Nicholas Johansen

5 days ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen

Kelowna's City Park is filled with colours Sunday at the second annual festival of Ratha Yatra. The downtown park is filled with music, dancing and food, as hundreds of people gather to celebrate the event, hosted by the Kelowna Hindu Cultural Society & the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Ratha Yatra translates to “chariot journey,” and it's been celebrated for more than 5,000 years in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

5 days ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen

A Kelowna man now holds the record for most Grouse Grinds completed in one day, after making it up the steep mountain trail 21 times on Friday. As reported by CTV News, Kelowna's Sean Green took the top spot at the annual Multi Grouse Grind Challenge on Friday, setting a new record. The event, a fundraiser for North Shore Rescue, sees competitors hustle up the trail as many times as they can between 4 a.m. and 10 p.m. The 2.9-kilometre trail features 2,830 stairs, gaining 800 metres of elevation.

5 days ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen

The Okanagan could see more thunderstorms Sunday. Environment Canada has once again issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Okanagan, Shuswap and parts of the West Kootenays. Weather conditions in the area are “favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain,” the weather agency says. The thunderstorm watch covers the entire Okanagan Valley, north to Salmon Arm and east to the Arrow Lakes and Slocan Valley.

5 days ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen

A Kelowna woman who suffered years of abuse at the hands of her former husband wants other abused women to know they're not alone. Following eight days of trial in December, 29-year-old James Rektor was convicted in January of four counts of assaulting his former wife, Christina Rektor-Connaghan, between 2016 and 2019. Two of the assaults occurred while she was pregnant with both of their children. On Friday, Justice Jasvinder Basran handed Rektor a 33-month jail sentence.

6 days ago | castanet.net | Nicholas Johansen

The annual Turtle Island Festival is in full swing in downtown Kelowna Saturday. The Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society is hosting its 51st annual event, celebrating National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, outside its main building at 442 Leon Avenue. The road is closed to vehicles between Ellis and Pandosy streets. The event runs until 7 p.m., with vendors, local arts and crafts, food and children's activities on site, along with music.