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Okanagan
Sunny today, cloudy for final ski day of season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We may be starting the day well below seasonal normals but the next couple of days will be sunny and warm. Seasonal normal low temperatures sit at 2 Celsius in Kamloops and 3 C through the Okanagan while seasonal normal high temperatures range from 14 C to 16 C. Today has started off...
Provincial support for Okanagan rail trail may sway voters, but not Okanagan Indian Band
VERNON - While a recent funding announcement from the provincial government may entice some Lake Country voters towards a yes vote in an upcoming borrowing referendum, the Okanagan Indian Band is warning governments not to celebrate just yet. Premier Christy Clark announced a $7.2 million pledge for the acquisition of the Okanagan Rail corridor the...
Preschoolers tackle racial tensions using locally-designed dolls
ENDERBY - A troop of handmade, multicultural dolls called the Backpack Kids have been deployed to local childcare centres where they are bringing a message of diversity and acceptance to young children. The life-sized puppets, each representing a Canadian kid with a different cultural background, are part of a newly launched teaching curriculum designed to...
Total lunar eclipse an Easter weekend treat
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Play a little hide and seek with one of the biggest ‘eggs’ you can find this week — a total lunar eclipse is scheduled to take place this Easter weekend. According to Time and Date, the moon will be totally eclipsed for about five minutes early Saturday morning with the event set to...
Mother Nature’s take on April Fools’ Day: A mix of snow, rain and thunderstorms
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After dropping upwards of 20 centimetres of snow on some highway passes Tuesday, the first day of April could also bring more rain, more snow and a chance of thunderstorms to the Interior. Temperatures should hit the double-digit mark today, but will hover just below seasonal normals of 12 Celsius to 14 C,...
Pac-Man takes on the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if Pac-Man took over the streets of the Okanagan, wonder no more. Google Maps is now offering a local version of Pac-Man. Only available in some browsers, you will see a Pac-Man box in the bottom left of the screen. You simply need to...
FORECAST: This could get loud
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - One more day and you might have thoughts the folks at Environment Canada were playing an odd April Fool’s Day prank, but it is only March 31 and there is a chance of thunderstorms in parts of the region today. In Kamloops, Environment Canada is calling for a 70 per cent chance of...
Shaking goose eggs controlling Okanagan population
OKANAGAN – There are approximately 2,500 geese living in the Okanagan year round, but without the efforts of the Okanagan Valley Goose Management Program that number would be much higher. “What many people fail to understand, and a large part of the message that we want to provide, is that the geese we are targeting...
Spring snow at Okanagan resorts leaves ski bums less bummed
OKANAGAN - It may have been a rainy week in the valley, but it was dumping snow at local ski hills. Silver Star Mountain in Vernon got close to 60 cm of new snow in the last week, blanketing alpine runs with a 209 centimetre base. As of Friday morning, all chair lifts except the...
Local clothing stores to remain open under creditor protection
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The company behind Cleo, Bootlegger and Ricki’s has filed for creditor protection but says at this point all stores will remain open. Comark Inc. filed for protection today, March 26 and plans on using it to bring stability to restructuring of its operations. "For our customers and employees, what is most important is...
Rain, snow increase avalanche risk in Interior
OKANAGAN - With less than a week left in March spring is well under way in the valleys, but that doesn’t mean winter conditions are not present on mountain highways or in the backcountry. Avalanche Canada is warning of a moderate to high risk of avalanches in many of the alpine and treeline elevations throughout...
Opinions wanted on local election spending
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fresh off the heels of the fall municipal election a special committee is now looking at whether spending limits should be put in place for candidates and third party advertisers. The provincial government committee will speak with stakeholders and the public over the coming weeks to discuss whether a limit should be put...
Interior Target stores will be closed before Easter
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - By April 2 a total of 62 Target stores will be shut down, including those in Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops. Target Canada opened doors in Western Canada in May 2013. In January 2015 it was announced the company would be shutting down all 133 stores and liquidation sales began immediately. Last week the...
Ringo Starr to play in Penticton
PENTICTON - If you are on tour celebrating the release of an album named Postcards From Paradise, it only makes sense Penticton would be one of your stops. Former Beatle Ringo Starr is touring with his All-Starr Band and is making Penticton just one of three B.C. stops, and one of only eight Canadian tour...
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...
Another chance to see northern lights tonight
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you weren’t able to find a clear spot to view the northern lights yesterday, or the day before, tonight might finally be your night. There were major storm intervals in the past 24 hours, according to Natural Resources Canada reports, and the auroras are expected to be active with stormy intervals over...
Auroras flare, northern lights possible tonight
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you can find a break in the clouds tonight you may be able to catch the tail end of a major northern lights storm that started early this morning. Natural Resources Canada reports the auroras were on the verge of a major storm just north of the Thompson-Okanagan earlier this morning and...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Okanagan Spirits headed to Denmark for another World Spirit Awards
OKANAGAN – A local distillery has been called to Denmark to hear if they will once again be called out as one of the best in the world. Okanagan Spirits was named World Spirits Award Distillery of the Year in 2013 and Senior distiller Peter von Hahn is on his way to Denmark this week...