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

Peachfest kicks off in Penticton today

PENTICTON - The August long weekend has come and gone, now for a week of mostly free fun in Penticton. The 68th annual Penticton Peach Festival starts today, Aug. 5, with an outstanding lineup of free family activities through Sunday, Aug. 9. The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will take to the skies over Okanagan Lake Wednesday...

Penticton stray cat found with bullet debris in knee has leg amputated

PENTICTON - A four-year-old tabby cat was brought in as a stray with a limp from an old injury, and an X-ray showed he still had debris from a bullet in his knee, which was causing pain, swelling and chronic arthritis in the young cat. Sunny was brought to the South Okanagan-Similkameen SPCA shelter as...

New film ‘The Orchard’ shooting in the Okanagan

KELOWNA – An independent film company has chosen the Okanagan for an upcoming production that starts filming this weekend. Vancouver-based Mutant Films, Inc. starts shooting The Orchard, on Aug. 10 The film stars Matt Angel of R.L Stine’s The Haunting Hour, CSI Miami and CSI NY, and Morgan Taylor Campbell of Super Natural, Spooksville, and The Killing. It is written and...

Suspects still on the loose after smash and grabs in Okanagan Falls and Summerland

PENTICTON - Police continue to look for thieves who don't seem to believe in using doors after several businesses in two Okanagan communities were rammed by vehicles over the weekend.    Police say they are making some headway in the apprehension of the person or persons responsible for a smash and enter at Tickleberry’s Ice Cream...

Hot start to August in the Okanagan

RAIN EXPECTED THIS WEEK OKANAGAN - It was a hot and sunny August long weekend in the Okanagan but expect things will cool off a bit during the week. Temperatures easily soared above the 30 Celsius mark every day this past weekend and while today, Aug. 4, will see the mercury hit just above seasonal...

Another rally to protest Skaha Lake development

PENTICTON – Penticton city council and the proposed Skaha Lake waterfront development will be the target of a rally planned for Tuesday. Organizer Lisa Martin says she is hoping for a big turnout at 5:30 p.m., Aug. 4, on the steps of city hall, which she says will include several speakers. Several hundred protestors rallied...

Run away from your smoking addiction

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A new program is popping up around the country which will help you run away from your problems. The Running Room is launching a Run To Quit program, which will be backed by federal funding and support from the Canadian Cancer Society. The program is designed to help smokers quit by incorporating running...

ELECTION 2015: MP’s brag about accomplishments as early election expectations mount

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – With a federal election less than three months away, local MP’s are ramping up their push to promote their accomplishments over the past year. It’s not unusual for politicians to send releases to the media to show the work they do and the money they’ve secured for their areas, but a breakdown of...

Climbing advocate concerned about vehicle break ins at Skaha Bluffs

PENTICTON - A Penticton rock climber who also happens to be a director of Climbers Access Society of B.C., is concerned about a growing number of thefts from vehicles at the Skaha Bluffs parking lot. Rolf Rybak says two Alberta vehicles were broken into on July 28 at the popular rock climbing site, prying open...

Province pulls plug on Coldwater River water use

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - In a bid to help struggling salmon populations, water use reduction measures have been imposed on the Coldwater River. The province issued the restriction today, July 31, banning all water use or diversion from the Coldwater River and its tributaries from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. effective immediately. The restriction escalates to a...

Quick action prevents structure fire from spreading

PENTICTON - Penticton residents woke to an ominous cloud of smoke emanating a house fire in the upper Carmi area this morning. Penticton Deputy Fire Chief Dave Spalding says they responded to a structure fire at 6:24 a.m., July 31, on Joy Road. B.C. Wildfire crews also responded to the fire, which was located outside...

Snowbird pilots to hold a meet and greet session in Penticton

PENTICTON - Snowbirds crew members will be getting up close and personable with Penticton residents while they aren't in the air next week. The Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds will be performing their airborne acrobatics on Wednesday, August 5 in a 40 minute show which begins at 6 p.m., but crew members will be in the...

Residents displaced after Summerland kitchen fire

PENTICTON - Residents of a Summerland home have found alternate accommodation following a kitchen fire yesterday. Summerland Assistant Fire Chief George Pugh says firefighters responded to a fire at home on Nixon Road around 3:30 p.m., July 29. Firefighters arrived on scene to find flames "centred around a dishwasher" in the kitchen of the residence....

Kelowna to retain control over YLW until 2054

KELOWNA – The City of Kelowna will remain in charge of the Kelowna International Airport until 2054 thanks to a 20-year lease extension by the federal government. Until that time, Kelowna will remain responsible for management, operation and development of the largest airport in the B.C. Interior. Kelowna mayor Colin Basran says the extension is...

Fishing suspended along Middle Shuswap River

VERNON - Another body of water has been closed to fishing due to ongoing drought conditions in Southern B.C. Warm water temperatures and a low flow rate are two reasons why the provincial and federal governments decided to suspend angling in Middle Shuswap River from Mabel Lake to Shuswap Falls. The suspension will last from...

Busy year so far for Penticton search and rescue volunteers

PENTICTON - Penticton’s Search and Rescue team are dealing with unprecedented callout volumes this summer, with the busiest tourist weekend in Penticton yet to come. Penticton Search and Rescue’s Public Information Officer Randy Brown reports the organization’s call volume last year was 35 incidents for a total of 6,000 volunteer hours. This year the team...

Formula 1 tunnel boat race team joins fight against mussel infestation

KELOWNA – The Okanagan Basin Water Board is teaming up with Formula 1 Tunnel Boat racer Mike McLellan to raise awareness for their Don’t Move a Mussel campaign. The announcement was made Tuesday, July 28, at the Water Street boat launch in downtown Kelowna. The Don’t Move A Mussel campaign is attempting to raise awareness...

Want quick attention to Fortis over-billing? Go to the media

WORKED FOR THIS GUY KELOWNA – Media attention got an almost immediate result for a local celebrity who went to the news with a $4,500 power bill for a cabin that wasn’t even there. Gary Fong, a world-famous photographer and inventor made headlines last week when he went public with a massive bill for his...

Vintage warbird arrives in Penticton

PENTICTON - Penticton and South Okanagan residents have an opportunity to get up close to a vintage war machine this week. A Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing Aviation Museum aircrew arrived in the city Monday morning, July 27, with the museum’s 'Sentimental Journey,' the museum’s fully restored B-17. The plane will be in Penticton until...

Liquor policy changes good news for local wineries

PENTICTON - Local wineries continue to benefit from promised changes made to the liquor act by the provincial government. Penticton MLA Dan Ashton announced liquor policy changes that will make it easier for wineries to hold special occasions such as weddings at Painted Rock Estate Winery this morning, July 28. “Special occasion licenses were an...

Migrant workers still missing from Okanagan farm a month later

VERNON - Four migrant workers from Mexico have still not been found a month after an Okanagan farm owner reported the men missing. Huizar Soto Uriel, 37, Isaac Jimenez, 28, Juvenal Rios Binedo, 39, and Juan Manual Sanchez Gallegos, 30, entered Canada on June 16, 2015. On June 26 the foursome departed the farm where...

Kamloops jail ordered to flag inmates with a history of violence: WorkSafe B.C.

KAMLOOPS - WorkSafe B.C. ordered administrators at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre to flag or identify violent offenders after an inspector discovered there wasn't a proper system in place to warn corrections officers of a potential assault. Inspector Vincent Strain prepared his report and order to create a new flagging system after an inmate assaulted...