Penticton

Dead inmate connected to Penticton charges

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An inmate found dead at the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre last week was waiting to face several charges in Penticton. Daryl Belseck, 52, was accused of assault, mischief under $5,000 and uttering threats on Dec 23. He was due to elect his mode of trial on Jan. 21, two days after he died....

Cirque du Soleil coming to the Okanagan

PENTICTON - Varekai, filled with magical forests, whimsical creatures and adventure, will be making a five-day stop at the South Okanagan Events Centre this spring. The Cirque du Soleil production will be in Penticton for seven performances from May 13 to 17 and will feature the mystical world of Varekai, where a ‘young man takes...

Highway 1 closed for avalanche control Monday afternoon

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Avalanche risk is considerable to high throughout the region and crews will again be doing avalanche control in Glacier National Park to minimize the risk. The warmer temperatures and sunshine will create springlike conditions in Glacier National Park and Avalanche Canada believes this could lead to more large natural activity, leading to a...

Say what? NFL players talking nonsense

The latest bad lip reading is out and the target this go-around is the NFL. Watch some pro-athletes say some ridiculous things after a YouTube genius has dubbed over sports footage with some wacky voice creations of their own. Speaking of lips, watch Blake Shelton fail to read Jimmy Fallon's when the two play The...

Increased avalanche risk and near-record temperatures on tap

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As temperatures rise to near-record highs this weekend avalanche forecasters are warning of an increased avalanche risk. With a warm storm likely to drop rain on a weakened snowpack, Avalanche Canada is forecasting a high risk at treeline and alpine elevations on Saturday for both the North and South Columbia ranges and at...

Penticton making plans for 2016 B.C. Winter Games

PENTICTON - Penticton is preparing for the arrival of 2,000 athletes next February when the city once again hosts the 2016 B.C. Winter Games. Bill Bidlake, President of the B.C. Winter Games Board of Directors spoke to Penticton council at the Jan.19 meeting, reminding the board of the games beginnings in the Peach City when...

Double-digit temperatures on the way

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It’s nearly the end of January, a time of year when winter can rear its ugly head. Luckily for us Mother Nature has decided to tame Old Man Winter for at least a little while and we can expect temperatures to reach the double-digits across the region. Temperatures will be close to seasonal...

More snow is on its way; heavy snow for mountain passes

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The forecasters at Environment Canada are predicting heavy snow for mountain passes on the Coquihalla and the Hope-Princeton highways. The 20 to 30 centimetres of snow will start to fall late Saturday and continue overnight into Sunday, according to a Special Weather Statement. “A warm front will bring copious amounts of moisture to...

More snow on the way this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The temperatures are warming up but we are not out of the woods when it comes to snow just yet, Mother Nature may add another layer of the white stuff before the weekend is over. According to Environment Canada people in Kamloops can expect snow today, Friday, Jan. 16, and Saturday along with...

Price of go-juice in the Okanagan still above provincial average

OKANAGAN – As the price of oil continues to fall, drivers across the country are noticing it costs them a lot less to fill their tanks. Compared with the rest of Canada however, Okanagan prices haven't been set as low. According to GasBuddy.com, a website that compares gas prices across North America, most prices in...

Local pilot catches heat for harassing wild animals

KELOWNA – A YouTube video of a Kelowna man flying his paramotor around the Okanagan may have attracted more attention than he wanted. Emile Beaulieau made the video of him flying his fan-driven paraglider around the Okanagan late last year. In it, he can be seen skimming over rooftops and buzzing herds of wild deer...

Temperatures continue upswing

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After a dump of nearly 40 centimetres of snow in many parts of the Southern Interior we are now looking at temperatures above seasonal normals all week. According to Environment Canada we can expect to see highs of about 2 Celsius Monday and Tuesday and of 0 C Wednesday and Thursday. By the...

Biggest jump in Okanagan real estate sales in seven years

OKANAGAN – Real estate sales across the Okanagan had the biggest jump in seven years last December, according to the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board. Overall the region saw sales increase 24 per cent during the last month of 2014, with apartment sales up a massive 42 per cent over the previous year. Townhouse and...

STAHN: Yes it snowed, now get over it

We had a bit of snow this week. In fact we saw upwards of 40 centimetres over a two-day period, an amount not seen for between 77 and 87 years here in the Thompson-Okanagan region. Yes, that’s a lot of snow, but that’s all it was - snow. I’ve heard a lot of people exclaiming...

Taggers no match for this trio

PENTICTON - When three locals saw tag vandalism spray-painted across the Penticton Legion, they rolled up their sleeves and went to work.  Barbara Coburn-Jaager and Ivo Jaager were basking in the glowing aftermath of a job well done Thursday, the day after their successful graffiti clean up effort. The two were assisted in the clean up...

Cause of motel fire undetermined

PENTICTON - The investigation into last week's fire at the Pass Motor Inn in Penticton won't offer the answers interested parties are looking for. After a thorough inspection of the burned-out unit in which the fire began Penticton fire inspector Mike Richards reported this week the fire department was unable to determine the exact cause...

This week has gotten much better for the Penticton Legion

PENTICTON - Volunteers and patrons found something unexpected on the outer walls of the local legion Wednesday afternoon—no more graffiti. Earlier in the week, possibly Saturday night, vandals made their scribbles on the Martin Street home of the Penticton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion—huge blue and green tags. Legion vice-president Ivo Jaager says it...

City catching up with big snow

PENTICTON - Communications Officer Simone Blais said it’s too soon to say how much this week’s heavy snowfall will cost Penticton residents. “Operations staff will have to submit time sheets, all the vehicles, equipment and supplies used will have to be identified and these reports will take weeks to come through,” she said. Blais said...

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: Snow-dogs of the Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You’d think four legs are better for getting around in the snow than two. But that’s not the case when you’re a dog and the snow is higher than you are. Like us humans, some Thompson-Okanagan dogs embraced the snow this week, while others sulked about it. You’ll see some grumpy dog faces...

Highway 1 remains closed because of avalanche risk

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A storm system that left behind upwards of 40 centimetres of snow in our region and closed some schools for two days has also shut down Highway 1 in several spots. Avalanche control took place between Craigellachie and Revelstoke Monday because of the high risk and that section of highway was again shut...

Most of Thompson-Okanagan well shy of record snowfall amounts

ONLY KELOWNA COMES CLOSE  THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Nearly enough snow fell on Kelowna to set new two-day snowfall records this week but it was nowhere near the amount that fell on Penticton in 1932. The storm began late Saturday evening and had ended in much of the region by Monday evening. After two days of solid...

Winter storm shuts down highways

BACK TO SEASONAL NORMALS BY END OF DAY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A winter storm warning is over for much of the Southern Interior, but it has left toppled trees, black ice and high avalanche risk in its wake. A winter storm warning remains in place for the Shuswap and regions north and east of the Shuswap,...

Dangers associated with shoveling snow not always apparent

PENTICTON - That big blast of winter isn't just a problem for city crews. It can be a problem from a health point of view for residents trying to dig out, but there are ways to reduce the possibility of suffering an injury. Snow shovelling can be a risky thing for many of us to...

There is an end in sight to the snow

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – It’s been a long time since the Thompson-Okanagan received such a massive dump of snow in such a short time. “It has been quite an amazing snowfall so far,” Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Coldwells says. By 10 a.m. Monday, we were looking at amounts which ranged from 25 centimetres in the South Okanagan,...