Vernon will be hosting an amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) and kickboxing event this summer.The Okanagan Fighting Championship will be held Saturday, July 6 at the Vernon Curling Club. The event will feature title fights involving local MMA fighters including Rylie "Coyote" Marchand (Unity MMA and Kickboxing ...

The Vernon Fish and Game Club invites the public to visit the club's shooting range as part of National Range Day on Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be demonstrations of shooting sports and the opportunity to participate in archery and shooting pistols and rifles at a variety of interactive targets. ...

For the first time in league history, a player has been granted exceptional status in the BC Hockey League (BCHL) and will receive early eligibility in the league.Eli McKamey from Cowichan Bay, B.C., who was born in 2009, has committed to play for the Penticton Vees for the 2024-25 season.Without the exceptional status...

Mounties in Kelowna are looking to speak with a person of interest in relation to an ongoing stranger sexual assault investigation.Kelowna RCMP said the individual, an adult male, was allegedly involved in an incident that took place in the 200 block of Sheppard Rd. in the Rutland area at approximately 11 p.m. Friday, ...

It's tick season in the Interior and the local health authority is advising people know how to avoid and deal with the parasites.Ticks are small insects that bite and feed on humans and animals and can sometimes transmit disease."There are easy things you can do to protect yourself from ticks such as covering up b...

The Kelowna Fire Department says a home in the 400 block of Edith Gay Road was damaged after a fire Thursday afternoon.Multiple calls about the blaze came in around 4:15 p.m..The first arriving officer reported smoke showing from the rear of the structure of the two-story residential building.The fire was quickly knock...

The City of Enderby is introducing a new staged framework for water conservation and drought management. "This framework helps protect the city's watershed during drought and ensures there is water available for essential and emergency needs," a city news release stated. The city said the system encourages ef...

Renee Merrifield's name will not be on the ballot for this fall's provincial election.The MLA for Kelowna Mission has announced she won't seek a second term for the BC United Party, saying she feels she can best the community by returning to the private sector."My goals remain the same coming out of politics as go...

The City of Kelowna is ready to roll out its expanded Bike Valet program after a successful pilot last summer.From May 18 until Sept. 2, residents and visitors can park their bikes for free between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The program will run Thursday through Monday at the same location as last year, the interse...

The City of Kelowna's program to allow alcohol use in certain city parks is underway for another season with more parks included.The program, which began on May 15, has grown from three parks last year, to eight in 2024: Waterfront (including Tugboat Bay), Boyce-Gyro, Kinsmen Beach, Cedar Creek, Rotary Beach, Sarsons B...

The public can find out ways to protect themselves from fraud and scams at an upcomign event put on by the RCMP in Salmon Arm.Constable Elisha Houle will provide a presentation on common scams and frauds on Wednesday, May 29.There will also be a presentation from Service Canada on how to protect your identification and...

The Kelowna RCMP have reopened Highway 97 northbound at Edwards Road following a two-vehicle collision at around 9:15 a.m. Thursday. As of 10 a.m., police said traffic was moving again. No details on the incident were released. Crash closes northbound lanes on Highway 97 9:30 a.m. RCMP are on the scene of a two-vehicle...

The mountain passes on area highways could get some spring snow.Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for several area highways, including the Okanagan Connector, Coquihalla, and Highway 1's Rogers Pass.The agency said a cool air mass could settle in higher elevations of the Interior, bringing precipita...

A milestone has been celebrated for the North Okanagan Shuswap Rail Trail.A grand opening event was held May 10 to commemorate the completion of the Enderby-Splatsin pilot section of the trail at the new trailhead parking area in Enderby. The two-kilometre stretch marks the first fully constructed phase of the project,...

Nearly three dozen arrests were made in a span of just four days as Mounties cracked down on shoplifters.Community Safety Unit officers ran the second round of the Kelowna RCMP's Operation Barcode, a program aimed at targeting repeat shoplifters by having plain-clothes officers working with Loss Prevention Officers and...

The BC Hockey League's championship final is set with the Penticton Vees to take on the Surrey Eagles for the Fred Page Cup. The Vees scored two goals 13 seconds apart in the final 30 seconds of the third period to beat the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 4-3 in game 7 of the Interior Conference Final Tuesday night at the South...

Kelowna council is moving forward with changes to address complaints about construction noise.After reviewing the options and looking at what other communities do, council decided to allow the noise during a reduced window on weekends and banning it on statutory holidays except if a variance is granted.The current byla...

Expect to see more police vehicles and traffic enforcement on the roads for the Victoria Day long weekend, which is considered the unofficial start to the tourism season in the Okanagan.It's part of Canada Road Safety Week, a national campaign to encourage safe driving to save lives and reduce injuries on Canadian road...

BGC Okanagan is the latest non-profit organization to receive the Beach Radio Community Airtime Award.The Vernon radio station, in partnership with North Okanagan Construction, present an advertising grant of $35,000 semi-annually to a non-profit group or charitable organization to help them raise awareness of their pr...

People experiencing homeless in Kelowna will soon have access to temporary homes.Trailside Transitional Housing, located at 2740 Highway 97 North, features 60 new temporary modular homes, including 14 that are wheelchair-accessible, to be used by people in need.The facility will prioritize seniors and people living wit...

People who buy tickets for events at the Kelowna Community Theatre are advised to be cautious if they are going through ticket re-sellers."All tickets for shows taking place on the Kelowna Community Theatre main stage should be purchased directly from the theatre's box office either online, in-person (1375 Water S...

Rising water levels have led to the closure of the the Casorso Road bridge underpass along the Mission Creek Greenway in Kelowna.The Regional District of Central Okanagan said that area will remain closed until the levels recede and visitors are asked to respect any barricades and closure signs.Pedestrians and cyclists...

A tragic incident forced the cancellation of a pickleball tournament in Vernon this weekend.The Vernon Pickleball Association says its 'Battle in the Palace' mixed doubles tournament on Saturday, May 11 was cancelled mid-way through after a 49-year-old male competitor from Kelowna suddenly collapsed on the courts durin...

The BC Wildfire Service discovered a 2.5-hectare wildfire burning on Saturday (May 11) northeast of Merritt about eight kilometres up Swakum Mountain Forest Service Road. Swakum Mountain is about 35 kilometres northeast of Merritt, just west of Highway 5. The fire was discovered at 10:35 a.m. on Saturday and its cause ...

As temperatures are on the rise, the Regional District of Central Okanagan is reminding people not to leave their pets in vehicles.The RDCO says temperatures inside vehicles can climb significantly, even when parked in the shade, and within 10 minutes the mercury can reach to levels that can seriously harm or kill a pe...

CASTLEGAR, B.C. - British Columbia's finance minister says she won't be running again in the next provincial election after serving in the legislature for nearly two decades. Katrine Conroy says it will be hard to leave the people she's worked with over the years, but at 66, it's time to step back to spend time with he...

The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) has raised its fire danger rating to level four, or high, for all its regional parks.The RDCO updated the rating as continued dry conditions and rising temperatures increase the fire risks in the region.The regional district asks visitors to be careful and follow all fir...

The motor vehicle collision on Highway 97 south of Peachland resulted in one fatality.West Kelowna RCMP and the B.C. Coroner's Service confirmed that one person died due to the collision that occurred around 2:45 p.m. Thursday, May 9, south of Hardy Falls Regional Park.The RCMP said the investigation into the circumsta...