Here are the top stories for the week.
Disability proves no barrier for 12-year-old Kelowna sit skier
Born requiring an above-knee amputation to both his legs, Samuel Peters has spent the past six years learning how to sit-ski thanks to Powder Hounds and People in Motion, a non-profit organization with more than 60 volunteers who give people with sensory or physical disabilities the chance to enjoy the sport of skiing with adaptive equipment.
“As you can imagine, with the mobility difference feeling the wind in your hair is something that’s really rare,” said Samuel, who is now 12 years old.
VIDEO: Cold snap brings ideal conditions for Okanagan icewine
The recent cold snap may have been harsh for residents, but icewine makers in the Okanagan are celebrating the negative temperatures.
Producing icewine is delicate and risky, and keeping the grapes from defrosting is one of the main concerns, according to Grizzli Winery’s sales coordinator Breanna Nathorst.
“It has to be -8 C minimum but we like to wait until about -10 C because you get more concentrated fruit flavours when you wait a little bit longer,” Nathorst said.
Kelowna’s ‘Baby Mary’ finds biological parents after more than 30 years
A Kelowna resident known as “Baby Mary” has finally discovered who her birth parents are after more than thirty years.
Back in 1987, Elliot was just a baby when two teenagers found her in a green garbage bag tucked away in the corner of a Calgary shopping centre. Still covered in blood and attached to her umbilical cord, Elliot’s story garnered national media attention and she was quickly given the nickname “Baby Mary.”
Malindi Elmore shatters Canadian women’s marathon record
A Kelowna native has taken the sporting world by storm, shattering the Canadian women’s marathon record on Sunday (Jan. 19).
Malindi Elmore ran an incredible 2:24:50 at the Houston Marathon, eclipsing Rachel Cliff’s time of 2:26:56 set in March of 2019.
UNREAL….@MalindiElmore breaks CDN record by over 2' for a 2:24:50. Also sets CDN records for 25km, 30km, 35km and 40km en route. Un-freakn' believable Malindi! @AthleticsCanada pic.twitter.com/G1ZerGVZXT
— Trent Stellingwerff (@TStellingwerff) January 19, 2020
Mission Hill cellarman fired after mistakenly dumping $162K of wine down the drain
A year long dispute between the Mission Hill Family Estate Winery and a former employee has concluded and found the company was justified in firing its employee.
In 2018, Mission Hill cellarman Brent Crozier was fired from the winery after an error which resulted in the loss of nearly 6,000 litres of Mission Hill sauvignon blanc, a retail value of $162,464.
Big White warns skiers to avoid tree wells after two fatalities at other resorts
In response to the recent deaths of a skier and a snowboarder in the Kootenays, Big White Ski Resort is warning its visitors to stay clear of tree wells.
On Jan. 20, a snowboarder was found unresponsive in a tree well in the backcountry near Whitewater Ski Resort.
According to the RCMP, the snowboarder was discovered in a tree well shortly after noon by a passerby who began CPR and called for support. The man was then transported to a first aid station at the resort where BC Ambulance Services pronounced him dead. Then, just hours later another man was found unresponsive in the snow among the trees at Fernie Alpine Ski Resort.
