Penticton news
Okanagan set to break record temperatures this week
OKANAGAN - Grab your sunscreen, hat and a cool drink, we have a hot, sunny and likely record-breaking week ahead of us in the Okanagan. Temperatures soared above the 30 Celsius mark over the weekend, well above the 27 C seasonal normal high for this time of year, but we can expect things to get...
Best place to watch August meteor shower in the South Okanagan
PENTICTON - Having an astrophysical observatory right on your doorstep can come in handy during cosmic events. Wednesday, Aug. 12, is the date of this year’s annual Perseid meteor shower event at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory. Astronomers from the observatory will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about the meteor showers....
Final day of Peachfest
PENTICTON - It’s day five and the final day of the 68th annual Penticton Peachfest. There’s still lots going on as the Pentown Throwdown Skateboard and BMX event continues at Riverside Park, as does the Shiela Bishop Memorial Wooden Bat Slowpitch Tournament in Lions Park. The Downtown Penticton Association's Kiddies Day Parade heads down Main...
Grass fire near Keremeos under control
KEREMEOS – Two hours after it was spotted this morning, a grass fire near Keremeos is under control. Firefighters with the Keremeos Fire Department and a three-person initial attack crew from B.C. Wildfire are on the scene mopping up the fire about 8 kilometres west of the village along Highway 3, according to fire information...
Keremeos wildfire leaves two homeless
PENTICTON - A human-caused wildfire west of Keremeos has left two people homeless. The grass fire broke out at about 8:30 a.m. this morning, Aug. 8, along Highway 3 about eight kilometres west of Keremeos, according to Keremeos fire chief Jordy Bosscha. Bosscha says a mobile home, a number of outbuildings and numerous farm implements...
Whooping cough on the rise across Interior Health region
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An increase in cases of whooping cough across the Interior Health Authority, but primarily in the Central Okanagan, has prompted a warning from public health officials. Medical health officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi says in 2015 there has already been 58 confirmed cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, with 36 of them...
Saturday events at Peachfest
PENTICTON - Day four of the Penticton Peachfest begins with a Pancake Breakfast at the Elks Lodge at 343 Ellis Street, running from 7- 10 a.m. The annual Peach Parade is next at 10 a.m. with more than 100 entries from throughout B.C. and the Pacific Northwest. The parade route runs down Main Street from Pen...
Skaha Bluffs to see increased RCMP and volunteer patrols
PENTICTON - It’s going to be a lot tougher for thieves to vandalize vacationer's vehicles thanks to local RCMP and volunteer initiatives at Skaha Bluffs. Penticton RCMP and Community Policing volunteers were up at the Skaha Bluffs parking lot today, August 7, conducting a patrol and placing auto crime prevention notices on vehicles in the...
Flagging violent inmates viewed as interim solution
KAMLOOPS - An order to flag violent inmates at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre may help prevent workplace violence, but it might not do much to curb the underlying issues. The WorkSafe B.C. order to readily identify inmates with a history of violence is a soft approach to the daily safety issues officers face in...
Concerns raised about high pressure door-to-door sales pitch
PENTICTON - RCMP have some advice for people concerned about a door-to-door sales pitch making the rounds in Penticton. There has been social media chatter about salespeople trying to get into people’s homes to inspect their furnace and hot water heater to see if they were “outdated and illegal.” Kathy Giguere posted a warning on...
Big fires down but not out in Kamloops Fire Centre
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The only two wildfires of note in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been downgraded to patrol status. Shelter Cove fire off Westside Road near Kelowna and Bolean Lake fire near Falkland were downgraded August 5 and will now be monitored by crews of five firefighters. “Patrol status means they are done active fire...
Regional directors discuss agricultural land use issues with ALC chair
PENTICTON - Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen directors discussed Agricultural Land Commission issues with the commission chair this week. Commission chair Frank Leonard gave directors a brief summary of his role and as chair and the present state of the land commission, before taking questions from the director’s board at their regular meeting Thursday. Leonard says...
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...
Bear conflict in Willowbrook
PENTICTON - It's been anything but a carefree summer for residents of the small community of Willowbrook this year, with a wildfire, a windstorm and now a bear issue In the past month alone, the South Okanagan community has had a tumultuous summer so far: a nearby wildfire threatened, a windstorm damaged a number of...
Here’s whats happening Friday at Peachfest
PENTICTON - The 68th annual Penticton Peachfest begins day three events at Okanagan Lake Park with the West Coast Lumberjack Show, starting at 12:30 p.m., and again at 4:10 and 7:25 p.m. Musical performances for Friday include the following acts: - 13 Broken Bones (music from the 70s and 80s) at 1:45 p.m. - A-P...