Black Press Media is taking a look back at the top stories from the past year. These are the top stories of each month that our audience engaged with the most and were important to the community.

Share your thoughts on the past year and email us at okanagan.newsroom@blackpress.ca.

There were two concerning incidents in West Kelowna and Westbank in Jan. 2023.

On Jan. 19, RCMP were alerted to a silver Hyundai that was swerving along Bentley Road.

The vehicle was first spotted near Shannon Lake School, where the driver went up onto the sidewalk and almost ran over a child.

The car and driver were eventually found parked in front of a business on Highway 97.

It was found that the driver was known to the police, and an investigation led to the seizure of a significant amount of crack cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana.

On Jan 26., RCMP conducted an operation at a Westbank home.

That operation did not go as planned, however, when the occupants of the house in the 3300 block of Old Okanagan Highway refused to come out, leading to a standoff with police.

It ended without incident and several people were arrested.