Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Penticton news

Conservation officers save baby bobcat in Osoyoos

KAMLOOPS - An orphaned bobcat kitten got another chance at life after being rescued by conservation officers this summer. Officers found the kitten orphaned near Osoyoos in July and with the help of the public were able to capture it. The kitten was then transferred to the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops for rehabilitation. The...

Lots of love for Shania Twain’s farewell performance in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Kelowna’s Prospera Place was Shania Twain’s final performance on her Rock This Country tour and possibly her last concert ever. And locals made sure to send her off in style. The show sold out quickly and fans were all over social media saying thanks and wishing her the best. Locals like Rose’s Pub...

Multiple school closures considered for School District 67

PENTICTON - A deficit for the 2016-2017 school year estimated at $1.025 million has forced School District 67 to come up with some tough choices. The school board revealed those options at a public meeting held at Shatford Centre on Monday, Oct. 26. School board chair Linda Van Alphen says seven of the 18 originally...

Pilot project could put baskets of free condoms in Okanagan schools

VERNON - Baskets of condoms could soon be coming to local high schools as way of putting protection in the hands of those who need it — no questions asked. About 14 schools in B.C.’s Interior have free condoms available, but students have to ask for them, Vernon School District health coordinator Christine Balfour says....

Local prejudice against Muslims tackled at UBCO

'IF WE DON'T SPEAK ABOUT THESE ISSUES... WE START DEVELOPING ALL THESE MISCONCEPTIONS.' KELOWNA - A UBC Okanagan graduate is organizing a forum on campus to address some of the misconceptions about his religion that are clearly still a problem in Kelowna. Adnan Akiel Ahmad Bhat holds a masters in electrical engineering from the Okanagan...

Penticton court shows mercy on suspended driver with lengthy driving history

PENTICTON - A Naramata man with a notorious driving record was given a break in Penticton court on Monday, Oct. 26 because of his personal circumstances. Peter John Roberts appeared before Judge Meg Shaw on Monday after pleading guilty to one count of driving while his license was suspended. Crown Prosecutor Kurt Froehlich told court...

Local ski hills are growing white

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While some of us are still holding on to the last strings of warmer weather, those looking forward to skiing and snowboarding will be happy to know the snow is falling at area ski hills. All three of the big ski hills in the area — Sun Peaks, Silver Star Mountain and Big...

Cougar stalks couple hiking Skaha Bluffs near Penticton

PENTICTON - A couple hiking the Skaha Bluffs had an usettling encounter with wildlife earlier this week. Penticton RCMP received a call from a man around 2:20 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, after the man and his wife encountered a cougar while hiking in the Skaha Bluffs area. The man told police the cougar was stalking...

Vernon man accused of murder released from custody

VERNON - An 18-year-old Vernon man accused of murder is no longer in custody. Brandon Wellington, who stands accused of second degree murder in connection with the death of Jason Hardy, was released on bail Monday, Oct. 26. His bail is set at $10,000 and he must adhere to a number of court-ordered conditions.  Greater...

Everything you wish you didn’t need to know about rats in the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Just a few years ago, Thompson-Okanagan residents didn’t have to worry about rats invading attic spaces or chewing up electrical wires, simply because the rodent was a rarity in these parts. That's all changed.  Steve Ball owns BugMaster Pest Control, which services the North, Central and South Okanagan, and he says rat complaints...

Wet fall week ahead for the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - A mixed bag of weather — cloud, rain and sun — is expected in the Okanagan for the last week of October. Environment Canada is calling for temperature highs at or just above seasonal normals of 9 Celsius throughout the region all week, with the warmest temperatures expected today, Oct. 26. Overnight lows...

Okanagan Regional Library approves budget increase

KELOWNA – Half of the Okanagan Regional Library budget increase for 2016 is wage increases for staff at branches up and down the valley. The board of directors has approved a spending plan worth over $18.2 million, which reflects a 1.98 per cent increase from 2015. The increase amounts to an extra $351,818 tax dollars....

Penticton search and rescue targeted by thieves

PENTICTON –The volunteers with Penticton Search and Rescue showed up at the group’s hall Saturday morning, Oct. 24, for a training exercise to find they were the victim’s of a break-in and theft. “We sure got a shock,” president Dale Jorgensen says in a media release. Thieves broke into two of the organization’s trailers. A...

Kelowna tourists caught in path of worst hurricane in history

KELOWNA - A small group of tourists from Kelowna who are vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta are fleeing to higher ground to escape the strongest hurricane ever recorded. Rod Robinson, owner of Bogie and Bacall Hair Salon in Orchard Park Mall, is travelling with his wife Donna and friends Denny and Patty Pirot, who are also...

Sun and frost this weekend in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Temperatures should be close to seasonal normals, on both the high and low end, this weekend and with those cooler overnight temperatures comes frost. Environment Canada is calling for a high in the double digits today, Oct. 21, and Saturday, with a high of 9 Celsius being forecast for Sunday. The seasonal normal...

Action packed afternoon on Sunday at Penticton Speedway

PENTICTON - It’s the final weekend for racing events at Penticton Speedway and the track is going out with a bang — literally. Penticton Speedway owner John Aantjes says the Halloween Destruction stock car races on Sunday will include a hit-to-pass event involving race cars towing boats and travel trailers. “It’s great family entertainment, I...

Police act quickly after young Penticton girl subjected to offensive sexual remarks

PENTICTON - Inappropriate comments made to a school girl by a 40 year old intoxicated man resulted in quick police action by Penticton RCMP on Tuesday, Oct.20. Penticton RCMP Staff Sgt. Kurt Lozinski said today, Oct. 22, RCMP responded to an incident at Carmi School just before 3 p.m Tuesday. It involved a man who...

UPDATE: One dead in single vehicle crash on Connector, highway reopens

CENTRAL OKANAGAN – A man died in an early morning crash on Highway 97C at the Pennask summit. RCMP and B.C. Ambulance paramedics were called to the scene, Oct. 22, and while RCMP will not confirm if anyone was hurt, Global Okanagan reports one man was killed in the single vehicle accident. The man, who is...

Kokanee salmon population explodes in Okanagan Lake with biggest spawn in quarter century

OKANAGAN - It’s a record year for Kokanee salmon spawning on Okanagan Lake. Jason Webster, a Vernon-based fisheries biologist, says more than 300,000 shore spawners were counted during this year’s annual survey — the most in more than 25 years. “It’s turning into a cyclical thing where every four years there’s a great big run,...

Three patients remain in hospital after violent attack near Lillooet

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Three of the original 11 people who were admitted to Interior Health hospitals after an attack at the Bridge River Indian Band office near Lillooet remain under medical care. “One patient is in serious but stable condition and two are stable and beginning their recovery,” Tracy Watson of Interior Health says. The patients...

Photo contest awards best in local escapes and landscapes

PENTICTON - Photographers of the South Okanagan got out their cameras in response to the Sep.t 21 launch of a photography contest sponsored by Tourism Penticton. The organization announced the winners of their “Escapes & Landscapes Photography Contest" on Oct. 19, selecting the top three photos from more than 130 entries. Doug Cox took first...

Winter forecast is warm with lots of snow

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – AccuWeather is forecasting one of the warmest winters on record for much of Canada, thanks to El Nino. Western Canadians can expect above to well-above temperatures as a prevailing westerly flow delivers milder Pacific air across the region, according to a news release. “Compared to last winter, there will be more snow across...

Meteor shower peaks over the Southern Interior this week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If clouds part enough tonight you may be able to get a glimpse of the Orionid meteor shower as it peaks early Thursday morning. The Orionid meteor shower, which is formed from the debris of Halley’s comet, is known for producing bright and quick meteors. This meteor shower runs throughout October and into...