Penticton

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...

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...

Adjudicators replace judges for bylaw disputes in Thompson-Nicola Regional District

KAMLOOPS - If you receive a bylaw ticket in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and choose to dispute it, you’ll no longer take it to provincial court. The district gained provincial approval to scrap court visits and bring the debate to a private hearing with an adjudicator instead with the process beginning this month. Regina Sadilkova,...

Upgrades set to begin on Coquihalla Highway

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several stretches of the Coquihalla Highway will get a $15-million facelift this year as part of the province’s 10-year transportation plan. "Rehabilitation of provincial highways and side roads is a major component of our 10-year transportation plan, B.C. on the Move,” Transportation Minister Todd Stone said in a release. “These projects to improve...

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,...

Turn your eyes to the night sky this week

NORTHERN LIGHTS AND METEOR SHOWER COULD LIGHT UP THE NIGHT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you missed the northern lights last week and if the moon was too bright and the clouds too thick to catch the Quadrantid meteor shower in January, you could get a chance at viewing both this week. The Space Weather Prediction Centre...

Early start to wildfire season in Southern Interior, numbers still below 10-year average

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A series of wildfires were ignited this past weekend as dry weather combined with warming temperatures to create conditions ideal for human-caused fires. B.C. Wildfire crews responded to four fires over the weekend, two in the Kamloops part of the fire centre and two in the southern tip. Information Officer Kayla Pepper says...

A look at the northern lights over the Southern Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Mother Nature has given us both clear skies and northern lights the last few nights, meaning local photographers have been keeping late hours this week. In Kamloops, the lights were so bright Thursday night they could be viewed by the naked eye even in the city. Space weather forecasters are calling for unsettled...

Penticton not alone in hunt for top bureaucrat

PENTICTON - Finding new, high level municipal bureacrats is neither quick or easy, as two communities in the South Okanagan are discovering as they attempt to replace their Chief Administrative Officers. Penticton has engaged the services of a recruitment agency following Annette Antoniak’s departure in February, while Keremeos is faced with a similar process with...

Harry Potter on trial during Penticton Law Week event

PENTICTON - Penticton middle and high school students have a date in Penticton courthouse tomorrow. They will be there with members of the Provincial Crown Counsel and those of the local bar to conduct two mock trials as part of Law Week, Friday, April 17. The first trial, beginning at 10 a.m., will have Harry...

Kelowna to review prayer policy after Supreme Court ruling bans them at public meetings

KELOWNA - A ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada about conducting prayers at public meetings has prompted the City of Kelowna to review its own council procedures bylaw. While there are no prayers given at regular council meetings, deputy city clerk Karen Needham says a prayer is offered at the public hearings held every...

Vees pick up another win in cup final

PENTICTON - The Penticton Vees are back at home with two wins in their back pocket after an 8-5 win Tuesday night over the Nanaimo Clippers in game three of the B.C. Hockey League Fred Page Cup Final. The Vees scored four times in the second period to build up a 5-2 lead and were...

Airport names former Kelowna mayor and councillor to advisory committee

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The group that advises Canada’s largest municipally-run airport will soon be joined by a couple of new faces familiar to people in the Central Okanagan. Kelowna’s former mayor Walter Gray and former city councillor Andre Blanleil, along with industry representative Meryle Corbett were all appointed to four-year terms on the Kelowna Internnational Airport...

More snow on Interior highways

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than 30 centimetres of snow fell on some Interior highways this past weekend, the white stuff continues to fall. The Coquihalla Summit had more than 30 cm fall in two days and after a one day reprieve, another 6 cm fell at the highway pass overnight. The Okanagan Connector also received...

Late snow to hit Interior highways this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A spring snow storm is expected to drop up to 10 centimetres of wet snow on Southern Interior highways this weekend. According to Environment Canada, an unseasonably cool frontal system will reach the coast by Friday evening and rain will change to snow over the mountain passes early Saturday morning. So far 5...

Local electronics retailer expands as big box stores close shop

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If Andre Blanleil gets any satisfaction from the demise of his retail competitor, electronics giant Future Shop, he doesn’t show it. “They were good competitors. They did a good job for the market they were going after,” the president of Andres Group of companies says. The regional chain operates 21 locations under the...

Sunny today, cloudy for final ski day of season

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We may be starting the day well below seasonal normals but the next couple of days will be sunny and warm. Seasonal normal low temperatures sit at 2 Celsius in Kamloops and 3 C through the Okanagan while seasonal normal high temperatures range from 14 C to 16 C. Today has started off...

Stolen vehicle rams police cruiser in Osoyoos

OSOYOOS - A stolen car being pulled over rammed the police vehicle making the stop before fleeing the scene Friday night. Osoyoos RCMP say an officer pulled over a 1994 Toyota Camry in Osoyoos just before midnight on Friday, April 3. As the member pulled in behind the car the suspect put the vehicle in...

Total lunar eclipse an Easter weekend treat

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Play a little hide and seek with one of the biggest ‘eggs’ you can find this week — a total lunar eclipse is scheduled to take place this Easter weekend. According to Time and Date, the moon will be totally eclipsed for about five minutes early Saturday morning with the event set to...

New president for Penticton Hospitality Association

PENTICTON - As the new President of the Penticton Hospitality Association Barb Haynes is excited to help move the organization forward. The hospitality association reflected on last year’s successes, including the court case with the City of Penticton over allegations of financial mismanagement, which the association won, and planned for a busy 2015 at its annual general...