Penticton

New wildfire recruits put through paces
MERRITT - More than 200 seasonal firefighter applicants have made the cut and this month they are being put through a ‘rigorous’ bootcamp near Merritt. About 1,000 people, many of which are post-secondary students, apply for the positions every year. Provincial Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek says the job is "very in demand" and the...

New pet registry promotes microchip implants
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The SPCA is promoting a new province-wide pet identification registry where animals with microchip implants can have their information stored in a centralized database. "We’ve created a first for British Columbia — a centralized database for pets who receive permanent identification at any B.C. SPCA shelter, veterinarian or microchip clinic across the province,”...

Fintry Queen still waiting for forever home
KELOWNA - She looks a little lonely out there, anchored in Sutherland Bay, waiting for something to happen but the man tasked with selling the iconic Fintry Queen says interest has been steady since it was put up for sale two months ago. “We’re still marketing it, still waiting for the right buyer but we’ve...
VIDEO: 20,000 young fish pumped into lake
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Moving more than 20,000 young fish from a hatchery into a lake isn't easy, unless you have the right tools for the job. On Sunday, May 3, Go Fish B.C., a nonprofit program organized by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of Canada, released a behind-the-scenes video of the restocking of rainbow trout in Paul Lake...

Jason Aldean set to ‘Burn It Down’ in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Country music star Jason Aldean is coming to town this October on the Canadian leg of his recently expanded Burn It Down tour. Aldean, a three-time Academy of Country Music Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year nominee will be coming to Kelowna and Kamloops, as well as Vancouver and Prince...

Jason Aldean set to ‘Burn It Down’ in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Country music star Jason Aldean is coming to town this October on the Canadian leg of his recently expanded Burn It Down tour. Aldean, a three-time Academy of Country Music Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year nominee will be coming to Kelowna and Kamloops, as well as Vancouver and Prince...

Tenors tour coming to Penticton
PENTICTON - Prepare for a night of powerful voices and memorable melodies as the multi-platinum JUNO award winning vocal group known as The Tenors perform at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. The tour coincides with the release of the group’s fourth album Under One Sky on May 4....

Expect to see smoke along the Coquihalla this week
KAMLOOPS - A series of small burns north of Merritt, off the Coquihalla Highway, will be conducted by Wildfire Management Branch personnel starting this week. The controlled burns will take place Thursday, April 30, and Tuesday, May 5, and are in preparation for a training course that will help students determine the origin and cause...

Barenaked Ladies returning to Kelowna
KELOWNA - With a new album set to release in June, the Barenaked Ladies are ramping up for yet another Canadian tour this fall. The SILVERBALL tour will kick-off in Prince George on Oct. 19 before hitting the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops on Oct. 24 and Prospera Place in Kelowna on Oct. 25. In...

Occupation of premier’s officer ends, but situation remains
WEST KELOWNA - The occupation of Christy Clark's West Kelowna constituency offices ended today but the situation that caused it — where the Westside dumps its sewage—could continue for years. The chiefs of five native bands, and some non-native protesters from the Lower Nicola valley swarmed Clark's constituency office in downtown Westbank for five days,...

West Kelowna keeping an eye on medical marijuana dispensaries
WEST KELOWNA - A pair of businesses in West Kelowna may have the distinction of being the only legal companies in the province allowed to act as de facto medical marijuana dispensaries. While such dispensaries abound in Vancouver — over 80 at last count — none of them have business licenses, but intstead operate as...
Happy 10th birthday YouTube; local viral videos
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The very first YouTube video was uploaded ten years ago today so InfoNews has put together some of our regions most watched clips of the last decade. The first Okanagan classic is about a focused skater singing the national anthem at a Penticton Vees game in October 2014. It has more than 3-million...

Mussels with wings; the new front in the battle against invasive species
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The defensive war on invasive mussels hitching a ride into British Columbia’s lakes and rivers via recreational boats has just begun but there’s already talk of opening up a new front — float planes. While recreational boats and commercial boat haulers are the primary target of the recently-launched Don’t Move A Mussel educational program,...

Snowfall advisory for Coquihalla
KAMLOOPS - Several centimetres of snow has already fallen on the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Merritt and Drive B.C. is warning of more snow for that stretch of highway before the night is over. Drive B.C. is calling for 10 to 15 cm of snowfall for the stretch of highway from the Portia Interchange...

Public consultation process goes to consultation
HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A lot of people have recently expressed concerns over how the environmental assessment process works and now the provincial government is asking for input on how to improve the public consultation portion of the process. The B.C. Government's Environmental Assessment Office is asking the public...