Penticton
12-year-old drowns in Osoyoos Lake
OSOYOOS - A 12-year-old girl died Monday in Osoyoos Lake, the second drowning of the year there. The Calgary girl was camping with family at Haynes Point and was walking in shallow waters yesterday, Aug. 17, when several waves caused her to lose her footing and slip into deeper water, according to Cpl. Jason Bayda...
Man who died in Osoyoos jet-ski incident identified
OSOYOOS - The B.C. Coroners Service has identified the man who died in a jet-ski incident on Osoyoos Lake in June. He was Samen Pirzadeh-Tabaei-Zavareh, 34, from North Vancouver. The man and another passenger were riding the jet-ski on June 28 when it capsized due to strong winds and water currents. A passing boat rescued...
Water managers preparing for longer-term Okanagan drought
KELOWNA - While they are still in the midst of dealing with this year’s widespread drought in the southern B.C. the province’s top water managers are already looking ahead to next year. “Current weather patterns is for a strong El Nino blob off the coast. It is setting up the scenario for a drier than...
Severe thunderstorm watch for Okanagan
OKANAGAN - After a record day in the Okanagan temperatures are set to cool down and we can expect to see heavy rain and possibly severe thunderstorms over the next couple of days. Yesterday, Aug. 13, a new high temperature record was set in Kelowna, 37.8 Celsius, with Vernon, at 36.5 C, and Penticton, at...
Highways closed, smoke fills the sky as wildfires take over Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A hot, dry week followed by a lightning storm that moved through the region has led to an increase in aggressive fire activity in the Kamloops and Southeast Fire Centres today. Currently Highways 33 and 3 are closed because of a 350-hectare wildfire that is growing rapidly near Rock Creek. The fire was...
New weather record set in the Okanagan; heavy rain on the way
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It only took until mid-afternoon for Kelowna to tie the high temperature record for Aug. 13, and within the hour a new record was set. By 4 p.m. Environment Canada was reporting a temperature of 37.3 Celsius, just above the 36.7 C record set in 1990. At 36 C, Vernon still has a...
Gas prices going up in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Gas prices are rising throughout Canada and the Okanagan is no exception. According to GasBuddy, an online tracking system for gas prices, only about a dozen stations remain below 130 cents per litre this afternoon, Aug. 13, in Kelowna while about seven stations sit at 129.9 cents per litre. Many stations have jumped...
Kelowna councillor seeks change to council meeting schedule
KELOWNA - City councillor Charlie Hodge needs more homework time and wants to move council meetings to another day. “This is what I get Friday morning in my agenda package,” Hodge says, brandishing a three-inch thick stack of reports. “I’m supposed to know all this by Monday morning or at least have an understanding of...
Feast of Fields has new location for farm to table festival
KELOWNA – The 7th annual festival celebrating locally grown food is happening in Kelowna this weekend. Okanagan Feast of Fields is one of three chapters started by FarmFolk CityFolk, a Vancouver organization dedicated to celebrating sustainable, local foods. Feast of Fields, which also takes place in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, is a four-hour wandering gourmet...
Okanagan set to break record temperatures this week
OKANAGAN - Grab your sunscreen, hat and a cool drink, we have a hot, sunny and likely record-breaking week ahead of us in the Okanagan. Temperatures soared above the 30 Celsius mark over the weekend, well above the 27 C seasonal normal high for this time of year, but we can expect things to get...
Fat bikes, new terrain coming to Silver Star this winter
VERNON – The ever growing Silver Star Mountain Resort has announced several big changes this year, including more than 100 acres of new skiable terrain. Tree skiing for intermediates and experts will get more than 90 acres of new terrain to try and areas from Putnam Creek to Silver Woods will also be expanded. In...
Whooping cough on the rise across Interior Health region
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An increase in cases of whooping cough across the Interior Health Authority, but primarily in the Central Okanagan, has prompted a warning from public health officials. Medical health officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi says in 2015 there has already been 58 confirmed cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, with 36 of them...
Big fires down but not out in Kamloops Fire Centre
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The only two wildfires of note in the Kamloops Fire Centre have been downgraded to patrol status. Shelter Cove fire off Westside Road near Kelowna and Bolean Lake fire near Falkland were downgraded August 5 and will now be monitored by crews of five firefighters. “Patrol status means they are done active fire...
VIDEO: Be the ball with this new sport
KELOWNA – Soccer just got a whole lot safer, and a whole lot more fun, with a sport which lets you feel what it’s like to be the ball. Bouncing Soccer Kelowna is behind the Okanagan’s newest and craziest outdoor sport. Started by Kelowna residents Rebeca Espinosa and her husband David Corbo, Bouncing Soccer lets...
Warm, sunny weekend on tap for the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - After a break from the heat we will need to again dig out the sunscreen for a hot and sunny weekend. While temperatures were in the low- to mid-20s the last two days, just below seasonal normal highs of 27 Celsius, and were accompanied by up to eight millimetres of rain, we can...