Penticton
Wet start to spring in Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Spring has officially sprung and based on the forecast, you should have your umbrella and rain boots handy. Some in the region woke to rain Friday, March 20, and Environment Canada is calling for more over the next few days. A chance of rain begins today throughout the region and Saturday will bring...
Avalanche risk increases on heels of windy, wet weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With spring break officially underway for students and spring-like temperatures throughout the region it may feel like spring in the valleys but this past weekend proved winter is not over just yet. On Saturday a wind storm ripped through the region, leaving thousands without power, and while B.C. Hydro crews raced to fix...
Another record day in the Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This will probably come as little surprise, but it was another record day in the Southern Interior, with a handful of communities setting new records Thursday. At 19.6 Celsius Penticton just surpassed a century-old record Thursday while Summerland hit 19 C, well above the previous high temperature record of 16.7 C also set...
Kelowna and Penticton derby girls ready to roll
KELOWNA - The junior hockey season may be over soon, but don't dispair, the roller derby season in the Okanagan is just getting started. The Okanagan Roller Derby Association kicks off the season Saturday, March 14 at the Central Sports Club at 1155 Ellis St. with the Kelowna's Bad Apple Betties taking on the Penticton Pisterolas....
Don’t forget to book your camping sites this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you decide to sleep in this Sunday you might miss out on the summer you’ve been dreaming of. The online and call centre reservation system for provincial campgrounds officially opens Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m. Reservable sites tend to book up quickly, especially at the more popular campgrounds and for long...
How to fight ‘I’m bored’ this spring break
PENTICTON - There is no shortage of things to do with the kids over the two-week spring break in Penticton. Spring break kicks off Monday, March 16 before wrapping up on Friday, March 27 with all kinds of activities and day camps planned by various organizations around town. The best advice is to pre-register for...
High temperature records continue to fall
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Though the spring equinox is still just over a week away the spring-like weather has resulted in temperatures reaching the mid- to high-teens most days this past week, warm enough for several new records. On Wednesday, March 11, Kamloops hit 19.9 Celsius, shattering previous weather records of 17.8 C last recorded back in...
More high temperature records in Southern Interior
SNOW FORECAST FOR HIGHWAYS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - One more day of record weather was had this week before temperatures dropped slightly in the Southern Interior. While the entire region hit temperatures in the mid-teens Tuesday, March 10, at 15.6 Celsius, Vernon was one of the lucky ones in setting a new high temperature record for the...
Seasonal flooding unlikely this year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If the lack of snow, even at alpine levels, is any indication, we could be in for a very dry year. The River Forecast Centre is reporting all but two snow basins are below normal as of March 1. The North and South Thompson basins are near-normal at 96 per cent and 91...
Addicted youth suffer from lack of treatment facilities
PENTICTON - The closing of Portage’s youth treatment centre near Keremeos last week eliminated an important treatment facility for addicted Canadian youth, says an addiction specialist and certified interventionist. The Crossing, a residential rehabilitation centre for addicted adolescents between the ages of 14 - 18, closed suddenly last week due to a funding disagreement with...
Watching the watchers – Interior Health Authority measures journalist’s opinions with media survey
KELOWNA - Is the Interior Health authority a transparent and open government organization, readily accessible to the media, or an impenetrable bureaucracy with a tightly controlled and scripted media message? It depends which side of the divide you’re on. On Tuesday, Darshan Lindsay, manager of public affairs for the Interior Health Authority, took board members...
New weather records set in Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With temperatures reaching the high teens this week the spring-like weather we have been experiencing is leaving several new records in its wake. According to Environment Canada temperatures of more than 18 Celsius Monday were enough to set new records in several communities including Kelowna, Summerland and Penticton. With a temperature of 18.1...
Near-record temperatures to continue
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Clocks sprung forward and temperatures soared into the mid-teens this weekend and while the spring-like weather did not result in any record-breaking temperatures the warm weather will continue as we get closer to the official start of spring. For the most part temperatures fell a couple degrees shy of records, though a high...
Fintry Queen owner lowers the flag on relocation plan, lists dinner cruise ship for sale
KELOWNA - The owner of the Fintry Queen has given up on the plan to move the iconic dinner cruise ship to Pentiction, and has instead listed the boat for sale. Andy Schwab, president of the Okanagan Lake Boat Company, had been trying to raise money to resurrect the Fintry Queen with plans for a...
February home sales best in years says real estate board report
KELOWNA – After a disappointing start to 2015, the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board is reporting a 34 per cent improvement in home sales in February compared with the same month in 2014. “After a more than usual slowdown in January, Okanagan-Shuswap home sales rallied along with consumer confidence during February despite weaker economic conditions...