man, “Don‘t (expletive) with me.” 12/9/2009 6:59:21 AM
West Kelowna couple suffers unprovoked attacked in their bed On Saturday, Dec. 5, at 11:40 p.m., three unidentified males broke through the glass door of a residence in the 2400 block of Old Okanagan Highway in West Kelowna. The suspects entered the master bedroom and assaulted a 55-year-old male resident in the home while he and his wife were sleeping. 12/8/2009 8:36:37 AM
Pathologist casts doubt on Simpson's claim of self-defence The jury was sent home early this afternoon after hearing from two witnesses. Testimony from an RCMP officer and civilian took only about 25 minutes. The trial is set to resume Tuesday morning. 12/8/2009 8:35:10 AM
Kelowna's Kelly Scott rocked with first loss at trials A little pregame prep work paid off in spades for Shannon Kleibrink. The Calgary skip benefited from a Sunday night rock-matching session from alternate Heather Nedohin and coach Ron Meyers in an impressive 9-6 victory over Kelly Scott on Monday morning at the Roar of the Rings. 12/8/2009 8:34:03 AM
Asian counterfeiters alter Okanagan icewine harvest While dozens took to Okanagan hillsides Monday morning to harvest what looks to be a superior icewine crop, one vineyard was noticeably devoid of activity. “We aren’t doing icewine this year,” said Tony Stewart, Quails Gate proprietor. 12/8/2009 8:32:32 AM
Kelowna: City facilities nearing capacity The City of Kelowna will need to spend millions of dollars in the near future as it deals with aging facilities that are already bursting at the seams. “We’re at capacity at every one of our facilities,” said the city’s director of infrastructure planning, Randy Cleveland yesterday. 12/8/2009 8:29:01 AM
Vernon senior warns of phone scam The caller on the phone Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time sounded like her granddaughter. In fact, the young female caller told the Vernon senior she was her granddaughter, and that she sounded funny because she had a cold, a very sore throat and was half-crying. 12/7/2009 6:58:55 AM
Trying to understand an ecosystem It’s a cool fall day, but it’s not raining, and the water on Okanagan Lake is calm, so the group of fisheries biologists and technicians are pretty jovial about their task today: Motoring down the west side of the lake in a 24-foot coastal zodiac counting the shore spawning kokanee. 12/7/2009 6:36:14 AM
Kelowna: Walkway goes to top of city council’s list A long-delayed waterfront walkway is now at the top of the City of Kelowna‘s list for new linear parks. Eight years ago, the city announced plans to build a 1.2-kilometre-long lakeshore path between Strathcona and Kinsmen parks. 12/7/2009 6:00:54 AM
Update to Missing Kelowna Man Investigation The Kelowna RCMP Major Crimes Unit is hoping that the release of more details will help in eliciting information to help find a missing Kelowna resident. 33 year old Geoffrey MEISNER was last seen by his wife, when he was dropped of at Orchard Park Mall on November 27th. 12/7/2009 5:48:31 AM
Lillooet - Fugitive from law arrested in Lillooet area RCMP in Lillooet arrested a 38 yr old Grand Prairie Alberta man who had a total of 9 warrants for his arrest outstanding from several provinces, on Friday December 4th. The man was arrested without incident by the RCMP's Southeast District Emergency Response Team (ERT) in the Lillooet area late Friday evening. 12/7/2009 5:46:48 AM
Kelowna: Spion Kop eyed for use as parkland Environmentalists and dirt-bikers differ on whether a geographically distinctive area of Lake Country should become a regional park. Spion Kop is now Crown Land covering almost 800 acres between Okanagan and Wood Lake, to the north of Winfield. 12/7/2009 5:32:51 AM
Single dad trying to stay afloat Manning McCoy is struggling with serious health and financial challenges, but the Boys and Girls Club ensures a degree of normality continues to exist for his family. McCoy‘s oldest son, 19-year-old Wade, started getting involved with club activities when he was just five years old. 12/7/2009 4:38:50 AM
Capozzi lawyer says plea deal in works Cameron Capozzi is a step closer to making a plea to a charge of killing his mother. The Kelowna man‘s lawyer, Henry Sarava, told a justice of the peace on Friday that he‘s working on a proposal to resolve the case with prosecutors. 12/6/2009 7:33:19 AM
Judge sets new date in forestry dispute A judge has reserved her decision in a forestry dispute involving Vernon-based Tolko Industries and the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Madame Justice Brown had been expected to rule Friday in a case that has seen Tolko and the ONA seek injunctions against each other. 12/6/2009 4:49:45 AM
Alta. lawyer fined for abandoning horses in snow An Edmonton lawyer has been fined $1,000 and sentenced to 12 months probation for abandoning two horses in deep snow in central British Columbia last year. Frank McKay pleaded guilty to causing distress to an animal under provincial law, and two other charges of cruelty to animals were stayed. 12/6/2009 4:29:23 AM
Okanagan Mixed-martial artist missing for more than a week More than one thousand people have joined a Facebook page dedicated to finding a missing Kelowna, B.C., mixed-martial arts fighter and promoter. Geoffrey Gordon Meisner, 33, disappeared Nov. 27, according to a missing person poster distributed by his family and friends. 12/5/2009 5:50:02 PM
Kelowna man charged with internet luring A Kelowna man is facing 33 sexual assault charges in connection with luring teenaged girls over the internet. RCMP Staff Sgt. Terry McLachlan said a man allegedly offered to buy the girls – between 13 and 16 – alcohol, drugs and cigarettes in return for sexual favours. 12/5/2009 5:28:20 PM
Mother and son killed, headed to B.C. family reunion A mother and her adult son died in a car crash while on their way to attend a family reunion Friday in Prince George. Police say the pair were driving on the highway in Quesnel, south of Prince George, around 5:30 p.m. local time when their sedan was hit by a pickup truck. 12/5/2009 10:28:45 AM
Okanagan ski resorts ready for Olympic-class season The Valley‘s downhill ski and snowboard resorts have high hopes for their Olympic year. Apex resort west of Penticton opens for 7-day-a-week operation for the public today. “All the way across the runs, we did all kinds of summer grooming,” said general manager James Shalman. 12/5/2009 7:06:16 AM
Okanagan work training money gone till next year Money has run out for the unemployed in the Okanagan who want to go back to school to upgrade or retrain. “Our current budget is all committed until June 2010,” said Christine Bowman of Bowman Employment Services. Bowman OKed 570 claims in five months before the money ran out. 12/5/2009 5:05:29 AM
Summerhill named best winery in Canada Stephen Cipes is walking on air this week. Up against wineries such as Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin and Nk’Mip Cellars, his Summerhill Pyramid Winery has captured the trophy as Canadian Winery of the Year from the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, England. 12/4/2009 6:46:02 PM
Car lands tires deep in Woods Lake (Video) A man was taken to hospital Friday morning after his car skidded and landed tires deep in Woods Lake. The 36-year-old Lake Country resident was driving his Suzuki SUV southbound on Highway 97 when he felt his vehicle pulling into the oncoming lane. 12/4/2009 6:45:02 PM
Band asks Kelowna to join the club After 115 years, the Kelowna City Band may have sounded its last note.
Funding problems have led band directors to cancel their Dec. 16 Christmas concert, and they say the future of the band is in jeopardy. 12/4/2009 5:53:28 AM
West Kelowna: Family drawing dire conclusions Friends and relatives of Geoff Meisner are afraid someone has abducted him. The 33-year-old Kelowna man disappeared after his wife dropped him off at Orchard Park mall last Friday. His wife, Tammy, and their four daughters, ages five to 11, are broken-hearted, family friend Lisa Hilts said. 12/4/2009 5:46:34 AM
Cranbrook helicopter crash cause unclear Investigators say they may never know exactly what caused a helicopter to crash into a residential neighbourhood in Cranbrook, B.C., last year, killing four people. But they say the aircraft should not have been operating at such a low altitude over homes. 12/4/2009 5:07:23 AM
More explicit, disturbing letters sent to Kamloops schools Someone who sent five obscene and threatening letters to elementary schools in Kamloops, B.C., last week sent two more this week that were even more graphic and disturbing, police said Thursday. The explicit letters targeting young girls have left parents on edge. 12/4/2009 4:47:56 AM
BC Government employee involved in ID fraud? The allegation is contained in a sworn statement that police used to get a search warrant for the Victoria home of Richard Ernest Wainwright. Police seized equipment for producing fake identity documents. Wainwright had been convicted of theft, and more, in Kamloops and Merritt. 12/4/2009 4:44:46 AM
Trial for accused child killer Schoenborn adjourned The trial of Allan Schoenborn, who has admitted killing his three young children in British Columbia last year, will not finish this year, a judge said Thursday. Crown psychiatrist Dr. Shabehram Lohrasbe had booked a trip to his native India before the start of the trial. 12/3/2009 1:28:49 PM
$750million in lost business, 10,000 layoffs As John Belushi once famously said: "Food fight!" That's what's raging behind the scenes right now between the B.C. government and the province's restaurant industry as they wage a brutal battle over the HST. All the big players are in on this one. 12/3/2009 10:14:19 AM
Cold Snap: Do you know where your toque and mitts are? If you’re not a fan of chilly weather, look on the bright side: this well-paced cold snap bodes well for the Okanagan to have a white Christmas. “It’s a bit too early to say that for sure,” cautioned Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist. 12/3/2009 9:36:23 AM
Interior Health pushes vaccination as H1N1 demand dwindles The lights went out just after the start of the public H1N1 vaccination clinic held yesterday at Prospera Place, forcing its cancellation, and public health officials at the Interior Health Authority better hope it’s not a metaphor for public interest. 12/3/2009 7:24:02 AM
Trail: Teck hit with record pollution fine Teck Resources Ltd. has been fined $115,000 for a chemical spill in the Columbia River last year. It's the largest fine in B.C. history for a single count, says Barry Penner. Nearly 1,000 kilograms of lead solution spilled into the river from the company's lead-zinc smelter in Trail. 12/3/2009 7:13:28 AM
'EnCana bomber' has quit: locals After five months of quiet, people in northeastern B.C. seem to believe the so-called "EnCana bomber" won't strike again. The RCMP have had hundreds of tips, spoken to hundreds of people and hired more officers for the area, but no one has been arrested. 12/3/2009 6:05:40 AM
Kelowna: Fade to black for 5,000 customers About 5,000 customers in downtown Kelowna, the north end, Glenmore and Magic Estates lost power for up to four hours on Wednesday afternoon. “We found an internal fault in one of the cables within the Recreation Avenue substation on Richter Street,” said Jodie Foster Sexsmith. 12/3/2009 5:52:07 AM
Peachland: Fielding outstanding for seniors A Peachland woman who helps seniors remain at home as they age has received a national award. Olive Fielding has been named a Top 25 Canadian by the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, a seniors advocacy group. 12/3/2009 5:50:16 AM
Club helping mom reach career goals Subsidized day care provided by the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club is helping to make it possible for Stacey McCormick to work toward her goal of becoming a nurse. The 33-year-old Kelowna woman works part-time and is also getting her college upgrading. 12/3/2009 5:02:05 AM
Stubborn roommate stabbed, Crown says Robert Isaac was stabbed to death because he refused to let his roommate invite two women to their house, a jury heard Wednesday. Cameron Louis Simpson was upset that he couldn‘t socialize with two friends who wanted to party at his West Kelowna house two years ago. 12/3/2009 5:00:58 AM
Good News: Lumber could be the next oil, RBC says Canadian lumber shipments to China, set to climb after Shanghai adopted a building code for wood-frame construction amid a push to build new housing, will likely help Canada’s dollar strengthen beyond parity with its U.S. counterpart, according to the Royal Bank of Canada. 12/2/2009 1:31:16 PM
B.C. mine approved over First Nation objections The federal government has approved development of a copper and gold mine in northern B.C., despite the objections of a local First Nation. The open-pit mine would be located near Mount Milligan, about 155 kilometres northwest of Prince George. 12/2/2009 10:32:55 AM
Brazilian wins 3-month ski bum gig at Kamloops resort A 29-year-old Brazilian has won a contest to be an honorary ski bum this winter at one of British Columbia's top resorts. Thiago Lucena beat out over 50 entrants worldwide for the I Want to Be a Ski Bum promotion at Sun Peaks Resort. Judges said it was hard to narrow down the finalists. 12/1/2009 6:29:43 PM
West Kelowna man missing since Friday A West Kelowna man last seen when his wife dropped him off at a Kelowna shopping mall is missing. Geoffrey Gordon Meisner, 33, was last seen on the morning of Nov. 27. Meisner's wife dropped him off at Orchard Park Shopping Mall and he has not been seen or heard from since. 12/1/2009 3:35:41 PM
Controversial McKinley Landing resort development stalled What was slated to be the largest waterfront development in Kelowna has yet to move forward after seven years, prompting some to say the project has been shelved entirely. Not quite so, say the developers, though they have left room for speculation. 12/1/2009 3:27:59 PM
Dreamlift kids counting down to fun Dreamlift to Disneyland: nine sleeps and counting. More than 80 special needs children from the Southern Interior are anxiously awaiting Dec. 10 when they will board an Alaska Airlines charter jet bound for the Magic Kingdom. 12/1/2009 5:47:18 AM
Kelowna: House arrest for identity theft A judge has sentenced a young thief to two years of house arrest for using fake ID to drain people‘s bank accounts and gamble the money away. Christie Ethier, 20, told the court she broke into people‘s mailboxes so she could pay rent, buy things and gain self-esteem. 12/1/2009 5:44:01 AM
Teachers forced to reshape pension plan The growing number of retired and elderly teachers is putting pressure on the B.C. Teachers’ Pension Plan. If teachers choose to maintain current benefits, they will have to persuade the province to cough up millions of dollars to cover employers’ contributions. 11/30/2009 5:22:48 PM
Nelson: Burning in the West Arm Where there's smoke, there's fire control...at least for the next few weeks in the Nelson-Harrop area. In preparation for next year's forest fire season, officials with the Ministry of Environment will be doing some on site burning in the area in and around West Arm Provincial Park. 11/30/2009 3:23:26 PM
Teen wins by-election to be youngest-ever councillor A teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan is adding a new job to his resume: city councillor. Nineteen-year-old Kevin Craig beat out 14 other candidates in a by-election Saturday to become the youngest-ever person elected to Kelowna city council. (Seen here with Mayor Sharron Shepherd Saturday night.) 11/30/2009 11:19:09 AM
Eight displaced by Monday morning basement fire The fire was contained to the basement of the duplex. All escaped unharmed thanks to the quick action of the 11 yr old daughter who first noticed the fire and alerted others that were sleeping by banging on doors. Damage was extensive estimated at approximately $50,000. 11/30/2009 11:03:22 AM
Don't walk away from DARE, implores school trustee Trustee Gail Given doesn’t want the school board to give up on the anti-drug DARE program so easily, telling her fellow trustees so during last week’s board meeting and asking that a letter be sent to the RCMP asking them to do what they can to preserve it. 11/30/2009 10:58:00 AM
Kelowna: Looking for lost sculptures John Powell is on a mission to honour the late Murray Johnson. In 1984, Johnson, the former head of the fine arts department at Okanagan University College, convinced city council to embark on a program to create new works of art to be displayed in public places. 11/30/2009 4:58:49 AM
Minister says rules for off-road vehicles generally welcomed Tourism, Sport and the Arts Minister Kevin Krueger was surprised by the reaction to his proposal to license and register off-road vehicles such as dirt-bikes, ATVs and snowmobiles. “It was generally very, very positive,” he said in an interview with The Okanagan Sunday. 11/29/2009 5:33:03 AM
19-year-old Kevin Craig wins seat on Kelowna council In a by-election marred by low voter turnout, 19-year-old Kevin Craig emerged victorious from a field of 15 candidates, capturing Brian Given’s old council seat with 2,863 votes. Only 10,146 people bothered to cast votes in the by-election, a voter turnout of 11 per cent. 11/29/2009 5:05:01 AM
Kelowna: Kipling goes straight to jury trial Sherri Lee Patricia Kipling, who is charged with killing Joe Pek on her doorstep on Oct. 20, was released on $5,000 bail. Pek was a big man who used his size to get what he wanted, sources told The Okanagan Sunday. RCMP have said he was no gentle giant and used crack cocaine. 11/29/2009 5:01:08 AM
Was Summerland election legal? Chief electoral officer speaks Gillian Matthews‘ comments came as controversy over campaign financing for Summerland council during the 2008 municipal elections drew the attention of the provincial and national media. A front-page opinion piece in Friday‘s Vancouver Sun suggested Summerland council has no legitimacy. 11/29/2009 4:54:54 AM
'I meant to' Allan Schoenborn told undercover police Two RCMP undercover officers spent five days with Allan Schoenborn in KRCC cells, trying to get answers to why he killed his children, a court heard Friday. The evidence of the officers was entered by way of a printed admission, meaning they will not be required to testify. 11/28/2009 5:50:02 AM
Illegal donations mean Summerland has no legitimate council Thousands of dollars spent by the seven winning candidates in Summerland's municipal election came from anonymous donors. But that’s illegal and the penalty for candidates who take anonymous donations of more than $50 is disqualification from holding office. 11/28/2009 5:42:50 AM
Okanagan torchbearers can‘t wait for Olympic torch relay The first ceremonial cauldron to be lit in the Okanagan celebrating the Olympic Winter Games will be ignited by Special Olympian Tony Batista. Batista, a 43-year-old Osoyoos resident, says he‘s looking forward to his high-profile role in the town‘s Olympic celebration on Jan. 24. 11/28/2009 5:35:49 AM
Kamloops: Parents on alert after sex letters sent to schools Parents in the city of Kamloops are on high-alert after a series of disturbing letters containing graphic sexual descriptions and targeting young children were sent to several elementary schools. Five schools in the north shore area of the city have received a series of handwritten letters. 11/28/2009 5:08:08 AM
Manning Park put in receivership Manning Park will open on schedule for the ski season this year, even though the company that operates the resort has been placed in receivership. "Everything is running as usual; nothing has changed." The park's nordic area is scheduled to open Dec. 5 and the alpine area follows on Dec. 12. 11/27/2009 3:45:33 PM
Winfield: Family affair nets dad jail time Selling coke from his gas station has landed a Lake Country man in jail and shut down the business. Giuseppe Lamelia, 58, was sentenced to 18 months behind bars Thursday for dealing cocaine out of Joe‘s Gas in Winfield. 11/27/2009 5:19:04 AM
Accused killer released on bail The woman charged with killing Joe Pek on her doorstep last month will live in Alberta until her trial. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Richard Brooke agreed Thursday to release Sherri Lee Patricia Kipling to her father‘s care at his house in a suburb outside Calgary. 11/27/2009 5:15:33 AM
Kamloops: Trial resumes in slaying of 3 children Allan Dwayne Schoenborn will enter the courtroom in Kamloops, B.C., again Friday for the resumption of his trial on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of his three young children. The defence is hoping to prove Schoenborn can't be held criminally responsible. 11/27/2009 4:28:56 AM
Trail: Toxco Investigation Wraps The exact cause of the fire at Trail's Toxco battery recycling facility may never be known. A joint investigation between the the Trail Fire Department, Toxco and the Ministry of Environment couldn't determine the precise reason because the fire's intensity destroyed much of the evidence. 11/26/2009 7:16:32 AM
Olympic Doping: 30 key minutes for athletes A little bit of blood and urine — and a whole lot of questions. That’s what athletes competing in the 2010 Olympic Games can expect if they get called upon to be tested for performance-enhancing drugs. Members the VANOC anti-doping program were in Kamloops as part of an international training workshop. 11/26/2009 7:13:30 AM
Kelowna: Paper or plastic? City will pick up both Few Kelowna homeowners are raking up leaves from boulevard trees and putting them out for collection in compostable paper bags. The volume of leaves gathered up is so far below expectation that the program has been re-jigged to allow for the pickup of plastic bags. 11/26/2009 7:06:28 AM
Westbank fed up with treaty process The Westbank First Nation formally dropped out of treaty negotiations with the provincial and federal governments on Wednesday. “We remain a significant distance apart on key areas crucial to reaching a treaty settlement and, at the moment, there is no hope of settlement.” 11/26/2009 6:09:21 AM
Peachland/Kelowna: Trustees draw up plan to redraw boundaries The school district‘s electoral boundaries have returned to the status quo – for now. Trustees voted 4-3 on Wednesday night to rescind a 2008 motion that recommended electing two trustees at large for the entire Westside instead of one trustee for Peachland and one for the rest of the area. 11/26/2009 6:07:44 AM
B.C.'s NDP: A party in search of a new playbook As Carole James strode to the lectern that Saturday morning, her heart beat a little quicker than it normally did before a speech. But then, this wasn't your garden variety chamber of commerce address to a group of strangers stuffing themselves on rubber chicken. (Thanks to HDP photography for the pic.) 11/25/2009 3:44:58 PM
Kamloops: Living a dog’s life has its benefits It’s a dog-eat-dog world, but two university students are getting some extra cash for their work with the four-legged. Animal health technology students Kristen Younie and Kelsey Eaton will receive $500 each from the Kamloops and District Kennel Club. 11/25/2009 7:19:00 AM
Kelowna: Sheriffs to undergo pot training Courthouse sheriffs will soon get a lesson on medicinal marijuana after a Kelowna pot smoker was detained for two hours. Don Pio, 35, has a Health Canada card authorizing him to light up when he needs to. Sheriffs detained him Friday after he walked into the courthouse smelling of weed. 11/25/2009 6:31:57 AM
Kelowna: DARE a victim of violence Kelowna RCMP have scrubbed the DARE program so more officers can work on serious cases and general duty. Calls for service may be down, said Supt. Bill McKinnon, but police are dealing with more serious crimes like sexual assault, child pornography, pin-pad fraud and break-ins. 11/25/2009 5:04:28 AM
China would rather buy B.C. wood Sending the largest-ever delegation to China was an unprecedented success after B.C. wood producers spoke directly to government housing officials. The key was the B.C. delegation, led by Forests Minister Pat Bell, meeting with senior Chinese Ministry of Housing officials. 11/25/2009 5:02:10 AM
N. Okanagan: Resort’s concept is crystal clear Vernon’s first wellness resort promises to be a place where people can relax and be pampered, but the pace is rather frenetic right now. An army of workers — peaking at about 400 — is trying to ensure that everything will be ready when Sparkling Hill Resort and Wellness Hotel opens in March. 11/24/2009 3:29:48 PM
Warrant arrest nets suspect in nine Vernon armed robberies Police say a 37-year-old man was arrested Monday on an outstanding warrant for breach of conditions. Officers noticed the man bore a strong resemblance to the description of a suspect they believed responsible for the nine robberies, including three over the weekend. 11/24/2009 3:25:42 PM
Body of man found in Kamloops park identified A man whose body was found in a Kamloops park Saturday had been released from police custody the night before. John Paul Gibbons, 39, of Kamloops, was arrested by Kamloops RCMP on Nov. 20 at about 9:50 a.m. for causing a disturbance and being intoxicated in a public place. 11/24/2009 2:19:37 PM
RCMP looking for witnesses to Pennask Summit accident; name victim On Saturday police responded to a three-car collision on Highway 97C (the Coquihalla Connector) whereby one of the drivers sustained serious injuries. The driver, 36 year old Surrey resident, Sheldon Brin, was transported to KGH via helicopter. He has succumbed to his injuries. 11/24/2009 7:18:33 AM
Update: West Kelowna man charged in pedestrian death over weekend RCMP Report: The male driver of the vehicle was transported to Kelowna Detachment where he provided two samples of his breath. The samples were 150 and 140 mg/100ml. He is facing charges of Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle and Operating a vehicle with more than 80 mg of alcohol in his blood. 11/24/2009 7:11:25 AM
Halpenny appointed interim CEO for Interior Health Dr. Rob Halpenny, IH’s senior medical director, will take assume the CEO’s duties Jan 1 and preside over the day-to-day operations of the health authority until a permanent replacement for Ramsden is named, sometime during 2010. 11/24/2009 7:08:32 AM
Drug-fuelled beating to net serious time A judge has convicted a low-level drug dealer of torturing and beating senseless one of his drivers over several hours at the Teddy Bear Lodge last winter. James A. Merkley, 39, is guilty of aggravated assault, unlawful confinement, extortion and theft, Judge Jane Cartwright ruled on Monday. 11/24/2009 7:01:51 AM
Kelowna: Sheriff's hassle medical marijuana smoker Don Pio, 35, says he has a medical condition that requires him to smoke pot every 40 minutes or so. He had marijuana on his breath when he followed his wife into Kelowna Law Courts on Friday – an odour that landed him in handcuffs on the floor of a sheriff‘s van and later in a jail cell. 11/24/2009 5:31:39 AM
“I couldn’t breathe, but I just pushed on,” says Quesnel River rescue hero When Kimberly Friesen leapt into the raging Quesnel River to save an eight-year-old boy it took her breath away — literally. “I couldn’t breathe, but I just pushed on, it was instinct,” said Friesen, a Quesnel elementary school teacher. 11/24/2009 4:55:34 AM
Sunken Gold Rush ship discovered in Yukon A team of Canadian and U.S. marine archeologists has discovered a long-lost shipwreck in the depths of Yukon's legendary Lake Laberge that is being hailed as a "national treasure." The "perfectly preserved" 19th-century sternwheeler A.J. Goddard went down in a storm more than a century ago. 11/23/2009 3:39:52 PM
Revelstoke: Early start to avalanche season Rescue crews getting an early start to the avalanche rescue season and with it comes reminders for those heading into the back country. Canadian Avalanche Centre spokesperson, Karl Klassen says as well as checking the forecast and carrying the right gear, there are other things snowmobilers, skiers and boarders can when they're in avalanche terrain. 11/23/2009 9:28:51 AM
West Kelowna: Council approves plan for traffic light Drivers frustrated by commuter chaos at Butt Road and Old Okanagan Highway will be happy to hear the District of West Kelowna is moving forward with its plans to install a traffic signal at the busy intersection. The east half of the intersection is on Westbank First Nation land while the western half is located in the District of West Kelowna. 11/23/2009 5:51:53 AM
Baby alpaca’s arrival an early Christmas present The unexpected birth of a baby alpaca is both exciting and concerning for Sierra Vista Alpaca owners Robbie Westgard and Ken Clow. Those already in on the news nick-named the baby alpaca, or cria, the “Christmas alpaca,” although Westgard and Clow called the newborn “Dante.” 11/23/2009 5:48:40 AM
Kamloops: NDP's Dix asks for data on leak A pathologist at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops mistakenly posted private medical information, including the Care Card numbers and phone numbers for 77 people in the Interior, on an IH website that was visible to the public from July to October. 11/23/2009 5:40:07 AM
Kelowna: Pedestrian killed in early morning accident Kelowna RCMP are investigating a man for suspected impaired driving after an accident at 2:20 a.m. Sunday sent a pedestrian to hospital. The unidentified man later succumbed to his injuries at Kelowna General Hospital. The accident happened at the intersection of Ellis and Water Streets 11/23/2009 5:34:30 AM
Workers rally at Kelowna's Coast Capri The Unite Here union brought its Coast Hotels protest to Kelowna Saturday. About 100 unionized workers and their supporters rallied outside the Coast Capri Hotel. The union said it has not received an official proposal from Coast since the last contract expired. 11/23/2009 5:18:18 AM
Kelowna: Man collapses, dies beside his truck The name of a 52-year-old Kelowna man who collapsed and died beside his pickup truck Saturday will not be released until his family has been notified. Police got the call about a body beside a truck on the Goudie Forestry Road in East Kelowna at around 7 a.m. 11/23/2009 5:11:48 AM
Man shot by Mountie in central B.C. A 24-year-old man is in hospital in serious but stable condition after he was shot by a Mountie in central B.C. Saturday afternoon. Police say the officer pulled over a truck matching the description of a stolen vehicle on Highway 16 near Tatlow, south of Smithers. 11/23/2009 5:04:02 AM
Okanagan Connector accident victim air-lifted to hospital Police were investigating a serious traffic accident Saturday that critically injured a man near the Pennask Summit of the Coquihalla Connector highway. Mid-morning Saturday, a private vehicle and a maintenance truck, both travelling in westbound lanes, collided. 11/22/2009 4:32:50 AM
Man injured in police shooting in Smithers after officer dragged A 24-year-old man is in serious condition in hospital after being shot by a police officer in Smithers. Houston RCMP received a call shortly before noon Saturday about a stolen truck. At 12:34 p.m., an officer from the Smithers RCMP detachment saw and stopped a vehicle matching the description. 11/22/2009 4:29:02 AM
Wood making comeback in construction Okanagan wood is on the comeback trail.
After losing ground to concrete and steel for years, and to a recession that reduced demand and prices, wood is making a resurgence. Forestry is the backbone of B.C.‘s economy. When wood falls on hard times, just look what happens to our provincial fortunes. 11/21/2009 5:53:30 AM
Kelowna Mom fails to leave gang life in time A Kelowna mother-of-two killed in a shooting at an after-hours house party was trying to end her association with gang members before she was murdered. Now, police are trying to determine if Roxanne Flora Charlie, 26, was deliberately targeted in the shooting at a Surrey home. 11/21/2009 5:31:38 AM
Quesnel Mountie charged with slapping handcuffed man A report from another RCMP officer has led to an assault charge for a Quesnel RCMP officer. Police initiated an investigation after Const. Tim Wang, a member with more than 12 years of service, was accused of allegedly slapping a handcuffed prisoner at the RCMP detachment . 11/21/2009 5:19:29 AM
Kelowna: Council will be asked to scrap failing festival Dismal attendance and heavy financial losses look to have done in the Kelowna Music and Arts Festival. The city-supported festival should be scrapped next year, council will hear Monday, since this past summer‘s edition was a money-losing bust that failed to gain community support. 11/21/2009 4:44:36 AM
Kelowna: Climate action workshop planned You can learn how this region is faring in terms of taking action on climate change issues at a one-day free workshop called the State of Climate Action. The event is open to anyone interested, taking place Nov. 27 at Manteo Resort. 11/20/2009 7:53:15 PM
IHIT still investigating why Kelowna mom was shot dead Homicide investigators are still trying to find out why a young Kelowna mom was shot dead at a Surrey house party over the Halloween weekend. On Friday, Integrated Homicide Investigation Team spokesman Cpl. Dale Carr identified the victim as Roxanne Flora Charlie, 26, the mother of two children aged two and four. 11/20/2009 3:14:35 PM
Repaired hearts go out of KGH Ten heart patients have quietly undergone angioplasty this week, heralding a new era at Kelowna General Hospital. A source at the hospital has confirmed all 10 patients went home a day after the procedure. They‘re the first people to undergo the operation in B.C.‘s Interior. 11/20/2009 8:20:13 AM
Vernon businesses hit by string of robberies (Video) Small business owners in Vernon are on edge after a string of robberies in the past week and a half. RCMP say they believe the same man is behind robberies at a Subway outlet, grocery store, gas station, butcher shop and bakery. The bakery was hit twice. 11/20/2009 7:49:05 AM
Kelowna MLA Norm Letnick goes rogue on Liberals Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick says he does not expect any repercussions as a result of his vote against the government’s controversial legislation allowing police to forcibly take the homeless to shelters during inclement weather. Letnick was the only Liberal to vote against it. 11/20/2009 5:14:01 AM
Lake Country: One person rescued as car sinks in Reservoir Kelowna RCMP Const. Jennifer Hunter said she was just doing her job as a police officer. But for a Kelowna resident, Hunter’s actions probably saved her life after the car she was driving eastbound veered off McKinley Road and over an embankment into the McKinley Reservoir at about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. 11/20/2009 5:11:27 AM
Kelowna: Stephens saga to be solved soon The football player who sexually assaulted eight Kelowna women in 2007 will learn his fate in January. Tyler Stephens faces a three-day court hearing that will determine whether he should be jailed indefinitely. Senior prosecutors with the attorney general‘s office are seeking dangerous-offender status. 11/20/2009 4:28:44 AM
Update: Policewoman breaks window, rescues woman from sinking car It was Const. Jennifer Hunter who jumped into the McKinley reservoir to release the female driver trapped in the car. Hunter used a knife to smash the back window of the car, which was starting to float out and sink by the time she got to it. 11/19/2009 10:59:59 AM
Police fear indecent exposures could escalate to something worse Police say there is a real concern about recent indecent exposure complaints escalating into more serious sexual offences, although a local mental-health professional is cautioning people to keep things in perspective. 11/19/2009 10:56:25 AM
45 Cm of snow (foot and a half) on Coquihalla, still snowing The Drive BC site this morning is telling us that 45cm of snow has fallen since 7pm Wednesday night on the Coquihalla Summit, and it is still snowing. Best advice, stay of Highway 5. There have been numerous accidents, and at some times the road has been closed in both directions.
11/19/2009 7:27:11 AM
B.C. Nisga'a approve historic land use law A British Columbia first nation that made history a decade ago in signing the province's first modern treaty has come up with another first, passing a land use law allowing its members to own, mortgage and re-sell individual parcels of treaty land. 11/19/2009 4:46:20 AM
Okanagan Libraries will keep lights on Okanagan libraries won‘t face summertime closures. During the Okanagan Regional Library board‘s full-day meeting, board members approved a $14.87-million operating budget for 2010, ensuring that all branches will remain open with regular hours for the year. 11/19/2009 4:41:52 AM
Man convicted of drugging, raping Armstron girl to appeal The man convicted of kidnapping, drugging and repeatedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old Armstrong, B.C., girl three years ago will appeal the ruling. Paul Robert Lepage, 58, is also appealing last month's decision by B.C. Supreme Court declaring him a dangerous offender. 11/18/2009 10:18:39 AM
Kamloops: City reels from loss of John Cottrell A wave of shock has swept over the River City as residents learn of the death of John Cottrell. Cottrell, owner of Surplus Herby’s and a prominent community figure, died suddenly in Vernon hospital on Monday. “Now there is a hole in this community with his passing.” 11/18/2009 9:45:55 AM
Grand Forks: No twinning for now An invite from China, to twin Grand Forks with the district of MuPing has been rejected by council...for now. The idea was for a Grand Forks delegation to visit Asia before mid-December, however the timing proved problematic for council. 11/18/2009 9:38:57 AM
Kelowna: New hillside guidelines long overdue The hills are alive with too many problems, City of Kelowna staff admitted yesterday as they rolled out a new set of hillside development guidelines. When the municipality introduced its first set of hillside development guidelines in 2001, it was considered a trendsetter. 11/18/2009 9:15:55 AM
Vernon: Soldiers training for Games Olympic athletes aren’t the only ones kicking up their training a notch with the Vancouver games approaching. Members of Canada’s military are fine-tuning their skills as they are called upon to help serve during the Olympics and Paralympics, with one regiment using Vernon as a base for the next two weeks. 11/18/2009 6:54:19 AM
Kelowna: Recession making it very tough on food banks Working on the front line against poverty, it would be easy for Vonnie Lavers to become depressed. It was especially depressing the past week when the Kelowna Community Food Bank executive director got calls from two regular supporters, company owners who warned their workers could become food bank clients. 11/18/2009 5:00:23 AM
Kelowna: Save 3DG tickets for January Thursday‘s Three Days Grace concert at Kelowna‘s Prospera Place has been postponed, concert promoter Live Nation announced Tuesday. The concert has been rescheduled to Jan. 7, and all tickets bought for Thursday‘s concert will be honoured. 11/18/2009 4:57:19 AM
Prince George Mounties make massive guns and ammo seizure Mounties have seized a cache of illegal firearms and ammo from an organized crime group operating out of Prince George. A 28-year-old man who was previously unknown to police was arrested and is facing numerous firearm and drug-related charges. 11/18/2009 4:47:36 AM
Rutland: Customers help apprehend bank robber Two quick thinking customers at the Interior Savings Credit Union branch in Rutland stopped a man during an attempted bank robbery this afternoon. Barry Heidelbrecht was making a deposit he noticed a man having what he thought was an argument with one of the tellers. 11/17/2009 7:41:02 PM
Penticton Lakeside Hotel's Prystays win tourism award in Kelowna Thompson Okanagan tourism leaders wrapped up a major two-day conference on the future of their industry Friday in Kelowna. RPB Hotels & Resorts won the Tourism Industry Partner Award. The company is owned by the Prystay family who operate the Penticton Lakeside Resort, the Kelowna Ramada Lodge, and the Best Western Vernon Lodge. 11/17/2009 10:16:09 AM
School absenteeism is H1N1's canary in the coal mine Absenteeism in schools is one of the indicators the Interior Health Authority uses as a barometer of influenza activity and if recent numbers in the Central Okanagan School District hold true, then the H1N1 pandemic seems to be declining. 11/17/2009 10:08:46 AM
Gravel Pits: West Kelowna residents in a holding pattern Over two years ago the Ministry of Mines put a kibosh on plans for the company Paradise Sand and Gravel to move ahead with a controversial quarry, but residents of West Kelowna Estates have yet to let down their guard. 11/17/2009 10:05:46 AM
Prince George: Diversification plans take wing with landing of 747 Two months after Prince George's airport completed a $37-million runway to get into the business of refuelling cargo airplanes on transpacific flights, airport officials are trumpeting a sign of success: The first arrival of a Boeing 747, scheduled to land today. 11/17/2009 9:03:40 AM
Kelowna Candidates split on Development Zone From the Kelowna Courier:
Today we ask candidates, are you in favour of the Comprehensive Development Zone proposal, which would allow for a dozen new highrises in the Lawrence-Leon corridor, as a way to revitalize downtown? Yes or no, and why? 11/17/2009 5:39:25 AM
Kelowna: Mounties apologize for wrongful arrest A Kelowna woman mistakenly arrested has accepted the RCMP‘s apology and won‘t sue the force, she said on Monday. Noelle Kennedy and her 17-year-old son spent 45 minutes in jail two weeks ago for allegedly driving with a stolen licence plate. Supt. Bill McKinnon asked to meet with her to apologize. 11/17/2009 4:43:41 AM
Cranbrook votes 'No', loses land Trees are going down, trails could be torn up, and a large chunk of land is no longer being donated as recreational property for Cranbrook’s citizens following Saturday’s ‘No’ vote against the proposed East Hill Boundary expansion. Following a recount the ‘No’ side won by just 35 votes: 2,616 to the ‘Yes’ side’s 2,581. 11/16/2009 5:19:23 PM
Vernon: Woman and great grandson die in crash On Friday, November 13th, at approximately 5:55 pm, a collision on Highway 97 in Vernon claimed two lives. A Chevrolet car, traveling south on Highway 97 lost control on the 27th Street overpass. The car crossed the centerline, and was struck broadside by a northbound Ford pickup. 11/16/2009 5:12:01 PM
Jennifer Cusworth murder trial put over til December Wade Jenson, the lawyer acting on behalf of the man accused of killing Jennifer Cusworth 16 years ago, simply asked for the matter to be put over until Dec. 1 while he reviewed further disclosure handed over to him this morning in a thick, brown envelope. 11/16/2009 4:20:07 PM
A request for the RCMP's un-edited jail cell video of Tasered man who died PRINCE GEORGE - First Nations leaders, the BC Civil Liberties Association and an independent pathologist are calling on the RCMP to release an unedited jail cell video of a man who died in custody in 2003 after being stunned with a Taser. Officers Tasered him three times as he was being detained. 11/16/2009 11:24:49 AM
Merritt: First nations trying to halt power line to Lower Mainland A lawsuit filed by first nations in the Okanagan seeks to quash a key certificate needed for a proposed high-voltage power line to the Lower Mainland, claiming the province never consulted with them. The $600-million expansion project would add a high-voltage power line connecting the Nicola substation near Merritt. 11/16/2009 11:11:21 AM
Infant dead, one person in custody near Fraser Lake, say RCMP A young child has been reported dead — and one person in police custody — in a community about 160 kilometres west of Prince George. No details are available other than the child's body has been recovered and one person is in custody. 11/16/2009 9:12:14 AM
Vernon: No firm funding if Carnival shortfall Vernon Winter Carnival Society officials have been told to roll up their sleeves and not count on public funds. The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee will not guarantee Carnival a break on facility fees if some events next year are not a financial success. 11/16/2009 7:36:11 AM
Province avoids taking action on dock complaints The owners of 31 lakefront homes in the South Bay development may be forced to remove the boat lifts put in for their strata development. The development secured a permit to build 28 boat slips and add nine basic lifts, but went several steps further adding an addition 17 lifts 11/16/2009 7:31:28 AM
Paramedics fight with BC Government is far from over Fewer ambulances are responding to Okanagan emergencies, but residents should still dial 911, say paramedics. B.C. Ambulance officials urged residents across B.C. to call 911 only in life-threatening situations. Paramedic's spokesman B.J. Chute says the press release is a lie. 11/16/2009 4:57:38 AM
"Magic" mushrooms linked to death in Nakusp Nakusp RCMP have issued a warning against consuming magic mushrooms. Cpl. Bryson Hill said preliminary results from an autopsy performed on a 23-year-old man who died while in the Halfway Hot Springs Nov. 8, indicate his death could be linked to him taking what he thought were hallucination-causing magic mushrooms. 11/16/2009 4:16:36 AM
Rebagliati turns page on days as Olympic champion dude Yes, the marijuana controversy is covered in Olympic champion snowboarder Ross Rebagliati‘s new book. “It is what it is,” said Rebagliati, 38, during a signing session Saturday at Kelowna‘s Mosaic Books for Off the Chain: An Insider‘s History of Snowboarding. 11/15/2009 6:34:55 PM
BC Moose is first victim of Border Guards with guns Canada's newly armed border guards have claimed their first victim: a hapless moose. The incident in August — marking the first time a border-guard sidearm has been discharged on duty — occurred about 25 kilometres west of Creston, B.C. 11/15/2009 5:03:43 PM
Okanagan High Wind Warning continues into Monday An intense pacific frontal system is setting up a strong and moist southwest flow across the British Columbia interior this evening. Winds expected to rise to south 60 km/h gusting 90. As of 5pm Sunday the maximum wind speed recorded at Penticton airport has been 80 kph. 11/15/2009 4:44:39 PM
Recount for Cranbrook referendum after 'No' wins, barely No wins the preliminary count with 2623 votes versus 2589 votes for Yes. The votes are being recounted, but if the vote holds, the City of Cranbrook will not be expanding into East Hill. 11/15/2009 5:07:06 AM
40th Growers forum wraps up in Penticton The reintroduction of a strategy to assist Canadian growers was presented during the 40th annual Horticultural Forum held at the Penticton Convention Centre Friday. These practices have been created to give Canadian growers a leg up on the competition for newer varieties of apples and cherries. 11/15/2009 4:40:04 AM
Vernon: Two die in collision A two-vehicle accident on the Swan Lake overpass Friday at about 6 p.m. claimed the lives of two people. One person was also injured in the crash that closed the highway for about six hours. The names of the deceased are being withheld. 11/14/2009 5:12:21 PM
Opening day a memorable one for Big White It was sunshine and champagne powder for those who were at Big White for opening day Saturday. The ski resort, which hosted hundreds of guests, saw a half-hour lineup waiting for the Ridge Rocket Express make it’s maiden voyage for the season at 8:45 a.m. 11/14/2009 3:42:45 PM
Former B.C. school teacher jailed for child pornography A 61-year-old former secondary school teacher was sentenced Friday to nine months behind bars for possessing and distributing child pornography. Michael Raymond Gardiner was also given three years probation and must submit his DNA to the national sex offender registry. 11/14/2009 11:59:29 AM
Kelowna: No sentence yet in sexual touching case Thirteen months after he was convicted on one count of touching a child for a sexual purpose, Kirk Lonegren has still not been sentenced as a B.C. Supreme Court judge in Kelowna continues to wrestle with legal arguments. 11/14/2009 6:02:02 AM
Vernon: 5,000 homes get a boil water notice A boil water notice is looming for thousands of Greater Vernon residents. A pipeline will be shut down late Sunday so the partially constructed Duteau Creek treatment plant can be tied into a main. As a result, 5,000 homes will be switched to other water sources for seven to 14 days. 11/14/2009 5:55:26 AM
Peachland: $1Billion golf project pushing growth Peachland is set to expand by 30 hectares to accommodate plans for a massive development. Town boundaries will be enlarged as part of plans for a $1-billion project that will see the redesign of the Ponderosa golf course and construction of 2,200 housing units, a hotel and winery. 11/14/2009 5:22:35 AM
Dust off those skis & snowboards, season starts early Cypress and Grouse mountains opened for business Friday and several other B.C. ski resorts are scheduled to open this weekend. Whistler Blackcomb, Sun Peaks Resort in Kamloops, and Big White Ski Resort in Kelowna are opening Saturday. Penticton's Apex Resort opens Dec. 5. 11/14/2009 4:23:05 AM
Depot bottled up by landlord Shutting down the bottle depot in Kelowna‘s south end will generate more garbage in the landfill and make it harder for consumers to go green, says Clare Cassan. Columbia Bottle Depot takes in more than 10 million beverage containers a year at its Pandosy Street location. 11/14/2009 4:09:28 AM
Kelowna: Snow snarls morning commute Kelowna RCMP are investigating 14 crashes today in Kelowna, West Kelowna and Lake Country. “It’s difficult to obtain more information at this time because members are still at the scene and have not completed the data entry to each file,” said Sgt. Ann Morrison. 11/13/2009 2:31:44 PM
Orchardist family adapts to apple harvest evolution The orchard industry’s annual Golden Apple Award goes this year to a Lake Country family who operate Dorenberg Orchards—60 acres where they’ve specialized in growing just three varieties: Sunrise, Royal Gala and Ambrosia. Marc Van Roechoudt has seen a lot of changes. 11/13/2009 5:22:08 AM
Big snow for Big White “All the indicators … are in our favour,” said Big White director of guest services Blair Ireland. “Opening Saturday is not just one of our earliest openings ever, but the good snow and the improved economy means were looking forward to a great season.” 11/13/2009 4:27:05 AM
Third Cranbrook shooting suspect turns self in A third suspect has turned himself in in connection with a shooting outside a Cranbrook bar. A man received multiple gunshot wounds Oct. 29 after a dispute outside the Sam Steele Inn shortly after midnight. A Canada-wide warrant was issued on Nov. 3 for the arrest Kevin William Winters, 51. 11/13/2009 4:23:22 AM
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UBCO has focus on racism elimination
