Penticton
Enjoy warm weather while it lasts
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Enjoy the weekend while it lasts — another blast of heat is coming our way this weekend but there'll be a significant drop in temperatures Monday. Temperatures will reach as much as 30 Celsius in the region and the sun in expected to shine throughout the weekend. Kamloops will see the warmest temperatures...
UPDATE: American killed rock climbing near Penticton identified
PENTICTON – An American in his 30’s fell to his death on Saturday, Aug. 30, while rock climbing in Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park near Penticton. “The man fell from a substantial height,” RCMP Const. Chris Richardson says. “He was deceased upon arrival at hospital.” The victim, identified as Stas Eric Gray of Seattle Washington, was...
This ‘Floating island’ on Okanagan Lake could be yours
OKANAGAN – It’s the size of a small island, has multiple bedrooms and bathrooms like a cottage, but it can take you across the lake at 65 km/h. A luxury sport yacht owned by Penticton resident George Speirs was listed for sale on Kijiji this past weekend. The price tag for the 63’ Sea Ray...
What you can do to prevent bear conflicts this fall
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Hide your picnic baskets and tuck away your garbage cans, it’s high season for bears as they look to take in about 20,000 calories per day before settling in to hibernate for the winter. WildSafeBC Provincial Coordinator Frank Ritcey says bear sightings in the month of August were more than the four previous...
Endless summer in B.C…. snow in Alberta?
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Mother Nature is welcoming some Alberta kids back to school in Canadian style today — with a snow storm. The southeast corner of Alberta, from Brooks to the B.C. border, is currently under a heavy rainfall warning but combined with temperatures hovering not much above zero some areas are instead seeing wet snow....
At least someone’s getting a laugh over the teachers’ strike
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It appears someone working for the provincial government's web department has added a little ironic wit—if not annoying editorial—to the rhetoric on the teachers strike. When all hope of ending the teachers strike before Sept. 2 was lost on the weekend, the B.C. government opened up its website so parents can register to...
Keep control of campfires this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Most campfire bans have been lifted heading into the Labour Day long weekend but that does not mean you should be careless with your fires while camping. B.C. Wildfire is reminding people to use extreme caution while out camping or in the backcountry. Last weekend, just days after the campfire ban was lifted...
Hot Wednesday hits records, cools off for long weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It was the last hot day of August Wednesday with temperatures soaring into the 30s across the region, and while several cities closed in on record highs only Vernon hit the mark. Yesterday Vernon hit 33.5 Celsius, hot enough to tie the record set in 1986, and Kelowna also came close but couldn’t...
Loud Challenge fireworks a ‘first world problem’
PENTICTON - There has been buzz around town that some people are less than thrilled about the midnight fireworks that followed the Challenge Penticton triathlon Sunday. Several Facebook posts suggest the loud fireworks woke them from their slumbers Sunday night, while others barely noticed.. “I am that ‘younger generation’ and midnight on a Sunday was...
UPDATE: Coq reopened after tour bus crash, 43 injured
MERRITT - A rollover has injured 43 people on board a tour bus and shut down the Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Hope Thursday afternoon. Kelsie Carwithen of B.C. Ambulance Service says they got the call at 3 p.m. of an incident 30 kilometres south of Merritt involving a tour bus. They dispatched six air...
UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm watch ends
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A severe thunderstorm watch issued this morning has been lifted for Kamloops, Vernon and the Shuswap. Environment Canada issued the watch for nine different regions, include the North and South Thompson, the North Okanagan and the Shuswap, this morning. The watch extended north through the Cariboo and east to the Alberta border in...
Heartland stars rolling through town
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you are a fan of Heartland get your cameras ready, the stars of the hit Canadian show tour Southern B.C. raising funds for Sophie’s Place during a six-day motorcycle marathon. The Cruise with a Cause marathon began Monday and first stopped in Whistler. Tuesday the stars will make their way to Cache...
Crews chasing abandoned campfires after ban ends
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The first weekend after the campfire ban was lifted, B.C. Wildfire crews were called to put out abandoned campfires across the region that could have resulted in much larger fires. “We had nine abandoned campfires, we definitely did see the number of calls go up,” Fire Information Officer Kayla Pepper says. “It is...
Penticton man dies in UTV crash
PENTICTON – A 32-year-old Penticton man is dead after what RCMP say is a ‘possible’ Utility Terrain Vehicle crash Saturday night on a forestry road near the city. RCMP officers arrived at the scene at about 11:40 p.m. on the 201 Forest Service Road, but the quad wasn’t there, so investigators can only assume it...
Campers rejoice, fire ban rescinded
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Recent cool, wet weather means that as of today, Thurs. Aug. 21, you can once again have campfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre one week ahead of the long weekend. B.C. Wildfire lifted the ban, which was put in place more than five weeks ago, following a decrease in wildfire risk thanks to...