Penticton news
Apex Mountain Resort opening early amid best conditions in years
PENTICTON - November weather has been kind to Apex Mountain Resort and as a result the ski hill is opening a week early. The ski area, located 36 kilometres west of Penticton, announced this week they’ll be opening Saturday, Nov. 28, under some of the best early season snow conditions seen in years. “We had...
Cold snap continues in the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - While the temperatures continue to remind us why the stereotype of all Canadians living in parkas and igloos exists, it is nowhere near the record lows recorded in the Okanagan. Environment Canada is calling for temperatures to remain well below zero all weekend but is forecasting the mercury to hit near seasonal normal...
Nursing student rallies to take the chill off Penticton’s homeless
PENTICTON - With the season’s first cold snap upon us, Penticton’s homeless are finding they have a new champion for their needs in Mike Forster. Forster is currently training to be a licensed practical nurse and while talking to harm reduction nurses from Interior Health during his studies, he began to realize the how much...
Trial for four accused in kidnapping moving forward in Penticton
PENTICTON - The trial of four men accused of kidnapping and beating another man continued to move forward in Penticton court this afternoon, Thursday, Nov. 26. Carey Anderson, Kerry James Ellis, Albert Edgar Fontaine and John Marshall Szanto are accused of kidnapping and aggravated assault, and other charges following a May 21 incident on Shingle...
Cawston man serves jail time for alcohol-induced assaults, threats
PENTICTON - A Cawston man was handed a court order to stop drinking and given time served as part of a sentence handed down in Penticton court today, Nov. 26. Gabriel Julian Labrosse was sentenced to 47 days time served by Judge Gale Sinclair on multiple charges including assault, assault with a weapon and uttering...
Kokanee numbers keep rising in Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Kokanee numbers are up from last year in all of the big valley lakes, the provincial government says. Wood Lake’s kokanee population continues to recover from a disastrous 2011 when poor in-lake conditions lead to a huge increase in fish mortality of all ages, according to a media release. Over 20,000 returned to spawn...
Evidence indicates Penticton dog attacked by deer, not cougar
PENTICTON - A Penticton resident’s pet was subject to an encounter with a wild animal yesterday — but was it a predator? Penticton conservation officer Dave Cox says his fellow officer Jeff Hanratty investigated a report of a dog encountering a cougar on Marina Way at approximately 1:30 p.m., Nov. 25. After meeting with the...
The unusual way some local residents mourn through Facebook
"IT'S NICE TO KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LOVED HIM." KELOWNA – Earlier this month Facebook announced a new option designed to help you get over a relationship breakup without blocking or unfriending your ex. But some Okanagan residents are using Facebook to help get over an even greater loss. Three years ago, suddenly and...
Another reprieve for Interior Health laundry workers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The Hospital Employees’ Union is welcoming news that Interior Health is delaying its decision to contract out laundry services. New Interior Health President and CEO Chris Mazurkewich says in a release today, Nov. 25, not to expect a decision before March 2016. He’s been on the job less than a month and wants...
Whereabouts of missing workers from Vernon remain a mystery
VERNON - Two months after going missing, four migrant workers last seen in the Okanagan still have not been located. The four men, from Mexico, were working at an orchard in Vernon before going missing in late June. According to the Vernon RCMP, they’d been in Canada for ten days before taking a cab from...
Migrant workers still missing from Okanagan farm a month later
VERNON - Four migrant workers from Mexico have still not been found a month after an Okanagan farm owner reported the men missing. Huizar Soto Uriel, 37, Isaac Jimenez, 28, Juvenal Rios Binedo, 39, and Juan Manual Sanchez Gallegos, 30, entered Canada on June 16, 2015. On June 26 the foursome departed the farm where...
Local family donates $250K to Penticton hospital expansion
PENTICTON - A local family is giving back to the community through a large donation that will help provide new equipment for the Penticton Regional Hospital expansion. Anthony and Joan Vant Geloof of Starline Enterprises announced a $250,000 donation to help provide the new patient care tower with medical equipment. The couple has supported the...
Penticton gets busy with sports, toy drives and agri-food
PENTICTON - The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and with it is an increasing number of events taking place in the city. Wednesday Nov. 26, is a Wicked Wednesday event at the South Okanagan Events Centre as the Penticton Vees take on the Vernon Vipers. Tickets are $5 for adults and seniors, students aged 13...
Kip Moore tour coming to the South Okanagan
PENTICTON - Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Kip Moore is bringing his rocking country to Penticton next year. The 2016 Wild Ones tour has been extended to include extra stops in Canada, including the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, according to a press release from the events centre. Moore’s album Wild Ones is a mix of blue-collar country music...
Off-duty officer stops Penticton tire thieves in their tracks
PENTICTON - An alert off-duty officer foiled a pair of tire thieves last week in Penticton. Around 8:45 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 22, the off-duty officer spotted two people in the locked tire bin at Canadian Tire on Railway Avenue. Police responded to find a man and a woman in the compound. The male attempted to...