Okanagan
Video showcases Canadian lack of tolerance… for racism
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Canadians have come together over the past week to not only remember the lives of two soldiers who were killed in cold blood on Canadian soil, but to defend the rights of Muslims across the country. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was quick to call the man who shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the...
Why wildland firefighters keep coming back
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It can feel like warfare; heading into a fire, in the middle of nowhere for days on end at the mercy of Mother Nature. Yet something about being on the battle lines draws in wildland firefighters season after season. For Jarvis Manuel, a 14-year veteran with B.C. Wildfire, it’s the people. For Thomas...
Get ready for the snow
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There have been small amounts of snow on mountain passes already this fall, but it hasn’t lasted long or accumulated enough for many people to really take note. Thursday morning Highway 97C saw warnings of slushy and slippery sections near the Pennask Summit and Environment Canada issued a special weather statement warning of...
Penguins fans sing Canadian anthem
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - National Hockey League fans showed their love and support for Canada Wednesday night at a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. The team flooded the arena with red light, images of the Canada flag and maple leafs while the words to the anthem were posted on the large screens so...
Don’t forget, it’s flu season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While the public's attention has been on Ebola and enterovirus D68 recently, Interior Health is preparing for flu season, rolling out influenza vaccines to clinics and phamacies around the region. Dr. Robert Parker says they start getting calls in September but early November is when they typically start offering vaccinations to the general...
Just call it Autummer as high temperatures approach records
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Shuswap enjoyed a record breaking day Sunday and for much of the Thompson-Okanagan region it was a warm day, just not quite hot enough to break records. In Salmon Arm, a temperature of 20.8 Celsius was enough to break a 40-year-old record and was well past the seasonal normal of...
Facebook page offers a window into Vernon’s past
VERNON - History fanatic Deena Lehoux admits one of her reasons for creating a Facebook page all about old photos of Vernon was a selfish one. “I wanted to see what everybody else had,” she says. “I’ve always been fascinated with the history of Vernon. I can’t drive downtown without trying to envision the way...
Open burn ban to be fully lifted
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Kamloops Fire Centre received calls of open burns in areas still under prohibition this long weekend, but staff are happy none led to wildfires. Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says a 13.7 hectare fire just north of Lytton this weekend is believed to be human-caused, but not a result of open burning....
The Okanagan as seen from the eyes of someone falling from the sky
OKANAGAN - They look like sky ninjas or superheroes soaring above the clouds, and you might recognize their birds eye view of the ground below. Skydiving enthusiast Chris Ellom captured some incredible footage of his favourite sky dives this past August and September taken as much as 11,000 feet above the Okanagan Valley, high enough...
Watch this sneak peak of Disney’s Tomorrowland
VERNON - The scene actress Britt Robertson is transported to when she touches a magical pin in a trailer from Tomorrowland looks like any number of farmer’s fields in the North Okanagan, and in this Disney film, it very well could be. Parts of the $250-million film, which co-stars George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, were...
Government paves over safety feature because of ‘noise complaints’
OYAMA - The Ministry of Transportation is removing a safety feature on the new highway in Lake Country to spare nearby residents an associated rumbling sound. Rumble strips, the grooved edges found on most highways, were installed on the new $78-million section of Highway 97 through Oyama but it seems the feature had an unpleasant...
HELSTON: Don’t be afraid to call the conservation officer
Residents across the Interior contacted the conservation service over the past year to report wildlife encounters ranging from simple sightings to bizarre and in some cases, tragic extremes. There was a cougar found inside a Vernon home chewing on a squeaky toy, a pack of wolves that killed a woman’s dog in Merritt, aggressive coyotes...
The Okanagan’s connection to popular new movie Gone Girl
KELOWNA - A Kelowna born actress has a cameo role in the new movie Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck. Lauren Glazier plays a ‘fashionista’ in the mystery thriller about a missing woman and the husband suspected of killing her. It isn’t Glazier’s first time on the silver screen. She’s appeared in a range of short films...
Your chance to see a blood-red moon this week
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Not only do we get to view a full moon and a minor meteor shower this week, we will also be treated to a total lunar eclipse that will give the moon a blood red colour. In our end of the world, the eclipse is expected to be visible from start to finish,...
Okanagan Regional Library eyes staff and service cuts
OKANAGAN - The union representing Okanagan Regional Library workers is sounding the alarm over proposed staff and service cuts at branches throughout the valley. Deb Dolman, vice president of CUPE Local 1123, says an alarming 375 staff hours at 19 branches are on the chopping block as part of the regional library’s plan to improve...