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Okanagan
At least someone’s getting a laugh over the teachers’ strike
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It appears someone working for the provincial government's web department has added a little ironic wit—if not annoying editorial—to the rhetoric on the teachers strike. When all hope of ending the teachers strike before Sept. 2 was lost on the weekend, the B.C. government opened up its website so parents can register to...
Keep control of campfires this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Most campfire bans have been lifted heading into the Labour Day long weekend but that does not mean you should be careless with your fires while camping. B.C. Wildfire is reminding people to use extreme caution while out camping or in the backcountry. Last weekend, just days after the campfire ban was lifted...
Hot Wednesday hits records, cools off for long weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It was the last hot day of August Wednesday with temperatures soaring into the 30s across the region, and while several cities closed in on record highs only Vernon hit the mark. Yesterday Vernon hit 33.5 Celsius, hot enough to tie the record set in 1986, and Kelowna also came close but couldn’t...
Skaha Hills Winery to release two labels in 2015
PENTICTON - Skaha Hills Winery is gearing up for this year’s harvest and will release its first batch of white wines next summer. The Winery will release two white labels in 2015, a Viognier, and a Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend. Red grapes harvested this year will be made into three red labels—a Merlot, Syrah,...
Loss of rail is loss of history
VERNON - It once brought growth to the region, but now the railway linking Vernon with Kelowna is being erased one rail tie at a time. Since the last spike was laid in 1925, the nearly 50-kilometer stretch of track has carried many passengers and untold quantities of freight. But its glory days are long...
Crews chasing abandoned campfires after ban ends
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first weekend after the campfire ban was lifted, B.C. Wildfire crews were called to put out abandoned campfires across the region that could have resulted in much larger fires. “We had nine abandoned campfires, we definitely did see the number of calls go up,” Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says. “It is...
Why you’ve seen so many missing person reports on your news feed this summer
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The faces of missing people from the Thompson-Okanagan have poured into news feeds over the last few months, but police say it’s nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year. Spokesperson for the RCMP Const. Kris Clark says the summer months typically see more reports of missing people. “You’ve got the...
UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ended
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The severe thunderstorm watch for today ended at 6:54 p.m. for all regions except Penticton, which saw the watch lifted just before 9 p.m. Today marked the fifth day in the past 10 days a severe thunderstorm was issued for the region. Environment Canada issued the severe thunderstorm watch Thursday morning for the...
Campers rejoice, fire ban rescinded
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Recent cool, wet weather means that as of today, Thurs. Aug. 21, you can once again have campfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre one week ahead of the long weekend. B.C. Wildfire lifted the ban, which was put in place more than five weeks ago, following a decrease in wildfire risk thanks to...
UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ends
UPDATE: A severe thunderstorm watch for the Okanagan, South Thompson and Nicola areas has been lifted. Environment Canada states the conditions required to produce severe weather no longer apply. THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Torrential rains, strong winds and hail are all possible as an unstable airmass moves over the region. Environment Canada has again issued a severe...
Swimmers advised to avoid two Wood Lake beaches
LAKE COUNTRY – A water quality advisory has been slapped on two Wood Lake beaches by the Interior Health Authority. Signs are up warning swimming is not recommended at Reiswig Regional Park and Beasley Park right next door. Poor water quality is the reason. “The science of water quality is complicated, but it is always...
Surrey man drowned, remains found by RCMP dive team
OKANAGAN - The remains of a Surrey businessman who drowned while on vacation in Washington have been found, thanks to the efforts of the B.C. RCMP Dive Team and the Okanagan County Sheriff Department. While vacationing with family and friends on Washington’s Osoyoos Lake earlier this month, John Mele dove into the water and didn’t...
Take a bite out of the grasshopper population
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With the abundance of grasshoppers in our yards and parks right now it’s the perfect time to try a new recipe. The leaping insects are common cuisine in many countries so get your nets and mason jars and get to catching some of these tiny treats. They can be baked, deep fried and...
Grasshoppers take over the Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While they are an important food source in parts of Africa the overwhelming number of grasshoppers gracing our yards, parks and roads have not been nearly as welcome in the Southern Interior. Karla Hoffman, Integrated Pest Management Coordinator for Kamloops says while the city itself is not dealing with the grasshoppers as a...
UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ended
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - UPDATE: 8:49 p.m., Aug. 14 The severe thunderstorm watch for the South and North Thompson and Nicola regions has ended. Short-lived storms passed through the region late afternoon and early evening, but no major damage has been reported. UPDATE: 6:07 p.m., Aug. 14 The severe thunderstorm warning has been downgraded back down to...
UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ended, again
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - For the second day in a row the risk of severe thunderstorms in the Interior passed before any damage could be done. Much of the region received at least some rain overnight or this morning. While it stopped by mid-morning, a 30-40 per cent chance of showers remains tonight. Environment Canada issued the...
UPDATE: Smoky skies advisory ends
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than a week under a smoky sky advisory, the smoke has finally cleared. There have been more than 1,100 wildfires this year and more than 252,000 hectares have burned. Six of those fires have been more than 10,000 ha in size with the largest reaching more than 88,000 ha. Smoke from...
UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ended
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A system threatening to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the region this afternoon is no longer a concern according to Environment Canada. Meteorologists warned the system, which was developing over Washington, could produce wind gusts in excess of 70 kilometres per hour and dump 15 millimetres of rain in a short...
Perseids peak tonight
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A nearly full moon may make it difficult to see the full impact of the Perseids meteor shower tonight, but one of the best meteor showers of the year is still worth staying up for. The Perseids are visible from July 17 through Aug. 24 and produce longer trails and fireballs as an...
Second supermoon lights up the sky
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Full moons often catch a photographers eye but supermoons seem to bring out the photographer in everyone. Sunday night the second of three consecutive supermoons filled the sky. A supermoon also made an appearance in July and another is set for Sept. 9. A supermoon occurs when the full moon is about 50,000...
Heat, rain in forecast
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Have both your sunscreen and umbrella on standby, we are expecting two more days of high heat but then we are heading to below normal temperatures and rain later in the week. Monday we are looking at temperatures of 34 to 36 Celsius across the region and while Tuesday's temperatures for most of...
Why this girl needs a crawling baby, a turtle and a whole bunch of lego
SCAVENGER HUNTING TAKEN TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL VERNON - Robyn Potticary needs to set up a race between a crawling baby and a turtle, find some generous senior citizens to mud wrestle, volunteer for a non-profit, and forgive a grudge — among more than 100 other challenges — and she only has until Friday...
HELSTON: A rail trail might be easier than we thought
While the scenic, lakeside railway between Vernon and Kelowna rolls closer to being put on the market, the fact remains there’s not much prospective buyers could do with the property. The land, which carves its way through several Okanagan communities past lakes and parks, comes with a few strings attached. The City of Kelowna has...
VIDEO: Smith Creek fire from above and by the numbers
KELOWNA - Take a guess: How much water have fire crews dropped on the Smith Creek fire over the past week and a half? Would you believe more than 1.2 million litres? As of Monday morning helicopters had flown more than 100 hours, skimmers had dropped more than 300 loads of water and foam and...