Okanagan athletes make Olympic Team

35 B.C. athletes make Canadian Olympic team.

Office of the Premier / Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport.

Thirty-five B.C. athletes have been named to the Canadian Olympic Team and will have the distinct honour of representing their country at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games on home soil, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today.

Local athletes — Justin Kripps, Summerland (bobsleigh) – Chris Le Bihan, Kelowna (bobsleigh) – Kelsey Serwa, Kelowna (ski cross) – Steve Omischl, Kelowna (aerials) – Kristi Richards, Penticton/Summerland (moguls) – Duncan Keith, Penticton (hockey) – Shea Weber, Sicamous (hockey) – Drew Neilson, Vernon (snowboard cross)

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Kelowna police search for brutal attacker

Kelowna RCMP.

A brutal attack, which left a woman with severe facial injuries, has police searching for the suspect and asking for the public’s help.

On January 25th, police responded to a residence, a mobile home trailer, in the 4300 block of Jaud Rd. in East Kelowna. A male had broken into the victim’s residence, at around 3:15 p.m. and threatened to kill the 32 year old woman, who is known to him, who he then brutally assaulted, at times using weapons. The assault was interrupted when a woman knocked on the door to the residence. The unknown good Samaritan, who police are looking to speak with, may very well have saved the victim’s life as her action caused the suspect to flee the area.

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Salmon Arm, Kelowna, Kamloops all finalists in GamesTown 2010

After counting nearly 200,000 ballots, the BC Minister of State for the Olympics and ActNow, Mary McNeil, has announced that British Columbians have chosen 10 communities around the province to be finalists in the contest for the title of GamesTown 2010.

Congratulations to the top 10 communities of Houston, Princeton, Smithers, Quesnel, Salmon Arm, Dawson Creek, Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna and Coquitlam.

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Otis the pot-sniffing copdog scores again

Otis the smiling Mountie makes another big seizure.

Kelowna RCMP.

Early Thursday morning, members of Southeast District Traffic Services Integrated Road Safety Unit and Keremeos Roving Patrol Unit put a little bit a of kink in someone’s day, these individuals were allegedly conducting illegal activity.

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Liftoff for Disneyland !

Over 80 children from B.C. take magical flight!

Kelowna RCMP.

How many excited kids can you fit on a aircraft bound for Disneyland? Just over 80, if you’re organizing the upcoming “Sunshine DreamLift to Disneyland” which departed this morning from Kelowna on December 10th at 7 am.

A handful of Southeast District RCMP members were on hand to help out in getting Sunshine Dreamlift kids on their way to Disneyland early this morning from the Kelowna International Airport. The officers from the Kelowna Detachment were on hand to see the kids off, help load a truck full of luggage and chat with the kids and families participating.

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BC seeks ideas on diversification of forest-fibre use

Innovative ways to use fibre in Okanagan wanted.

Ministry of Forests and Range.

The Okanagan Shuswap Forest District is soliciting the public for ideas on innovative uses of wood fibre, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.

“Improving utilization means getting more value from our forests,” said Bell. “British Columbia continues to lead the country in bioenergy, but what about the untapped, non-traditional markets? If we can tap into and pursue new and innovative markets for fibre usage, we can diversify the local forest economy.”

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Charges laid in 1993 Kelowna murder

Arrest of suspect in Jennifer Cusworth homicide.

Today is the beginning of the end of a very long journey for Jean and Terry Cusworth and for the members of the Kelowna RCMP Major Crimes Unit.

On October 23rd, 2009 at approximately 12:00 pm, a 43 year old Kelowna resident was arrested without incident for 1st Degree Murder, in the death of Jennifer Shaun Cusworth.

It was 16 years ago, on October 17th, 1993, that 19 year old Jennifer Shaun Cusworth was found murdered in a ditch along side a private driveway at 3995 Swamp Road in Kelowna, B.C.

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Kelowna pedestrian struck, killed by SUV

At just after 6 a.m. (October 20), a 45 year old Kelowna resident was driving eastbound, in her Suzuki SUV, on Sutherland Ave. in the 1500 block. A 47 year old woman, wearing dark clothing, was walking across Sutherland Ave, and was struck by the SUV. There was no crosswalk or intersection at the site of the collision.

The victim was propelled into the air, landing on the roadway which resulted serious head and internal injuries. She was taken to Kelowna General Hospital where she subsequently died. Her name is not being release pending the notification of next of kin.

The SUV was seized for a mechanical inspection. The investigation is ongoing and police are asking any witnesses to this incident to come forward and call the Kelowna Traffic Section at 250-980-5353 with information.

Investigation has ruled out Speed and alcohol as contributory factors. No charges have yet been laid.

Kelowna
October 21, 2009
RCMP, Kelowna
File: 2009-54627

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“Dog gone” police chase

Team effort saves the dog — a “dog gone” interesting police chase.

Police got some professional assistance from a local celebrity “Dog Whisperer” last night as they worked to corral a distressed German Shepherd that was darting in and out of downtown traffic.

The incident started between 10:30-11:00 p.m. as a couple of police officers were on their way to a well deserved coffee break. At Richter and Harvey Ave, they noticed a young German Shepherd, alone and distressed, risking life and limb by running into moving traffic.

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West Nile ‘detected’ in south Okanagan

British Columbia confirms its first West Nile Virus activity.

The presence of West Nile virus has been detected in British Columbia for the first time ever, the province announced today.

A mosquito pool sample collected from the south Okanagan tested positive for the virus at the Provincial Health Services Authority Laboratories at the BC Centre for Disease Control. At the same time, public health authorities are investigating possible West Nile virus cases in two Kelowna residents who had only travelled within the central and south Okanagan areas in the Interior Health region.

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