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Penticton
Avalanche risk high in North Columbia
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the winter break comes to an end, the temperatures are warming up and the snow is ready to fall. You may be thinking about heading out for some winter but be prepared if heading into the backcountry, avalanche risk is considered high in some areas and is at least considerable in most...
See the Thompson-Okanagan like you never have before
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – A video posted to YouTube over the weekend gives a truly birds-eye view of some of the most spectacular features of the Thompson-Okanagan. Emile Beaulieu is a Kelowna resident whose passion is paramotoring. Using a parachute and what is essentially a large powered fan strapped to his back, he performs breathtaking fly-bys of...
Hot summer weather just a memory
BUT WILL BE BACK SOONER THAN YOU THINK THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Winter is officially here. Much of the region is covered in snow and Mother Nature decided to plunge us into a deep cold once again. With that in mind we decided to take a look back at just how hot our summer weather was in...
Second round of Ebola tests negative
KELOWNA - A second set of Ebola tests being conducting on an Interior Health nurse practitioner have returned negative, but a third and final test will still need to be done before she is given the all clear. Patrice Gordon returned from helping to treat Ebola patients in Sierra Leone on Christmas Day and it...
Library, pool and arena busy over holidays
PENTICTON - Penticton’s public institutions saw increased usage over the holidays, with the library alone seeing double the usership it normally does on a Monday. Penticton Public Library’s Systems Librarian, Shelley Murphy, said after being closed for four days usership doubled what was usual for a Monday. “It was amazingly busy yesterday. We had line...
UPDATE: Police investigating fire at Pass Motor Inn
PET BELIEVED DEAD IN FIRE PENTICTON - Penticton firefighters battled a blaze that broke out last night at the Pass Motor Inn, located at 2307 Skaha Lake Road. Firefighters were called to the scene at roughly 8:30 p.m., Dec. 30, according to a media release from RCMP. The building was evacuated while firefighters worked to...
Weather warming up for new year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We’ll still be facing temperatures below seasonal normals, but it will be several degrees warmer for New Year’s Day than it has been over the past few days in the Southern Interior. According to Environment Canada temperatures will reach a high of between -8 Celsius and -5 C today and by the first...
Avalanche warning extended
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If backcountry play is in your New Year’s plan be prepared, an avalanche warning issued to the public on Christmas Day has been extended to include the Whistler and Pemberton area, and is now in effect until Sunday, Jan. 4. Throughout our region avalanche risk is considered moderate below the treeline but increases...
Team Canada prepares for New Year’s Eve battle
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - On Wednesday afternoon all eyes will be on the World Junior Championship tournament in Montreal as Team Canada takes on Team United States in the final round robin game for the two teams. Canada is 3-0 in the first three games and went 2-1 during exhibition play after an overtime loss to Russia...
UPDATE: Highway 1 near Golden reopens after fatal crash
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - One person is dead and another in critical condition after a serious crash involving two tractor trailers that shut down Highway 1 from Golden to Revelstoke overnight. United Towing was called out to a head-on collision between two semis west of Golden just before 11 p.m. Both units were on fire at the...
Cold weather and wind move in
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Pull the scarves and gloves back out, the cold weather is back and by tonight much of the region will be at least 10 degrees lower than seasonal normals. According to Environment Canada, temperatures will drop to -10 Celsius by this afternoon in Kamloops and winds will increase to 50 gusting to 70...
Arctic air promises frigid temperatures for Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Its back to winter-like conditions in the Thompson-Okanagan Sunday as Arctic air pushes south dropping temperatures and creating snow. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning temperatures will drop to at least ten degrees below normal for this time of year and dumping large amounts of snow on the mountain passes....
10 activities you can do to meet your daily exercise requirements
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – If your latest exercise is having a Netflix marathon while you wear sweatpants you wouldn't dare to wear in public, you might want to reconsider your options. The number one New Year’s resolution people make (and usually don’t end up following) is to get in shape – New Year, new beginning. Adults should...
Funny stories about drunks from designated drivers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The holidays are a time to catch up with old friends, spend quality time with family and have a few rum and eggnogs to celebrate. Maybe it’s the cooler weather, the spirit or all the booze we get for gifts – but undoubtedly some of us will get more carried away than others....
Local players ready to represent at World Junior Championship
GET YOUR RED AND WHITE JERSEYS READY THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Four members of Team Canada will be doing their best to represent local hockey at the World Junior Championship in Ontario and Quebec as the tournament officially gets underway on Boxing Day. Ottawa Senator Curtis Lazar, of Vernon, is one of only two current National Hockey...
CHRISTMAS PAST: Memories from our newsroom
Remember the joy in carefully crafting presents in class for your parents? The excitement to see a gift under the tree with your name on it? How about getting dressed up in awful, and often matching outfits to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Christmas? At Christmas we often take the time to reminisce...
Assault victim recipient of Christmas generosity
PENTICTON - Assault victim Ken Paton was overwhelmed at the charity shown him after a short fundraising effort was held for him on a friend’s Facebook page. Leigh Follestad recently noted Paton’s plight after being hospitalized following a bizarre confrontation that took place early in the morning of Dec. 1 after Paton answered a knock...
Heavy snow expected on highway passes, avalanche risk high
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The avalanche risk is considered high throughout most of the region with large to very large human-triggered avalanches a main concern for forecasters over the next week. Avalanche Canada upgraded the risk to high from considerable in the treeline and alpine areas of the Kootenay Boundary and North and South Columbia regions late...
IN TWEETS: We’re all waiting for a white Christmas
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops residents woke up to a skiff of snow on Christmas Eve, but for the last two weeks, people across the Okanagan have been enjoying warmer than normal temperatures. It's been both a blessing and a curse. Not worrying about warming up your car and slipping on the ice is nice, but without...
Slight chance for slightly white Christmas
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you have been dreaming of a white Christmas don’t give up hope just yet: Mother Nature could still come through with the gift of your dreams. Environment Canada is calling for a chance of flurries tonight in Kamloops, Vernon and Kelowna while Penticton could see rain this afternoon. Snow could begin in...
Get your winter driving face on for holiday travel
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you have travel plans over the next couple of days give yourself a little more time, and not just because of the amount of holiday traffic that usually files down the highway at this time of year. The next 24 hours could bring a lot of snow as well. Environment Canada is...
B.C. wildfires, cold and heat make list of top 2014 weather stories
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You would expect that temperature would play a big part in a list of top weather stories, but unlike in previous years Environment Canada says our long, cold winter was the attention grabber in 2014. It was such a cold winter that much of the country remained cooler than usual throughout the summer...
Kettle Campaign stalled by lack of volunteers
PENTICTON - With two days left in the Salvation Army’s Kettle Campaign, Kettle Coordinator Tricia Dobrik is hoping to bolster volunteer ranks in order to reach this year’s goal. “We barely covered kettle shifts last week, and today we missed three shifts - two at the liquor store and one at Shoppers Drug Mart,” Dobrik...
Chances of a white Christmas slim
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you live in Penticton, you only have a 36 per cent chance of seeing a white Christmas in town, but in Vernon you have an 88 per cent chance. The current forecast is offering very little hope for a white Christmas through most of the region, unless you plan on heading up...