Penticton
Aboriginal health strategy hopes to improve care outcomes
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Tailoring healthcare for the 54,000 First Nations living within the Interior Health Authority will improve the quality of life and health outcomes and ultimately save money by reducing the need for services amongst a population that is overrepresented within the system. That’s the message behind the aboriginal health and wellness strategy adopted yesterday...
Health authority continues to monitor possible Ebola cases
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If the ongoing Ebola epidemic has a human face within the Interior Health Authority, it’s that of Patrice Gordon, a nurse practioner who returned from West Africa last December and promptly began displaying the early signs of of the disease. Gordon tested negative for the virus, but since then the health authority has...
Those red light cameras? Apparently they work pretty well
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - There’s no question drivers run red lights on the highways and byways of the Southern Interior but compared to the Lower Mainland, they’re amateurs. A story this week in the Vancouver Sun shows the worst 25 intersections for red-light running out of the 140 intersections where ICBC operates red-light cameras account for more...
Southern Interior water beat by Chilliwack in tap water taste test
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Waterworks staff in the Okanagan and Kamloops will be drowning their sorrows tonight after losing out to Chilliwack in a tap water taste test which wouldn’t have looked out of place at a winery. “It’s a clear winner,” joked Tanja McQueen, CEO of the B.C.Water and Waste Association, who hosted the tasting and...
B.C. firefighters heading to Alberta
KAMLOOPS - Fire risk in B.C. has lowered over the last several days and as a result B.C. Wildfire is sending crews to Alberta, where the province is under a province-wide fire ban as several large wildfires burn out of control. The Wildfire Management Branch said today, May 27, it would be sending 80 sustained...
Campapalooza campacacancelled
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A first-of-its kind event that gives parents a chance to get a taste of all the different summer camp options in one place has been cancelled. Campapalooza was to be held at Okanagan College May 30, but according to their website has been 'postponed until April 2016.' The event would have brought together...
More rain, thunderstorms in forecast for Okanagan
OKANAGAN - 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...
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...
Okanagan diners reap the rewards of an early spring
OKANAGN – The early spring across the Okanagan this year is not only good for your tan but for local restaurants and family kitchens as well. Across the valley, farmers are busy harvesting crops which normally wouldn't be ready for weeks. Fruits, berries, veggies and field crops all got a jump start this year, which...
Early spring both good and bad for local farmers
OKANAGAN – The early heat felt across the Okanagan this year has local farmers springing into action. Producers of vegetables, fruit, hay and alfalfa crops say the warm weather came at least two weeks early this year, meaning they can plant earlier, expect higher yields and very likely harvest earlier as well. At the Kelowna...
Hot dog calls on rise as weather heats up in Southern Interior
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - Though summer isn’t even officially here, the unseasonably warm weather in the Interior is already prompting concerned calls about dogs left unattended in cars. “We’ve had three or four already this morning (May 22) and yesterday we had half a dozen before lunch,” Cam Buksa, spokesman for the Central Okanagan branch of the...
Bumper crop of itchy, scratchy poison ivy in South Okanagan
PENTICTON - There’s a good reason for outdoor enthusiasts to stay on the trail when hiking in the South Okanagan this spring. Cyclists and pedestrians using the Kettle Valley Railway trail are noticing an abundance of poison ivy this year, particularly on the trail between Penticton and Kaleden. Regional District Okanagan Similkameen parks coordinator Justin...
Penticton man found badly beaten on side of road
PENTICTON – A man is in police custody after what police are calling “a serious assault” that left a Penticton man badly injured on the side of the road Thursday morning. According to a release, Penticton RCMP were called to the 3 km mark on Shingle Creek Road off Green Mountain Road shortly after 8:30...
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...