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Okanagan
Meteors, supermoons and northern lights
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Skywatchers and photographers can rejoice as they have their pick of fascinating subjects this weekend with the start of a meteor shower, the supermoon making an appearance and a chance of a northern lights show. Saturday night the full moon will be one of three supermoons in a row this summer. The bigger...
Kelowna gets new domestic violence unit
KELOWNA – Victims of domestic abuse have a new resource in Kelowna. The creation of a new Domestic Violence Unit, a first for the Okanagan, was announced by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton. “The team will provide an urgent, coordinated response to protect families in this community who are at risk or...
Record heat on the way
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Records could fall this weekend as the hot, dry weather trend continues. The expected heat wave will last for at least the next 7 days. In Kamloops temperatures are expected to reach 37 Celsius on Saturday and then around 38 C for the next three days. Record high temperatures are currently 38.6 C...
Smoke in sky from fires in northern B.C.
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several large fires in the northeastern part of the province are causing a haze across much of the Southern Interior today. B.C. Wildfire Provincial Fire Information Officer Erin Catherall says most of what we can see is likely from the Prince George Fire Zone where two large fires and several smaller ones are...
Farriers not a dying breed, just a hidden one
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - During the horse and buggy age, farriers were as common as mechanics ensuring travellers had four on the floor to get from point A to point B but today, they're an elusive service provider. Anyone with a horse likely uses the service of someone specializing in horse feet. One local farrier says while...
Tropical Tuesday comes close to records
VERNON TOPS PREVIOUS HIGH THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With temperatures soaring into the mid-30s yesterday, it was a close call for many communities but Vernon was alone in setting a new record. With temperatures reaching a high of 34.8 Celsius, Vernon beat the previous record of 34.4 C, set in 1920. Vernon will be a bit cooler...
Keloha music festival takes the stage this weekend
KELOWNA – The annual Keloha music festival is back for the third year in a row, and organizers have managed once again to secure some of the top up-and-coming names in indy, alternative and rock music today. The three day festival features more than 70 live acts, but Wet Ape entertainment director Kelly Shepherd says...
Caution advised after Armstrong mail boxes broken into
ARMSTRONG - Police are asking the public to watch for unusual activity after a set of mail boxes were broken into in the Armstrong area. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says numerous mail boxes at the corner of Lansdowne Road and McLeery Road in Armstrong were tampered with Monday morning. The damage was reported around 8...
Diner en Blanc Okanagan is back for the second year
KELOWNA – The second annual pop-up picnic known as Diner en Blanc is back in the Okanagan and bigger than ever. Diner en Blanc is a worldwide event where guests dressed all in white gather to be whisked off to a secret location where they dine, drink and socialize. Event organizer Alison Love says 850...
A proposal on the big screen under the stars, in front of hundreds of people
ENDERBY - Risking public humiliation before a massive crowd if she said no, Tony Tomson popped the question. The dramatic moment played out at the Starlight Drive-In July 2, the same place Tomson and his girlfriend Stacey Lamont finished their first date three years ago to the day. It was a hard first date to...
Sun and heat brings ‘very high’ UV ratings
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After a brief stumbling block this weekend Mother Nature is returning with the full force of the sun behind her, bringing us temperatures well into the 30s over the next week. Temperatures dipped a little closer to normals for a few days heading into the weekend and were followed by a bit of...
Hot, dry June could lead to more fires in July
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Hot, dry and stormy. June was not an ideal month throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre and concerns July could be a very active fire season are still very real. Overall temperatures were slightly above normal and slightly less rain fell. Combined with periods of lightning activity this led to more than 40 new...
Bike camp gives new lease on life
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A young man says a mountain bike camp aimed at helping those affected by substance abuse came at just the right time to save him from himself. “The past two years have been really hard for me, I got suicidal…. I was on lots of pills,” Cameron Model, 25, says. “This camp is...
Teachers union, province too far apart for mediation
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The teacher’s union and the province are too far apart for mediation to be productive, a potential mediator has decided, and the union is blaming the province. B.C. Teacher’s Federation President Jim Iker says exploratory discussions with B.C. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kelleher and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association saw the government...
Higher speeds coming to a highway near you
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Three highways will see speed limits increase to 120 km/h today and another 1,300 km of highways will see the increase later this summer. Over 9,100 km of highways were surveyed during a Rural Highway Safety and Speed Review and Minister Todd Stone says several key points are now being addressed — speed...
Inflatable downtown water park opens to public
KELOWNA – Just in time for Canada Day weekend, Kelowna’s newest water attraction is open to the public. Consisting of interlocking inflatable modules with a maximum capacity of 60 at a time, Wibit Water Park is anchored approximately 20 metres off the shores of City Park. City councillors approved the attraction earlier this month, granting...
Expect a hot Canada Day
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After a mix of rain and cloud much of the weekend Mother Nature has decided to smile down on Canada Day with a lot of sun and heat. The entire Interior will be drenched in temperatures between 32-35 C on July 1 and then Wednesday will also be around 34 C but neither...
VIDEO: ‘Our Voice Our Teachers’
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Two independent film makers under the name TNT Creation have joined the political battle in support of teachers this week with a video showcasing why and how Kamloops residents support B.C. teachers. The video, shot over two days, features Timo Sargent in front of the camera and Tim Unaegbu behind it. In a...
Kesler traded to Ducks
VANCOUVER - Everyone expected change after yet another rough season for the Vancouver Canucks and today months of speculation ended with the trade of Ryan Kesler to the Anaheim Ducks. The Canucks picked up centre Nick Bonino, 26, defenceman Luca Sbisa, 24, and the 24 and 85 picks in the 2014 NHL Draft, which begins...
Quebec cheese pulled form B.C. shelves
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A cheese possibly containing a toxin produced by Staphylococcus bacteria has been pulled from the shelves of B.C. retailers this week as a food recall warning is expanded. The original recall was issued on June 20 for Le Moutier Goat Cheese out of Quebec and Thursday the recall was expanded to include the...
Summer school will be picketed if no deal reached this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The teacher collective agreement will be discussed by both sides at a meeting today but the union president says teachers have agreed to strike through the summer if needed. “Mediation is the only way to bridge the gap between the two sides,” Jim Iker says. “(If no agreement is made) teachers will extend...
Bouldering competition rolls through Kelowna this weekend
KELOWNA – For the second year in a row, rock climbers from around the world will come to Kelowna for Rock the Blocs Bouldering Festival. Bouldering is similar to traditional climbing, except instead of mountains, climbers scale large rocks as quickly as possible. The Okanagan is getting a reputation for having some of the best...
Mosquitoes having a ‘perfect’ year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN — No, you are not imagining things, the mosquitoes are actually worse this year, thanks to high water, cooler temperatures and wet weather. If you’ve ventured outside at all over the last month you have swatted at mosquitoes or came away with a bunch of itchy welts. Or maybe you donned your DEET and...
B.C. enters new trade deal with China for Okanagan cherries
OKANAGAN — A new trade agreement was made this week between Canada and China to ship Okanagan cherries over seas. The two parties have been operating market deals on a trial basis for two years (the 2014 season is the second year) and are extending their relationship with the longer agreement. The B.C. Minister of...