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Okanagan
Okanagan Indian Band argues case against rail deal in Vancouver Supreme Court
OKANAGAN – The Okanagan Indian Band is arguing its case this week in Vancouver Supreme…
Enderby woman wins $1M with free play
ENDERBY - An Enderby woman is celebrating her birthday with the ultimate present — a $1 million Maxmillion prize. Tanya Williams, who celebrates her birthday this week, won a free play and $1 on a previous Lotto Max draw and used that to get another ticket. She found out she was a winner when she...
Severe thunderstorm watch underway in much of Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After a wet and wild weekend in the Interior another round of thunderstorms could hit the region. Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Nicola, South Thompson and Okanagan Valley regions for Monday, May 25. The weather office notes conditions are favourable for storms that could produce hail, strong wind...
UPDATE: Southern Interior severe thunderstorm watch expanded
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada has expanded its severe thunderstorm watch to include the South Thompson, North Thompson and Nicola regions, including the city of Kamloops. The original watch issued early this morning, May 24, covered the Okanagan, Shuswap and Boundary regions, including Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm. Forecasters say conditions are favourable for the...
Hot Okanagan temperatures not quite record-breaking
OKANAGAN - Temperatures soared into the high 20s Wednesday, and will get even hotter Thursday and Friday, but it wasn’t quite enough for a record. According to Environment Canada, temperatures reached upwards of 28 Celsius in the Okanagan and 29.4 Celsius in Kamloops on Wednesday, May 20, but those numbers fell shy of records ranging...
Numerous snake scares in the Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Snake encounters have shaken up a number of Okanagan residents in the last few days — including one in an apartment building — and a wildlife control expert says in many cases, it has to do with the weather. Pete Wise runs a wildlife control service based in Vernon and says he’s had...
Kelowna RCMP searching for man linked to possible arson
KELOWNA - A fire at Boyd Autobody and Glass damaged four vehicles while a second fire on Bedford Avenue damaged a camper in April and now RCMP are looking to identify a man seen in surveillance footage from the area. In the early morning hours on April 10 the Kelowna Fire Department attended a fire...
Big White Ski Resort awarded for excellence
NAMED A TOP-PERFORMING SKI DESTINATION BY TRAVELLERS KELOWNA - Big White Ski Resort has received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award. Now in its fifth year, the award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given to establishments that consistently achieve great reviews on TripAdvisor. Destinations must maintain a consistent high review from a minimum number...
B.C. ROAD TRIP: Where to go, when you need to go
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Road trips are a great way to see this magnificent province of ours but need to be planned out carefully, especially if you have little ones. Not only do you need to have snacks, drinks and activities to help keep them from getting cranky, you need to plan regular bathroom and stretching breaks....
What you should know about this delicious, and potentially poisonous, local delicacy
VERNON - You might have seen the bright, vibrantly green curlicues in classified ads or at the local grocery store recently and wondered what they are and where they come from. They’re called fiddleheads, and they’re found around the world, including the Thompson-Okanagan, for a few short weeks every spring. Those who have tried the...
Electoral boundary changes go to public hearing in Kamloops, Vernon
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Changes are being recommended in many electoral areas across the province and this week you can get your say in on those changes at three meetings throughout the region. The B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission held public hearings in the fall and earlier this year a report outlining the recommended changes was released. In...
Fire danger ratings reach extreme
OPEN BURNING RESTRICTIONS START FRIDAY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Open fires were already set to be restricted in many parts of the Kamloops fire centre beginning May 15 but with unseasonably warm and dry weather well under way, the entire fire centre will now be put under restrictions beginning this weekend. The Clearwater and Salmon Arm fire...
Retired conservation officer speaks out about the realities of a service stretched too thin
“YOU CAME TO WORK EVERY DAY KNOWING YOU COULD NOT FULFILL EVERY PHONE CALL AND REPORTED COMPLAINT” KELOWNA - Retired B.C. conservation officer Greg Hoyer went into the field to protect fisheries and wildlife; by the time he left in 2009 that was only a fraction of his job. “Over the years, the government just...
New wildfire recruits put through paces
MERRITT - More than 200 seasonal firefighter applicants have made the cut and this month they are being put through a ‘rigorous’ bootcamp near Merritt. About 1,000 people, many of which are post-secondary students, apply for the positions every year. Provincial Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek says the job is "very in demand" and the...
Move over wine, there’s a new Okanagan drink and it’s more popular than ever
OKANAGAN - There’s more for the thirsty soul in the Okanagan Valley than just wine, and locally-made cider is here to prove it. A number of cideries have blossomed in the Okanagan over the last few years, including the family-run BX Press in Vernon. Owners Dave and Melissa Dobernigg opened their craft cider house last...
Injunction hearing over Okanagan Rail corridor set for this month
VERNON – A Supreme Court Judge will hear the Okanagan Indian Band’s argument for an…
Meteors to shower the Southern Interior sky this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A nearly full moon may play havoc with the Aquarids Meteor Shower as it peaks this week but there is still a chance to see some of the brightest meteors if you can find a patch of clear sky and are patient. The product of dust particles left behind by Halley’s Comet, the...
Cruise into days gone by at the Starlight Drive-In
ENDERBY - For Starlight Drive-In owner Paul Lindquist, the best part of the night is the intermission between shows. It’s when packs of children come blasting through the doors of the deliciously tacky concession in their pajamas to stock up on snacks and older couples stroll in holding hands, warm with the memory of days...
Expect to see smoke along the Coquihalla this week
KAMLOOPS - A series of small burns north of Merritt, off the Coquihalla Highway, will be conducted by Wildfire Management Branch personnel starting this week. The controlled burns will take place Thursday, April 30, and Tuesday, May 5, and are in preparation for a training course that will help students determine the origin and cause...
Barenaked Ladies returning to Kelowna
KELOWNA - With a new album set to release in June, the Barenaked Ladies are ramping up for yet another Canadian tour this fall. The SILVERBALL tour will kick-off in Prince George on Oct. 19 before hitting the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops on Oct. 24 and Prospera Place in Kelowna on Oct. 25. In...
Next steps for an Okanagan Rail Trail; public consultation, planning, and waiting
OKANAGAN - Money is no longer an issue for a group of Okanagan municipalities preparing to purchase an abandoned rail corridor, but it could still be some time — years even — before residents set foot on a community pathway. With Saturday’s referendum resulting in a resounding yes vote to borrow $2.6-million for the District of...
Snowfall advisory for Coquihalla
KAMLOOPS - Several centimetres of snow has already fallen on the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Merritt and Drive B.C. is warning of more snow for that stretch of highway before the night is over. Drive B.C. is calling for 10 to 15 cm of snowfall for the stretch of highway from the Portia Interchange...
Upgrades set to begin on Coquihalla Highway
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several stretches of the Coquihalla Highway will get a $15-million facelift this year as part of the province’s 10-year transportation plan. "Rehabilitation of provincial highways and side roads is a major component of our 10-year transportation plan, B.C. on the Move,” Transportation Minister Todd Stone said in a release. “These projects to improve...
Watch out for rattlesnakes; they’re out early in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Sunny weather has gotten many of us out from beneath our rocks looking for some rays, and we’re not the only ones in the animal world. Warm temperatures have brought rattlesnakes out earlier than normal in the Thompson-Okanagan, according to WildSafe B.C. spokesperson Frank Ritcey. “With the warm weather, the snakes will be...