Penticton
Did you buy a winning 6/49 ticket in the Shuswap or Surrey?
SHUSWAP - The latest Lotto 6/49 draw is over and while the grand prize wasn't won, a trio of tickets are splitting a $172,000 pot for matching most of the numbers and another won $1 million in the guaranteed prize draw. Someone who bought their ticket in the Shuswap is $86,000 richer while another bought...
Taxpayers heap abuse on snow removal staff
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Few things, it seems, can bring out the ugly in a person more than a snow covered street. A story posted yesterday with a photo from the perspective of a West Kelowna snowplow driver showed cars parked willy-nilly on a local road, making it virtually impossible to plow. The story touched a nerve and...
2015 TOP STORIES: Politics divided our ridings like never before as Liberals take office
THOMSON-OKANAGAN - Big changes in the political map across Canada translated this year into upheaval for local politicians. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, seeking a fourth term after nearly ten years in power, dropped the writ on the longest federal election campaign in history, an eleven week marathon largely seen to benefit the incumbents. It...
Kelowna women rescues dog being pulled behind moving vehicle
"WE ALMOST THREW UP WE WERE SO SCARED." OKANAGAN – Four friends from Kelowna were driving on Road 22 in Oliver last Friday night when they saw something they couldn’t believe: A puppy, less than two months old, being pulled behind a moving vehicle. “It was one of those really small lane roads,” says one...
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...
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...
Avalanche risk high in B.C., winter storm warning continues
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A winter storm warning remains in place and avalanche risk has been elevated to high throughout the region, even below treeline levels, and a section of Highway 1 is closed as crews complete avalanche control in the area. Environment Canada continues to issue a winter storm warning for much of the Southern Interior...
Winter storm developing this weekend
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A winter storm set to hit the Southern Interior by Sunday could bring snowfall in excess of 25 centimetres at highway passes and could see snow turn to freezing rain in town. Friday morning Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for much of the Central and Southern Interior, including the Coquihalla Highway,...
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...
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...
UPDATE: Buses running in School District 53, late in Penticton, no buses in Summerland
PENTICTON - In case you weren’t aware, the snow has been piling up outside. Heavy snow yesterday and last night has covered the region. School District 67 reports Penticton buses are running, but they will be late, while Summerland buses will not run this morning. The Summerland bus situation will be reassessed later today. School...
Travel advisories in effect for highways
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Heavy snowfall is limiting visibility on several Interior highways leading Drive B.C. to put out a travel advisory for both Highway 5 and Highway 97C. The Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Kamloops and the Okanagan Connector both have travel advisories as of 8:30 a.m. Drive B.C. asks travellers to consider alternate plans or...
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,...
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...