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Penticton
Big storm to hit Southern Interior Thursday
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - A series of powerful storms are set to move through the B.C. Interior beginning tonight and lasting through the end of the week. The first storm will begin tonight and a second storm, more powerful than the first, will hit the Interior on Thursday and Friday, producing strong winds and heavy rain, according...
Penticton man learns police cars are not a good carjacking target
SURREY - A Penticton man who had plans to steal a car didn’t anticipate his victims would be two undercover officers from the Surrey RCMP. Around 6:25 p.m. yesterday, Nov. 9, the officers stopped near 71 Avenue and 135 Street when a male approached the vehicle and tried to pull the plainclothes officer from the...
Bear season brisk for conservation officers in the Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – It was a busy bear season for conservation officers in the Southern Interior,…
Heavy snow coming to a Southern Interior highway near you
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are planning to hit the highways over the next couple of days make sure you are prepared to deal with winter conditions, including gusty winds and heavy snow. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the Coquihalla Highway and Highway 3 warning up to 20 centimetres of snow could...
Wet Veterans’ week ahead for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - As temperatures continue to cool off in the Okanagan, there is at least a chance of snow or rain every day this week for the region. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to be at or slightly above seasonal normals most of the week, while overnight lows will be just below normal most...
Searchers find missing woman in Naramata
NARAMATA – Searchers found a missing woman in the Kettle Valley Rail Trail area in Naramata this morning. Search and rescue volunteers from Naramata and Penticton were called out to find the missing woman in the Arawana Forestry Road area, Nov. 8., according to witness reports. The woman was found cold and wet by Naramata...
Interior Health Authority old stomping ground for new CEO
KELOWNA - The new head of the Interior Health Authority spent the first week on the job travelling and expects to to do a lot more before things settle down. “I was out talking with staff, physicians, community leaders, volunteers. I’m just going around to communities and listening to what people are telling me. I...
Flu shot season in the Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With the peak of flu season just a few weeks away, Health Canada has started its yearly vaccination program. Although last year’s flu vaccine wasn’t particularly effective, Interior Health medical officer Kamran Golmohammadi says, this year’s vaccine cocktail will target the more severe of the two types of viruses – Type A. Every...
West Kelowna looks for choices in Okanagan Lake second crossing project
KELOWNA - A project that would see a second crossing installed over Okanagan Lake has yet to get the full backing of West Kelowna council. West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater says his council doesn’t have the full understanding neccessary to take a firm stand on what the city wants from the Okanagan Lake second crossing...
Watch for Taurids fireballs, northern lights over the Southern Interior this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Taurid meteor shower is one of the longer meteor showers, running from September through December every year, but this year it could be more active than usual with the possibility of fireballs tearing through the sky later this week. The Taurid meteor shower only produces about five to 10 meteors per hours...
Chance of snow in the Okanagan this week
OKANAGAN - A system moving through the Southern Interior coated mountain passes in heavy snow this weekend and early this week the white stuff could hit the valleys too. Between 14 and 17 centimetres of snow is being reported on the ground at Pennask Summit, Coquihalla Summit and Allison Pass this morning after receiving a...
Keeping safe on Halloween night
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first thing that comes to mind on Halloween is safety, at least for parents. Kids are only thinking about the candy and costumes, but there are ways to help keep them safe on Halloween night, even if it’s the last thing on their minds. Always make sure young children are accompanied by...
Halloween will be a wet one in the Okanagan this year
OKANAGAN - Make sure your costumes are either waterproof or you have an umbrella handy because Mother Nature is looking to rain on your Halloween fun this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for at least a chance of rain throughout the weekend, with showers expected Saturday evening throughout the region. Temperatures are expected to be...
B.C. has highest rate of illegal cigarettes in Western Canada, study finds
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the province with the most contraband cigarettes in Western Canada, the amount of illegal tobacco in B.C. remains steadily high. The statistics come from the latest study commissioned by the Western Convenience Stores Association. In September researchers collected discarded cigarettes at various locations throughout the province to determine which were illegally purchased....
Poppy campaign kicks off this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This year’s poppy campaign is expected to be underway this Friday, Oct. 30. Poppies will be available at all Legion offices and members will have them available at locations throughout the city. Funds from the poppies contribute to veterans, their families and others in need of assistance in the community. The long-standing tradition...
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...
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...
How to keep your jack o’ lantern from rotting
KELOWNA – An unusually warm summer may have been nothing but a help to most farmers in the Okanagan but it’s forced pumpkin farmers to take steps to ensure customers get products that aren’t mushy and spoiled. Jas Sanghera is the owner of Don-O-Ray Vegetables on Benvoulin Road. He says the unusual weather this year...
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...
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...
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...
Voter turnout jumps in Thompson-Okanagan ridings
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Voter turnout numbers in the 42nd federal election jumped to more than 70 per cent throughout the region, just above the national average and well ahead of 2011 turnout. In the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, where Conservative Cathy McLeod was re-elected, voter turnout jumped to 74.07 per cent this election, up significantly from the 63.3...
Warm weather and chance of rain on the way for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - It might be fall in the Okanagan, but that’s not stopping Mother Nature from keeping temperatures mostly above seasonal normals this week. Environment Canada is calling for a high of 16 Celsius in Vernon and Kelowna today, Oct. 19, with the expected high gradually dropping off to 10 C by Friday. Overnight the...
Rats are here to stay; Kelowna ramps up eradication efforts
KELOWNA - Rats were once unknown in the Okanagan but in recent years have suddenly become firmly established. That’s the conclusion of urban forestry supervisor Blair Stewart in a report to Kelowna city council that says above all, rats are here to stay. Stewart says black rats may have been accidently introduced and separate populations...