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Penticton

2015 TOP STORIES: Marijuana goes mainstream as legalization looms

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Marijuana made the news so much in 2015 you could almost smell it wafting across Canada. Supporters could definitely smell change in the air as outright legalization of the drug became part of Justin Trudeau's winning campaign in the 2015 federal election. No sooner was he elected that unions started proposing responsible ways...

2015 TOP STORIES: Major crimes across the B.C. Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - This year had no shortage of crime stories, with the RCMP launching several major investigations and the courts wrapping up cases from previous years. Here is a summary of some of the top crime stories of 2015. In August, a man was found dead in Vernon’s Polson Park. Police have kept mum on...

Expect a chilly start to the new year in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Temperatures are set to dip below normal this New Year’s Day long weekend but the good news is it looks like it will warm up again early next week. Environment Canada is calling for a high of -4 Celsius to -7 C today, Dec. 31 through Sunday before warming up slightly to start...

Man back in custody minutes after leaving Penticton court

PENTICTON - A man found sleeping in a truck filled with stolen items made a court appearance yesterday, and then was taken back into custody just minutes after leaving the court house when he was witnessed stealing a cash box. The man, who is well known to police, was arrested Dec. 23 after residents reported...

Penticton couple became millionaires on Boxing Day

PENTICTON - A lottery ticket purchased at Penticton’s Cherry Lane Shopping Centre let a local couple keep the celebration going the day after Christmas. Lindsay Slobodzian and Grzegroz Slobodzian checked their lottery ticket while Boxing Day shopping, Dec. 26, just an hour before hosting a family get together, and found out they won one of...

Crash closes Connector between Merritt and Highway 5A

MERRITT - The Okanagan Connector was closed between Merritt and Highway 5A after a car crash this afternoon. Details are limited but multiple emergency vehicles responded to the vehicle incident, Dec. 28, including a B.C. Ambulance helicopter. Some reports on social media said the crash was a rollover. Drive B.C. says Highway 97C, east of...

Weather mellowing out in the Okanagan this week

OKANAGAN - It looks like snowplows will get some time to catch up this week with much less white stuff expected to fall. Communities across the Okanagan got hit with a large dump of snow over the holiday weekend, prompting a snowfall warning from Environment Canada, which ended Dec. 27. Between 7 mm and 10 mm...

UPDATE: Snowfall warning ended for Okanagan and South Thompson

ROADS AND HIGHWAYS IN WINTER DRIVING CONDITION THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A dump of snow overnight and this morning is making the busiest travel day of the year a challenge for drivers. The snowfall warning issued by Environment Canada for the Thompson-Okanagan earlier this morning was ended at about 10:15 a.m., Dec. 27. Forecasters say significant snowfall...

Some quirks of the calendar will bring you a lot more fun next year

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Before you book your vacation next year, you might find some surprises you haven’t seen on the calendar — like an extra four long weekends next year. Thanks to a few quirks of the calendar, all four date-based holidays fall on or near weekends this year. Canada Day, Remembrance Day and New Years...

MAP: Take a driving tour of Penticton Christmas lights

PENTICTON - Taking in the Christmas light displays around town is a great way to spend an evening, and we've put together a map to help you do just that. We did our best to find some of the best areas of the city for Christmas lights and compiled them into this handy map. So...

A cool, white Christmas for the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - You’re in luck if you dreamed of a white Christmas, but expect slightly cooler temperatures to go along with it. Enough snow has fallen this month to give much of the Okanagan a white Christmas, something that has only a 50 per cent chance of happening in Kelowna and only a 20 per...

Locally-made spirits to get you through the holiday

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There’s no faster way to get into the spirit of Christmas than with Christmas spirits, and the Thompson-Okanagan has two award-winning local craft distilleries to help with last minute gifts or to keep guests from noticing that overcooked turkey. Urban Distilleries in Kelowna’s north end focuses on vodka, gin and whiskey, and they...

Sample local authors for last minute gifts

KELOWNA - Books make a great last minute gift and the latest from a local author is the perfect touch. Here’s the latest from some local talent. All True Not A Lie In It This novel by Okanagan College professor Alix Hawley made the Giller long list and won amazon.ca First Novel Award in 2015. All-day...

Handmade in the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you’re hoping to go a less commercial route this holiday season, look no further than the Thompson-Okanagan, a region that boasts numerous handcrafted gifts. From ceramics to sweet treats, there’s surely a gift to be found for every boy and girl — one that keeps you out of box-store lineups to boot....

Meteor shower and full moon highlight Christmas week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Christmas week will be one to remember this year, at least for sky watchers who enjoy the auroras, meteor showers and full moons. The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, will take place Monday, Dec. 21. The Shatford Centre in Penticton will host a viewing of the dramatic sunset beginning at...

Okanagan to enjoy warm and white Christmas

OKANAGAN - It will be a pretty typical week when it comes to weather in the Okanagan, with temperatures expected to stay near seasonal normals for much of the Christmas week. Environment Canada is calling for highs ranging from 0 Celsius to -3 Celsius most days this week, though Kelowna is expected to hit a...

Good chance of a white Christmas in the Okanagan

OKANAGAN - Mother Nature looks prepared to give us a white Christmas this year, with a snow overnight and at least a chance of snow expected every day this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for snowfall to end this morning, Dec. 18, and will be followed by a chance of rain or flurries later today....

Local gifts and food to get you through the holidays

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With fresh foods and resources available on our doorstep, giving local is easy in our region. Many natural resources help create the gifts we put under our Christmas trees — from wood products and minerals, to cider and wine. And of course if you have a natural tree or a wood fire you...

Snowfall warning for Coquihalla

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you were planning on hitting the highways tonight you may want to think again, up to 25 centimetres of snow is expected by Friday afternoon. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt, noting 20 to 25 cm of snow is expected before the Pacific...

Christmas wish list: Auroras, full moons and meteor showers

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The next two weeks could be everything you wished for if sky watching is at the top of your Christmas list. The northern lights seem to have been making a lot more appearances this year, and another storm is expected to hit Earth this week, as early as this evening. Unfortunately Environment Canada...

Lord of the Dance tour to stop in Okanagan

PENTICTON - The latest production from Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance will be making a swing into the Southern Interior with show in Penticton this spring. Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games, fresh from its debut on Broadway, will be stopping at the South Okanagan Events Centre on March 24, 2016, as part of...

Temperatures cooling off in the Okanagan this week

OKANAGAN - The temperatures will drop back below 0 Celsius this week after a long run of weather warmer than seasonal normals in the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for the mercury to stay around 2 C to 4 C throughout the region today, Dec. 14, but then the overnight temperature will drop to as...