Okanagan

TEACHERS’ STRIKE: How much money the Terry Fox Foundation stands to lose

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The kids, the teachers, the government, the parents. We’ve heard over and over again how the current labour dispute is affecting them, but what about the organizations that also rely on schools to help with fundraising? Every year during September, students raise money for the Terry Fox Run but this year, unless teachers and...

“We’re not suspending any strike:” Iker

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Teachers’ union president Jim Iker has declined the Premier's request to suspend the strike while bargaining continues. Earlier today, Christy Clark urged him, before a packed news conference, to allow teachers to vote to end the strike or suspend it. Two hours later, Iker held is own conference and stood his ground. “We’re...

Parents taking control during teacher strike

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With no end to the current labour dispute in sight many parents are wondering how they can make sure their kids do not fall behind in their education — book sections in many stores are picked over, only a few workbooks remaining, and many school-age programs filled up before the summer was even...

This ‘Floating island’ on Okanagan Lake could be yours

OKANAGAN – It’s the size of a small island, has multiple bedrooms and bathrooms like a cottage, but it can take you across the lake at 65 km/h. A luxury sport yacht owned by Penticton resident George Speirs was listed for sale on Kijiji this past weekend. The price tag for the 63’ Sea Ray...

Endless summer in B.C…. snow in Alberta?

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Mother Nature is welcoming some Alberta kids back to school in Canadian style today — with a snow storm. The southeast corner of Alberta, from Brooks to the B.C. border, is currently under a heavy rainfall warning but combined with temperatures hovering not much above zero some areas are instead seeing wet snow....

What you can do to prevent bear conflicts this fall

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Hide your picnic baskets and tuck away your garbage cans, it’s high season for bears as they look to take in about 20,000 calories per day before settling in to hibernate for the winter. WildSafeBC Provincial Coordinator Frank Ritcey says bear sightings in the month of August were more than the four previous...

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...