Okanagan

Did you buy a winning 6/49 ticket in the Shuswap or Surrey?

SHUSWAP - The latest Lotto 6/49 draw is over and while the grand prize wasn't won, a trio of tickets are splitting a $172,000 pot for matching most of the numbers and another won $1 million in the guaranteed prize draw. Someone who bought their ticket in the Shuswap is $86,000 richer while another bought...

Weather warming up, snow on the way in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Temperatures are set to warm up this first week of 2016, and along with those warmer temperatures will be several days of snow. Temperatures stayed at or below seasonal normal lows the past few days but after today are expected to be a bit warmer than the -6 Celsius that is typical at...

Okanagan New Year’s baby born at home in Summerland

OKANAGAN – The first baby born in the Okanagan in 2016 wasn’t born at a hospital, she came into the world her family’s home in Summerland. New Year’s baby Sakura Buendia Gayton was born at 3:19 p.m., Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, according to Interior Health spokesperson Tara Gostelow. She is Ivan and Sayaka Gayton’s second...

2015 TOP STORIES: Movies and TV shows filmed in the Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Interior has been featured in dozens of major motion pictures over the years, and 2015 was no different. Go With Me, a full length feature starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Julia Stiles and Ray Liotta was filmed primarily in Enderby but locals across the Okanagan were able to meet the stars and some...

Expect a chilly start to the new year in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Temperatures are set to dip below normal this New Year’s Day long weekend but the good news is it looks like it will warm up again early next week. Environment Canada is calling for a high of -4 Celsius to -7 C today, Dec. 31 through Sunday before warming up slightly to start...

UPDATE: Snowfall warning ended for Okanagan and South Thompson

ROADS AND HIGHWAYS IN WINTER DRIVING CONDITION THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A dump of snow overnight and this morning is making the busiest travel day of the year a challenge for drivers. The snowfall warning issued by Environment Canada for the Thompson-Okanagan earlier this morning was ended at about 10:15 a.m., Dec. 27. Forecasters say significant snowfall...

MAP: Best spots for winter activities in Vernon

TOP PLACES FOR TOBOGGANING, SKATING, SKIING, SNOWSHOEING AND ICE FISHING LAID OUT ON A MAP VERNON - The winter playground of the North Okanagan awaits. The region might be known for its beaches, hiking trails and parks in the summertime, but it has just as much outdoor fun to offer in the colder months. Icy...

A cool, white Christmas for the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - You’re in luck if you dreamed of a white Christmas, but expect slightly cooler temperatures to go along with it. Enough snow has fallen this month to give much of the Okanagan a white Christmas, something that has only a 50 per cent chance of happening in Kelowna and only a 20 per...

Meteor shower and full moon highlight Christmas week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Christmas week will be one to remember this year, at least for sky watchers who enjoy the auroras, meteor showers and full moons. The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, will take place Monday, Dec. 21. The Shatford Centre in Penticton will host a viewing of the dramatic sunset beginning at...

Okanagan to enjoy warm and white Christmas

OKANAGAN - It will be a pretty typical week when it comes to weather in the Okanagan, with temperatures expected to stay near seasonal normals for much of the Christmas week. Environment Canada is calling for highs ranging from 0 Celsius to -3 Celsius most days this week, though Kelowna is expected to hit a...

Kelowna canine crime fighter retires after successful career

KELOWNA – He’s taken millions of dollars worth of drugs and drug money off the streets but also enjoys his time visiting sick kids in the hospital. RCMP service dog Whiskey has retired after eight years on the job in the Okanagan and Kamloops. Since he graduated with honours from the Police Dog Training Centre...

Good chance of a white Christmas in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Mother Nature looks prepared to give us a white Christmas this year, with a snow overnight and at least a chance of snow expected every day this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for snowfall to end this morning, Dec. 18, and will be followed by a chance of rain or flurries later today....

Local gifts and food to get you through the holidays

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With fresh foods and resources available on our doorstep, giving local is easy in our region. Many natural resources help create the gifts we put under our Christmas trees — from wood products and minerals, to cider and wine. And of course if you have a natural tree or a wood fire you...

Snowfall warning for Coquihalla

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you were planning on hitting the highways tonight you may want to think again, up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected by Friday afternoon. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, noting 20 to 25 cm of snow is expected before the Pacific...

Christmas wish list: Auroras, full moons and meteor showers

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The next two weeks could be everything you wished for if sky watching is at the top of your Christmas list. The northern lights seem to have been making a lot more appearances this year, and another storm is expected to hit Earth this week, as early as this evening. Unfortunately Environment Canada...

Lord of the Dance tour to stop in Okanagan

PENTICTON - The latest production from Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance will be making a swing into the Southern Interior with show in Penticton this spring. Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games, fresh from its debut on Broadway, will be stopping at the South Okanagan Events Centre on March 24, 2016, as part of...

Temperatures cooling off in the Okanagan this week

OKANAGAN - The temperatures will drop back below 0 Celsius this week after a long run of weather warmer than seasonal normals in the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for the mercury to stay around 2 C to 4 C throughout the region today, Dec. 14, but then the overnight temperature will drop to as...

How the SPCA approves dog rescue groups

VERNON - There’s a wide range of standards among rescue groups across the province, and while animals are directly involved, that doesn’t mean the SPCA has a hand in how they operate.  Aspects of dog rescuing such as fostering and adoption procedures, holding periods, and vet-checks simply aren’t something the SPCA has a mechanism to...

Warm weather sticking around just a bit longer in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - It seems our stretch of well-above seasonal normal temperatures is coming to an end, but we still have a few slightly warmer days ahead of us. Environment Canada is calling for a high of 3 Celsius today, Dec. 11, in the Vernon and Kelowna areas, with a high of 4 C expected in...

Snowfall warning for Interior highways

THOMPSON-OKANANAGAN - With a snowfall warning in place for the Coquihalla Highway and Highway 3 we can expect to see significant snowfall on highway passes before the end of the day. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for higher elevations as a Pacific frontal system begins moving across Southern B.C. today, Dec. 9. The...

Avalanche control to close Trans-Canada Highway today

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you planned on heading east today prepare for some delays along several routes as crews perform avalanche control today. Drive B.C. warns motorists Highway 1 through Glacier National Park will be closed from noon to 8 p.m. today, Dec. 8, during avalanche control work. Delays of up to two hours are expected....

Warm but wet week ahead in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - With at least a chance of showers every day this week we could be in for a wet week, though the above normal temperatures should make it a lot more bearable. Environment Canada is calling for highs in the 4 Celsius to 7 C range most days this week, though the Penticton area...