'Potent and impactful storm'
Most endangered bird
BC whales in Planet Earth 3
Conspiracy theories popular
Fatal shooting at gas pumps 
Mountie faces murder trial
Ground offensive expanded
U.S. warship fires back
Strong earthquake kills 1
Former diplomat arrested 
Hawaiian Airlines to be sold
Deepfakes victimize teens
Too little too late for Blazers
Rockets fall to T-Birds
Warriors streak hits 5
Myles Goodwyn dies
Spears celebrates birthday
Guess Who co-founder dies
Top Stories for January 24, 2023
Prominent American businessmen die in avalanche near Revelstoke
UPDATE 2:40 p.m. Two brothers and prominent American businessmen have been identified as the fatal victims of an avalanche Monday near Revelstoke. Timothy and...
Kelowna senior, family fighting for refund on $12K WestJet vacation package cancelled by weather
A Kelowna senior is exasperated after being unable to obtain a $12,000 refund from WestJet for a vacation package derailed by last month’s winter weather....
West Kelowna man captures video of rare green comet
A West Kelowna man captured a rare celestial phenomenon on video from his home in Glenrosa. Sean Perdue tells Castanet he took up photographing the stars a...
Basran hires prominent lawyer to defend sex assault charge
Former Kelowna mayor Colin Basran had his first scheduled court date Tuesday on a single charge of sexual assault. Basran was not present for the brief...
69-year-old woman falls through the ice at Swansea Point
After falling through the ice near Swansea point on Mara Lake Monday night, a 69-year-old woman was able to call 911 while clinging to the ice. “The woman...
Are you planning to fly internationally this year?
Travellers who have experienced recent delays and long line-ups at airports might think travel has returned to where it was before the COVID-19 pandemic but new...
Penticton local starts grassroots fundraiser to help family after tragic loss
“No parent should ever have to bury their child and now have to raise a grandchild.” After the sudden loss of her sister-in-law, a Penticton...
City of Kelowna opens online voting to name newest snowblower
The City of Kelowna has released the final list of names for its newest snowblower and they want your help to pick the winner. Help us name this lean, mean...
Recent sightings of wolves in the Kelowna area highlight the need to prevent human-wildlife conflict
Are wolves moving into populated areas, or are people encroaching more on the animals’ territory? Castanet has received reports in recent months of...
GoFundMe launched for young Kamloops family dealing with devastating ordeal
A GoFundMe has been launched raising money for a young Kamloops family dealing with some life-changing circumstances. The family — a single mom and two...
West Van buys Jimmy Pattison's waterfront home for $5.175M
West Vancouver has purchased one of the last remaining waterfront homes in Ambleside – part of a decades-long plan to buy all of the land between...
Environment Canada issues snowfall warning between Hope and Merritt
A snowfall warning for the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt was issued by Environment Canada Tuesday morning. The warning was issued at 5:45 a.m. and...
B.C. beefs up strata CRF contributions in effort to address insurance costs
The B.C. government announced today (Jan. 24) that it is implementing changes to strata regulations to better protect strata owners, and mitigate the high cost...
Kelowna acro-dance duo aims for gold on world stage
A young duo of acrobatic dancers from Kelowna has been selected to represent Team Canada at the International Dance Organization World Acro Championships in...
This Vancouver living room with a hide-a-bed is for rent for over $1,000 a month
With the struggle for many to find affordable places to live in B.C. continuing, more unusual rentals are popping up online. In one case, someone in...
Kelowna fire crews douse HVAC fire at Kelowna General Hospital
The Kelowna Fire Department responded to a small fire at Kelowna General Hospital Tuesday morning. The incident happened just after 5:30 a.m. when fire crews...
Kelowna RCMP join procession for second Nelson police officer who died of injuries suffered in avalanche
Kelowna RCMP members have paid tribute to a fallen police officer. RCMP cruisers joined a procession from the Nelson Police Department along Springfield Road...
Summerland man given suspended sentence for kicking in a stranger's door while high
A Summerland man has been sentenced to a 12 month suspended sentence with conditions following a break-in at a local home while he was high. Travis Simpson,...
Jury now deliberating in case of man who claims self defence
UPDATE: 3:19 p.m. The 12-person jury tasked with deciding the fate of a Kamloops man charged with murder is now out for deliberations. James Sanford’s...
DriveBC says Highway 1 near Tappen reopened after Tuesday evening crash
UPDATE: 10:00 p.m. DriveBC says Highway 1 near Tappen has been reopened after a crash earlier Tuesday evening closed the highway in both directions. ORIGINAL:...
Four 13-yr-old boys arrested in alleged attack on Toronto transit workers
Toronto police say they've charged four 13-year-old boys after two transit workers were allegedly swarmed and attacked on a city bus. Police say they got a...
Justin Bieber sells his rights to 'Sorry,' 'Despacito' and other hits to Hipgnosis
Justin Bieber has sold the rights to his entire back catalogue, including megahits "Despacito," "Sorry" and "Baby," to Hipgnosis...
Kelowna looks at changes to its development variance approval process
The City of Kelowna is looking at ways of streamlining its development approval process in keeping with directives from the province. One way it hopes to save...
The Doors sell exhaustive slate of rights in 'monumental' deal
The Doors have sold an exhaustive slate of branding and publishing rights in a "monumental" deal. Indie publisher Primary Wave Music has acquired...
Bike racks can't obscure licence plates or vehicle lights
“I have a question about rear hitch-mounted bike racks, which are readily available in stores. We use one with four bikes on it for our family and when...
Ukraine war moves 'Doomsday Clock' to 90 seconds to midnight
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the specter of nuclear weapon use, Earth crept its closest to Armageddon, a science-oriented advocacy group said,...
Co-workers try to offset family's costs as child undergoes chemo
It’s going to be at least six months of intensive chemotherapy for young Gage. Chad Inglis is trying to help out friends whose son was recently diagnosed...
Okanagan-Similkameen residents reminded to not release goldfish into the wild
A non-profit organization dedicated to tackling invasive species in the Okanagan-Similkameen got a report in this week from a local angler who spotted goldfish...
City's injunction application targeting 'Freedom Rallies' about managing public space: city councillor
A Kelowna city councillor says he believes the municipality's intent behind its injunction application targeting regular anti-pandemic protests in Stuart...
Okanagan College students capture awards on national stage
Okanagan College business students won big at a prestigious competition this month. The Queen’s University Inter-Collegiate Business Competition...
Vancouverite nabs Oscar nom for work on Top Gun: Maverick
Another Oscar could soon be residing in B.C. after Vancouverite Bryan Litson was nominated along with others for his visual effects work on Top Gun: Maverick....
Crypto firms acted like banks, then collapsed like dominoes
Over the past few years, a number of companies have attempted to act as the cryptocurrency equivalent of a bank, promising lucrative returns to customers who...
Nicole Chan was 'frustrated' by handling of sex assault case before suicide: officer
One of the last members of the Vancouver Police Department to see Const. Nicole Chan before her suicide said Chan was angry about the treatment of her complaint...
'Intimidating': Doctor tells law society former health minister visited his home
The Law Society of Alberta heard Tuesday a number of allegations about Alberta’s justice minister over suggestions he violated the profession's code...
Scammers impersonating tech support scam Kootenay woman out of $7,000
A woman in the Kootenays is out nearly $7,000 thanks to a bogus tech support scam. RCMP said in a news release they were called on Jan. 20 by a 47-year-old...
Everything Everywhere All at Once leads 2023 Oscar nominations with 11
'Everything Everywhere All at Once' has topped the 2023 Oscar nominations with 11 nods. The shortlists for the 95th Academy Awards were announced on...
South Okanagan prolific offender to spend 424 more days behind bars for breaching weapons prohibition
A South Okanagan prolific offender will spend 424 more days in jail after pleading guilty Monday to a 2021 incident involving weapons, a stolen vehicle and an...
Federal Court of Appeal rejects Competition Bureau's appeal on Rogers-Shaw
UPDATE 12:35 p.m. The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected the Competition Bureau's appeal on the Rogers-Shaw deal. The Court of Appeal found the...
7 dead as California mourns 3rd mass killing in 8 days
A gunman killed seven people at two agricultural businesses in Northern California, plunging the state into mourning again in the wake of its third mass killing...
Passport backlog update expected as federal cabinet retreat enters second day
The Liberal cabinet will head into the second of a three-day retreat in Hamilton today with a lengthy to-do list, including tackling inflation and making the...
Patrik Allvin doesn’t know what Canucks fans want
While he may be the team’s general manager, Vancouver Canucks fans haven’t heard much from Patrik Allvin. Instead, the spokesperson for the...
Nominations close soon for the 2022 Civic Awards
The deadline to nominate a deserving man, woman, company or organization for Kelowna's 48th annual Civic and Community Awards is nearly upon us. The...
ICBC stands firm on Flying Spaghetti Monster pirate, colander hats
ICBC is not budging in its stance that a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster of B.C. has no religious right to wear pirate hats or colanders on...
Alex Fraser Bridge closure due to mental health crisis
Delta Police closed the Alex Fraser Bridge on Monday for more than eight hours due to a mental health crisis. Police rarely share information regarding mental...
City of Prince George tried to silence UNBC critics, emails show
A Prince George Citizen opinion article written by a group of UNBC faculty, which criticized the City of Prince George for removing belongings and shelters from...
TRU gets government approval for new graduate program to train nurse practitioners
Thompson Rivers University’s School of Nursing has received government approval for a new graduate program to train nurse practitioners — something...
Police seek witnesses in Burnaby stranger assault that broke woman’s arm
Burnaby RCMP are looking for more witnesses in a stranger assault that broke a woman’s arm Monday. Shortly before noon, a 29-year-old woman was walking...
Customer sues McDonald's over alleged coffee-scalding in Burnaby
McDonald’s is being sued for a cup of “scalding hot coffee” that allegedly spilled on a customer at a Burnaby store. Lok Fai Fung ordered a...
B.C. wood manufacturers to get bigger cut of the cut
Wood manufacturers in B .C. that have little or no Crown tenure will get increased access to logs through BC Timber Sales. B.C. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston...
Canada's passport application backlog now 'virtually eliminated,' minister says
Social Development Minister Karina Gould says Service Canada has "virtually eliminated" the massive backlog of passport applications that were delayed...
Bettman: 2018 Canada junior team investigation ‘really close to the end’
MONTREAL — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league’s investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving members of Canada's 2018 world junior team...
Man jailed for excavating Hudson's Hope dinosaur site
An Alberta man has been sentenced to jail and fined $15,000 for excavating slabs of protected dinosaur fossil footprints near Hudson’s Hope in 2020....
New health funding deal with provinces to be discussed at cabinet retreat in Hamilton
Canada's premiers are waiting to see if the federal cabinet can make headway towards a new deal on health-care funding as the ministers meet for a retreat...
Suspect in custody after stolen vehicle damages four police cruisers: RCMP
UPDATE: 1:54 p.m. Four RCMP vehicles were damaged Monday as officers tried to stop a stolen van in the Heffley Creek area, police say. According to Mounties, a...
Classified documents at Pence's home, too, his lawyer says
Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence 's Indiana residence last week, his lawyer says, the latest in a...
B.C. cold case file: family of four vanished without a trace in 1989
On Aug. 1, 1989, Ronnie Jack, 26, was at the First Litre Pub, a sketchy Prince George drinking hole about four blocks from his home. While there he got to...
'Disappointing' that U.S. pressing ahead with duties on Canadian softwood lumber: Ng
Canada's international trade minister says the United States appears to be pressing ahead with what she calls "unjustified" duties on softwood...
B.C. Premier David Eby spent $338K on leadership campaign
Premier David Eby spent $338,173 on his campaign for the BC NDP leadership, which never resulted in a membership vote following the disqualification of his only...
Elon Musk takes stand for 3rd day in Tesla investors lawsuit
Elon Musk returned to the stand for a third day Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco to testify in a trial stemming from a class action lawsuit brought by...
'Roma Gry,' a Romani dance group perform Sunday at the Rotary Centre for the Arts
Two years after they were originally scheduled to perform, a Romani dance group will get a chance to take the stage in Kelowna. Roma Gry was expected to perform...
Nearly one-quarter of trails in southern B.C., Alberta unmapped and unmanaged: study
New research has spelled out for the first time the gap between official lists of trails in the southern Rockies and the number of trails there actually are,...
Body of snowmobiler recovered from Ontario lake by divers
The body of a snowmobiler who had been missing on a southern Ontario lake has been recovered by divers. Ontario Provincial Police say in a news release that the...
Postmedia to lay off 11 per cent of staff, sources say
Sources say newspaper publisher Postmedia Network Corp. is laying off 11 per cent of its editorial staff. Postmedia announced the layoffs at a town hall this...
Mother of missing man Ryan Shtuka plans book signing at Kamloops Chapters
The mother of a young man who vanished nearly five years ago from Sun Peaks will be in Kamloops next month for a book signing. Heather Shtuka will be at...
VPD Const. Nicole Chan pleaded for 'justice' in victim statement before suicide
In the weeks before Vancouver police Const. Nicole Chan died by suicide, she detailed her anguish that a senior officer had "taken advantage" of her...
Learning to lie: AI tools adept at creating disinformation
Artificial intelligence is writing fiction, making images inspired by Van Gogh and fighting wildfires. Now it's competing in another endeavor once limited...
Helping farmers with the backlog in foreign worker approvals
If you have been to the grocery store lately, you know how expensive food has become. Part of that, is outside of government’s control. But part is a...
North Okanagan swan and eagle count spots 206 bald eagles
The bald eagle population in the North Okanagan appears to be doing well, according to the region's annual swan and eagle count. About 10 members of the...
Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre won't fully open until March in wake of flood
The Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre will resume full operations in March after December's flood. The Snowed In Comedy Tour will go ahead Jan....
Justice Dept. sues Google over digital advertising dominance
The Justice Department and eight states sued Google on Tuesday, alleging that its dominance in digital advertising harms competition as well as consumers and...
Alberta government contracts out thousands of hip and knee surgeries
Alberta Health says it will contract out thousands of orthopedic surgeries to chartered surgical facilities in Calgary. Health Minister Jason Copping says more...
B.C. Indigenous child agency appeals mom's $150K separation award
Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society (VACFSS) is appealing a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) ruling that awarded $150,000 to an Indigenous...
Residents back but evacuation alerts remain for Campbell River buildings
Residents of two Campbell River buildings who were evacuated after landslides last week have returned to their homes. But evacuation alerts remain in place as...
Quails' Gate Winery offers comparative wine tastings
The art of winemaking is all about time and place. Starting Jan. 26, Quails’ Gate Winery invites you to explore these unique wine-growing influences with...
Freeland silent on tanks for Ukraine, but says victory would boost world economy
The United States and Germany are taking steps to send battle tanks to Ukraine, but Canada still will not say whether it plans to make a similar move to help...
A timeline of the avalanche hazard in B.C., where five people are dead
Five people have been killed in British Columbia avalanches this month. Forecasters have compared this season’s snowpack with the conditions of 2003, one...
Five Little Indians was most popular adult fiction book in 2022, TNRL says
The most borrowed novel from the library in Kamloops last year was written by a local author. The Thompson-Nicola Regional Library has released a list of the...
Canadian publishing-sector revenues keep plunging
It may sound like old news that print publishers are losing advertising revenue to digital publications, and are forced to shift their business models toward...
Police looking for information after burglary on Hillside Drive
Kamloops police are looking for information and security video footage after a break-in Monday night at a business on Hillside Drive. In a news release,...
November international travel to Canada below 2019 level
Travellers who have experienced recent delays and long line-ups at airports might think travel has returned to where it was before the COVID-19 pandemic but new...
Longtime Vernon cultural leader Susan Brandoli departs Caetani Centre
A longtime contributor to Vernon's arts and cultural landscape is leaving the Caetani Cultural Centre. The centre has announced the resignation, effective...
Victoria police warn about rise in 'sextortion' cases targeting boys, men
Victoria police are warning about a rise in ‘sextortion’ cases. Police are urging parents and caregivers to be vigilant about youths’ online...
Penticton's Kiwanis Park playground to be closed for renovations
The playground at Kiwanis Park in Penticton will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. Crews will be conducting construction work which will take approximately...
Planned community flagpole at Vernon City Hall finds new home
A community flagpole at Vernon City Hall will accommodate a growing number of requests for flag raisings for various events and causes. In September, council...
Vernon seeks consultant to assess its recreation and parks fees
The City of Vernon is seeking quotes on an assessment of its recreation and parks fees. The request for quotations is for a consultant to provide "a...
Minor baseball spring registration opens for the South Okanagan with the Penticton Tigers
Hey batter batter, it’s time to register for spring baseball. After another very successful year of minor baseball for the Penticton Tigers, registration...
Annual Apex Mountain Winter Classic hockey tournament for kids raises $48K for BC Children's Hospital
Organizers and participants of the 7th Annual Winter Classic hockey tournament at Apex Mountain have something to be proud of after an incredible fundraising...
Children's ideas of 'community' published - book launch to follow
A group of local children between the ages of four and 12 is getting ready for its first book launch. The book Who Are The Children in our Community is the...
Vernon Winter Carnival hosting 1950s Happy Days Sock Hop
It's time to dig out those poodle skirts and leather jackets. Vernon Winter Carnival is inviting people back to the 1950s for the Happy Days Sock Hop. Dress...
Free menstrual products now available in some City of Kamloops buildings
The City of Kamloops is offering free period products in some municipal buildings, a pilot initiative the city says could expand to other public washrooms in...
City of Vernon budget increase for 2023 less than originally expected
Some good news for Vernon taxpayers. The city's 2023 tax increase is going to be slightly less than originally expected – plus the city will be able...
Vernon Winter Carnival looking for volunteers as celebration nears
The 63rd Vernon Winter Carnival is just over a week away, and there is still time to get in on the fun as a volunteer. Carnival runs from Feb. 3 to 12, and...
UVic and faculty association reach tentative agreement
The University of Victoria has reached a tentative contract agreement with its faculty. The deal covers close to 1,000 faculty members and librarians. Details...
Recreation programs on the rebound in Vernon, but still below pre-pandemic levels
Use of recreation facilities in Vernon continues to rebound from the pandemic. A recreation services fourth quarter report to city council sees user numbers...
