Kelowna man stabbed
while searching
Emergency crews found a 33-year-old West Kelowna man conscious but bleeding from two stab wounds on his upper body on June 2.
According to police, he was looking for his cellphone, using an associate’s phone to trace his stolen device through a GPS tracking service.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said a confrontation ensued and quickly escalated when the man came face to face with the armed suspect.
A 57-year-old Kelowna man was arrested.
The victim was transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
New vegan, gluten-free bakery opens
Joel Murga and Jaide Hatfield, owners of Jaide & Joel’s Baking Co., opened their first storefront in June.
The creative masterminds offer vegan doughnuts that can be purchased from Nature’s Fare, Blenz and Pulp Fiction.
But now, residents can also come to 585 Osprey Avenue every Thursday to get their fill of vegan and gluten-free sweets.
“We believe everyone will be able to enjoy our baking, vegan or not,” Murga said.
“This isn’t your typical vegan and gluten-free baking where people think it’s cardboard. We try to make it taste like the real thing.”
JOel Murga and Jaide Hatfield. (Supplied)
Leo’s Videos defies
The movie rental business is alive and well in Kelowna, but Leo’s Videos founder, Leo Bartels, said it might be time to step out of the business.
The popular store is a fixture on Pandosy, boasting over 25,000 movie titles, board games, and Magic the Gathering cards.
Bartels said he wanted the business to stay around, but he also felt he needed to step away.
“I’ve been doing this a long time. I really want the store to stay alive and be a part of Kelowna, but I don’t feel like I have the energy for what’s best for the store,” said Bartels.
Kelowna man’s crime
spree ends in
Police surrounded a Rutland home with a man barricaded inside. The standoff went on for four hours before police took a 40-year-old Kelowna man into custody.
The incident began with a 911 call to the police about an assault with a weapon on Arab Road.
RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said the Arab Road property owner was allegedly stabbed and was brought to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The suspect then allegedly carjacked a vehicle with a woman inside and fled. The carjacking victim also received non-life threatening injuries after it collided with a fire hydrant.
Officers chased the suspect on foot, who ran into an empty home and barricaded himself inside.
A Rutland resident woke up at 1 a.m., June 24, to her Mini Cooper in flames.
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said she thought it was because her husband has been vocal about his opposition to the supportive housing on McCurdy Road.
The 49-unit wet facility had already broken ground in the area at that time.
The Kelowna RCMP said they had reason to believe the incident was targeted.
The incident came after Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick’s office was vandalized after he asked the province to “pause” the project until other issues in the community have been solved.
Rutland car fire. (Supplied)
Texting costs bus
A Kelowna bus driver failed to keep his job after an arbitrator ruled against him.
Tim Wesman was found to have been using his cellphone while driving a buss full of passengers.
Another transit driver who was on the bus at the time caught the incident on camera and reported it to a supervisor, which led to Wesman’s firing.
Wesman tried to get his job back with help from his transit union, saying he was terminated “without just cause for texting while driving an in-service transit bus.”
The arbitrator found Wesman’s termination was not an excessive response.
Tragedy of teenager
Elijah Beauregard, 16, died after being stabbed in downtown Kelowna on June 27.
Beauregard was rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency surgeries but eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Eli had been living on the streets for about three months.
According to his dad, it was by his own choice.
“There’s a reason why somebody would choose the street over a perfectly good home,” said Robyn-lain Beauregard, Elijah’s father.
“For my son, it was following rules at home, going to school, having to get up every day at a certain time…that just wasn’t my kid. He was never, ever cool with that.”
