Okanagan
More rain, thunderstorms in forecast for Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Above normal temperatures are back, but they come with a chance of rain and thunderstorms over the next few days. After several days of off and on rain, and even a few thunderstorms, Environment Canada is still calling for a chance of rain through the end of the week. There is a chance...
Severe thunderstorm watch underway in much of Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After a wet and wild weekend in the Interior another round of thunderstorms could hit the region. Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Nicola, South Thompson and Okanagan Valley regions for Monday, May 25. The weather office notes conditions are favourable for storms that could produce hail, strong wind...
TNRD looks at options for regulating biosolids
KAMLOOPS - In response to recent concerns around biosolids the regional district is considering changes to regulations around commercial and agriculture composting. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District is reviewing a zoning bylaw to regulate commercial composting and to limit the scale of agricultural composting. In a media release, the district says if the amendment is supported...
Locally filmed Tomorrowland starring George Clooney hits theatres
VERNON - A movie partly filmed in the North Okanagan opens in theatres today. Disney’s Tomorrowland — starring George Clooney, Hugh Laurie and Britt Robertson — hits the big screen Friday, May 22 In Vernon, your first chance to see the film will be at Cineplex. The first showtime is 4 p.m. today. You can...
Hot Okanagan temperatures not quite record-breaking
OKANAGAN - Temperatures soared into the high 20s Wednesday, and will get even hotter Thursday and Friday, but it wasn’t quite enough for a record. According to Environment Canada, temperatures reached upwards of 28 Celsius in the Okanagan and 29.4 Celsius in Kamloops on Wednesday, May 20, but those numbers fell shy of records ranging...
Hot temperatures in Kamloops not quite record-breaking
KAMLOOPS - Temperatures soared into the high 20s Wednesday, and will get even hotter Thursday and Friday, but it wasn’t quite enough for a record. According to Environment Canada, temperatures reached upwards of 28 Celsius in the Okanagan and 29.4 Celsius in Kamloops on Wednesday, May 20, but those numbers fell shy of records ranging...
Numerous snake scares in the Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Snake encounters have shaken up a number of Okanagan residents in the last few days — including one in an apartment building — and a wildlife control expert says in many cases, it has to do with the weather. Pete Wise runs a wildlife control service based in Vernon and says he’s had...
Kelowna RCMP searching for man linked to possible arson
KELOWNA - A fire at Boyd Autobody and Glass damaged four vehicles while a second fire on Bedford Avenue damaged a camper in April and now RCMP are looking to identify a man seen in surveillance footage from the area. In the early morning hours on April 10 the Kelowna Fire Department attended a fire...
Big White Ski Resort awarded for excellence
NAMED A TOP-PERFORMING SKI DESTINATION BY TRAVELLERS KELOWNA - Big White Ski Resort has received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award. Now in its fifth year, the award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given to establishments that consistently achieve great reviews on TripAdvisor. Destinations must maintain a consistent high review from a minimum number...
B.C. ROAD TRIP: Where to go, when you need to go
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Road trips are a great way to see this magnificent province of ours but need to be planned out carefully, especially if you have little ones. Not only do you need to have snacks, drinks and activities to help keep them from getting cranky, you need to plan regular bathroom and stretching breaks....
What you should know about this delicious, and potentially poisonous, local delicacy
VERNON - You might have seen the bright, vibrantly green curlicues in classified ads or at the local grocery store recently and wondered what they are and where they come from. They’re called fiddleheads, and they’re found around the world, including the Thompson-Okanagan, for a few short weeks every spring. Those who have tried the...
Electoral boundary changes go to public hearing in Kamloops, Vernon
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Changes are being recommended in many electoral areas across the province and this week you can get your say in on those changes at three meetings throughout the region. The B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission held public hearings in the fall and earlier this year a report outlining the recommended changes was released. In...
Fire danger ratings reach extreme
OPEN BURNING RESTRICTIONS START FRIDAY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Open fires were already set to be restricted in many parts of the Kamloops fire centre beginning May 15 but with unseasonably warm and dry weather well under way, the entire fire centre will now be put under restrictions beginning this weekend. The Clearwater and Salmon Arm fire...
Retired conservation officer speaks out about the realities of a service stretched too thin
“YOU CAME TO WORK EVERY DAY KNOWING YOU COULD NOT FULFILL EVERY PHONE CALL AND REPORTED COMPLAINT” KELOWNA - Retired B.C. conservation officer Greg Hoyer went into the field to protect fisheries and wildlife; by the time he left in 2009 that was only a fraction of his job. “Over the years, the government just...
Mothers Day continues when mom has passed on
VERNON - Every May, Brenda Gilchrist-Sword changes her profile picture. The black and white portrait isn’t her, but her mom Grace, who passed away in 2002. Gilchrist-Sword, of Vernon, lives in a different province from where her mom is buried, so the profile picture is her way of honouring her mom around Mother’s Day. She...